This episode of Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs explores the argument for increasing deprived-area GP funding; and the opportunities and pitfalls associated with plans for menopause to be added to the NHS Health Check.

Editor-in-chief Jaimie Kaffash and features assistant Maya Dhillon discuss how GP practices with deprived patient populations should be supported, in light of the Government’s announcement of a review into the Carr-Hill funding formula.

Jaimie draws on Pulse’s award-winning ‘Lost Practices‘ investigation (mentioned by DHSC in its announcement) which showed that, on average, the GP practices that close for good are in areas with areas of higher deprivation.

The two also reflect on GP and founding member of the Scottish Deep End Project Professor Stewart Mercer’s speech at Pulse LIVE Glasgow, where he addressed delegates about how health inequalities manifest in GP consultations, and what can be done to help both patients and staff in deprived areas.

But should the Government ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’? Listen to hear the differing arguments.

Pulse clinical adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft is joined by GP and clinical associate professor in women’s health and primary care at the University of Birmingham Dr Sarah Hillman, to mull over the addition of menopause questions to NHS Health Checks.

The pair consider consider what questions should be asked and whether it will it encourage more women to take up the checks. But also whether it is necessary at all, or just a PR move.

To ensure you don’t miss any of our future podcasts, make sure you follow Pulse in Focus on whatever podcast platform you use, to keep updated with all things general practice.

This podcast is brought to you by X-on Health.

Introducing Surgery Intellect, powered by TORTUS—the AI scribe built for UK general practice. It works seamlessly in your face-to-face and telephone consultations, capturing every detail safely and accurately, without clunky shortcuts. You can now try it free for three months.

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This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

To mark our major new white paper Access All Areas, we have recorded a special episode of Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs. This is now live and available on all podcast platforms.

The episode sees features assistant Maya Dhillon joined by editor-in-chief Jaimie Kaffash, who has authored the extensive report into general practice access.

Jaimie shares his findings and recommendations, calling for ministers to prioritise GP continuity of care over access; to strengthen the partnership model; and to revamp contract funding.

Notably, he argues that trust has to be restored in GPs by Government, as anything else is 'using a sledgehammer to crack a nut'.

The pair also consider how 'access' is defined and measured; what systemic barriers are preventing GPs from improving patient access; how the 1 October contract changes show the direction of travel, and more.

The report, Access All Areas, was launched at a fringe event of the Labour Party Conference and is based on a survey of 2,000 general practice staff, interviews with more than 100 and an analysis of more that 25 data sets on each practice in England.

You can find all of Pulse's coverage - including analyses, case studies and data stories - of the Access All Areas white paper here. 

To ensure you don’t miss any of our future podcasts, make sure you follow Pulse in Focus on whatever podcast platform you use, to keep updated with all things general practice.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon.

Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs is hosted on Buzzsprout but you can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

You can find all the data and the methodology in the full report. Click here to download the full report. GPs can download it for free.

Commercial partner of this white paper: General Practice Solutions

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This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

Pulse deputy news editor Anna Colivicchi discusses the contract changes to online access coming into force on 1 October with features assistant Maya Dhillon. 

The pair look at what these changes will mean for practices, why GPs are concerned, as well as why the BMA has re-entered into dispute with the Government over it.

GP and Pulse clinical adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft returns, and explains the new NICE draft guidance for treating diabetes, which would see SGLT-2 inhibitors prescribed first-line for most diabetics – not just those with heart failure, cardiovascular disease or high cardiovascular risk as is currently the case

Also, Maya and Pulse editor Sofia Lind reflect on CQC primary care chief inspector Professor Bola Owolabi's address at Pulse LIVE Newcastle. She gave the audience an update into what CQC is up to following two damning reviews last year.

Professor Owolabi also answered our question on how the 'AI-led' inspections mentioned in the 10-year health plan will be different from the watchdog's previous 'intelligent monitoring' programme.

To ensure you don’t miss any of our future podcasts, make sure you follow Pulse in Focus on whatever podcast platform you use, to keep updated with all things general practice.

