Talking General Practice
Brought to you by GPonline.com, this weekly podcast discusses the latest news from the world of UK general practice and talks to GPs and others about the big issues affecting primary care. We're also aiming to highlight some positive stories and inspiring people along the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
RCGP conference – Continuity of care, AI in general practice, value of a GP
GPonline is the media partner for the RCGP annual conference and this is a special episode from a very packed event in Glasgow this week.
Emma looks at what RCGP president Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown said in her first speech to the conference as president.
She speaks to vice presidents Dr Margaret Ikpoh and Dr Thomas Patel-Campbell about whether there is a bright future for general practice, how to protect GPs from burnout and art in medicine.
Emma also talks to vice presidents Dr Munro Stewart and Dr Jamie Hynes about how AI...
RCGP president Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown on the state of general practice, continuity and neighbourhoods
Emma speaks to Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs, ahead of the college’s annual conference in Glasgow this week.
GPonline is the media partner for the RCGP annual conference and this is the first of two episodes that we’ll be producing from the event this week.
In this episode, Victoria discusses the college’s first State of General Practice report, which was published this week, and the stark gap between government ambitions to shift care into the community and the reality of frontline capacity, funding, and GP retention.
S...
Unlocking the benefits of neighbourhoods - in conversation with the NAPC
This week Emma speaks to Professor Andy Brooks and Dr Liam Loftus from the National Association of Primary Care, about the drive towards neighbourhood health and what it means for general practice. Andy is the NAPC’s clinical chair and Liam is head of policy at the organisation.
Andy and Liam share insights from NAPC’s work supporting sites in the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, and explain why local relationships, trust, and leadership matter far more than new neighbourhood contracts.
They also discuss concerns around proposed multi-neighbourhood providers, why general practice must form...
What GPs want from next year’s contract, how NHS delays affect GPs, the ‘left shift’ of funding
This week Emma and Nick look at a whole host of GP contract issues, including changes to the GP reimbursement scheme, an update on list cleaning, NHS England threatening possible contractual action over same-day access and what GPs want from next year’s contract.
They also discuss how specialist waiting lists and problems elsewhere in the system are piling pressure on general practice, following a recent survey of the public by the RCGP.
And they talk about why the so-called ‘left shift’ of resources from hospitals to secondary care is so difficult and how th...
GP and NICE CMO Dr Adrian Hayter on improving guidance for GPs, new tech and prescribing
This week Emma speaks to Dr Adrian Hayter, a GP partner in Windsor and Chief Medical Officer at NICE.
Adrian discusses why he made the move to NICE and what having a practicing GP in senior leadership at the organisation means for primary care as the NHS shifts focus towards community-based care and neighbourhood health teams.
He explains how NICE is working to accelerate guidance approvals, how guidelines can be made more accessible for frontline clinicians managing patients with complex multi-morbidities, and the role of the upcoming Single National Formulary - and what it will...
ARRS goes back to basics, GP contract priorities this year, Labour conference
The GPonline team discusses the latest news affecting general practice.
This week they look at the additional roles reimbursement scheme after an analysis of NHS data by Nick suggested that PCNs are starting to switch funding towards paying for more GPs and nurses as opposed to other healthcare professionals.
Nick and Emma discuss the BMA England GP committee’s decision to postpone any escalation to collective action in a bid to reset its relationship with the government ahead of this year’s contract negotiations.They look at what that means and the key issu...
Bonus episode: Urological cancer - key advice for GPs on referral, diagnosis and treatment
In this bonus episode of Talking General Practice Dr Netty Kinsella, uro-oncology nurse consultant and clinical lead for urology cancer diagnostics and active surveillance at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, speaks to GPonline editor Emma Bower about urological cancer.
Netty explains what makes the Royal Marsden's urology diagnostic service unique, and provides essential guidance for GPs on when to refer patients with suspected urological cancer.
She talks about the latest on prostate cancer screening, including the National Screening Committee’s recent recommendation for a targeted programme, and how GPs should approach risk-adapted PS...
Rethinking grief in primary care - how to deliver effective bereavement care
This week Emma talks to Dr Lynsey Bennett, a GP in Oxford, about the educational resource she has co-developed to help primary care teams better understand grief and deliver effective bereavement care.
