Talking General Practice

GP partner exodus during five-year contract, drug shortages, fit note reform

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our regular news review the GPonline team looks at what’s happened to the GP workforce over the course of the five year contract, in particular t...

Rethinking access in general practice

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to Jake Beech, a policy fellow from the think tank the Health Foundation, about why we need to change the way we think about access in gen...

Untapped locum GP capacity, NHS evidence on GP pay, NHS U-turn on mental health support

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week the GPonline team talks about how untapped capacity among GP locums could help deliver hundreds of thousands of extra GP appointments every ...

What do patients want from general practice?

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to Jacob Lant, the chief executive of National Voices, a coalition of more than 200 health and social care charities in England about what...

GPs reject contract in referendum, plus is general practice moving to a ‘GP-lite’ model?

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week Nick and Emma explain the results of the BMA’s referendum on the GP contract for England in 2024/25 and what happens next. And they talk a...

Taking a different approach to GP retention

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma talks to GP Dr Lucy Henshall and healthcare consultant and former practice manager Penny Flack about their initiative Welcome Back to W...

Defining physician associate roles, a GP Uber driver, Welsh GPs near industrial action

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Emma and Nick discuss the debate that’s raging about the use of physician associates in the NHS after the BMA issued new guidance on the tasks PAs s...

Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer on the GP contract and the fight for a better deal for general practice

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Emma talks to BMA England GP committee chair Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer about the impact the GP contract for 2024/25 will have, the BMA’s referendum o...

GP contract 2024/25 - are GPs in England heading for industrial action?

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week the GPonline team discusses the GP contract for England for 2024/25. They look at how the contract deal will affect practice finances, ...

Making the case for an NHS budget refocused on primary care

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma speaks to Beccy Baird, senior fellow at health think tank the King’s Fund.Beccy is the lead author of a report the King’s Fund publ...

Locum GPs struggle to find work, visa sponsor shortage threatens GP workforce, record appointments

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week the GPonline team looks at the visa challenges facing international medical graduate (IMG) GPs in training and how this could drive them out...

Why can’t I see my GP? Writing a book about the GP crisis

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to GP and author Dr Ellen Welch about her latest book Why Can’t I See My GP? which was published this month.The book looks at the curren...

What does the 2024/25 contract offer mean for general practice?

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Last week the BMA rejected a contract offer for practices in England that would deliver a 1.9% uplift in funding. In this episode of Talking General P...

Why good practice managers are more crucial than ever

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Robyn Clark is a managing partner in a practice in Gloucestershire and a founder and director of the Institute of General Practice Management.On this ...

GP funding cuts, problems at the primary care interface, measles concern

26 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s podcast the team discusses GP funding after analysis by the Liberal Democrats showed a real-terms fall in practice funding during the...

How can we tackle racism in medicine - with Dr Chaand Nagpaul

19 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Talking General Practice speaks to former BMA chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul about the extent of the problem of racism in the medical profession and what we ...

GPs face redundancy, GP partners continue to fall, retention schemes scrapped

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our regular news review Emma and Nick discuss a practice in Surrey that is set to make three salaried GPs redundant, and what this tells us about c...

General practice finance in 2024 - what GPs need to know

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Happy new year!This week Emma is talking to GP partner Dr Tommy Perkins and specialist medical accountant Andy Pow from Medics Money, about the financ...

2023 in review - highlights from our interviews

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week we’re bringing you some highlights from our top interviews of 2023 - and we’ve had some really fantastic guests this year.In this episod...

Is this the end of the QOF, the impact of an ageing GP workforce, looking ahead to 2024

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma and Nick look at what happens next for the quality and outcomes framework after the government launched its consultation on the fu...

Supporting international medical graduate GPs and GP registrars

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma speaks to Dr Sylvia Kama-Kieghe, a GP from Sheffield who is vice chair of the RCGP South Yorkshire and North Trent Faculty and a chair ...

Where next for the GP contract, plus Labour’s plan for neighbourhood health centres

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma and Nick look at what we know about what the BMA in England might be looking to achieve in contract negotiations, how the current deal ...

Supporting neurodivergent doctors and staff in general practice

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma talks to GPs Dr Beckie Akroyd and Dr Catherine Bell about neurodiversity in the medical profession and what general practice can do to better sup...

Where are patients per GP rising fastest, impact of minimum wage rise, GP premises funding

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma and Nick look at the current state of the GP workforce and changes over the past year. We’ve just undertaken a major update of GPonline’s GP ...

Improving early cancer diagnosis

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to Dr Sarah Taylor and Dr Rebecca Leon, who are GPs with a special interest in cancer, about early cancer diagnosis.Both Sarah and Rebecca...

