This winter, several long-term issues are coming to a head to create a perfect storm: high fuel prices, poor housing quality, a lack of sustainable energy strategies, and families sliding into low income during a cost of living crisis. Nada Khan reviews
Richard Armitage argues that good management of hay fever represents an opportunity for general practice to reduce suffering and restore both wellbeing and economic activity to the nation!
At the beginning of my foundation training I had very limited awareness of the diversity of the clinical workforce and was only familiar with 'traditional' doctor roles. However, I was surprised to find myself in the midst of a large, multiskilled dynamic
Approximately 1%–2% of the adult population experience stammering, which can have a significant impact on a person's quality of life. Here, members of the NHS Stammering Network (for staff) describe how best to optimise consultations with this patient group.
In 2020, Sir Michael Marmot and his team at the Institute of Health Equity published ‘Build Back Fairer’ to examine how the Covid pandemic affected health inequalities in England. Nada Khan discuss a grim but inspiring document.
The Department for Work and Pensions has recently announced legislative change that will allow a wider range of healthcare professionals to authorise fit notes. Is this an opportunity for general practice to improve patient access to occupational health support?
Healthcare professionals deploying to and practicing in conflicts and catastrophes can experience a plethora of negative emotions due to perceived or actual transgressions of their core ethical principles. In his final Ukraine report, Richard Armitage gives a powerful personal reflection.
The NHS is facing a backlog that will take years to clear and GPs are likely to be the main point of contact for patients who are suffering as a result. Nada Khan examines the issues.
Richard Armitage investigates the impact of the war in Ukraine on the country’s health worker density.
How can we encourage the development of kindness toward ourselves and others? Is it something we can train, and should it perhaps be a part of the GP curriculum? Touching on their own personal experience of being on the receiving end of
Bhupinder Goraya muses on the concepts of order and randomness in relation to health and primary healthcare. We’ve worked 'bloody hard' to make a random mechanical universe work, in doing so we have ordered our leisure.
Anaemia is a serious public health concern globally, yet WHO's cut-off values for Hgb were established in 1968 using predominantly White populations in Europe and North America. Is it time to update to population specific cut-offs?
How do we support each other when a colleague dies by suicide? A reflection by Louise Stone.
Laura Heath discusses ‘trade-offs’ that we should reflect on in modern primary care. Are we clinical providers or clinical supervisors? Data sharers or data stewards? Secondary care helpers, or expert generalists? If our voice is not heard the ‘trade off’ will be
Nada Khan explores the roles of and our perceptions about primary care multidiciplinary teams, in light of the recent BBC Panorama investigation
General practices and staff have been facing violent behaviour or aggression from members of the public -a global phenomenon now an UK issue. Vasumathy Sivarajasingam asks, what's happening, so what, and what now?
'One man in his time plays many parts' — What is the role of the older, experienced GP? In retiring, this ‘premature abdication’ represents an enormous loss to the NHS. Here, Maxwell Cooper and colleagues outline a vision for a future general
Recent media coverage has focussed on whether patients should be fined for missing appointments. Would a £10 fine change patient behaviour and put an end to this story once and for all? Nada Khan investigates!
The Cynefin framework is believed to encourage the perception of existing structures with new eyes, aiding decision making and simplifying complex concepts. Can this framework help to make sense of challenging GP consultations that may leave GPs feeling inadequate or ineffective?
General public concern over the adequate control of blood pressure is notably high within Ukraine, possibly due to the concerning prevalence of hypertensive disease, public awareness of its associated risk factors, and successful health promotion by primary care and public health professionals.
As we’ve emerged from various lockdowns, large parts of the media have intensified a negative rhetoric against GPs. Annabelle Machin argues that there is still a powerful hope from... talking to each other!
Capacity for undergraduate GP placements is a serious challenge and one that is predicted to become harder in the near future. Here, Simon Thornton, part of the national working group set up to investigate the issue of teaching capacity in general practice
Ben Hoban reflects on general practice as a 'Hero's journey,' but argues that this must be reconciled with the patient narrative. Don your narrative bifocals!
Richard Armitage discusses how the management of vaccine-preventable diseases has been affected by the conflict in Ukraine
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the importance of social media in keeping people connected and informed worldwide. Annabelle Machin reviews the good, bad and ugly aspects of a useful but potentially dangerous tool.
How is it that something can seem so obvious in hindsight, when at the time it was anything but obvious? Ben Hoban shows us his retrospectoscope!
"... you must first assess the behaviour of the patient and then analyse the patient history." - Clinical observation, argues Henk de Vries, is key to assessing patients with complex personality disorders, offering a new perspective on the Calgary-Cambridge model.
Richard Armitage discusses many Ukrainian families have been separated, meaning the vast majority of refugees are women, children, and elderly people, who are often unaccompanied. These vulnerable individuals are exposed to substantially increased risks of being affected by modern slavery, sexual and
Richard Armitage asks if the prevalence of conscientious objection among clinicians could compromise the provision of abortion services in Northern Ireland.
Part of the increased demand for HRT has been attributed to a TV documentary about the menopause released a year ago by Davina McCall, which has led to what some call the ‘Davina effect’. Nada Khan examines the effect of celebrity narratives
Could Deep End practices assess and treat complex patients in deprived settings to help psychiatric services feel less overwhelmed? Henk de Vries offers a new perspective on the role of Deep End practices in caring for patients with personality disorders.
Oleksii Korzh writes from the Kharkiv Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Ukraine, to describe the effect of the conflict on primary healthcare.
Richard Armitage reminds us that, while they play no part in geopolitical games, it is children – in particular the maintenance of their health and wellbeing – that pay one of the largest and most deeply unjust costs for the accident of
Jeremy W Tankel discusses how previously successful approaches to telephone and in person GP consultations are proving problematic in the COVID-19 era - what's the answer?
Nada Khan asks how can we tackle fuel poverty and food insecurity in practice, offering some solid tips for practice
Can a statement be a lie if if its author does not know (or want to know) that they are lying? John Spicer reviews an intriguing little book 'On Bullshit.'
Richard Armitage discusses the interaction of battlefront conditions and COVID-19 in Ukraine
Pallavi Devulapalli reminds us that learning about what is happening to soil and engaging with policymakers to reverse its loss and degradation is of primary importance to all responsible citizens.
In an open letter to BJGP Life, Roghieh Dehghan and members of the Medact migrant solidarity group argue that deporting refugees to Rwanda is an uncomplicated moral wrong and note the frequent silence of healthcare leadership when these wrongs are mooted by
Paul McNamara 'never wanted to be a GP' but now argues that undergraduate self selected components in general practice could help with recruitment and retention.
Whilst efforts are being made to develop the paramedic role within primary care, what is often missing from research and policy informing practice is the voice of patients. An NIHR patient and public group discuss this and offer practical advice for primary
