It’s no secret that GPs in the UK are working under extreme pressure and with little job satisfaction. The ludicrously short consultation times create a conveyor belt of ‘cases’ with no opportunity to build relationships or trust, elements that are fundamental to the healing interchange between practitioner and patient. They know that despite doing their very best, they are merely applying sticking plasters to the complex, deep-seated problems that many of their patients face. This situation prompted Dr Katy Stephen to broaden her training and adopt situations in which she is able to spend more time and give her best advice – which doesn’t concern any complex medical interventions, but gets back to the ‘basics’ of health.

The episode takes in a broad discussion of the rise in complex chronic health conditions, including cancer, and of the potential for a greater role for GPs in cancer care.