Lindsay explains the simple, three-part consultation framework designed to help clinicians navigate conversations about loss within standard short appointments. She explains why outdated linear models of grief can be unhelpful, how to support patients without trying to 'fix' their pain, and simple changes practices can make to better support bereaved patients.
She also covers how to spot signs of complex grief...
What list cleaning means for GP capacity, neighbourhood contract doubts, plus what is 'good' GP access?
This week Nick and Emma discuss the latest on list cleaning and what it means for GP funding, as well as how it is affecting individual practices and patients.
They look again at neighbourhood contracts after seeing various responses to NHS England’s consultation - they assess what GP organisations and others had to say about the proposals and what it could mean longer term.
And they talk about access and continuity following the results from our own survey and also the publication of a report by MPs into access across all areas of...
GP Money Matters: The pension gap explained (and what you can do)
GP Money Matters is a series of special bonus episodes of Talking General Practice sponsored by Wesleyan where we look at key personal finance issues that affect GPs.
It’s pensions awareness week and in this episode Wendy Baillie, a chartered financial planner and regional manager at Wesleyan Financial Services, speaks to GPonline editor Emma Bower about the pension gap, what it is and what GPs can do about it.
Wendy explains why GPs can face a shortfall between their expected retirement income and what their pension will deliver. She discusses how modern wo...
How GPs and practices can address health inequalities
Emma speaks to Dr Dominic Patterson, a GP in Doncaster, chair of the Royal College of GPs Health Equity Special Interest Group, and CEO of the charity Fair Health.
In this conversation, Dominic talks about the college’s new Fairer Practice Toolkit, which provides practical, evidence-informed steps GP practices can take to tackle health inequalities. He explains how the toolkit breaks down over 100 actions into accessible tiers, supporting practices to make a meaningful difference.
He also explains why practices should consider reframing DNAs through the lens of ‘missingness’ to better support vulnerable groups, how he...
How much are GPs earning, neighbourhood contract plans, GMC duty of care appeal
The GPonline team discusses the key news stories affecting general practice.
Warning: This episode of the podcast includes discussion of suicide in the section about the GMC’s duty of care.
This week we look at what we know about GP earnings after the latest data based on GPs’ tax returns for 2024/25 were published. He outlines what the figures tell us about how much both salaried GPs and GP partners are being paid and differences in earnings across England and the UK more widely.
With NHS England’s consultation on new ne...
Why we need safe workload limits in general practice - and how to introduce them
This week Emma speaks to Dr Jess Court, the acting chair of Nottinghamshire LMC, about safe working limits in general practice.
In this conversation, Jess explains what safe working limits look like in day-to-day practice, why capping patient contacts and moving to 15-minute appointments is vital for patient safety, and how policies like unlimited online consultations are exacerbating GP workload and burnout.
She also talks about the safe working charter developed by Nottinghamshire LMC, how practices can push back against unresourced workload transfers from secondary care, and the practical steps practice managers and GP partners...
GP Money Matters: Understanding your NHS Pension statement
GP Money Matters is a series of special bonus episodes of Talking General Practice sponsored by Wesleyan where we look at key personal finance issues that affect GPs.
In this episode GPonline editor Emma Bower speaks to Wendy Baillie, a chartered financial planner and regional manager at Wesleyan Financial Services, about how to decode your NHS pension statement, and why taking a closer look at it is vital for your long-term financial planning.
Wendy explains what these statements actually tell you, including crucial details on your pensionable pay, service history, and spousal benefits.
Advice and guidance linked to patient harm, list cleaning hits deprived areas, Mounjaro prescribing
Our regular news review is back! In this week’s episode Emma, Nick and Kimberley look at advice and guidance and single point of access for referrals after our own survey found that most GPs have seen a referral rejected inappropriately and nearly one in 10 have seen a patient harmed as a result. Meanwhile an interim report by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) has linked advice and guidance to two patient deaths.
They discuss list clearing after an analysis by Nick found that deprived areas have been hit hardest by this process, and figures sh...
New BMA England GP committee chair Dr Clare Bannon on securing a better deal for general practice
This week Emma speaks to the new chair of the BMA England GP committee Dr Clare Bannon.
Clare has been in the role for just over a month and, in this conversation, she sets out her priorities and her plans to reset the BMA’s relationship with the government and NHS England.
