Richard Armitage takes a critical look at the shift to offering more urgent than planned general practice appointments, and finds it is a complicated trade off between competing priorities
Arthur Kaufman reflects on intergenerational tensions from the older British citizen's perspective. It is easy to see these being implicit or even explicit in the consultation.
Richard Armitage argues that COVID-19 booster campaigns are a golden opportunity for health promotion, which could decrease COVID-19 effects and have wide benefits as well. Commissioners take note!
GPs have important roles of backstop and referral, and continuity of care for patients with long-covid. Nicola Spiers reviews the current evidence.
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.
Armna Ali reflects on her experience as a GP during Covid...... and what happened when the clapping stopped......
"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.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a particularly heavy toll on care homes in the UK. Two GPs share their own personal experiences working in this environment over the past year, and dive deep into the data.
Boris Johnson tells us we have to “learn to live with Covid”. There is much talk of using “common sense” but Peter Toon reminds us this is not all that common and discusses some of the issues involved.
We might be tempted to think it's the beginning of the end of the Covid19 pandemic. But it's only the beginning of the beginning of the Long Covid pandemic. Carter Singh discusses the issues we need to face.
How can we support people with long-COVID to return to work? Ira Madan and colleagues review the current literature and guidance from the Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians.
The travelling community has historically struggled to achieve equal access to healthcare. They have a higher prevalence of disease, lower literacy rates, poor health education and are burdened with significant rates of poverty. So what does this mean during the current pandemic?
The pre-pandemic ‘old normal’ had been broken for a long time. Rather than seeking to develop a ‘new normal’ we should perhaps focus on creating a ‘new different’. 'How?', I hear you ask! Well ...
The UK national quarantines for Covid-19 are the first for any infectious disease for over 140 years. Edward Reynolds questions their effectiveness, and asks why a previously effective system of public health in the UK was effectively dismantled.
Our special series: General Practice after Covid-19. What have our colleagues said? Here are links to all of the articles.
Rachel Lightfoot, a medical student at Trinity College, Dublin, shares her experience of hope as she takes her part in a local vaccination clinic.
John Travers reminds us that we are taking part in a miracle. "That is how a dragon is felled, one tiny jab at a time."
We live in extraordinary and historic times. Maxwell Cooper reminds us that we must ensure that the phenomenal achievements of general practice during this pandemic in delivering vaccination - alongside patient care - are never forgotten.
Balancing individual freedom with public health interests and the economy remains a delicate and fraught endeavour. However, Carmen Schmechel and her colleagues remind us that there is nothing new under the sun.......
The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic has been shouldered by the most vulnerable. Far from being the great equaliser, the pandemic has simply exacerbated health and social inequalities for the homeless. Jatinder Hayre calls us all to action to find practical solutions
A recent report by SAGE suggests high rates of vaccine hesitancy in Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups. The reasons underlying a higher degree of vaccine hesitancy in such communities are complex and varied. Julia Darko helps us to understand and navigate the
Patients being treated for cancer during the Covid-19 pandemic face a double challenge. Feryad Hussain talks us through the issues and suggests the best ways to help.
COVID-19 is bad enough. And we know there will be a mountain of clearing up to do later. Richard Armitage tells us about the impact of the pandemic on rheumatology referrals from general practice in England.
There is a growing realisation that Long-COVID can also occur in children, with numerous physical symptoms and emotional consequences. NHS England now recognises that Long COVID in children needs urgent evaluation, and as GPs we need to help children and their parents
Louise Dubras reflects on Covid vaccination. We give more than a vaccine. We give hope. We also give a healing encounter, a touch that starts their return to being in the world.
Perhaps Primary Care will after all become the restorers of ‘normality’. Whatever happens, we will still be here. We will still be listening; still validating lives. Emma Ladds reminds us why, despite Coronavirus, General Practice is still the best job in the
Peter Aird has been vaccinating the frail elderly against Covid-19. He reflects that if we view the old or clinically vulnerable as of less value than the young and strong, then we open the door to a world where the aged and
What will you do if ALL of your admin, reception and managing team are absent due to being possible COVID contacts? Rubia Usman survived, and tells us how she did it.
What will the state of the nation's health be when Covid is over? Fatima Nadeem warns us that it is not looking good, and gives us some practical suggestions.
Referrals for specialist dementia assessments, substantially decreased in April 2020 and May 2020, coinciding with the first COVID-19 lockdown. Richard Armitage examines yet another issue arising from service disruption due to covid.
If we believe that vaccination is the way out of the Covid-19 pandemic, then Julia Darko tells us we must first address the elephant in the room......
Editorial comment. Today we publish two articles exploring why the intention to be vaccinated against Covid-19 is very significantly lower in some of the ethnic minority population, many of whom are at greater risk from the disease.
Might the pandemic already be slowing down? Samar Razaq looks at the figures.
Why have there been so many more Covid-19 deaths in the UK than in France? Peter Toon, with a foot in both countries, explores the reasons.
Though the COVID-19 vaccine is reported to have no side-effects, it's introduction has resulted in great anxiety and perhaps even anger for some. Dr Afiniki Akanet, GP and author, writes on the complex emotions felt by those who have been prioritised for
The UK government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been slow, incompetent, and irresponsible, most notably in regards to delivering effective and realistic communication. Judith Dawson reflects on the current state of affairs, where far too many competent adults are choosing to
Smoke bombs in cars, Channel 4 film crews, and depositing rocks in car parks — this is the bizarre story of James Douglas's research into the development of PPE.
A recent patient survey exploring concerns relating to COVID-19 by Helen Burn and colleagues provides some illuminating findings, with 27% of responders stating that they would not accept a vaccination for COVID-19, and one in two responders experiencing mental and physical health
Tiers before bedtime! Samar Razaq reflects on the government's struggle to communicate its policy on COVID restrictions.
The UK Government's dependence on the private sector when outsourcing COVID-related contracts has resulted in a number of costly disasters. Here, Judith Dawson reveals the lack of accountability and obligation the private healthcare sector have towards both their patients and consultants, and