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...

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...

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...

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...

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),...

Although functional medicine is not formally recognised in the NHS, it is gaining a wide following from patients and healthcare professionals who believe the approach has value. So, what is functional medicine, and why is it attracting interest?  Functional medicine...

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data show that as of 31st October, an estimated 1.2 million people (1.9% of the population) reported having long COVID. About a third of those still had ongoing symptoms at least a year after their initial infection. The vast...

Over the past year, increasing media attention on women’s health and the menopause has had a striking impact on women’s awareness of these important issues. With celebrities like Davina McCall talking openly about their experiences of menopause, and MPs debating the...

On 23 August, NHS England (NHSE) published a letter outlining plans for primary care networks (PCNs) in 2021/22 and 2022/23. Recognising the pressures currently faced by general practice, the letter confirmed a gradual introduction of new PCN service requirements,...

With autumn and winter approaching, COVID-19 continues to circulate in the UK. In England, the infection rate appears relatively stable, reflecting the remarkable success of the vaccination programme to date. Over 80% of people are now fully vaccinated, with a high...

GPs are stretched to the limit, experiencing pressure from escalating workloads and a shortage of staff. This may feel a difficult time to overhaul the way that the NHS runs. However, the Health and Care Bill was introduced to Parliament on 6 July, which sets out...

Since 2019, GPs providing NHS services in England and Wales have been automatically covered against clinical negligence claims by state-backed indemnity schemes. However, from December 2020, locum GPs working in Wales have been required to sign up to the Locum Hub...