She discusses the committee’s key demands, including an extra £40 to £50 per patient in core funding and meaningful GP contract reform - and the importance of establishing a roadmap to meet those aims.
She also talks about the undere...
GP Money Matters: Portfolio careers and your personal finances
GP Money Matters is a series of special bonus episodes of Talking General Practice sponsored by Wesleyan where we look at key personal finance issues that affect GPs.
In this episode GPonline editor Emma Bower speaks to Wendy Baillie, a chartered financial planner and regional manager at Wesleyan Financial Services, about the rise of portfolio careers in general practice and what this means for GPs’ finances.
New research from Wesleyan reveals that holding multiple roles has become the norm, with over two-thirds of doctors having portfolio careers. Wendy explains the hidden complexities of ju...
Pursuing a GP career after recovering from addiction
This week we’re sharing a conversation that was originally recorded for our sister podcast, MIMS Learning’s Clinical Update.
MIMS Learning deputy editor Rhiannon Ashman speaks with Dr Michael Blackmore, a GP partner, chair of the RCGP West Scotland Faculty, and a recovering addict, about the often hidden issue of addiction and recovery within the medical profession.
In this candid and powerful conversation, Michael shares his personal journey of struggling with addiction while practicing medicine, his path to recovery with support from services like NHS Practitioner Health, and how his lived...
Bonus episode: Urological cancer - key advice for GPs on referral, diagnosis and treatment
In this bonus episode of Talking General Practice Dr Netty Kinsella, uro-oncology nurse consultant and clinical lead for urology cancer diagnostics and active surveillance at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, speaks to GPonline editor Emma Bower about urological cancer.
Netty explains what makes the Royal Marsden's urology diagnostic service unique, and provides essential guidance for GPs on when to refer patients with suspected urological cancer.
She talks about the latest on prostate cancer screening, including the National Screening Committee’s recent recommendation for a targeted programme, and how GPs should appr...
How women’s health hubs can help improve care
This week Emma speaks to Dr Stephanie Cook, clinical lead for the Women's Health Hubs in Liverpool, a GP with a special interest in women's health, and a director of the Primary Care Women's Health Society.
Stephanie discusses how women’s health hubs can bring care closer to home, slash waiting times, and help tackle health inequalities - and explains how the Liverpool hub model works in practice,
We also discuss the systemic barriers facing women’s health services, including the lack of sustainable funding, the impact of removing women's health from the NHS planning guid...
How can we ensure women GPs thrive in general practice?
Emma speaks with Dr Ruth Abrams, an organisational psychologist and associate professor at the University of Surrey School of Health Sciences , about her recent research published in the BJGP on the conditions in which women GPs thrive.
Ruth discusses why women GPs experience disproportionate rates of stress and lower career progression. She talks about the medical gender pay gap and outlines five practical actions individual GP practices can take right now to foster a fairer, more flexible, and supportive environment.
Ruth also highlights critical gaps in current research and explains why we need...
Is the 10-year plan on track, GP premises challenges, job shortage for new GPs
This week Emma, Nick and Kimberley look at the government’s 10-year health plan one year on and ask how much progress has been made, whether it is on track and what needs to happen next. They also talk about PCN contract variations after every practice in Kent signed up to the first deal of this kind.
They look at GP premises after the government announced its 10-year capital investment plan for the NHS and NHS England chair Dr Penny Dash angered GPs after saying that GP practices have ‘twice as much floor space’ as they need. T...
Dr Katie Bramall on three years as BMA GP chair and why it's time to step back
Emma speaks to BMA England GP committee chair Dr Katie Bramall about her decision not to stand for re-election when her three-year term ends this month and the highs and lows of her time in the role.
Katie reflects on an extraordinary three years for general practice, including navigating challenging GP contract negotiations during a tight funding climate and leading historic collective action by the profession.
She explains the personal and organisational reasons behind her decision to pass on the baton, and how she managed the intense internal and external challenges fa...
GP Money Matters: GP career trends and financial planning
GP Money Matters is a series of special bonus episodes of Talking General Practice sponsored by Wesleyan where we look at key personal finance issues that affect GPs.
