‘Alcohol use disorder is very, very prevalent and the harm occurs long before people have physical dependence,’ Dr Steve Brinksman says in this episode of the MIMS Learning Clinical Update podcast.

He adds that if patients are concerned that they are drinking too much, they may hesitate to raise the issue with their GP because they might fear being told to stop drinking completely, and GPs may feel ‘uncomfortable’ about asking people how much they drink because alcohol misuse is ‘a common problem’ within the profession. 

Dr Brinksman, who worked as a GP for 30 years, says that GPs should encourage colleagues to seek help if they feel they have problems, and can encourage many patients to cut down rather than cut out alcohol completely. ‘If you are drinking 50 or 60 units a week, then you reduce your harm by cutting down even to 40 units a week,’ he explains.

The episode also reviews how to assess alcohol misuse, how to advise patients to cut down, and how to support patients with severe dependence.  

You can access the website version of this podcast, along with a list of key learning points, on MIMS Learning — and make notes for your appraisal. MIMS Learning offers hundreds of hours of CPD for healthcare professionals, along with a handy CPD organiser.

Educational objectives

After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be better able to: 

• Assess alcohol misuse with a validated screening tool, and keep talking to patients about their drinking over time
• Support patients to cut down their consumption, to benefit their health and prevent them from moving on to more harmful drinking
• Provide brief interventions, which have good evidence of effectiveness 
• Understand the need for oral thiamine supplementation in people with severe alcohol dependence
• Discuss the medications used during a medically-assisted withdrawal
• Understand what steps to take if they feel a colleague has alcohol use disorder
• Follow safeguarding procedures if a patient or colleague poses a risk to others because of their alcohol use

Please note: this podcast is presented by medical editors and discusses educational content written or presented by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the MIMS Learning website and at live events.

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Abnormal liver function tests: case-based discussion

Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Smoking cessation for people with mental illness

Smoking, alcohol and psoriasis

MIMS

Thiamine

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In this episode of the Clinical Update podcast, MIMS Learning editor Pat Anderson and deputy editor Rhiannon Ashman discuss chickenpox and shingles, their prevention, diagnosis and management.

This podcast draws on the expertise of MIMS Learning’s professional clinical writers and speakers, to bring you key learning points on prevention, diagnosis and management.  

Educational objectives

After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be better able to: 

• Recall changes to the NHS childhood vaccination programme taking place from January 2026
• Understand why the routine childhood chickenpox vaccination programme is being introduced, and the potential benefits for children and parents
• Know how to advise parents on the management of childhood chickenpox, and which children are at higher risk of severe disease
• Reflect on the management of chickenpox in pregnancy, and which pregnant individuals may be more likely to contract chickenpox
• Recall changes to the shingles vaccination programme which came into effect in September 2025
• Diagnose and manage shingles in primary care, and choose effective pain relief options

You can access the website version of this podcast, along with a list of key learning points, on MIMS Learning - and make notes for your appraisal. MIMS Learning offers hundreds of hours of CPD for healthcare professionals, along with a handy CPD organiser.

Please note: this podcast is presented by medical editors and discusses educational content written or presented by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the MIMS Learning website and at live events.

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Chickenpox clinical review

Chickenpox in pregnancy

Shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia clinical review

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In this episode of the Clinical Update podcast, guests from Future Dreams and Breast Cancer Now talk to MIMS Learning deputy editor Rhiannon Ashman. In the first section of this podcast, you'll learn about the varied presentations of breast cancer and how to sensitively approach consultations with breast cancer survivors. In the second section, the podcast focuses on signs and symptoms of secondary breast cancer, with insights into patient experience.

Part 1: 1.13 – 25.09: lead clinical nurse specialist Jackie Wright, and Amanda – who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 42 – consider how to encourage people to open up conversations with family about medical history, and discuss access to genetic testing.

They also offer tips on self-checking, and how to support patients. Speaking about the health anxiety many patients with a history of cancer feel, and the importance of compassion from primary care, Amanda says, ‘I just feel that that understanding is priceless’. 

Part 2: 25.09 – 56.59: Catherine Priestley, senior clinical nurse specialist for secondary breast cancer, and Laura Price, author of the novel Single Bald Female, who is living with secondary breast cancer, discuss signs and symptoms of secondary (metastatic) breast cancer. They remind GPs that ‘low risk is not no risk’, and that secondary breast cancer can occur decades after the original diagnosis. 

Laura draws on her experiences to provide some useful insights into how GPs can gather information on, and prioritise, often vague collections of symptoms, and on taking seriously patients’ concerns without being swayed if a patient ‘self-diagnoses something that's actually much less serious than the thing that it could be’.  

Educational objectives

After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be better able to: 

• Understand signs and symptoms of breast cancer and how to effectively educate patients on self-checking
• Discuss who is at risk of secondary breast cancer, and the most common locations of metastasis
• Identify signs and symptoms of secondary breast cancer 
• Understand proactive steps primary care can take to support patients with a history of cancer 
• Appreciate patient anxiety in healthcare settings following a diagnosis of cancer
• Advise patients on breast cancer risk factors

Please note: this podcast is presented by medical editors and discusses educational content written or presented by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the MIMS Learning website and at live events.

