Four in five general practices are already taking collective action, says BMA
Over 80% of general practices in England are already taking some form of collective action…
Category: General practice / family medicine, UK
David Oliver: Does Darzi’s report move NHS recovery and reform further forward?
One week after Labour’s general election victory Wes Streeting, the new health and social care…
Tackling UK’s long term sickness will improve NHS productivity, analysis finds
A “whole of government” approach to tackling long term sickness and economic inactivity could return…
Helen Salisbury: Resisting the temptation to offer advice
When people consult their GP they often arrive with a clearly defined medical problem—a pain,…
Helen Salisbury: Redefining full time work in general practice
A recent paper in the British Journal of General Practice brought the good news that…
More of GPs’ income is going on expenses and less on pay, data show
UK general practices continue to face major pressure on their finances, driven by falling earnings…
General practices in England will get 7.4% increase to fund pay rises
The government has confirmed that general practices in England will be given a 7.4% increase…
Rammya Mathew: It’s time to raise the profile of community trusts
For the past few years I’ve been working for one of the largest community trusts…
GP leader: “If general practice is the bedrock of the NHS, then the NHS is collapsing”
Earlier this month GP partners in England voted overwhelmingly to take collective action in response…
Physician associates must be supervised by a GP straight after seeing each patient, says BMA
Physician associates (PAs) working in general practice must have access to a named onsite GP…
Collective action could become norm, warns head of England’s GPs
The collective action being undertaken by general practices could be maintained in the long term…
GPs vote overwhelmingly to take collective action over contract
GPs in England have voted in favour of taking collective action over their contractual terms…
Blood donation: NHS issues urgent appeal amid “unprecedentedly low” stocks
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has issued an amber alert asking hospitals to restrict the…
Online GP services can hamper access and threaten patient safety, says investigation
NHS England should evaluate the safety of online consultation tools in general practice, a national…
Helen Salisbury: A new health secretary, optimism, and a note of caution
We have a new government, and in general practice there’s a mood of cautious optimism….
GPs in Wales need “urgent rescue package” after 100 practices close, says BMA
BMA Cymru Wales has called on the Welsh government to implement an “urgent rescue package…
Partha Kar: Streeting’s NHS should apply the Jurgen Klopp test
Looking at the NHS from outside, you’d think that it placed a strong emphasis on…
Satisfaction with GPs is high, but patients struggle to get appointments, survey shows
Trust and confidence in GPs remains high, but nearly a fifth of patients had a…
Labour pledges to increase funding for GPs
The new Labour government has promised to increase the proportion of NHS funds going to…
David Oliver: Will a Labour government rescue adult social care?
Social care is in crisis. It’s failing the people who need it, and their families….
Helen Salisbury: Physician associates in general practice—time to pause and reflect
Last week the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) advised its members to halt the…
Rammya Mathew: We need braver politics for better health
In the run-up to every election, the NHS is front and centre of political manifestos….
RCGP calls for immediate freeze on recruitment of physician associates
General practices should stop recruiting physician associates (PAs) immediately until regulation and scope of practice…
Repairing general practice will be a priority for Labour, says Streeting
An incoming Labour government will focus on investing in general practice to help fix the…
David Oliver: Will the actions pledged in Labour’s election manifesto save health and social care?
Last week the main UK parties published their manifestos ahead of the coming general election….
Helen Salisbury: Shortening the medical degree
NHS England has just announced that it will be piloting four year undergraduate medical courses…
Tories pledge to slash number of NHS managers to fund health spending
The Conservative Party has said that it will slash the amount of money currently spent…
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Helen Salisbury: Risk and responsibility when working with physician associates
One of the issues troubling doctors in general, and GPs in particular, is the question…
NICE recommendations on tirzepatide for weight loss could increase NHS access
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended another weight loss drug…
Helen Salisbury: Don’t ask Jeeves—ask your GP
GPs are busy. There’s a mismatch between available appointments and patient demand, with growing dissatisfaction…
In vitro diagnostic tests need to be better regulated, say statisticians
Statisticians have called for better regulation of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests—which typically test samples…
Labour’s pledge to clear NHS waiting list within five years will be tough to achieve, say leaders
The Labour Party’s general election campaign pledge to clear the backlog of NHS patients waiting…
GPs could threaten mass resignation over NHS contract
GP representatives around the UK have told the BMA to “use the threat of mass…
David Oliver: NHS England’s proposals to aid ȷunior doctor retention are basic good practice presented as radical ideas
On 25 April, with the pay restoration dispute between the BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee and…
GPs in England to be balloted on potential collective action over contract changes
General practice leaders in England have voted to hold a ballot on potential collective action…
David Oliver: The risk assessment for NHS England’s long term workforce plan should worry doctors
In June 2023 NHS England (NHSE) published its long awaited and serially delayed long term…
No men’s health strategy on horizon as government focuses on promoting health checks
The UK government is trying to highlight the importance of health checks for men and…
David Oliver: How well is the duty of candour enforced in the NHS?
Readers of The BMJ who are registered clinicians working in the UK will be well…
Helen Salisbury: Continuity and learning from experience
Continuity of care—seeing the same GP over time—reduces the need for emergency care and increases…
Rammya Mathew: We can’t overlook the backdrop as Britain becomes “a sicker nation”
Plans by the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, to overhaul the sick note system in the…
John Launer: Doctors as activists
Doctor activists are in the news. Sarah Benn, a former GP from Birmingham, has had…
Helen Salisbury: Sick notes and a national illness service
A common complaint about the NHS is that it’s not so much a health service…
Partha Kar: We need to level up all staff, not level down doctors
After years of underfunding, being undervalued, and issues around pay and working conditions, something finally…
Can a worker cooperative model of social care improve the patient experience and reduce pressure on GPs?
For years, Kate Smyth found that getting help through private social care providers for basic…
GP services in Lothian risk collapse amid “ruinous” rise in premises charges
Family doctors in Scotland’s second largest health board are drawing up plans to cut their…
Helen Salisbury: With the NHS in crisis, why is Labour looking to private hospitals as the solution?
This week the shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, promised to bring in the private sector…
John Launer: Learning from appraisals
I’ve been a GP appraiser for around 20 years, more or less since appraisals were…
Helen Salisbury: A consultant model of general practice
In interviews and appraisals, doctors of all varieties are often asked to provide evidence of…
GPs on the brink of industrial action: why they’re taking a stand
It was a resounding “no” in a referendum organised by the BMA, as 99% of…
One in two may be prepared to pay more for NHS through taxation, survey shows
Nearly half (48%) of respondents to a survey that has found record low public satisfaction…