Physician associate concerns, RCGP definition of a GP, LMCs to debate GP contract changes

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the podcast Emma and Nick talk about physician associates after the BMA GP committee in England voted in favour of a strongly worded moti...

How health creation can help GP practices tackle inequalities

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to Surrey GPs Dr Gillian Orrow, Dr Tabassum Siddiqui and Dr Richard Wright, about how a programme called Growing Health Together, which Gi...

RCGP plan to save general practice, where next for the GP contract, online access to records

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma and Nick reflect on last week’s RCGP annual conference, in particular the details of the college’s manifesto to save general practice and the...

RCGP chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Talking General Practice speaks to RCGP chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne ahead of the college’s annual conference in Glasgow this week.In this conve...

Have golden hellos revived GP partnerships, GP funding across the UK, flu vaccination

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma and Nick look at the New to Partnership Scheme – a three-year initiative that aimed to boost the number of partners in England – and ask, has...

How can general practice adopt greener ways of working?

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to London GP and co-chair of Greener Practice, a UK primary care network focused on sustainability, Dr Tamsin Ellis.Along with her Greener...

Spotting GP contract trends, the future of physician associates, cost-of-living impact on patient health

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma and Nick look at some interesting tenders for GP contracts that have been put out for integrated care boards and what they might t...

How making your practice a better place to work can improve patient care

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma speaks to Dr Ben Allen, a GP partner at Birley Health Centre in Sheffield.Over the past few years Ben has invested huge amounts of time...

Are GPs really earning more? Plus, how the NHS backlog affects GPs, and practices’ reliance on locums

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In our news review Nick and Emma discuss GP pay and what’s behind recent headlines in the national press about so-called huge rises in GP income.The...

How a 'trailblazer' scheme is helping GPs tackle health inequality

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The GP Trailblazer Deprivation Fellowship Scheme is an NHS England run programme aimed at newly-qualified GPs working in practices in deprived areas. ...

Speeding up COVID jabs, Labour's continuity plans, the GP workforce crisis and Good Medical Practice

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our regular news review is back after a short summer break with a packed episode.Emma and Nick discuss a last-minute U-turn on Covid and flu jabs and ...

Championing the unique skills and expertise of general practice

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is a Wise GP? This week Emma speaks to Professor Joanne Reeve and Dr Annabelle Machin about an initiative called Wise GP, which aims to help GPs ...

Professor Sir David Haslam - how we fix the NHS

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma is joined by a very special guest Professor Sir David Haslam to discuss his book Side Effects: How Our Healthcare Lost Its Way and How We Fix It....

BMA GP committee England chair Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer was elected chair of BMA England’s GP committee just over a week ago and she speaks to Talking General Practice in her firs...

How changing patterns of illness will affect general practice over the next 20 years

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Last week the Health Foundation think tank published new research projecting patterns of illness in England over the next two decades. It predicted th...

Why GP partnerships are still a good option

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to GP partner Dr Tommy Perkins and specialist medical accountant Andy Pow from Medics Money about GP partnerships and why they are still a...

What the 6% pay deal means for general practice, monitoring pressure on practices, GP patient survey results

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma and Nick discuss last week’s pay announcement for junior doctors, salaried GPs and consultants and ask what it means for GP practices, the curr...

How can we save general practice? With BMA Wales GP committee chair Dr Gareth Oelmann

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma is speaking to BMA Wales GP committee chair Dr Gareth Oelmann.At the end of June BMA Wales launched a new ‘Save Our Surgeries’ camp...

Will the NHS workforce plan deliver, GMC 'no confidence' vote, and doctors with long COVID

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s news review, Emma and Nick look at the NHS workforce plan and discuss what it says, what it doesn’t say, and whether it will actual...

How will AI change general practice?

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to GP and academic Dr Ben Brown from the University of Manchester whose research looks at how AI and machine learning could support health...

NHS workforce plan, the impact of ‘workload dump’ from hospitals, GMC faces no confidence vote

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma and Nick discuss the government’s long-awaited NHS workforce plan, when it might be published and what general practice will be hopin...

How social prescribing and care navigation can help practices and patients

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to Christiana Melam, the chief executive of the National Association of Link Workers, who explains how social prescribing can help practic...

How rising costs are adding to pressure on UK practices, plus has the ARRS met its target?

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week the GPonline team talks about a call for emergency funding to support general practice across the UK as practices struggle to deal with risi...

How an initiative from Brazil could help general practice and improve outcomes

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to Dr Matt Harris and GP Dr Connie Junghans Minton about an initiative involving community health and wellbeing workers that has been adop...

How many GPs do we need for safe general practice, pay restoration, the state of premises

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The team talks about safe working limits and the number of GPs we need in England to ensure doctors are working within those safe levels. They discuss...

