Supporting junior doctors in general practice
Junior doctors in England have voted overwhelmingly for strike action as they campaign for increased pay. The 72-hour walkout, on 13–15 March, will include GP trainees, who make up 15% of all junior doctors in England. Therefore, GP practices should be prepared for...
Industrial action by healthcare workers and the impact on general practice
Nurses, ambulance staff, physiotherapists and midwives employed by the NHS are taking part in widespread industrial action this winter as disputes over 2022/23 pay awards between health unions and the government remain unresolved. Although patients have been told that...
The role of GP assistants
In October, the NHS announced plans to boost the GP workforce ahead of winter. A key part of this plan is the recruitment of over 1000 GP assistants to help GPs reduce the amount of time they spend on administrative tasks and basic clinical duties. The move is...
Automatic patient access to GP-held medical records: Roll out goes ahead
In November, NHS England’s plans on Accelerating Citizen Access to GP Data will be rolled out across England, in line with 2019/20 GP contract requirements. Patients aged 16 and over, whose GP practices use TPP and EMIS systems, and who have online accounts, will be...
What does the health secretary’s plan for primary care mean in practice?
In September, Thérèse Coffey became the third health and social care secretary to be appointed in 2022. She takes on the role ahead of a winter that threatens to be challenging for the NHS, with fears of high rates of COVID-19 and influenza circulating, while...
Racism against ethnic primary care doctors
Recent reports have highlighted a shocking level of racism against medical staff within the NHS, including in primary care. Racial discrimination comes from colleagues, patients, and institutional biases, and presents in many forms. It impacts on staff well-being and...
Media relationship with general practice
GPs have been bitterly disappointed by critical articles from some sections of the press. The criticisms have included accusations that ‘lazy’ GPs avoided face-to-face appointments and inflammatory comments about GP pay and part-time working. Such articles...
NHS contract 2022/23: Concerns over resourcing the extended hours
In a letter to GP practices on 1 March, NHS England and NHS Improvement detailed the general practice contract arrangements for 2022/23, which focus on long-terms conditions, urgent care needs, and disease prevention. The contract remains largely aligned with the...
Dealing with the backlog of cancer care
The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences for cancer care. Key targets for early diagnosis and treatment are being missed and experts warn that gains in cancer survival will be reversed without significant progress to clear the backlog. Specialist...
GPs face rising levels of abuse
As GP practice staff work hard to deal with the post-pandemic backlog in care and provide an unprecedented number of appointments, many are distressed to be facing daily abuse from patients. Such abuse has risen markedly since before the pandemic, with serious...
Latest news on COVID vaccines
Across the UK, removal of the last COVID restrictions is underway. The focus is now on guidance and targeted protection of vulnerable individuals. Unfortunately, with greater freedom from COVID restrictions comes a rising infection level. Figures from the ZOE COVID...
Health Services Safety Investigations Body: An independent patient safety watchdog
The Health and Care Bill that was introduced to Parliament in July 2021 includes proposals for a new, independent patient safety watchdog, the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB). Compared with the existing Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB),...