General practice is full of unsung heroes. John Launer tells us about Dilys Daws and reviews two of her books, which may be of great help to many parents.
Two years ago we did not know that we would all be caring for patients with long covid. Feryad Hussain surveys the current evidence.
Do you feel confident in meeting the needs of Afghan asylum seekers and refugees? The issues are not new. Emily Clark and Rebecca Farrington give us some valuable guidance.
We have all had the fear that that a child we had seen with a minor flu-like illness at 4pm might be terminally ill with meningococcal septicaemia before the day was over. Hugh Bethell reviews a book by Oxford Professor of Paediatrics
Rubia Usman is a female GP from an ethnic minority. Her message is simple: "If you work hard and you are a woman you have the power. More power to you. This is (y)our time!"
Irresponsible journalism creates a false narrative with the public. We are seeing patients! Kasun Theivendran questions whether we need to introduce a “how to deal with unfair blame” module into the GP curriculum.
Today’s younger generation enjoy Harry Potter and Roald Dahl’s books. John Brooks takes us back to the days of John Buchan’s spy adventures, and tells us a little of Buchan's remarkable life and medical history.
Social media uses "persuasive technology" that has real effects on mental health and social wellbeing. Richard Armitage calls us to identify this as an urgent public health problem
A significant percentage of GP2GP transfers are not being successfully completed. Nigel Masters explains that a failure to get this right soon will see significant degradation of primary care medical notes.
What can we do about Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy? James Bailey and his colleagues report on the outcome of their initiative in an East London Practice.
Dr Alex Walker talks us through the OpenSAFELY analysis of 58 millions records exploring the coding of long Covid.
Under the Additional Roles Reimbursement scheme, 26 000 roles are being funded to create bespoke multidisciplinary teams in primary care. But is there a risk that these new roles will only exasperate those for whom they were set to rescue?
Nobody wants to be greeted or processed in an uncaring and clinical manner. Sue Thurlow suggests that our motto should be "Compassion First", not "Digital First".
Shame, a near-universal accompaniment of human compromise, often generates major distress, yet rarely finds direct language. How, then, do doctors – now so often seen as ‘fixers’ – deal with such an elusive problem? Read David Zigmond's latest masterclass.
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is not a medical assessment, an incorrect assumption often claimed by politicians. Mo Stewart discusses the negative and sometimes catastrophic consequences for the disabled.
Longitudinal continuity with a named GP can reduce hospital admissions and deaths and is 'dose-dependent'.
Has a reduction in face to face appointments meant a change of vision for UK General Practice? Richard Pratt argues that our vision is unchanged, it is our methods that have had to change.
This study examined whether GP continuity of care matters and 4.5 million Norwegian patients and their named GPs were included. There is a strong association between continuity and patient outcomes including hospitalisations and mortality.
General practice is ideally placed to introduce changes to become more environmentally sustainable. Dr Vasumathy Sivarajasingam shows, with primary and secondary research, that increased awareness of inhaler recycling among patients and better signposting from primary care staff may be sorely needed.
Being a GP is a great vocation. But what if we have two vocations that may conflict? Anupma Parihar reflects on juggling her work and family commitments.
The immune-system is complex and is interconnected with the central nervous and endocrine systems. Regina Ford discusses a wide range of scientific research that looks at diet, supplements, exercise, sleep quality and stress/mental health, to give us a holistic overview of health
Professor Brendan Delaney talks us through some key recommendations around long Covid from a new Delphi study.
Last year the Lancet predicted ‘Substantial increases in the number of avoidable cancer deaths in England’ as a result of diagnostic delays due to the pandemic in the UK. Jenny Stephenson discusses some of the issues involved.
Is the concept of the patient as an 'inconvenience' a pernicious aspect of the hidden curriculum of medical school and postgraduate training? Nathaniel Aspray tells us his story.
The Kieran Sweeney Prize is awarded each year by the Tamar Faculty of the Royal College of General Practitioners. This year's title: “What does the future hold for the relationship between a patient and their GP in the UK?”
Our current system is not OK. Day after day, my clinic is full of people struggling to cope with their mental health needs. So what is going wrong?
patients and public are now more involved in research via PPI groups. But PPI members tend to be white, middle-class and retired. The National Institute for Health Research has published recommendations re diversity and inclusion in PPI groups. Danielle Nimmons and colleagues
Dr Thomas Round talks about research that shows how 2-week wait referrals for cancer have more than doubled up to 2018/2019.
Following the BMA vote to withdraw opposition to physician assisted suicide the possibility of doctors being expected to be involved in hastening their patients' deaths looks closer. Claud Regnard and his colleagues discuss some of the practical issues involved.
Frustrated. Exhausted. Burnt out. If we don’t support those working in primary care, the NHS as we know it will no longer exist.
Armna Ali reflects on her experience as a GP during Covid...... and what happened when the clapping stopped......
"Whereas 2 Tone bands were kicking out neo-Nazis from their gigs decades ago, anecdotal reports of obsequious adjustments accommodating the racist demands of some patients continue to occur within the NHS today, despite an official zero-tolerance approach to racism." Sati Heer-Stavert reflects
It’s hard to understand the actions of a leadership that attacks doctors and nurses at the peak of a pandemic, but that is what is happening in Myanmar ...
Professor Stewart Mercer talks about how the implementation of social prescribing via a link worker programme has worked in Deep End practices in Glasgow and offers his expert thoughts on the evidence base in this area, the inverse care law and addressing
As euthanasia is an uncomplicated and humane way of disposing of a sick animal, why should it not be available as a treatment option for human patients who are suffering? A vet and a doctor working in palliative medicine discuss a little
"Long Covid" presents as a constellation of symptoms that are debilitating, persistent and unexplained, often limiting patients' day-to-day activities. David Thompson and his colleagues describe a novel approach - the Optimal Health Programme - which they are now trialing for this condition.
This study gives insights into how GPs document safety-netting advice and how it compares to what actually happened in the consultation.
Why is the General Medical Council's ‘Good Medical Practice' like eating plate after plate of chips? No, it's not the first line of a joke - let Bhupinder Goraya explain all.
The government has just announced a health and social care levy which is expected to raise £14bn a year. Of this, £1.8bn a year will go to social care. But will money alone fix the problems? Helen Burns reviews Saving Social Care
Those who come from poorer backgrounds get unwell earlier and die almost a decade before those from richer backgrounds. Dipesh Gopal reviews "Inflamed: deep medicine and the anatomy of injustice" by Rupa Marya and Raj Patel.