In 2020 the NHS became the world’s first health system to commit to reaching Net Zero and take action to reduce the future impacts of climate change. 

Take a walk through London to the Story Garden with Dr Toni Hazell, Deputy Medical Director for eLearning and Dr Liliana Risi, provost and past chair of the RCGP North East London Faculty, a past NHS GP in Tower Hamlets and Associate of Greener Practice to learn more about the topic of Net Zero.

In this podcast we discuss climate health equity, the environmental benefits of social prescribing and preventing illness plant-based diet, all of which are covered within our three recently released eLearning courses, as well as Greener Practice, Singing for breathing and Clean air champions.

RCGP Net Zero Hub

RCGP eLearning modules on:

The Story Garden

Correction: Green social prescribing can save the NHS more than £600 million per year and cite.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), also known as Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is estimated to affect up to 1 in 5 people in the UK. Rates are increasing with rising levels of obesity. Although most cases of MASLD are linked to excess weight, you can develop the disease if you have a healthy weight.

In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round talks to Dr Helen Jarvis, a GP and Clinical lecturer and researcher at Newcastle University with an interest in liver disease about fatty liver disease in primary care. 

In this podcast, Dr. Liz Angier discusses the GPwER role in allergy and how this would ideally be integrated into the local allergy team, improving service provision for patients. The podcast covers theory training as well as how to gain practical experience, including the ways in which the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology can help to link potential GPwERs with clinical experience. The podcast also covers some wider issues including the need for education in schools and in the food industry. Those who would like to know more about the GPwER role should visit the GPwER page of the RCGP website and click on the allergy framework, or email [email protected].

An educational grant was received from British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) for the production of the podcast. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP.

Adenomyosis affects around 10% of women in the UK and is most prevalent in women aged 40-50, particularly those who have had pregnancies. It is frequently found alongside endometriosis and uterine fibroids and can cause heavy, painful, or irregular periods.

In this podcast Dr Thomas Round talks to Dr Sharon Dixon, a GP in Oxford with a background in endometriosis research and supporting GPs with female patients suffering with endometriosis and their periods, about the symptoms, initial assessment, diagnosis and treatment of adenomyosis as well as its possible causes and overlap with endometriosis.

This podcast falls within the Gynaecology and Breast curriculum field.

In this podcast Suzanne Evans, a patient and founder of Lipoedema UK, shares her story about this painful adipose disorder, which is often misdiagnosed as obesity or lymphoedema.

Originally launched within the Lipoedema eLearning course in September 2014.

In this 20 minute podcast, Dr Emma Nash speaks to Dr Sally Higginbottom about adverse effects of antipsychotic medication, with a focus on movement disorders and strategies to detect them early in routine practice.

Funding for this podcast was received from Teva Pharmaceuticals. Teva Pharmaceuticals reviewed the content for scientific accuracy and full editorial control remains the sole responsibility of the RCGP.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading global cause of death, with an estimated 18 million deaths each year (over 30% of all global deaths). In 2022, around 175,000 people in the UK died from CVD, accounting for about 27% of all deaths — the second most common cause of death after dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round talks to Dr Nicholas Jones, a salaried GP in Oxford with a special interest in cardiology, about primary risk assessment and lipid management in cardiovascular disease.

This podcast falls within the Cardiovascular Health curriculum field.

EKU Programme module on Cardiovascular disease: risk assessment, reduction & lipid modification.

British Journal of General Practice article on Cardiovascular disease — risk assessment and reduction: NICE 2023 update for GPs.

People living with severe mental illness face one of the greatest health equality gaps in England. Their life expectancy is 15–20 years shorter than that for the general population, and this disparity is largely due to preventable physical illnesses.

In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round discusses physical health in people with severe mental illness with Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham, a Professor of General Practice Research at Keele University and a GP in Manchester and Dr David Shiers, Honorary Research Consultant at Psychosis Research Unit and a former GP in North Staffordshire, who became involved in the early intervention reform after his daughter’s experience of a severe psychotic illness. 

This podcast falls within the Mental Health curriculum field.

In this podcast Dr. Julie Oliver, chair of the Primary Care Women’s Health Society is interviewed about endometriosis. Starting with the basics of definition and symptoms, the podcast then goes on to discuss more nuanced aspects of care, including decisions about whether to refer or manage empirically, and how to support a patient in primary care while she is on a potentially long list for consultant review. The podcast takes a life course approach, ending with a discussion about management of the menopause in women who have had endometriosis, and the need to remember that symptoms may persist even after apparently definitive surgical treatment.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are a class of drugs initially developed to treat type 2 diabetes and are now becoming more widely used for obesity. They work by mimicking the actions of the GLP-1 hormone, which is released by the gut after eating. GPs will be used to prescribing them for type 2 diabetes, but less so for obesity. 

In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round discusses the evolving role of GLP1-RA in obesity, the benefits and potential side effects, the role of the GP, and the latest NICE guidance in this area with Dr Stephanie DiGiorgio, an urgent care GP with a specialist interest in obesity. 

This podcast falls within the Metabolic Problems and Endocrinology curriculum field.