How the pandemic has affected children and young people’s mental health

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to Dr Elaine Lockhart, chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Children and Young People’s Faculty and a consultant with the learnin...

What the access recovery plan means for general practice, plus where next on industrial action

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week the team looks at the government and NHS England’s joint recovery plan for access to primary care, as well as changes to the GP contract a...

How this year’s GP contract will affect practice finances

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to specialist medical accountant Laurence Slavin, the senior partner at Ramsay Brown chartered accountants, which specialises in the finan...

Labour’s primary care plans, GP retention crisis, how an ageing population drives GP workload

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week the team looks at Labour’s plans for how it will reform primary care if it wins the next general election.They talk about a report on rete...

Supporting refugee and asylum seeker health professionals to work in the NHS

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to GP Dr Aisha Awan who is director of REACHE North West - the Refugee and Asylum Seekers Centre for Healthcare Professionals Education.RE...

How does being a GP in the UK compare with other countries?

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma talks to Jake Beech, from health think tank the Health Foundation. Jake co-authored a report published last month, which analysed the f...

What does the Hewitt review mean for general practice?

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a special news episode of the podcast the team looks at the findings of an independent review of integrated care systems, which was commissioned by...

Will GPs take industrial action, patients’ views on the NHS, junior doctor dispute

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week the team looks at whether GPs will be prepared to take industrial action following the imposition of a contract for the second year in a row...

Special episode: Should assisted dying be legalised?

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Warning: This episode contains discussions about death and suicideIn a special episode Emma looks at the issue of assisted dying and asks whether it s...

GP contract changes, junior doctors’ strike and what the Budget means for GPs

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma and Nick are talking about the GP contract changes in England for 2023/24, which have been imposed on practices for the second year in ...

Where next for primary care networks?

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to Ben Gowland, director and founder of think tank and consultancy Ockham Healthcare and host of the General Practice Podcast. Ben do...

GP contract negotiations, how the government is handling the NHS and junior doctor strikes

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week the team talks about ongoing GP contract negotiations in England for next year and asks whether the contract for 2023/24 could be imposed.Th...

Safeguarding continuity of care and solving the GP crisis - with RCGP Wales chair Dr Rowena Christmas

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to Dr Rowena Christmas, chair of RCGP Wales and a GP in the Wye Valley on the Welsh/English border.Rowena has been heavily involved in the...

Why the BMA rejected contract changes, financial risk for partners, plus ICBs and GP funding

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In our fortnightly news review the team looks at what we know about GP contract negotiations in England for 2023/24 after the BMA rejected NHS England...

Steps GPs can take to tackle health inequalities, with Professor Bola Owolabi

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to NHS England’s director of healthcare inequalities and Midlands GP Professor Bola Owolabi about how to reduce inequity in healthcare.B...

Why are parts of England more underdoctored than others and how government NHS plans risk driving up GP workload

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

GPonline launched its new GP Insight data tool this week and our first project is a GP workforce tracker. On the podcast this week Nick and Emma look ...

Why are junior doctors preparing to strike?

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The BMA is currently balloting junior doctor members on whether to take industrial action, which could see them stage a three-day walkout in March.Thi...

Labour’s plan for general practice, speeding up patient discharge and a new GP exam

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma and Nick talk about Labour’s plans for the NHS and general practice more specifically, which have not gone down well with a lot of GPs.They als...

Protesting for action on climate change with Doctors for Extinction Rebellion

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kent GP Dr Chris Newman is one of the co-founders of Doctors for Extinction Rebellion, a group of healthcare professionals that campaigns for action o...

The NHS in crisis, junior doctors prepare for industrial action, unsafe working in general practice

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With the NHS facing unprecedented pressure and horrendous stories emerging about the impact this has had on both patients and staff, we look at what t...

Drug shortages, group A strep and fears over GP practices’ survival

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week the team looks at record levels of drug shortages, the latest on group A strep and how it is affecting GPs and their teams and talk about th...

What is lifestyle medicine and how can it help patients?

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Emma speaks to Dr Ellen Fallows a GP in Northamptonshire and vice president of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine about what lifestyle medicine...

What makes a strong PCN and how will integrated care systems affect networks?

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma speaks to Professor Aruna Garcea, a GP partner and primary care network clinical director in Leicester. Aruna is chair of the NHS Confe...

Where next for the GP contract, plus practice-level appointments data

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In our regular news review Emma and Nick look at what the BMA, GPs and NHS England might want from a new contract deal in England.The current five-yea...

New RCGP chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne on tackling the challenges facing general practice

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma speaks to new RCGP chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne. Professor Hawthorne takes over as college chair from Professor Martin Marshall thi...

