Red Whale Primary Care Pod – Details, episodes & analysis

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Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or your drink of choice and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the first of two episodes this month, Fi and Nik have special guest Lucy Cox, the Red Whale women’s health course lead to discuss : 

• Managing menopause after breast cancer. A diagnosis of breast cancer is life-changing at any age. Women in this situation will commonly seek our advice and we really want to help them at this vulnerable time, but for pre- and perimenopausal women conflicting media coverage over the safety of different menopause treatment options after breast cancer have created a recipe for confusion and frustration for patients and clinicians alike... 
• We'll also briefly cover ultra-processed food. Joe Wicks’ recent documentary ‘Licensed to Kill’ has brought this topic back into the spotlight. While the scare-tactic language in the title and promo are perhaps not the best way to support people to make sustained change, the programme contained some important points and may well result in questions coming primary care’s way. We have an exclusive clip of Nik talking to Hussain all about this on Boggled Docs.  

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

Further Pearls from October will be covered next time.

Links:

Boggled Docs: Ultra-processed food: licensed to kill?

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited.  Find out more here.

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Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

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Grab your trainers, your dog lead, and perhaps a pumpkin spice latte, and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the second of two episodes this month, Ali and Nik discuss: 

• The NEW cervical screening intervals that apply in England from 1 July 2025: moving to a 5-yearly screening interval for all women and people with a cervix aged 25–64y who have tested negative for HPV and have no other risk factors (those living with HIV will be offered an annual screen). 
• Varicella vaccination- this will finally be rolled out as part of the UK childhood vaccination schedule from 1 January 2026 – this is good news. What you might have missed is that guidance on post-exposure prophylaxis from the UKHSA has changed…wait for it…3 times in the past 2 years! We share our article on varicella and provide everything you need to know to decide whether post-exposure prophylaxis is needed. 

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

Cervical cancer screening

Cancer Research UK - cervical cancer screening (more information about HPV triage and what the results mean)

LGBT Health - smear leaflet (specific information leaflet for lesbian and bisexual women)

OUTpatients – cancer risk and screening

OUTpatients – trans clinics offering cervical screening

Varicella 

UKHSA guidance on post exposure prophylaxis for chickenpox and shingles

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited.  Find out more here.

Follow us:  Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or a cuppa and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the first of two episodes this month, Ali and Nik discuss: 

• Glue ear: should we refer as soon as we suspect?
• Contraception after a diagnosis of breast cancer: supporting choice.
• Physical health and severe mental illness: can we reduce significant health inequalities?

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

The rest of the Pearls from May will be covered next week.

Glue ear: should we refer as soon as we suspect?  

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng233 

Videos 

https://www.littleears.soton.ac.uk/nasal-balloon-instructions 

https://www.redwhale.co.uk/bytes/otitis-media-with-effusion-in-under-12s-glue-ear  

(You'll need to sign in, or sign up to a free Red Whale account to view the video byte above!) 

Contraception after a diagnosis of breast cancer: supporting choice  

 https://www.fsrh.org/Common/Uploaded%20files/documents/fsrh-cadbc-guidance-document-15-nov-2023.pdf 

Physical health and severe mental illness: can we reduce significant health inequalities?  

 NHS England, 2024; Improving physical healthcare for people living with SMI in primary care). 

'Being Bothered About Billy' - The RCGP James Mackenzie Lecture 2012 with Professor Helen Lester 

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited.  Find out more here.

Follow us:  Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or a cuppa and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the second of two episodes this month, Ali and Nik discuss: 

• Lynch syndrome: what’s the role of primary care? How can people access testing, and what support and surveillance can be offered? 
• Diagnosing pelvic inflammatory disease: a challenge in general practice. We consider how we can approach making a diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease in general practice. This is important because it has significant sequelae, including subfertility and chronic pelvic pain. 

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

And hear a best intentions story that suggests there might be problems developing ‘down below’!

Lynch syndrome: what does it mean for general practice?  

Molecular testing strategies for Lynch syndrome in people with colorectal cancer (NICE DG27, 2017). 

NICE guidance on testing for Lynch syndrome in colorectal cancer (NICE NG151, 2020) 

NHS England: Implementing Lynch syndrome testing and surveillance pathways handbook v.1.2. 

Guidelines for the management of hereditary colorectal cancer from the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG)/Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI)/United Kingdom Cancer Genetics Group (UKCGG) 

The Royal Marsden: A beginner’s guide to Lynch syndrome 

Diagnosing pelvic inflammatory disease: a challenge in general practice  

BASHH guidelines on the diagnosis and management of PID (UK national guideline for the management of pelvic inflammatory disease, 2018 – updated 2019) 

Video byte: pelvic inflammatory disease

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited.  Find out more here.

Follow us:  Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or a cuppa and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the first of two episodes this month, Ali and Nik discuss: 

• Neurodiversity in the workforce. We’ve been teaching about autism, ADHD and the umbrella approach to neurodiversity on our digital and face to face courses. You told us that you found this useful and empowering, in supporting patients and colleagues. So, we thought we’d share our article on supporting a neurodiverse workforce – this might provide tips we can apply to ourselves, to a trainee or a colleague. 
• Spotting and supporting those with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is increasing in prevalence as our population ages. Our role in primary care is to spot it early and refer and then, alongside our secondary care colleagues, to support people living with the condition with potentially complex symptoms and drug regimens.

