In this episode, we talk to Ruth Swann about the 2014 and 2018 National Cancer Diagnosis Audits.
We often consider the malfunctioning of the health service to be someone else’s fault; the government's, the GPs', the receptionist's … but if we reflect on how our expectations, as a society, have changed over time, perhaps we might find ourselves complicit.
Kevin Kelly collects sage advice. He edits them and adds some personal observations. His 21st century description is that they are like wisdom tweets. Terry Kemple is inspired to join in!
"Our calcified medical models eventually crumble with the metastasis of authenticity. There are consequences if you want to be a good doctor. This is the game I play and I have accepted the rules. How pathogenic of me." Sati Heer-Stavert shares an
In this episode, we talk to Dr Alex Hodkinson about the associations between GP burnout and prescribing for opioids and antibiotics.
In general practice we can discuss end of life and treatment escalations decisions with patients before they become very unwell, and this is where the ReSPECT process could potentially give a space for a meaningful patient-centred discussion about preferences at the end
Our relationships with patients are more than just transactional, but they do not need to be based on affection or necessarily on duration. A good doctor-patient relationship is simply one that enables both parties to bridge the gap between them, and it
In an attempt to improve physical health outcomes in this group, patients registered at their GP practice as having a severe metal illness are eligible to undergo an annual health check in a primary care setting. Richard Armitage discusses recent progress.
Hannah Milton discusses...a gradual withdrawal from social life starting in mid-teens, often with school refusal alongside an altered sleep pattern, gaming or social media addiction and a restricted and unhealthy diet with a total lack of exercise.
Most practices at some point may find themselves in a tricky situation of having to look for a new practice manager. Adnan Saad shares some starting points. Additional insights are welcome in the comments!
In this episode, we talk to Ameerah Ibrahim and Carmel Hughes about how to effectively integrate pharmacists into general practice.
The Metropolitan police chief, Sir Mark Rowley, has said that his officers will not attend calls for mental health incidents from 31 August 2022 unless there’s an immediate threat to life. Nada Khan investigates the key issues in this national scheme its
The recent release of “Queen Charlotte”, the Bridgerton spin-off series on Netflix, has reignited interest in the illness of King George III. Whilst the series is described as ‘fiction inspired by fact,’ the story of King George leads into the wider
Professor Joanne Reeve applies a new book on Mindlines and finds hope for UK primary healthcare
So what we need is the invention of a ‘new category’ of General Practitioner. David Mummery sets out his manifesto for the future general practitioner. Discussion welcome!
So what now, given that suboptimal asthma care in the UK is increasing the morbidity and mortality of patients living with asthma coupled with rising asthma care-related carbon footprint? Vasumathy Sivarajasingam offers some useful reflections.
How many of us allow ourselves the possibility that from our vantage point as general practitioners, we may have had our focus so sharpened by years of walking alongside our patients that we might see the benefit of a letter where bland
In this episode, we speak to Nick Thomas about the research activities and opportunities within the RCGP.
Hannah Barnes has fastidiously documented the decades of issues at GIDS in a way that raises concern about the treatment of gender dysphoric and highly distressed young people in the UK. The book doesn’t give any answers about how a gender service
I find Smith’s rage to be energising and I do not think that those of us who grew up before Smith during second wave feminism in the 1970s can sit this one out. To have the case for the importance of biological
Most people have never heard of Derek Parfit. He was a moral philosopher whose reasonings have probably influenced the way many of us (the non-philosophers who are stuck in the foothills of the mountain) think today. Terry Kemple reviews a new biography.
The wolves in the forest that frighten human beings are now at last being accurately named: poverty, homelessness, hunger, unemployment, domestic abuse, adverse childhood experiences. Humans like sheep have a basic need to feel safe. They can’t function well until that need
So, as the ‘choose well’ guide tells us, they have to judge whether a condition is ‘serious’, a fall is ‘minor’, an emergency is ‘real’, an injury ‘non life-threatening’, and care is needed ‘urgently’.
In this episode, we speak to Joe Hutchinson about the impacts of general practice closures.
“And yet you followed them anyway,” replied Med AI Assistant version 3.0, or Maeve, as Raymond called her, or rather, it (he had to remember to stop anthropomorphising her, it!). “With a 100% concordance rate,” Maeve added in a light feminine voice
This is Jolyon Maugham: erstwhile homeless teenager, rags-to-riches tax lawyer, agitator, social media influencer and King’s Counsel with attitude. His arguments about why societal conflicts increasingly need legal recourse deserve careful scrutiny. The profession needs to understand his playbook.
"In January of this year I had the privilege of visiting the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India. [...] It was a reminder that the workforce and training challenges we face in the UK are not bespoke to the NHS. We are
"We regularly face a level of demand that we don’t have the resources to meet. We gradually downgrade our aspiration from thriving to functioning to surviving, and our only options look like pushing through or getting out. Simply going on as we
A recent BBC Panorama ‘expose’ of private ADHD clinics suggests that some online providers are over-diagnosing ADHD following inadequate clinical assessments. Patients are increasingly turning to private providers both out of pocket and through right-to--choose arrangements, and ultimately, GPs may be asked
In this episode, we speak to Dr Faraz Mughal about clinical factors and characteristics of men who see their GP before death by suicide.
"I predict that, by June 2025, all GPs will be using some form of LLM-powered co-pilot in their day-to-day practice ... Used (and regulated) correctly, these tools will enhance patient care, improve GP working conditions, and relieve pressures on general practice in
"Morale in general practice has never been lower, and I can say that having been a GP for 37 years. In all this adversity and negative press, the care has carried on regardless, even allowing pockets of brilliance to shine through. We
"The result is this honest, insightful, and compassionate book. It’s a guide to, and guide through, the hidden curriculum of untaught competencies without which a new doctor’s life can become a Kafka-esque nightmare of self-doubt" - Roger Neighbour reviews The Bleep Test:
With recent polling in the UK putting Labour significantly ahead it seems likely that they will form our next government. It is sensible, therefore, to pay close attention to Labour policy suggestions for the NHS.
What are the personal and human factors that most motivate and anchor our best healthcare? What best nourishes and sustains both patients and healthcarers to endure together life’s most difficult challenges? This book answers such questions with luminous and engaging clarity.
In this episode, we speak to James Sheppard about the development and validation of the STRATIFY-AKI tool
Nada Khan finds two hidden 'shelves' of GPs who might bolster the primary care workforce: the shelf with locum GPs, and the shelf of academic GPs. What is the contribution to the GP workforce of these shelves of GPs, and how might
Womb is an unashamedly feminist book exploring anatomy, science and history related to the female genital tract.
Mindlines are not just internalised instructions for what to do. Mindlines are what we share, including the facts we know and the issues we care about. Because of their link to our professional identity, mindlines are also who we are. Trisha Greenhalgh
Can we still reasonably describe ourselves as generalists, doing a bit of everything, or are we on the road to re-branding ourselves as specialists in primary care?