Dr Sarah Bailey takes us through important new evidence around the implications of thrombocytosis in our patients.
Anna Gordon reminds us that refugees are people like us, but in desperate need of our humanity.
7000 extra GPs are needed within the next five years to avoid a UK medical workforce crisis, but only a minority of medical students are willing to take on the general practitioner role. Philipp Schorscher examines why, and what we can do
Competing patient, family medicine and psychiatric perspectives complicate the management of distress and mental illness general practice and call for resolution. K. S. Jacob suggests some ways forward.
Safety netting is essentrial in primary care but there is no one accepted definition. Peter Lindsay fixes this for us!
How do remote consultations work for Foundation trainees in general practice, who suddenly find themselves working in an unfamiliar environment? Emilie Dobler, an FY2, describes the methods of training used during their GP rotation to best prepare them for a future where
There is an increased risk of frontline healthcare workers developing mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Could Meditation Help? William Van Gordon examines the evidence.
COVID has taught us just how much care can be delivered over the telephone and video link. But what of patient safety, particularly for the frail elderly and patients with dementia in care homes? John Havard describes a useful new tool that
Martin Edwards and Anjna Harrar review this polemical but important book. It is devastatingly critical of the government, its advisors and Public Health England in its analysis of the early months of the COVID-19 crisis in Britain.
Some GPs seem invincible, gliding through their entire careers with a minimum of alarms. How do they do it? Retired GP, Ed Warren, muses on attitudes worth cultivating during a career as a GP.
Are you constantly short of time? Charlotte Sidebotham encourages us to discover the slow movement.
A New Indian Express editorial read “Can one person change the world? Ask Andrew Wakefield”. Peter Lindsay reviews "The Doctor who fooled the world" by Brian Deer Scribe, and reflects on the damage caused by Wakefield's career.
We talks about attitudes and understanding of COVID testing; point-of-care testing; recent research in this area; and the use of CRP and how it fits into clinical care.
During the current Covid-19 pandemic, operating procedures to deal with face-to-face consultations in primary care in the United Kingdom were clear in the need of separating services for patients with symptoms of Covid-19, and for shielded patients needing care. Pablo Millares Martin
Covid-19 has had a major impact on the provision of all health care services. Have Primary Care Networks had a role to play in helping GP practices to adapt? Sarah Parkinson and Judith Smith talked to leaders from four PCNs across England
Migrants are widely recognised to have complex and diverse health needs, but recent reform within the NHS includes the introduction of healthcare charges for many of them. These may create pressure on GP services, increase the disease burden and widen health inequalities,
We see the refugee crisis remotely, on our TV screens. Dr Peter von Kaehne decided to do something to help. We need to hear his story.
Dr Bethany Bareham talks about managing older people’s perceptions of alcohol-related risk.
Many clinical situations force patients into disempowered vulnerability. Judith Dawson reflects on the etiquette of dressing and undressing within the consultation.
Bill Reith reflects on a hundred years of "Panic, Hysteria and Hubris" as he reviews this timely book.
"The Virus" sets out to provide answers to the key question, “It’s 15,000 times smaller than a flea and we can kill it with a bar of soap – so how did a tiny, fragile virus change the world?” Lesley Morrison reviews
Claire Vicary gives a very personal account of her year with bowel cancer. There was more to getting better than she had realised......
Chloe Webster, a trainee, reflects on a "Formula One speed" surgical ward round where she suddenly rediscovered the magic of General Practice.
The RCGP's annual Research Paper of the Year (RPY) award gives recognition to researchers who have undertaken and published an exceptional piece of research relating to general practice or primary care. Here, Carolyn Chew-Graham, Chair of the RPY, presents the three winning
Many former GPs may want to move along a different career pathway, but when they retire from clinical work they encounter barriers. Mona Aquilina argues that we need to harness and leverage the skills and energy of these doctors and she gives
Advances in medicine have led to major improvements in end-of-life care. But when a patient dies should doctors be aware of any factors in funeral care that can help the relatives? Dr Sarah Jones, a doctor turned Funeral Director, and Dr Julie
Dr Daniel Stow talks about research into end-of-life recognition in older people.
Community palliative care delivery is changing dramatically in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. But what of the unintended consequences of such rapid change? Ben Bowers and his co-authors examine key issues.
Primary care is changing at an unprecedented pace and the COVID19 pandemic has shown how being adaptable is vital to the future of general practice. Ria Agarwal and Sarah Mitchell ask whether Physician Associates may provide a way forward for end-of-life care
There has been an increasing awareness of the toll that medicine takes upon the mental health of NHS staff, especially GPs. general practitioners. Paul Main reflects on a novel that depicts mental illness - and healing.
Fiona Baskett reviews a fascinating and highly acclaimed book by a forensic anthropologist.
In the UK, at the centre of our crucial battle against Covid-19s, our NHS has been, lionised and eulogised in heroic terms. But David Zigmond questions whether this recent praise for NHS staff in fact covers up a longstanding malaise, the destabilising
Dr Sian Russell talks about research into the use of NEWS in care homes.
Are GPs prepared for a future dominated by remote consultations? Ruth Chambers and her colleagues present results from their survey into the effectiveness of learning sets that help GPs to develop their video-consultation skills.
Why is it that risk is perceived differently by different people? During the COVID-19 pandemic there have been largely conflicting responses, both on an individual and national scale. Samar Razaq explores this question in light of the current pandemic and argues that
This year Covid-19 has been a backdrop to profound human loss. Anupma Parihar reflects on the role of patients' narratives in preserving the dignity of our our patients within the consultation.
Richard Churchill reviews a remarkable memoir from a remarkable doctor. Don't expect comfortable nostalgia!
The COVID 19 pandemic has resulted in a dramatic shift from face- to-face to remote consulting within general practice. But how will this impact ongoing patient care? Victoria Tzortziou Brown, Simon Gregory and Denis Pereira Gray examine the evidence.
As doctors we are committed to justice and an end to discrimination. So surely sex discrimination in medicine is a thing of the past? These four medical students from Kings are not so sure.
Afrosa Ahmed reflects on a telephone consultation that will change her patient's life forever. She missed the ability to reach out physically to her patient as she took in the news. We are human beings, who support one another in the consultation.