Emma is joined by a very special guest Professor Sir David Haslam to discuss his book Side Effects: How Our Healthcare Lost Its Way and How We Fix It.

Along with being a GP for over 35 years Sir David has held a number of senior posts including being both chair and president of the Royal College of GPs, president of the BMA and chair of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), a post he held from 2013 to 2019.

His book, which was published last year, explores what good healthcare should achieve and how we can create a system that is affordable, fair and provides good quality care.

This interview, which was recorded in October 2022, looks at some of the really important themes raised in the book, including why the cost of healthcare will always continue to rise, why we need to better value primary care and public health, tackling health inequalities, over-medicalisation and whether we have our priorities right when it comes to end-of-life care.

Produced by Czarina Deen

Useful links

●     NHS at 75: Primary care-focused 'reboot' can save NHS

●     Side Effects: How Our Healthcare Lost Its Way and How We Fix It on Amazon

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Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer was elected chair of BMA England’s GP committee just over a week ago and she speaks to Talking General Practice in her first interview in her new role.

Dr Bramall-Stainer takes on the top GP job at the BMA in England at a crucial time for the profession. The five-year GP contract comes to an end in April 2024 and this year’s contract negotiations between the BMA, the government and NHS England will hammer out what happens next.

General practice is in the midst of an extreme workload and workforce crisis and the profession will be looking for changes that will go some way to addressing both of these challenges and making a difference to their day to day working lives.

In this conversation Dr Bramall-Stainer discusses what her key priorities will be, weighs up the chances of GPs taking industrial action in the coming months, as well as how GP funding needs to change.

She also talks about her thoughts about the future of the independent contractor model, her experience of publicly calling out sexism at the BMA a couple of years ago and how having MS has shaped how she approaches her role as a GP and a GP leader.

This episode is presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

●     What are the top priorities for the new BMA GP committee chair?

●     GPs 'despair' as NHS England slashes COVID-19 jab fee

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Last week the Health Foundation think tank published new research projecting patterns of illness in England over the next two decades. It predicted that by 2040 the number of people with major illness will rise by more than a third, which clearly has huge implications for general practice over the next two decades.

In this episode of Talking General Practice, Emma speaks to Toby Watt, the lead economist at the Health Foundation’s REAL Centre and the lead author of the report setting out the research’s findings.

This conversation highlights what the report had to say about patterns of illness and why more people will be living for longer with a major condition, how this will affect workload in general practice and what it means for the GP workforce, and what the government will have to consider to meet this challenge.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

From GPonline:

●     Practices face massive rise in demand as ageing fuels wave of chronic illness

●     How an ageing population is piling pressure on general practice

Health Foundation reports:

●     Health in 2040: projected patterns of illness in England

●     Projections: General practice workforce in England

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Emma speaks to GP partner Dr Tommy Perkins and specialist medical accountant Andy Pow from Medics Money about GP partnerships and why they are still a good option despite all the doom and gloom out there.

In this conversation Tommy and Andy discuss how partnerships are changing with more non-GPs taking on the role, what to consider if you’re thinking about becoming a partner, how to make partnerships more sustainable in what is a very challenging time, take a quick detour into pensions - with some useful advice for all GPs - and also discuss challenges around premises.

This episode is presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

●     Medics Money new to partnership course

●     The pensions guide mentioned in the episode

●     7 tips to make partnership sustainable in 2023

●     Medics Money podcast

●     Medics Money YouTube video showing how to use PCSE portal mentioned in episode

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Emma and Nick discuss last week’s pay announcement for junior doctors, salaried GPs and consultants and ask what it means for GP practices, the current strikes and the wider NHS.

They also talk about a new national system for reporting pressure in general practice that has been set up to help overwhelmed practices negotiate extra support and look at the results from the latest GP patient survey.

This week’s good news story looks at an initiative in Cumbria that is helping an underdoctored area plug workforce gaps by using a bank of GPs working remotely.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and deputy editor Nick Bostock. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

●     Government to uplift GP contract to cover 6% pay rise for all practice staff

●     BMA rejects 6% pay deal with strikes set to continue

●     First national 'GP alert state' report reveals unsustainable pressure on practices

●     Which areas have the highest patient satisfaction with general practice?

●     GP patient survey suggests satisfaction stabilising after sharp drop last year

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This week Emma is speaking to BMA Wales GP committee chair Dr Gareth Oelmann.

At the end of June BMA Wales launched a new ‘Save Our Surgeries’ campaign, which comes at what the BMA warns is a 'defining moment' for general practice.

