The government has gained control over the system; doctors have gained the freedom to have a life outside the surgery; and patients have gained – at least in theory – unlimited access to textbook medicine, regardless of who provides it. Ben Hoban
Dr Sally Hull joins us to talk about a new study exploring continuity of care.
Richard Armitage discusses the pros and cons of wild swimming in light of the recent discharges of raw sewage into British waterways
Bhupinder Goraya reflects on the clinical consultation from a GP perspective. A courtroom with competing sovereign views?
"This is an important book that covers a great deal of ground relevant to human health and flourishing" — Paquita de Zulueta reviews the second edition of Nigel Crisp's Turning the World Upside Down Again
If a patient has an Adverse Childhood Experiences score of 4 or higher then the risk of multiple health problems, such as cancer, obesity, and heart disease, increases. Giles Dawnay asks, how much, then, of our hard and well-intentioned work is no
Medicines make up 25% of the NHS’ carbon footprint, with some metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) being 3320 times more powerful than CO2. How then can primary care help to reduce emissions caused by inhalers? Joshua Parker explores some options, such as reducing reliability
It may therefore be that the best way to spot the symptoms of serious disease is not always to be looking for them, argues Ben Hoban
The Staff Wellbeing Garden at Frome Medical Practice shows the value of local green spaces, enriching the local biodiversity while providing a relaxing environment for both staff and patients. Here, Charlotte Carson, Green Health Connector, describes recent developments to the garden, including
Though it is widely known that kidney donation is common among living donors who are family or friends, there appears to be lower awareness of kidney donation along a non-directed pathway. Here, Rich Armitage describes the process of becoming a non-directed altruistic
"It’s the best show we have seen in years ... " — Polyester elephants on 6 foot plinths, grotesque life-sized cloth dolls, and robotic snakes — it's the return of the Venice Biennale, reviewed by Will Norman
Doctors who find more human sense, belonging and fulfilment in their work are, almost certainly, able to provide better care. But our serial reforms have disregarded, then abandoned, a time-honoured cornerstone of practice. David Zigmond explores the tragic revival of continuity of
Serena Strickland reflects on the effect of an avian visitor on a GP practice
What Rupal Shah & colleagues are proposing is not whimsical or theoretical. We need to address the broader context or practice so that connection, meaning & values can flourish. The next generation of GPs needs to be inspired & adequately resourced to
Richard Armitage argues that cyber-attack pose an apocalyptic risk to UK primary healthcare
Can any guide to financial aspects of medical practice from the doctor’s perspective ever claim to be ‘friendly'? Andrew Papanikitas finds this book to be useful. The book collects an up-to-date set of facts about things such as what a set of
"I strongly recommend this book to my colleagues both in primary and secondary care" – George C Moncrieff, Chair of the Dermatology Council for England until 2018, reviews the second edition of Jonathan Bowling's Diagnostic Dermoscopy: The Illustrated Guide
Joel Brown argues that charging patients £10 for missed appointments in UK general practice is misguided, unfair, and harmful to both patients and health service.
Nada Khan reviews the 'Women’s Health Strategy for England,' which contains ambitious goals for general practice. Are these goals sustainable and sincere?
Peter McNelly provides an introduction to the role of the mental health practitioner in general practice, and how they can help reduce the workload of GPs.
It is important that GPs are able to recognise this phenomenon, and to not dismiss the SMI lifestyle as a harmless pursuit for frivolous Gen-Z-ers. Richard Armitage unpacks the health implications.
‘Yes dad, a little dash like normal.’ I never knew how to reply. Was he asking a question? Was he just making a statement, did he even want milk in it? Had he forgotten how he had his tea? I never knew
Some patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) suffer years of referrals and inconclusive tests. Others find themselves overlooked by health care services and feel forgotten. However, diagnostic delay may be due to a disease being rare. Stephen Walker and colleagues offer a
New research into the serotonin theory of depression raises two separate, but related issues. The first is our understanding about the aetiology of depression. The second is understanding why we prescribe antidepressants. Nada Khan reflects on what this means for general practice.
Lisa Broom, Frances Dutton (GPs), and Chris Bird (Paediatric A&E Consultant) reflect on a fellowship that allowed both GPs to have one foot in Birmingham Children's Hospital's busy emergency department and the other in primary care in the city, with time to
We have a quick update from the Editor, Euan Lawson.
Richard Armitage examines the 'Deborah James effect' on cancer awareness. How should we enhance the benefits and mitigate any harms of publicly shared celebrity cancer stories?
"What I am increasingly aware of the longer I practice medicine is that traditional models of care are not working" — Maryan Naeem reviews 'What Seems To Be The Problem?', the new memoir by Laura Marshall-Andrews
During the UK pandemic lockdowns of 2020–21 an online literary festival was held by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London, and the talks are freely available online. Andrew Papanikitas invites readers online and back in time!
People living in more affluent parts of the world with better healthcare and less disease tend to have a lower view of their health than people in poorer areas, where disease is more prevalent and healthcare less well-developed. Ben Hoban asks what
"We have talked to friends, colleagues, teachers and other adopters and have concluded that we should go ahead with an assessment. We will access resources and advice, buy a new genre of books, try to think of different parenting strategies to help our child..."
Professor Jan Verbakel talks about a study that explored the experiences of GPs when diagnosing childhood UTIs.
Richard Armitage looks at the health needs of people who work away from home, be they itinerant telecommuters or contract-workers in haulage and construction - should general practice be evolving to meet the access needs of this group? Join the discussion!
"a filmic, memorable story that will leave its traces on the reader as the coastline is shaped by the sea" — Jane H Roberts reviews Mend the Living, the award-winning novel by Maylis de Kerangal
Found poetry is created by taking words and phrases from other sources and reframing them - the literary equivalent of a collage. Jessica Watson and Fiona Hamilton demonstrate how the approach can be applied to qualitative research to capture and share experiences
One of medicine’s great strengths is the precise use of language it employs to describe what and where it is diagnosing the issue in hand. This, of course, would be fine if we only spoke amongst ourselves in a professional capacity.
Pamela Martin shares the Doctors for Unite vision for the future of primary healthcare in the UK - a call to action!
Sharon Dixon and colleagues contend that a deeper understanding of safeguarding practices (and how these look and feel on the front-line of multi-agency encounters) is needed if future child safeguarding tragedies are to be avoided.
Dr Meena Rafiq talks about a recent research paper suggesting a diagnostic window for Hodgkin lymphoma that could help us find strategies for earlier diagnosis.
How and why do we define something as a public health problem? Richard Armitage reflects on the complexities.