This podcast is brought to you by X-on Health.

Introducing Surgery Intellect, powered by TORTUS—the AI scribe built for UK general practice. It works seamlessly in your face-to-face and telephone consultations, capturing every detail safely and accurately, without clunky shortcuts. You can now try it free for three months.

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

Pulse editor Sofia Lind interviews GPC England chair Dr Katie Bramall about whether or not GPs could re-enter into dispute with the Government, and if so - what collective action could look like this time around. 

This follows concerns over the 10-year plan, the future of the partnership model, and stagnation in negotiating a new wholesale GMS contract - a commitment promised by the Government as part of the 25/26 contract deal. 

Pulse clinical adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft is joined by GP and president of the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society Professor Raj Thakkar. The pair discuss how reliable wearable tech is in monitoring patients' cardiology conditions and whether it can be used to clinch diagnoses, following a piece Professor Thakkar wrote for Pulse last month, which you can find here.

And editor-in-chief Jaimie Kaffash talks about where the incoming cohort of newly-qualified GPs sit in the current unemployment crisis. 

He discusses our new platform Pulse Careers, for GP trainees, newly-qualified GPs and those who are considering their next career move. 

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

Pulse deputy news editor Anna Colivicchi makes her podcast debut discussing the Government’s 10-year health plan with features assistant Maya Dhillon. The pair delve into the plan’s aims to reform the NHS and how this will impact general practice.

They are joined by several guests giving their takes on the 10-year plan. Following her widely-shared editorial, editor Sofia Lind argues that the plan’s introductions of two new contracts might be the end of the GP partnership model.

Professor Azeem Majeed, head of the department of Primary Care & Public Health at Imperial College London, and Dr Steve Taylor, GP spokesperson for the Doctors’ Association UK also question the plan’s aims and point out the challenges it might face.

Anna also gives a preview of her brand new miniseries analysing how the 10-year plan will impact the new GP 2028 contract.

In our clinical section, we are joined again by Pulse editorial adviser and GP Dr Keith Hopcroft. This week, he discusses a recent claim from urologists that GPs no longer need to do a digital rectal exam to test for prostate cancer. He looks at where this has come from, the facts behind it, and what it means for GPs.

To ensure you don’t miss any of our future podcasts, make sure you follow Pulse in Focus on whatever podcast platform you use, to keep updated with all things general practice.

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

In this episode of Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs, editor Sofia Lind and features assistant Maya Dhillon discuss the role of physician associates (PAs) and how the chancellor’s spending review will impact GPs.

The pair reflect on Sofia's interview with Professor Gillian Leng - leader of the Government-commissioned review into PAs - at Pulse LIVE Birmingham last week. Ahead of the report's publication, Professor Leng shares some previously unheard insights into her findings, including scope, supervision, regulation and more.

Maya and Sofia then scrutinise the chancellor's spending review, which had a particular emphasis on training ‘thousands more GPs’. They are joined by GPC England chair Dr Katie Bramall who gives her view on how the £29bn uplift to the NHS should be allocated to best support general practice.

And finally, GP and Pulse clinical advisor Dr Keith Hopcroft discusses how GPs should manage antidepressant withdrawal, following new research.

This podcast is sponsored by the Medical Defense Society. Created by GPs for GPs.

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This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

In our second episode, Pulse features assistant Maya Dhillon is joined by Jake Beech, policy fellow at The Health Foundation.

The pair dive into Jake's recent analysis for Pulse on the number GPs hired under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme since October, questioning if there really are 1,500 'new' GPs and looking at the wider landscape of general practice workforce.

In our clinical update of the month, clinical editor Caroline Price unpacks the rollout and clinical challenges of weight-loss drug tirzepatide with GP and editorial adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft ahead of its implementation in primary care next month.

And, senior reporter Eliza Parr returns to give a preview of her upcoming investigation into local enhanced services. 