In this episode GPonline editor Emma Bower talks to Wendy Baillie, a chartered financial planner and the retirement lead for the medical division at Wesleyan, about research the company recently undertook looking at GP career trends and GPs’ views on various personal finance issues.
Wendy explains how GPs’ attitude to work has changed in recent years, the impact workload and future uncertainty about the GP cont...
GPs push back on list cleaning, QOF obesity flaws, ARRS underspend
Nick and Emma look at the impact the current list cleaning drive has had on GP practices and explain why GP leaders have called for a pause in the process amid fears of inappropriate removals and a huge loss of funding for the profession.
They talk about prescribing for obesity, after the BMA warned that the funding practices will receive for new QOF targets on this is unlikely to cover the cost of the work involved, and the union warned that some ICBs are cutting back on locally commissioned services related to prescribing Mounjaro since it has...
Addressing the challenges facing rural general practice
This week Emma speaks to GP Dr Emma Watts, a dispensing doctor based in Surrey and the chair of the RCGP's Rural Forum, about the distinct challenges facing rural general practice.
Emma discusses how urban-centric policies, mounting financial constraints, and operational pressures are driving rural practice closures. She also highlights hidden health inequalities in rural areas, such as homelessness, and explains why the government's proposed framework for a neighbourhood NHS fails to consider the reality facing remote, rural, and dispensing practices.
And she explains the Rural Minds Project, an innovative training pr...
GPs hit by list cleaning chaos, neighbourhood contracts, access vs continuity
This week Nick and Emma talk about list cleaning, after an analysis by Nick showed that 350,000 patients have been removed from GP practice lists, resulting in a loss of around £45m from practice funding. Nick explains why this happens and the impact it has on individual practices.
They discuss GP contracts, looking at the first area in England that has agreed a local variation to PCN contracts, BMA fears about what neighbourhood and integrated health organisation contracts could mean for general practice and whether financial pressures on the current GP contract could make GPs back an a...
GP Money Matters: Understanding your NHS pension and the McCloud judgment
GP Money Matters is a series of special bonus episodes of Talking General Practice sponsored by Wesleyan where we look at key personal finance issues that affect GPs.
In this episode GPonline editor Emma Bower talks to Wendy Baillie, a chartered financial planner and the retirement lead for the medical division at Wesleyan, about the complexities of the NHS pension scheme and the specific challenges currently facing GPs.
Wendy provides a recap on the McCloud judgment, the high court ruling about unfair changes to public pension schemes, and explains why the resulting administrative...
How we can keep experienced GPs working in the NHS
Emma speaks to Dr Nada Khan, a GP in Exeter and clinical lecturer in general practice at Exeter University, about her recent study on GP retention.
In this conversation, Nada explains how GP workload has become increasingly intense, fragmented, and risk-laden, and she describes the impact of hybrid access models and moral distress on GPs - all of which is causing experienced doctors to cut back on sessions they work or leave the profession altogether.
She also highlights the critical factors that help GPs stay in practice, including the importance of continuity of...
BMA to ballot on ‘plan B’ for GP contracts, NHS workforce plan, single patient record fears
Emma and Nick talk about the ongoing dispute between the BMA and the government about this year’s GP contract and what the BMA will be asking GP practices to do from 1 June as it steps up collective action. They discuss a vote at the UK LMCs conference earlier this month, which saw LMC representatives back exploring the radical step of moving towards a hybrid NHS/private model for general practice - and the BMA’s confirmation that it plans to ballot the profession on this.
They look at an update NHS England published on the GP c...
Inside the government's flagship neighbourhood health programme
This week Talking General Practice is looking at the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme - or NNHIP. This is the NHS England and government programme to support the development of neighbourhood health with 43 pioneer sites across England leading the way to test how integrated neighbourhood teams and neighbourhood approaches can better support patients.
To find out what this looks like on the frontline, Emma speaks to leaders from two of those pioneer sites.
Dr Zalan Alam, a GP in Rochdale, discusses his work in intermediate care and the importance of building trust across c...
Will collective action work, unpicking the GP reimbursement scheme, what PCN variation means
The GPonline team talks about collective action, after the BMA GP committee narrowly voted in favour of the move, what that action involves and what needs to happen to resolve the dispute.
They look at the practice-level reimbursement scheme for GPs, how that is going to work and some of the issues and challenges the scheme could present.