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Breast cancer: clinical review

Guidance update: pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in locally advanced or metastatic triple negative breast cancer

Fear of cancer recurrence

Podcast: interview with oncologist Dr Jay Naik

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In this episode of the Clinical Update podcast, MIMS Learning’s medical editor Sangeeta Krishnan and editor Pat Anderson discuss neurodiversity and how to approach consultations with neurodivergent patients.

This podcast, which includes excerpts from a MIMS Learning interview with Dr Heidi Philips, founder of the British Association for Neurodiversity, discusses common neurodivergent conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Educational objectives

After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be better able to:

• Understand the definitions of neurodiversity and neurodivergence
• Appreciate the prevalence of neurodivergence in the general population
• Recognise the common presentations and comorbidities of ASD and ADHD
• Approach consultations with neurodivergent patients with sensitivity and compassion
• Explain why a ‘neurodiversity-affirming’ perspective can lead to better patient outcomes

You can access the website version of this podcast, along with a list of key learning points, on MIMS Learning - and make notes for your appraisal. MIMS Learning offers hundreds of hours of CPD for healthcare professionals, along with a handy CPD organiser.

Please note: this podcast is presented by medical editors and discusses educational content written or presented by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the MIMS Learning website and at live events.

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Thinking neurodiversity in general practice with Dr Heidi Phillips

Test your knowledge of neurodiversity

Guidance update: latest NICE guidelines on neurological conditions

Guidance update: latest NICE guidelines on mental health problems in people with learning disabilities

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One in five children and young people have a diagnosable mental health condition. In this episode of the Clinical Update podcast, GP DrAmina Al-Yassin, clinical lead for Children’s Services in the London borough of Brent, talks to medical editor Sangeeta Krishnan about why prevalence is increasing, key risk factors, the importance of early intervention, and practical tools GPs can use to support their young patients.

Dr Al-Yassin also looks at the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and early childhood experiences, especially the crucial early period of life, on mental health in young people. 

After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be better able to:

• Discuss the increasing prevalence of mental health conditions in adolescents and the factors that contribute to this rise
• Understand the importance of early intervention, particularly during the first 1,000 days of life, and the role of attachment in a child's mental well-being
• Apply practical consultation tools to conduct a comprehensive assessment of adolescents
• Recognise the key differences between managing cases in primary care and referring to specialist services
• Identify red flags for serious mental health conditions, including suicidality and eating disorders

You can access the website version of this podcast on MIMS Learning to make notes for your appraisal. MIMS Learning offers hundreds of hours of CPD for healthcare professionals, along with a handy CPD organiser.

THIS PODCAST IS INTENDED FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS. IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING THOUGHTS OF SELF-HARM OR SUICIDAL IDEATION, PLEASE SEEK HELP FROM THESE RESOURCES:

• National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK
• Young Minds
• Samaritans

Please note: this podcast is presented by medical editors and discusses educational content written or presented by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the MIMS Learning website and at live events.

MIMS Learning

Self-harm in children and young people

OCD in children and adolescents: clinical review

Eating disorders: clinical review

MIMS

Mental health technologies

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The traditional approach to up-titrating medication in chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been slow and cautious, meaning that many patients do not attain maximal benefits, and this is something ‘we need to change’, Dr Andrew Frankel says in a new three-part podcourse on CKD.

This series is exclusive to MIMS Learning subscribers and follows the case of a patient with CKD, from initial diagnosis to the management of end-stage disease. Learners will be able to read and download practical worksheets and test their knowledge with multiple choice quizzes. 

Ensure you are up to speed with all the key points primary care professionals need to know about CKD at mimslearning.co.uk.

Click here to sign up and listen now. MIMS Learning offers hundreds of hours of CPD for healthcare professionals, along with a handy CPD organiser.

Please note: this podcast is presented by medical editors and discusses educational content written or presented by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the MIMS Learning website and at live events.

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Podcourse: part 1 - diagnosis and classification of CKD with Dr Andrew Frankel

Podcourse: part 2 - monitoring and management of CKD with Dr Andrew Frankel

Podcourse: part 3 - advanced management of CKD with Dr Andrew Frankel

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The Government’s 10-year plan for the NHS (‘Fit for the future’) has a dedicated section on prevention, including a ‘moonshot’ to end the obesity epidemic. But what is the role of GP in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD)?

In this episode of the Clinical Update podcast, the MIMS Learning editors explore NICE recommendations for combination therapy to help patients achieve lipid targets for secondary prevention, the promotion of SGLT2 inhibitors to first-line options for both heart failure and type 2 diabetes, and the differences between UK and international guidelines on hypertension. 

Additionally, given obesity is a huge risk factor for CVD, the editors review how the management of obesity must encompass more than just GLP-1 medications.