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More from The Health Foundation here

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

In the first episode of our new monthly podcast Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs, features assistant Maya Dhillon and senior reporter Eliza Parr discuss how the new GP contract will impact practices.

Eliza explains where the new funding has come from, where it is going, as well as what the changes in A&G, QOF and ARRS might mean for general practice.

Maya is then joined by editor Sofia Lind to reflect on primary care minister Stephen Kinnock's address at Pulse LIVE London last month.

Mr Kinnock pledged a full commitment to the GP partnership model, announced a crackdown on private sector therapists, and confirmed that despite its recent shortcomings the CQC is here to stay.

And, for the clinical update of the month, clinical editor Caroline Price dissects the latest NICE asthma guidance with our clinical adviser, Dr Keith Hopcroft and outlines what the changes will be to diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of asthma.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

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This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs brings listeners a monthly update on all things general practice.

Led by our team of journalists at Pulse, the leading publication for GPs in the UK, we provide insights on the top stories and clinical guidance, keeping GPs informed of the latest developments in primary care.

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

Pulse editor Sofia Lind and senior journalist Maya Dhillon reflect on the recent breakdown in the relationship between the BMA and the Government following months of growing animosity between the two.

Following Pulse's exclusive reporting on the BMA losing its exclusive negotiating position for the 2026/27 GP contract, the pair look at we got to this point, and what the new stakeholder consultation model could mean for the profession.

Sofia is then joined by GP and Pulse clinical adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft to discuss whether GPs should really have a lower threshold for prescribing antibiotics in older people. This comes following the publication of England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty's annual report - this year into infectious diseases.

And to round things off, Maya and Sofia check in with general practice in Northern Ireland following their visit to Pulse LIVE Belfast last month - with clips featuring RCGP NI chair Dr Ursula Mason; and the GMC's chair and chief executive Dame Carrie McEwen and Charlie Massey.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs is hosted on Buzzsprout but you can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

In our first 'Big Interview' of the year, Pulse editor Sofia Lind speaks to the new chair of the RCGP, Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, to discuss the role of the college in a particularly tumultuous time for the profession.

The pair discuss the RCGP's position and approach to new-look GP contract consultations - in which the college is now involved alongside other stakeholders, as revealed exclusively by Pulse last year.

Professor Tzortziou Brown reflects on how the contract needs to change; relations with the BMA; as well as advising the Government on its new workforce strategy - with a focus on retaining experienced GPs.

She also shares her thoughts on how GPs need to be kept at the centre of the implementation of neighbourhood services as the 10-year plan is rolled out, as well as how access and continuity in general practice are not mutually exclusive.

For this month's clinical section, senior journalist Maya Dhillon is joined by Pulse clinical adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft to look over a new report suggesting that mandatory NT-proBNP testing before heart failure referral would improve diagnosis of the condition in primary care.

Their discussion focus on a much-debated report published by The Alliance for Heart Failure, which suggests that the condition is routinely being missed in primary care, and that GP practices and CDCs are not following 2010 NICE guidelines requiring the use of NT-proBNP testing to rule out heart failure.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs is hosted on Buzzsprout but you can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

Senior journalist Maya Dhillon is joined by Anna Colivicchi, deputy news editor, and Dr Keith Hopcroft, GP and editorial adviser, to analyse and explain the changes introduced by the 2026/27 GP contract.

The trio go through all the major headlines - including new same-day requirements around ‘clinically urgent patients', a shift in funding for a new practice-level recruitment scheme, and mandated collaboration between practices and ICBs.

Anna and Keith discuss the absorption of advice and guidance (A&G) from an enhanced service into the core contract, contemplating how this 'blurs' the line between GP and specialist remit; and how this will work in practice.

The discussion comes as NHS England's national director for primary care Dr Amanda Doyle wrote exclusively for Pulse last week, explaining their rationale for the move.

Keith also provides a handy overview of the changes to QOF, including the addition of two new obesity indicators and the provision of 'improvement incentives' for childhood vaccination rates.