And they discuss some late changes to the network contract DES - the contract that governs how primary care networks work - which will allow ICBs to introduce local variations to help develop neighbourhoods and...
Lessons from a pioneering practice on making neighbourhood health work
Emma speaks to Dr John Ribchester, a GP partner at Whitstable Medical Practice in Kent, a practice that is frequently cited as a leading example of the ‘neighbourhood NHS’ in action. The practice has spent years shifting services like diagnostics, day surgery, and urgent care out of hospital and into the community.
John explains the journey his practice took to develop this model, including the financial risks involved in building GP-owned premises capable of housing consultant clinics, diagnostics and an urgent treatment centre and why he believes working as a single-practice PCN has helped them to do t...
Can the NHS win GPs over on advice and guidance, plus GP partnership fears
In our regular news review, the GPonline team talks about advice and guidance after NHS England was forced to clarify that there was no national target for diverting GP referrals.
They also look at some new guidance from the BMA on advice and guidance and whether GPs have been involved locally with the development of controversial single point of access systems that NHS England say will overhaul referrals.
They discuss the state of the GP partnership after a private company, Operose Health, approached GP partners with the offer to ‘liberate them’ from the press...
Why more research should happen in general practice - and how to get involved
Emma speaks to Professor Greg Irving, an academic GP and the national specialty lead for general practice at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
In this conversation, Greg discusses the essential role of research in general practice and how it is being embedded into the government’s 10-year plan as the NHS shifts focus from hospitals to the community.
He explains the various ways the NIHR supports and funds research in primary care, highlighting opportunities for practices to get involved—from light-touch studies to more complex commercial research.
Gre...
Why experienced GPs are leaving the NHS, spiralling GP workload, collective action
This week Nick and Emma discuss GP retention and look at the reasons why experienced doctors are leaving the role and what the NHS needs to do to ensure more GPs remain in the job for longer.
They talk about how the expanded use of online consultations has impacted on GP workload and fears about what this year’s GP contract – which introduces new same-day access targets and changes to GP referrals – and the push towards neighbourhoods could mean for practice workload.
And they discuss the latest on this year’s GP contract, includin...
Improving perinatal care and the role of primary care
Emma talks to Dr Liz Dapré, an academic GP and co-chair of the group GPs Championing Perinatal Care (GPCPC) about the vital role of primary care in maternal and perinatal health.
In this conversation Liz and Emma discuss the key problems in perinatal care across the NHS and what needs to happen to address some of these issues.
Liz explains how GPCPC is working to ensure the voice of general practice is heard by national policymakers and what it does to support GPs.
She also talks about health inequalities in m...
What happens now GPs have rejected the contract, plus will GP pay rise by 3.5%?
Emma and Nick discuss the results of the BMA referendum on the GP contract and what happens next, including whether GPs will take action and what health and social care secretary Wes Streeting has said about this.
They talk about this year’s GP contract deal after the DDRB recommended a 3.5% pay increase for GPs and practice staff and updated contract guidance for PCNs was published - highlighting some of the key challenges facing practices as the new financial year begins.
Our good news story this week is about the annual British Social At...
RCGP registrar co-chairs on the jobs crisis, the future of GP training and IMG GP visas
This week Emma speaks to the RCGP’s registrar co-chairs, Dr Tom France and Dr Molly Dineen about the issues currently facing GP registrars across the UK.
Tom and Molly talk about the ongoing GP jobs crisis and the intense frustration surrounding underemployment and unemployment at the end of training.
They explain their concerns about the GP jobs available under the additional roles reimbursement scheme and stress the importance of a fully funded, detailed workforce plan from the government to address the mismatch between rising training numbers and available jobs.
Tom and Molly al...
What NHS guidance reveals about neighbourhoods, advice and guidance shake-up, GP locum rates
This week Emma, Nick and Kimberley talk about the government’s plans for neighbourhoods - after the long-awaited neighbourhood health framework was published this week - and what it all means for general practice.
They also look in more detail at how GP contract changes to advice and guidance link into this and whether these changes could impede GPs’ right to refer, what they could mean for workload in general practice and concerns about patient safety.
And they discuss the results of our annual GP locum rates survey and what it tells us abou...
