In this RCGP podcast on peanut allergy Dr Toni Hazell talks to Dr Helen Brough, Consultant in paediatric allergy at the Evelina children’s hospital. They discuss the prevalence of peanut allergy and how to deal with a patient who presents with a possible allergy, including the question of whether to give an adrenaline auto-injector while they are waiting to see a consultant. They also cover the LEAP study, the results of which have allowed paediatricians to confidently recommend that the early introduction of peanut into the diet from 4-11 months of age can prevent the development of peanut allergy in at-risk children (severe eczema or egg allergy). Dr Brough discusses how this can be implemented in primary care.

Reviewed and updated: November 2023

While we are experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom, preparations have begun to protect our patients from seasonal influenza. In this podcast Dr George Kassianos CBE - the National Immunisation Lead for the RCGP - addresses co-infection, immunosenescence, symptoms of COVID-19 vs flu and the experience of the Southern Hemisphere over the last few months. Dr Kassianos is being interviewed by Dr Dirk Pilat, the RCGP’s director for eLearning. 

The podcast was funded by an educational grant from Seqirus to cover education on influenza and the role of vaccines as a prevention. Seqirus has not had any input in the content or been part of any reviews thereof. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP. 

The prevalence of diverticular disease is up 65% by 85 years of age. In this EKU2020.2 podcast we explore the diagnosis and management of diverticular disease with Dr Patricia Mcnair, an interface geriatrician with an interest in gastroenterology who currently works in palliative care in Farnham.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common medical condition which is usually managed in primary care. In this podcast we interview Dr Kevin Barrett, chair of the Primary Care Society for Gastroenterology and discuss the diagnosis and management of IBS. The discussion will include when to suspect IBS, what tests need to be done routinely, management in primary care, how to explain a diagnosis of IBS to a patient and when to consider referral to secondary care.

Financial support for the project was provided as a sponsorship from Thermo Fisher Scientific. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP.

Reviewed and updated: November 2023

Patients with suspected inflammatory arthritis benefit significantly from swift assessment by secondary care. If disease modifying drugs are started soon after presentation, the likelihood of full remission is greatly improved. This has always been challenging within the resource limitations of the NHS and waiting lists are now higher than ever as we try to catch up from the pandemic. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell speaks to Dr Danny Murphy about the basics of making a diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis, when to refer and what investigations to carry out before referral as well as talking about the role of the GP in the care of a patient with diagnosed inflammatory arthritis. Dr Murphy also discusses how your management might change if you know that your patient is going to wait longer than is ideal, and when you might want to communicate directly with your local rheumatologist.

Financial support for the project was provided as a sponsorship from Thermo Fisher Scientific. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP.

Reviewed and updated: November 2023

In this podcast Dr Tom Kneale, a GP and Faculty Educator from North Wales and Dr Jessica Watson, a GP from Bristol and a NIHR Research Fellow at the University of Bristol talk to Dr Barbara Noble about how we can distinguish between flu and COVID-19. Drawing on his clinical experience, Tom talks about the common symptoms of COVID-19, which can help differentiate it from flu as well as some of the more unusual presentations of COVID he has seen in his practice. Jess talks about the importance of testing and also its limitations and Tom highlights the at-risk groups to develop complications of COVID and the red flags we should look for in patients with COVID-19 and flu.

The podcast was funded through an educational grant from Seqirus to cover education on influenza and the role of vaccines as a prevention. Seqirus has had no input in the content or been part of any reviews thereof. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP.

Thrombocytosis is associated with a higher risk of solid tumour malignancy.

In this EKU2020.1 podcast we discuss with Professor Willie Hamilton, GP and Professor of Primary Care Diagnostics at the University of Exeter, the causes, investigations, differential diagnosis and referral of thrombocytosis.

Around 40% of adults have hypertension. It is a key risk factor for a range of prevalent diseases including ischaemic heart disease, stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation and chronic kidney disease.

In this EKU2020.1 podcast we explore with Dr Kevin Barrett, a GP in Hertfordshire and RCGP Clinical Lead, the NICE Guideline on Hypertension, in particular blood pressure (BP) readings (including those taken at home, in clinic and ambulatory readings), changes in BP targets, the different stages of hypertension, treatment and referral.

This podcast is a follow-up to the first, very well received podcast on coeliac disease. This time we are talking to Dr Charlie Andrews who is a GP in Clevedon and part of the committee for the Primary Care Society of Gastroenterology. The podcast covers scenarios in which coeliac disease might be overlooked, multi-system manifestations of the condition and why they arise, and issues with diagnosing coeliac disease in children.

Financial support for the project was provided as a sponsorship from Thermo Fisher Scientific. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP.

Reviewed: December 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many NHS services to pause and contraception has not been an exception to this. It is important that we continue to provide contraceptive services to reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancy. In this podcast, Dr. Toni Hazell and Dr. Anne Connolly discuss the FSRH guidance on contraception in the time of COVID-19. Topics include a discussion of when LARC methods can be used for longer than their licensed time, when it is safe to prescribe the pill remotely, and the use of the self-administered depot injection Sayana Press.

Since this podcast was recorded, there have been lots of discussions about how we restart contraceptive provision. Please see the following two links for further information’ and then link to the FSRH and PCWFH documents on this.