How personalised care and health coaching can help patients and GPs

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the podcast we’re looking at personalised care and health coaching and how they could help practices and PCNs to improve health outcomes an...

GMC review slams needless GP suspension, patient records chaos, GP sick pay fears

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On our regular news round-up Emma and Nick look at the review into how the GMC handled the case of Dr Manjula Arora – the GP who served a month’s ...

Professor Sir David Haslam on how we fix the NHS

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Emma is joined by a very special guest Professor Sir David Haslam to discuss his new book Side Effects: How Our Healthcare Lost Its Way and How We Fix...

MPs turn the spotlight on the GP crisis, chancellor Jeremy Hunt, plus the GMC plan to get more doctors into primary care

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the podcast Nick and Emma look at the final report from the House of Commons Health and Social Care committee’s investigation into the ...

How GP trainees are working to change general practice for the better

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma is speaking to Dr Devina Maru and Dr Liam Loftus who are both GP trainees and co-founders of The BIg GP Consultation.Devina and Liam se...

Surge in GP vacancies, a plan for GP retention and how summer demand matched a pre-pandemic winter

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the podcast Emma and Nick are talking about some new figures showing there has been a surge in vacant GP posts in London, which has left ...

Looking after GP mental health at a time of crisis

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the podcast Emma speaks to Dr Helen Garr, the medical director of NHS Practitioner Health, the NHS service that looks after doctors and d...

GP access targets, plan to pause work for struggling practices and capping practice energy costs

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week the team discusses the government’s latest push to improve access in general practice and some of the problems with the plans. They look a...

How can GP practices support veterans and military families?

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma speaks with Dr Veronica Grant, a GP in Derbyshire who was until recently the RCGP clinical champion for veterans health, about the heal...

How rising costs are affecting practices and what will Liz Truss mean for general practice?

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our regular news review is back. This week Emma and Nick talk about soaring energy costs and rising inflation and the impact these could have on GP pr...

The importance of continuity of care

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout August we’ve been showcasing some of the best interviews from series one of the podcast.This week Emma talks to Dr Rebecca Rosen, a GP in...

What role can general practice play in tackling health inequalities?

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout August we’re showcasing some of the best interviews from series one of the podcast.This week Emma speaks with Dr Carey Lunan, a GP in Edi...

Improving menopause care

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout August we’re showcasing some of the best interviews from series one of the podcast.This week Emma is talking to GP and menopause expert D...

Living with long COVID

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout August we’re bringing you some of the best interviews from series one of the podcast.This week, Emma is talking to GP Dr Amy Small about ...

What can the NHS do to retain GPs?

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma speaks with Dr Gemma Wilkinson, a GP in Nottingham and clinical lead for the Nottinghamshire GP Phoenix Programme, a workforce support ...

Disappearing GP partners, workforce predictions, and why UK-trained GPs can't get visas

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In our fortnightly news review, the team discusses some numbers that Nick’s crunched looking at GP partners across England and which areas are losin...

Speaking up for practice managers

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma speaks to practice managers Jo Wadey and Nicola Davies who are also directors of the Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM).Th...

BMA backs GP exit from PCNs, GMC under fire and solutions to the GP crisis

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week the team discusses what’s been happening at the BMA’s annual representative meeting this week, including a vote that could determine the...

RCGP chair Professor Martin Marshall

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma speaks to RCGP chair Professor Martin Marshall ahead of the college’s annual conference next week.Professor Marshall talks about the ...

Property service charges, racism in the NHS and BMA heads for PCN showdown

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma and Nick look at the results of a court hearing involving NHS Property Services and what this means for practices located in buildings ...

Supporting newly-qualified GPs

10 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the podcast GPonline editor Emma Bower speaks to Dr Emma Wong, chair of the RCGP's First 5 committee. The committee represents newly...

Primary care stocktake, misrepresenting workforce data and what GPs think about PCNs

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma and Nick discuss the stocktake of primary care that has just been carried out on behalf of NHS England by GP Dr Claire Fuller. They loo...

What do GP trainees think about their future careers?

27 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma speaks to Dr Euan Strachan-Orr, chair of the BMA’s GP trainee subcommittee and a third year GP trainee in Liverpool.They talk about t...

Is the BMA representing GPs effectively, why GPs face a pension tax hit, and views on the workload crisis

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week the team discusses what went on at last week’s conference of local medical committees UK conference. They look at dissatisfaction around r...

How two GPs set up a business to advise doctors about finance

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Emma speaks to GPs Dr Tommy Perkins and Dr Ed Cantelo who set up the company Medics Money to help educate doctors about finance and ensure t...