Talking General Practice – Détails, épisodes et analyse

GPonline editor Emma Bower and deputy editor Nick Bostock discuss the review of the NHS by Lord Ara Darzi, the government’s response to the report and what happens next - including what might be in the new NHS long-term plan.

They also look at another report Lord Darzi was involved with - the IPPR think tank’s final report from its Commission on Health and Prosperity and what that could mean for general practice and the NHS.

And they’re talking about health and social care secretary Wes Streeting’s war of words with the BMA over collective action.

Our good news story this week is also very good news for the government as junior doctors - who are now called resident doctors - voted to accept the new pay offer which brings to an end 18 months of industrial action.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and deputy editor Nick Bostock. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

Darzi report at a glance: read a summary of the key findings and advice

Hardwire NHS finances to 'lock in' expansion of GP services, says Darzi review

Streeting welcomes 'oven-ready' NHS reform plan that criticises GP model

Streeting hits out at GP 'sabre-rattling' and 'unnecessary threat of collective action'

Four in five GP practices already taking collective action, BMA says

Collective action sets up NHS winter plan clash as GPs told to 'avoid hospital admissions'

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emma speaks to Alex Matheson from the LGBT Foundation about the charity’s Pride in Practice programme, which helps GP practices improve the experiences of LGBTQ+ people accessing primary care services.

In this conversation Alex talks about the health inequalities experienced by LGBTQ+ people, in particular around access to services and the discrimination some people experience, and how that ultimately impacts on outcomes for this group of patients.

She also explains how the Pride in Practice programme can help GP practices to improve the care for their LGBTQ+ people, including the importance of training for staff and recording patients’ sexual orientation and gender identity.

This episode is presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

The Pride in Practice programme

Hidden Figures: LGBT health inequalities in the UK - the LGBT Foundation’s report

Gender identity toolkit - developed by the Institute of General Practice Management in partnership with the LGBT Foundation

Monitoring sexual orientation and trans status

MIMS Learning's Tackling Health Inequalities campaign includes free CPD on transgender and LGBTQ+ healthcare

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The podcast is out a bit early this week because of the election.

In this week’s episode Emma and Nick discuss the BMA ballot on collective action, and look at the case of a practice in Cambridge that has handed back its contract despite having high patient satisfaction scores to explain why funding for general practice is now a critical issue. Nick also explains what action practices could take if the ballot is successful.

They also talk about new NHS England pilots, which will be looking at how PCNs can develop new ways of working in general practice.

And Emma speaks to GP and Green Party health spokesperson Dr Pallavi Devulapalli who is standing in this week’s general election in South West Norfolk, a seat currently held by former Conservative prime minister Liz Truss.

Our good news this week is about some inspiring GPs - as we look at the winners of the RCGP’s Inspire Awards.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and deputy editor Nick Bostock. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

The GPs standing to be MPs

'Devastated' partners at highly-rated GP practice hand back contract

Better-paid APMS provider to pilot new care model after partners hand back contract

GP appointments cap will underpin collective action in general practice

RCGP demands halt to recruitment of physician associates amid safety fears

RCGP recognises achievements of members in its annual Inspire Awards

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 set up The Big GP Consultation as a platform for GP trainees and early career GPs to discuss their vision for general practice – and to come up with ideas and solutions for how to address some of the many challenges facing the profession both now and in the future.

In this interview they explain why they set up the initiative, changes they would like to see to GP training and general practice, how new GPs could be better supported and how they’re hoping to get more engagement with the project to ensure the ideas that they have come up with become a reality.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

●     The Big GP Consultation website

●     The Big GP Consultation can be found on Twitter @BigGPConsult

●     GP trainees set out vision to lift general practice from crisis

●     What does a positive future for general practice look like – a view from the next generation

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 half of the capital’s practices operating with fewer doctors than they need when demand is at an all time high.

They also discuss what the RCGP believes needs to happen to boost GP retention and what the latest NHS appointments data tells us about levels of workload in general practice in England. Plus they look at NHS England’s plans to help boost capacity this winter and the BMA’s decision to ballot junior doctors on industrial action.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and news editor Nick Bostock. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

●     London faces growing GP workforce gap as workload continues to soar

●     Government must take 'urgent action' on GP retention, says RCGP

●     GP workload far beyond pre-pandemic level as winter pressure looms

●     Coffey targets rapid GP access over face-to-face appointments

●     NHS sets out priorities for extra GP funding this winter

●     PCN contract overhaul defers two-week appointment target until April 2023

●     Junior doctors to be balloted on industrial action in early January

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 dentists - and also other NHS staff - who are experiencing mental ill health.

In this conversation Emma and Helen talk about the impact that pressures on the NHS are having on doctors’ wellbeing and how this is affecting GPs in particular.

Helen also explains what doctors and other NHS staff can do if they are suffering from burnout, how to prevent burnout, what people can do if they are worried about a colleague and how NHS Practitioner Health supports doctors who seek help from the service.

