Ode to Diagnosis
Lines written by a doctor, after an elderly man presents with a positive PSA test, trying to decide what to do next. A poem.
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Action required
Tired of scanning hospital letters to try and spot if there was anything that would necessitate action, it seemed like a simple solution: hospital teams would in future put any such information into a headed section...
On becoming: Empathy at the deep end
Empathy is not a luxury. It is the ground on which healing relationships are built — and the ground on which we remain whole.
Episode 222: Belonging, autonomy and burnout: Why GPs leave
In this episode, we speak to Dr Laura Jefferson about GP turnover and reasons why GPs leave.
On becoming: Empathy at the deep end
Empathy is not a luxury. It is the ground on which healing relationships are built — and the ground on which we remain whole.
Episode 222: Belonging, autonomy and burnout: Why GPs leave
In this episode, we speak to Dr Laura Jefferson about GP turnover and reasons why GPs leave.
A note on educators’ notes: why GP training programmes in the UK needs clearer, fairer assessment governance
GP training programmes must balance two imperatives: protecting patients and supporting the development of hardworking, reflective clinicians. To achieve this, the establishment relies heavily on narrative assessment tools...
Icarus Plummeting
Zigmond mercilessly describes the ways in which our healthcare systems have made us less able to listen to the patient’s experience, less able to see their experience in the context of their life, their family and their social circumstances.
Primary care in a destroyed health system: reflections on a deployment to Gaza
Each mission has taught me something different about medicine in low-resource settings, but Gaza has presented challenges unlike anything I've encountered before. The conflict in Gaza has resulted in the near-total collapse of the healthcare system.
The gatekeepers and the wizards revisited (part 1): Seventy eight years of fairy tales
The People waited and waited for the new King and his Minister to make things better. They were not happy. And nor were the Wizards and Gatekeepers...
Episode 221: BJGP Top 10 research most read and published in 2025
In this episode, we look back at the top 10 most read research papers in the BJGP in 2025.
Leviathans and a different sort of contract
A social contract must be framed in a way that enables people to look after other people, rather than simply creating systems of ever-increasing complexity to deliver care which is mechanical and ultimately disappointing.
The alchemy of doubt, praise, and progress
Those who are underestimated may be overlooked for opportunities, while those who are overestimated may feel pressure to perform flawlessly, discouraging help-seeking and reflection.
Icarus Plummeting
Zigmond mercilessly describes the ways in which our healthcare systems have made us less able to listen to the patient’s experience, less able to see their experience in the context of their life, their family and their social circumstances.
Book review: How Animals Heal Us
"How Animals Heal Us is a deeply heartfelt work from an author with lived experience of both devastating mental ill health and the restorative power of animal friendship. It contains uplifting and joyful anecdotes of animal companionship and ministration. It is also, at times, a
Book review: Psychology’s Quiet Conservatism: How a Supposedly Woke Science Promotes Capitalism and Protects Privilege
"I can only recommend this wide-ranging and rich book to any doctor interested in psychology, as you may find (like I did) that you will learn a lot more about psychology (and our current social climate) than you could do from any psychology textbook ..."
Give me HRT: a reflection on the BBC’s Riot Women
The BBC’s Riot Women shows us a snippet of the lives of five women navigating the menopause and forming a rock band.
The Leopard in my House, by Mark Steel
The shared human experience... makes it a compelling and worthwhile read... also for those affected directly by cancer or friends and relatives caring for them.
Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference by Rutger Bregman
Moral ambition does not mean trying to be perfect. This book is meant as a practical guide for anyone who wants to be more effective in making a difference.
Stranger Within: Poems & Prose, by Blair Smith
Blair Smith was a GP for twenty years before he became a professor and then a consultant in pain medicine. This lovely book reflects all these aspects of his career as well as his own personal cancer experience.
The Strange Death of Medical England by William Hayes-Wood
The trenchant disillusionment of a passing generation– a long-incubated lament and warning reviewed by David Zigmond
Six books to read, give, or talk about during the festive season
"For the last couple of years we’ve had a BJGP tradition of reviewing some book-ish stocking fillers, books to give to those we love (and/or work with), books to read in quiet moments and on cold nights, and books to talk about at gatherings. It’s
Death in a Shallow Pond: A Philosopher, a Drowning Child, and Strangers in Need, By David Edmonds
It’s a struggle to reconcile what we do with those inner thoughts that we should be doing more and doing it better. Those inner thoughts, our moral sense or conscience of right and wrong, guide our behaviour, and should make us reflect to learn what
Primary care in a destroyed health system: reflections on a deployment to Gaza
Each mission has taught me something different about medicine in low-resource settings, but Gaza has presented challenges unlike anything I've encountered before. The conflict in Gaza has resulted in the near-total collapse of the healthcare system.