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

The rest of the Pearls from April will be covered next week along with a new best intentions story to put a smile on your face.

Neurodiversity in the workforce  

Br Med Bull, 2020, 135(1): 108–125

CMAJ 2022; 194(27): E951

BJGP 2021; 71 (708): 294

The CIPD guide to neuroinclusion at work

Inside Our Autistic Minds BBC iPlayer

Boggled Docs: Inside Autistic Minds

Spotting and supporting those with Parkinson’s disease  

NICE 2017, NG71

BJGP 2024;74:e482

Impulsive and compulsive behaviour from Parkinson’s UK

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited.  Find out more here.

Follow us:  Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or a cuppa and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the second of two episodes this month, Fiona and Nik discuss: 

• What jumped out at us from our brand new video byte: ‘Ramadan - Impact on diabetes and other chronic illnesses’
• Spotting Myeloma… let’s make it less tricky. Myeloma has been a popular topic in our recent Cancer and GP Update courses. So, to celebrate the launch of the NEW season of GP Update courses we wanted to share this Pearl on myeloma.

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

And hear a best intentions story that will have you checking what you’re drying your hands with!

Ramadan

Video

Red Whale Knowledge - Ramadan: impact on diabetes and other chronic disease

Myeloma

NICE 2015, NG12

Myeloma UK’s diagnostic tool for primary care

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited.  Find out more here.

Follow us:  Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, your gardening clothes or a cuppa and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the first of two episodes this month, Fiona and Nik discuss: 

• Anabolic steroid use. Body image concerns and pursuing an increasingly muscular appearance is becoming a growing issue, particularly for men and boys. 
• Nature… so important that we should prescribe it? Yes! Special guest Hussain Al-Zubaidi joins us to talk about the power of nature and green social prescribing in transforming patient health.

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

The rest of the Pearls from March will be covered next week along with a new best intentions story to put a smile on your face.

Anabolic steroid use

BJGP 2015;65:626 

BJGP 2024;74(741):187 

BMJ 10-minute consultation (BMJ 2016;355:i5023)

Green social prescribing

The National Academy for Social Prescribing:

Full toolkit on green social prescribing 

RCGP - parkrun practice initiative

Videos

Red Whale Knowledge - green social prescribing 

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited.  Find out more here.

Follow us:  Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or a cuppa and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the second of two episodes this month, Ali and Nik discuss: 

• ‘I’ve got a pain in my foot.’ Do you feel less confident when consulting about feet? We can help…
• ‘These mouth ulcers won’t clear up.’ We talk about Behçet’s syndrome, a rare multi system inflammatory condition.

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

And hear a best intentions story that will have you in a spin!

Links

Support for clinicians in Scotland

National wellbeing hub : support to stay well for everyone working in health, social care and social work in Scotland.

Support for clinicians in Wales

Support for clinicians in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDA)

Support for clinicians on the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey

Support for clinicians in England

Support for NHS people (NHS England)

Sign up for GP trainee essentials

I’ve got a pain in my foot…

 2020 BMJ 10-minute Consultation on forefoot pain (BMJ 2020;371: m3704).

 These mouth ulcers won’t clear up

 British Association of Dermatologists and British Society for Rheumatology living guideline for managing people with Behçets 2024 co-published by the British Journal Of Dermatology and Rheumatology

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited.  Find out more here.

Follow us:  Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, your dancing shoes or a cuppa and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the first of two episodes this month, Ali, Nik and special guests Hussain Al-Zubaidi and Osman Bhatti discuss: 

• Dance for health. What is the evidence that this helps. Which disease is particularly helped by the tango?
• Ramadan: supporting patients with long-term conditions. How can we best support those with long-term conditions during this time?  

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

The rest of the Pearls from February will be covered next week along with a new best intentions story to put a smile on your face.

Links

Sign up for GP trainee essentials

Let’s dance? Dance for health…

Let’s Dance - communication toolkit

Ramadan: impact on diabetes and other chronic diseases

BMJ Practice Pointer acknowledging that fasting may impact chronic disease control. BMJ 2022;376e:063613

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited.  Find out more here.

Follow us:  Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or a cuppa and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the second of two episodes this month, Fiona and Nik discuss: 

• Spinal cord compression and cauda equina syndrome. They’re on our (long!) list of things we never want to miss. They’re uncommon presentations, but they cause us a lot of anxiety. We can help…
• The new NICE guidance on menopause, published in December 2024. Much stayed the same, but we focus on the bits that may change our practice…

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

And hear a best intentions story that will have you checking your phone and your headphones before launching into your next consultation!

Spinal cord compression and cauda equina syndrome

 Red flags to screen for malignancy and fracture in patients with low back pain: systematic review

BMJ 2013;347:f7095

GRIFT 2023 cauda equina

national suspected cauda equina pathway

Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists – cauda equina information cards (cards in 29 different languages)

NICE guideline on menopause 2024: practice-changing points

NICE NG23

BMS statement in response to the publication of the updated NICE Menopause guideline (NG23)

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited.  Find out more here.

Follow us:  Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.