She also outlines how she thinks the NHS could change to help ensure better mental health for doctors and other staff.

Trigger warning: This episode includes a discussion about suicide and the issue of suicide in the medical profession.

There is lots of practical and useful advice in this conversation, so we’ve included some time stamps below if you want to go back and listen to bits again, or find specific things on your first listen.

●     2.07 Helen explains the increase in the number of GPs coming to NHS Practitioner Health and the conditions they are presenting with.

●     4.41 Helen discusses suicide in doctors and explains why doctors are at higher risk of suicide.

●     11.12 The impact of a doctor’s suicide on colleagues and what people should do if they are concerned about a colleague’s mental health.

●     15.16 Steps practices can take to make the working environment more supportive.

●     17.55 Warning signs of burnout.

●     21.36 What to do if you are burnt out.

●     24.55 What can you do to prevent burn out.

●     30.10 How the NHS needs to change to better support doctors and staff.

●     33.37 What happens when a doctor contacts NHS Practitioner Health and how the service can help.

●     39.11 How staff other than doctors can access NHS Practitioner Health.

Useful resources

●     NHS Practitioner Health

●     Looking After You Too (NHS England’s free coaching programme for primary care staff)

●     Where can GPs get help and support if they are struggling to cope? (Free access article on GPonline that contains a list of all organisations that offer support to doctors experiencing mental ill health)

●     Wellbeing and Coping (website Helen refers to in the interview as ‘wellbeing and doing’)

●     GPs tell how coaching helped them manage practices during COVID-19 (article on GPonline about the Looking After You Too programme)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 at a groundbreaking new system that is being piloted in Devon, which will see work paused for practices facing extreme workload pressures. GP leaders have suggested the system could be rolled out nationwide within a year.

And they talk about what plans to cap energy costs could mean for practices and what doctors say the government needs to do to address the workload and workforce crises in general practice.

This episode is presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and news editor Nick Bostock. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

●     Practices face two-week access target with 300 fewer GPs than last year

●     Government unveils two-week access target for GP appointments

●     GPs agree groundbreaking system to pause work for practices facing extreme pressure

●     Practices could see energy costs slashed as government unveils business price cap

●     'This job is making us ill': Coffey told 16m patients could lose their GP

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 healthcare needs of veterans and steps practices can take to better support veterans and military families.

This is an interview that was recorded in November 2021.

Since we recorded our last podcast we have seen the very sad news about the death of Queen Elizabeth.

As the former head of the armed forces, the Queen is of particular significance to those who are members of the services and veterans.

NHS England this week wrote to NHS services and highlighted that the death of the Queen had the potential to trigger mental health issues within the armed forces community. NHS England asked services to familiarise themselves with referral pathways to Op COURAGE, the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service that is available across England for serving personnel due to leave the military, reservists and veterans.

At GPonline we thought it would be particularly useful for those in primary care to hear our interview with Veronica again in light of this. As well as talking about how GPs and practices can support veterans and military families, Veronica also explains a bit more about Op COURAGE and how the service works.

Useful links

●     RCGP veterans’ healthcare toolkit learning

●     Veteran friendly practice accreditation

●     Information about Op COURAGE

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 practices

They also look at what new prime minister Liz Truss and new health and social care secretary Therese Coffey could mean for general practice – and whether the government could prevent a possible crisis in the health service this winter.

And in our regular good news spot they highlight an initiative from a group of GP trainees that puts forward a blueprint for tackling the crisis in general practice.

This episode is presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower who is joined by our news editor Nick Bostock. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

●     Practices could cut staff, stop COVID-19 jabs or hand back contracts as energy bills rocket

●     GP practices 'being mugged' as profits set to slump by a third

●     What does a Liz Truss premiership mean for general practice?

●     Therese Coffey rules out GP visit fees and promises to 'stand up for patients' on access

●     Nine in ten GPs fear their practice will struggle to cope this winter

●     GP trainees set out vision to lift general practice from crisis

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 London and senior fellow at health think tank the Nuffield Trust, about continuity of care, the evidence to support it and steps practices can take to embed continuity of care in the way they work. This interview was recorded in October 2021.

Since this was recorded we’ve written quite a lot about continuity of care on GPonline. The House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee is currently running an inquiry into the future of general practice and the benefits of continuity of care and what the NHS can do to promote continuity have been one of its themes. Dr Rosen gave evidence to the committee about the work she’s done in her practice.

The RCGP has also stepped up efforts to promote what it calls relationship-based care and highlight its importance in general practice. The college has produced a new report looking at what’s needed to help practices deliver relationship-based care and continuity (link below).

This episode is presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Series 3 of Talking General Practice begins on 9 September.

Useful links

RCGP work on relationship-based care

GP crisis endangering continuity and quality of patient care, warns RCGP chair

GP access debate must shift to emphasise quality as well as speed, warns RCGP

Improving access and continuity in general practice - a 2018 Nuffield Trust report

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.