Talking General Practice

This week Emma speaks to GP and researcher Dr Rebecca Payne about what general practice can learn from the research she’s been involved with on remote patient care.In this conversation Rebecca talks about her research into patient safety in remote consultations, what GPs can do to ensure remote consultations are safe and lessons for practices about the systems that they need to have in place. She also talks about the wider implications of this research including what it means for training and education.Rebecca also explains her research into how the shift to remote care has impacted on quality in primary care, what this could mean for the future of general practice - and what she hopes policymakers will take from the findings.This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.Useful linksPatient safety in remote primary care encounters: multimethod qualitative study combining Safety I and Safety II analysis, published in BMJ Quality and SafetyTeaching patient safety in remote consultationsProject resources from the Remote by Default study including competencies for staff and advice for patientsHow to ensure safe remote consultations in your practice - from GPonline Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The discussion centers around the uncertain future of the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme aimed at bolstering GP numbers in underserved areas. Fears of potential cuts loom as contract negotiations continue. The importance of NHS England's planning guidance for 2025/26 is highlighted, focusing on patient access and chronic care. Good news arrives from Wales, where GPs celebrate a successful contract negotiation resulting in increased funding and better pay. The tension surrounding the funding landscape raises questions about the future of general practice.

In this engaging discussion, Ruth Rankine, Director of Primary Care at the NHS Confederation and seasoned health professional, shares insights on creating a neighbourhood NHS. She emphasizes the shift towards community-based care and the need for integrated neighbourhood teams. Ruth explores the challenges of redesigning GP contracts to accommodate new roles and collaborative practices. Additionally, she highlights how Primary Care Networks can enhance healthcare delivery by focusing on local needs and improving outcomes while navigating financial hurdles in the current system.

The government aims to create 1,000 new GP jobs, but is struggling to meet this target before the deadline. Discussions reveal how the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme has reshaped the GP workforce, leading to concerns about planning and support in implementing new roles. The Care Quality Commission faces significant backlog issues that may jeopardize GP practice ratings. Meanwhile, a positive change in policy for exam resits for disabled GP registrars highlights a move towards inclusivity in the medical field.

In this engaging discussion, Richard Fieldhouse, Chair of the National Association of Sessional GPs, sheds light on the critical role locum GPs play in the NHS. He delves into the current job market crisis, revealing how it impacts locum rates and job security. Richard emphasizes the need for better utilization of locums and shares insights on their unique contributions to general practice. He also offers valuable advice for newly qualified locum GPs on navigating their careers and building strong relationships with practices.

The government’s recent £889m funding uplift for GPs sparks debate on whether it can truly stabilize practices. The discussion delves into the challenges of rising costs and recruitment difficulties faced by general practice. With NHS waiting lists skyrocketing, the impact on patient care is critical. Innovative payment plans for GPs aim to reduce hospital referrals, yet questions about workload compensation linger. Additionally, proposed reforms to streamline efficiency and enhance direct referrals are explored, highlighting technological needs and workforce issues.

In this engaging discussion, GP partner Tommy Perkins, co-founder of Medics Money, and Andy Pow, a seasoned medical accountant, share insights on the financial landscape for general practices. They tackle the looming financial pressures from rising minimum wage and insurance contributions, stressing the need for practices to ensure profitability. The duo emphasizes the necessity of adapting GP contracts for sustainability and navigating NHS pensions, particularly with the complexities of the McCloud remedy. Their practical advice aims to empower doctors in managing their finances effectively.

This week Emma speaks to chief executive of the National Academy for Social Prescribing Charlotte Osborn Forde and Dr Radha Modgil, a GP and TV and radio broadcaster, who is also an ambassador for the National Academy for Social Prescribing.In this conversation Charlotte and Radha explain some of the evidence to support the use of social prescribing, what works in projects on the ground and the important role GPs have to play within social prescribing.They also discuss some of the challenges facing social prescribing, what practices and PCNs can do to ensure their social prescribing initiatives are a success and how they would like to see social prescribing develop in the coming years as part of the government’s 10-year plan for the NHS.This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.Useful linksFrom GPonline - The evidence to support the use of social prescribingFrom GPonline - The benefits of green prescribing in the NHSNASP report - The impact of social prescribing on health service use and costsNASP report - Building the economic case for social prescribingPreventing and Tackling Mental Ill Health through Green Social Prescribing Project - government evaluation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The podcast dives into the looming winter pressures on the NHS, highlighting an expected surge in illnesses and hospitalizations. Concerns about declining locum pay and the impact on GP practices are raised, alongside potential industrial action from GPs in Wales and Scotland. A bright spot emerges with a remarkable success story from an area in England that drastically reduced its patient-to-GP ratio through innovative recruitment strategies, showcasing a model for others to follow.

NHS England has estimated that practices spend around 10-20% of their time on 'lower-value administrative work and work generated by issues at the primary-secondary care interface', so what can we do to address this?This week Emma speaks to GP Dr Jonathan Griffiths the associate medical director for Primary Care at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB about work he’s been doing in his area to solve some of these challenges.In this conversation Jonathan explains some of the main problems that happen at the interface between primary and secondary care, how they are aiming to address these in Cheshire and Merseyside and the key things he’s learned through doing this work.He also talks about why it is so important for the NHS to look at this as a system-wide issue and what the government and NHS England need to do centrally to help support local efforts to address these problems – as well as how this work applies to the interface with other sectors such as community services and mental health.This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.Useful links●     NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Consensus on the Primary and Secondary Care Interface●     RCGP Primary-Secondary Care Interface Guidance - which is based on work in Cheshire and Merseyside●     Academy of Medical Royal Colleges publication - General practice and secondary care: Working better together - provides multiple examples of work that is aiming to improve working between primary and secondary care Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.