When normal tests end care too early
Medicine is remarkably effective at identifying disease. Yet when symptoms persist without a clear diagnosis, it often falters—not because knowledge is lacking, but because legitimacy quietly evaporates.
A Gaza medical Student, a GP Surgery in Darlaston, and the quiet influence of general practice
As GPs, we often meet people at points of disruption - when plans collapse and the future suddenly feels unclear. We sit with that complexity daily: listening, and identifying what next steps might be possible.
Meitheal and Umunthu as guides for healthcare
Two concepts—Meitheal from Ireland and Umunthu from Malawi—offer valuable frameworks that could improve healthcare systems for all, including the health workers who work in them.
Two under two, one Trainer, and a town called Virginia
Anyway, that driving tutorial and mortifying nap saga have stayed with me. What I now know is that being of the community, not just in it, is what makes general practice effective, sustainable and frankly, what makes it fun.
On becoming: Empathy at the deep end
Empathy is not a luxury. It is the ground on which healing relationships are built — and the ground on which we remain whole.
A note on educators’ notes: why GP training programmes in the UK needs clearer, fairer assessment governance
GP training programmes must balance two imperatives: protecting patients and supporting the development of hardworking, reflective clinicians. To achieve this, the establishment relies heavily on narrative assessment tools...
Cultural boundaries of general practice
"So is our commitment to professional knowledge, skills, and attitudes an anthropological mirage? Is the essence of general practice just a recipe for a social status and decent salary? I would like to think not ... "
Primary care in a destroyed health system: reflections on a deployment to Gaza
Each mission has taught me something different about medicine in low-resource settings, but Gaza has presented challenges unlike anything I've encountered before. The conflict in Gaza has resulted in the near-total collapse of the healthcare system.
The gatekeepers and the wizards revisited (part 1): Seventy eight years of fairy tales
The People waited and waited for the new King and his Minister to make things better. They were not happy. And nor were the Wizards and Gatekeepers...
Trainees and students
A note on educators’ notes: why GP training programmes in the UK needs clearer, fairer assessment governance
GP training programmes must balance two imperatives: protecting patients and supporting the development of hardworking, reflective clinicians. To achieve this, the establishment relies heavily on narrative assessment tools...
Enhancing qFIT bowel screening uptake in deprived areas
This is what Andrea Williamson and colleagues have termed missingness: The systematic absence of certain groups from health data, services, and outcomes. Those who do not return their kits are not a random group — they are often the very patients carrying the highest burden
Are we judging GP registrars on their outfits?
Professionalism may not be a discrete domain on the mark scheme, yet it shapes how registrars are assessed, creating a standard that remains open to personal interpretation. And when that interpretation is shaped by assumptions about religion, culture, gender, or identity, attire can become an
Mutual mentorship: A hidden strength in general practice
We’ve come to believe that at any stage of training or career, every GP has the potential to be both mentor and mentee; it is a reciprocal relationship that fosters self-reflection, career development, and personal growth for all involved.
Caring for my grandmother: A resident doctor’s personal experience of end-of-life caregiving in the community
Many have discussed the challenges informal caregivers face with end-of-life care in the community... By recounting my experience, I hope to add further insight from the perspective of a resident doctor acting in this role.
BJGP Interviews
Episode 222: Belonging, autonomy and burnout: Why GPs leave
In this episode, we speak to Dr Laura Jefferson about GP turnover and reasons why GPs leave.
Episode 221: BJGP Top 10 research most read and published in 2025
In this episode, we look back at the top 10 most read research papers in the BJGP in 2025.
Episode 220: Safety incidents in prison healthcare: Lessons from critical illness
In this episode, we discuss critical illness and failings in prison health.
BJGP Interviews Podcast
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BJGP Top 10 research 2025
Professor Martin Marshall at the BJGP Research Conference
Counting GPs
BJGP Research & Publishing Conference 2026
FULL VERSION: Menopausal symptoms from breast cancer treatment
Menopausal symptoms from breast cancer treatment
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