The campaign sets out the worrying state of general practice – and calls on the Welsh government to put in place an urgent rescue package. So how can we save general practice?

In this conversation Gareth sets out the challenges facing general practice in Wales, and what the BMA is calling for. He also explains why GP partnerships are worth saving, why the share of NHS funding that goes to general practice needs to increase after well over a decade of serious decline, and upcoming changes to the GP contract in Wales.

This episode is presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

●     BMA Wales Save our Surgeries campaign

●     Welsh GPs issue 'SOS' call as spiralling crisis threatens patient safety

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In this week’s news review, Emma and Nick look at the NHS workforce plan and discuss what it says, what it doesn’t say, and whether it will actually work.

They also talk about some of the debates from this week’s BMA annual representative meeting including a vote of no confidence in the GMC and some other motions of interest. And they look at a BMA report on long COVID in the medical profession and the devastating impact the condition has had on some doctors.

This week’s good news story is about the RCGP at last weekend’s Pride.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and deputy editor Nick Bostock. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

●     What does the NHS workforce plan mean for general practice?

●     NHS heading for 15,000-GP shortfall as Sunak says retention 'not just about pay'

●     Doctors will 'strike for as long as it takes', warns BMA chair

●     Doctors vote 'no confidence' in GMC and MPTS and demand new leadership

●     Doctors with long COVID left 'penniless' as one in five unable to work

●     RCGP takes part in London's Pride parade

The NHS at 75

●     NHS at 75: A GP's account of the start of the NHS

●     NHS at 75: I dread telling people I'm a GP - we need a government that values us

●     NHS at 75: Primary care-focused 'reboot' can save NHS

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Emma speaks to GP and academic Dr Ben Brown from the University of Manchester whose research looks at how AI and machine learning could support healthcare professionals and patients.

Ben is currently involved in developing a new AI system that helps support triage of GP online consultations and was this year’s winner of the Society for Academic Primary Care’s award for outstanding early career research.

Both the government and the Labour Party have touted AI as a possible solution to the NHS’s workforce challenges, arguing it could free up clinicians so they can spend more time with patients. Reports suggest that the long-awaited NHS Workforce plan, which is due to be published imminently, will have a big focus on the role that new technology and AI in particular will play in the NHS over the next 10 years.

In this conversation Ben explains exactly what AI is, how it is being used currently in the NHS and its potential for the future. He also discusses how AI could help GPs and their teams manage their workloads, and what a GP consultation could look like in future, when AI is more established.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

More information on the system Ben is developing called PATCHS

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This week Emma and Nick discuss the government’s long-awaited NHS workforce plan, when it might be published and what general practice will be hoping to see in it.

They look at the results from a recent GPonline about inappropriate transfer of work from secondary to primary care and what needs to be done to address this.

And they talk about a motion up for debate at next month’s BMA annual representative meeting where delegates will call for a no confidence vote in the GMC – as well as some of the other issues relevant to general practice that will be debated at the meeting.

This week’s good news story highlights some of the GPs who received honours in the King’s birthday honours list last weekend.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and news editor Nick Bostock. It was produced by Czarina Deeen.

Useful links

●     'Complex' funding questions holding up NHS workforce plan, Barclay admits

●     Racism is shrinking the NHS workforce, warns former BMA chair

●     GPs call for action on work transfer from hospitals to tackle workload crisis

●     GMC faces 'no confidence' vote at BMA annual meeting

●     Health leaders demand action on five-year-old pledge to strip GMC of appeal powers

●     GPs among those to receive honours in King's birthday list

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Emma speaks to Christiana Melam, the chief executive of the National Association of Link Workers, who explains how social prescribing can help practices and GPs to meet demand and better support their patients.

Christiana explains why it is so important that the NHS looks at changing the way that it works, given that the current model is not meeting the needs of patients, highlighting the key role that social prescribing can play in prevention and addressing health inequalities.

The National Association of Link Workers also trains care navigators and Christiana also talks about what the recent access recovery plan had to say about care navigation and what this means for practices and their reception teams.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

●     National Association of Link Workers - Education standards

●     National Academy for Social Prescribing - evidence to support the use of social prescribing

●     National Association of Link Workers report - Exploring social prescribing referrals & impact on Information, advice and guidance Services

●     National Association of Link Workers report - The role of PPGs in social prescribing

●     GP mythbuster 106: Primary care first contact practitioners (FCPs) - Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)

●     Tailored Primary Care Workforce Development and Wellbeing Packages from NALW

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