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

The new episode of Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs is now live and available on all podcast platforms.

In this month’s episode, our team unpicks the new guidance from NICE, recommending use of weight loss drug semaglutide (Wegovy) to prevent further heart attack and stroke.

Pulse editorial adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft is joined by Professor Ahmet Fuat, honorary professor of primary care cardiology at Durham University and GP with extended role in cardiorenal medicine.

The pair discuss the evidence base behind the recommendation, what the rollout might look like, who is eligible, who will be responsible for managing care including lifestyle support, and how it fits in with existing NICE guidance on treating patients with type 2 diabetes.

Professor Fuat also considers whether semaglutide has the potential to go to be used for primary prevention in future.

We round up our episode with editor Sofia Lind discussing where general practice stands following a referendum on the 2026/27 GP contract, in which 98.9% rejected the Government’s imposed changes.

She tells senior journalist Maya Dhillon about ‘the difficult position’ she believes the GPC is in, as it has threatened collective action by 30 April (unless the Government pauses its implementation of ‘mandatory’ A&G) while the Government has said this may mean missing out on a primary negotiation role in new GMS contract discussions.

For more information about how to attend the Community Pharmacy and General Practice Conference, click here. 

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

In this month's episode, the team reports exclusively from Pulse LIVE London. Pulse's editorial adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft takes us through his favourite clinical sessions, and Pulse editor Sofia Lind gives us the highlights from her Big Interview with Baroness Clare Gerada.

Dr Hopcroft interviews Dr Stephanie Kayode, consultant allergist at the department of adult allergy at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. She explores how GPs can identify patients who are falsely labelled as having a penicillin allergy, and how GPs should go about attempting to de-label them.

He then speaks to GP, locum consultant in pain and musculoskeletal medicine and NHS Northwest London musculoskeletal and diagnostics clinical lead Dr Imran Sajid, about how GPs can assess and manage back pain with or without sciatica or radiculopathy in primary care - including when it could indicate bone cancer.

Lastly, Sofia and Baroness Gerada discuss the failed assisted dying bill and how it may return, what GPs can do to get policy makers to sit up and listen, and how general practice can learn to work with AI.

Continue your learning by registering for our upcoming Pulse Virtual Events. These events are designed for GPs and primary care professionals seeking practical, CPD-accredited clinical updates and expert-led insights they can apply straight into everyday consultations. Taking place in May, we’ll be focusing on Chronic Conditions, Dermatology and Diabetes, and in June, Women’s Health, Urology and Dermatology.

We’ll also be travelling to Birmingham, Newcastle, Cardiff, Glasgow, Belfast and Liverpool this year, delivering our Pulse LIVE Events. Book your free place today.

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.

In this episode, the Pulse team discusses the BMA’s decision to ballot GPs in England on a ‘plan B’ or an alternative model of general practice.

Pulse senior journalist Maya Dhillon is joined by deputy news editor Anna Colivicchi and editor-in-chief Jaimie Kaffash to look at where this has come from, what it shows about the profession's mood and how likely an exit from the NHS actually is.

The group reflect on what 'doing a dentist' could actually look like, as well as talking to Dr Maitiú O’Faoláin - vice chair of the GP committee of the Irish Medical Organisation - about what GPs here could learn about the Republic of Ireland's mixed private and state-funded model of general practice.

Editorial adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft is joined by Professor Celia Gregson, professor of clinical epidemiology and chair of the National Osteoporosis Guideline Group, to discuss new research on the use of vitamin D and calcium supplements for fracture prevention.

Reporter Harry Hetherington stops by to talk about his investigation into local enhanced services across England. He explains the threefold 'LES Lottery' he uncovered through data, explaining the variation for services across ICBs and why GPs continue to carry out underfunded LESs.

And we round off the episode with a quickfire clinical round-up with the biggest stories this month: the final recommendations for prostate cancer screening in the general population; a name change for polycystic ovary syndrome; and uptake in combined asthma inhalers since NICE update.

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.