Educational objectives

After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be better able to: 

• Outline the prevention steps proposed in the NHS 10-year plan
• Discuss additional therapeutic options for achieving lipid targets
• Review revised recommendations for heart failure and type 2 diabetes
• Understand the differences between UK and international hypertension targets

You can access the website version of this podcast, along with a list of key learning points, on MIMS Learning - and make notes for your appraisal. MIMS Learning offers hundreds of hours of CPD for healthcare professionals, along with a handy CPD organiser.

Please note: this podcast is presented by medical editors and discusses educational content written or presented by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the MIMS Learning website and at live events.

MIMS Learning

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Guidance update: latest NICE guidelines on cardiovascular disease risk assessment and reduction

Guidance update: NICE guidelines on hypertension

Obesity in adults

Podcast: Dr Toni Hazell on weight loss injections and women’s health

Podcast: stress and its effect on the heart

MIMS

NICE confirms first-line role of SGLT2 inhibitors in final heart failure guidance

Monitoring requirements for hyperlipidaemia treatments

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The updated NICE guidance on asthma is ‘absolutely superb’, advanced nurse practitioner Beverely (Bev) Bostock tells Dawn Liz Powell in this episode of the Clinical Update podcast. 

She explains that the guidance could help to improve asthma outcomes in the UK. ‘We’re right at the top of the league for poor outcomes with asthma, and I suspect that that’s about to change because we’ve finally taken on the approach that has been used in other countries,’ Bev adds.

She also talks about identifying occupational asthma, the diagnosis and management of COPD, the NHS lung cancer screening programme, and the need to keep the lungs clear of sputum in people with bronchiectasis.

You can access the website version of this podcast, along with a list of key learning points, on MIMS Learning — and make notes for your appraisal. MIMS Learning offers hundreds of hours of CPD for healthcare professionals, along with a handy CPD organiser.

Educational objectives

After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be better able to: 

• Identify the triggers for occupational asthma
• Discuss the key recommendations of the 2024 update to the NICE asthma guidance
• Review the different subcategories of COPD, according to the GOLD guidelines
• Understand how the NHS lung cancer screening programme has led to incidental findings of emphysema

Please note: this podcast is presented by medical editors and discusses educational content written or presented by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the MIMS Learning website and at live events.

MIMS Learning

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Guidance update: BTS/NICE/SIGN guidelines on diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma management

Podcast: Dr Cara Bossley on asthma in children

COPD pathology and diagnosis

MIMS

Combination inhalers for the treatment of asthma

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In this episode of the Clinical Update podcast, MIMS Learning editor Pat Anderson and medical editor Dawn Liz Powell discuss common and less common presentations of nasal problems.

This podcast draws on the expertise of MIMS Learning’s professional clinical writers and speakers, to bring you key learning points on nasal problems.  Potential problems include loss of sense of smell, obstruction, discharge and pain, with a large variety of potential causes. Some patients, including older people and those of Chinese heritage, may be more at risk of malignancy.

Educational objectives

After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be better able to: 

• Recall red flag symptoms associated with nose problems
• List causes of loss of sense of smell
• Recall management of nosebleeds and their possible causes
• Reflect on hayfever management and the role of immunotherapy
• Consider increased risk of malignancy in key patient groups

You can access the website version of this podcast, along with a list of key learning points, on MIMS Learning - and make notes for your appraisal. MIMS Learning offers hundreds of hours of CPD for healthcare professionals, along with a handy CPD organiser.

Please note: this podcast is presented by medical editors and discusses educational content written or presented by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the MIMS Learning website and at live events.

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Nasal problems - red flag symptoms

Guidance update: latest NICE guidelines on neurological conditions

ENT emergencies

Epistaxis - red flag symptoms

Hayfever: clinical review

Facial pain - red flag symptoms

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In this episode of the Clinical Update podcast, GP and RCGP safeguarding lead Dr Joy Shacklock talks to medical editor Sangeeta Krishnan about safeguarding children in primary care. 

She shares insights into the roles and responsibilities of GPs and other healthcare professionals, , the importance of accurate documentation, and steps to take when a safeguarding concern arises.

After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be better able to:

• Recall the legal and professional responsibilities of GPs in safeguarding children
• Recognise the potential indicators of abuse and neglect, including both physical injuries and behavioural changes in children
• Outline the core principles of the RCGP safeguarding standards and how to use the associated toolkit
• Discuss the appropriate next steps when child abuse is suspected, including when to make a referral
• Adopt a proactive, child-first approach to safeguarding in daily clinical practice

You can access the website version of this podcast on MIMS Learning to make notes for your appraisal. MIMS Learning offers hundreds of hours of CPD for healthcare professionals, along with a handy CPD organiser.

Please note: this podcast is presented by medical editors and discusses educational content written or presented by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the MIMS Learning website and at live events.

MIMS Learning

Podcast: skin conditions in infants and children

Faltering growth

Neonatal dermatology

Paediatric dermatology in skin of colour

Resources on adult safeguarding

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