The GPonline team discusses the key news stories affecting general practice.

This week Emma and Nick talk about the BMA special representative meeting on the government’s 10-year plan, which happened last weekend. They look at what health and social care secretary Wes Streeting had to say, some of which enraged many of the GPs in attendance, as well as the key votes on motions about general practice and what BMA representatives had to say about the 10-year plan.

They also discuss the roll out of neighbourhood health in England as the government announced the 43 sites that will form the first wave of its national programme to shift the NHS to this new way of working.

And they look at a piece of work Nick has done over the past couple of weeks looking at the number of GPs the NHS in England needs over the coming years if it is to keep pace with the predicted population rise, including which parts of the country have the furthest to go to reach the levels required.

Meanwhile Kimberley explains our good news story, which this week is about an initiative in Wales that is aiming to support women GPs into senior leadership roles.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower, deputy editor Nick Bostock and senior reporter Kimberley Hackett. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

●     Streeting dismisses GPs concerned over online access as 'laggards'

●     BMA rejects 10-year plan and demands protection of GP model

●     Can England double its GP workforce by 2040?

●     Map: Which areas face the steepest GP recruitment challenge?

●     Third of licensed GPs in England lost to NHS, study reveals

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This week Emma speaks to Dr Helen Thomas, a GP in Hampshire and a member of the group Healthcare Professionals for Safer Screens.

Helen has been involved with developing screening tools and training resources to help clinicians identify problematic smartphone use in young people which might be affecting their mental health.

In this conversation Helen explains the evidence linking excessive screen time to worsening mental health outcomes, poor sleep, and developmental delays, and highlights the harmful content algorithms push to young users.

She explains why it's vital for GPs to ask about device use when consulting with young people presenting with mental health issues and the screening tools and resources that can help clinicians do this.

And she discusses the wider changes needed to tackle this issue, including what the government should be doing.

This conversation includes discussion of self harm and suicide.

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

Useful links

Health Professionals for Safer Screens

Health Professionals for Safer Screens resources - including screening tool, health intervention information and training worlds

How TikTok harms boys and girls differently - the Guardian video that Emma mentions in this conversation

Details of Esther Ghey’s campaign to ban smartphones in schools - from BBC

Jonathan Haidt’s Let Grow movement, which Helen mentions in this conversation

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The GPonline team discusses the latest news affecting general practice. This week Emma and Nick look at the latest GP earnings and expenses data and what it tells us about income for both partners and salaried GPs and regional variations across the UK.

There’s also a quick round up of some other data published last week on the GP workforce and practice workload.

They also discuss the BMA’s recent analysis of the 10-year health plan and look at some of the union’s concerns with the plan - and whether some of those issues could lead GPs back into industrial dispute with the government.

Our good news story this week is about the GP workforce in Scotland.

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

Useful links

GP income variation across England blamed on local funding gaps

Experts question data showing double-digit GP partner income rise

General practice facing 'busiest summer ever' as appointments spiral

Neighbourhood contracts must stop hospitals taking over GP patient lists, warns BMA

BMA preparing for return to GP industrial dispute as red lines ignored

Scottish GP workforce reaches six-year high

For GPonline, GP Business, MIMS and MIMS Pharma practice and corporate subscribers

Special report: The 10-year Health Plan

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This week Emma speaks to Adrian Down, who is the managing partner of a practice in Lincolnshire and a director of the Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM).

Adrian discusses the vital role of the practice manager and the work the IGPM is doing to give managers a stronger voice and create clear standards through its accreditation scheme.

He talks about the challenges facing practice managers, including the risk of burnout, and what needs to happen to address these issues, as well as the government’s 10-year health plan and what the move towards neighbourhood working will mean for practices and the pivotal role managers will play in making it a success.

Adrian also explains what the IGPM wants to see from the new GP contract to ensure it provides realistic funding and recognises the contribution of the entire general practice team, including the growing number of non-GP partners.

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

Useful links

Institute of General Practice Management

GPonline’s coverage of the 10-year health plan

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This week the GPonline team discusses health and social care secretary Wes Streeting’s letter to the profession and asks whether what he had to say addressed the BMA’s ‘red lines’ to avert further industrial action by the profession. They also look at the latest update to this year’s GP contract and what that means for staff and GP pay.

There’s an update on physician associate roles after their union - United Medical Associate Professionals (UMAPs) launched a legal bid for an injunction to prevent changes to the role following the Leng review.

And they talk about the jobs crisis facing newly-qualified GPs as well as the stresses and pressures facing GPs further along in their career and what this all means for the future of the profession.

Our good news story this week is about patient satisfaction with GP access.

This episode was presented by GPonline’s editor Emma Bower, deputy editor Nick Bostock and senior news reporter Kimberley Hackett. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

Streeting sets date for talks to 'retain and reform' practice-based GP contract

PA union loses legal bid for injunction to prevent Leng reforms

GPs 'walking tightrope' as NHS issues advice on changing PA roles

Job crisis 'fragmenting' working lives of newly-qualified GPs

How do you fix general practice? It's the workforce, stupid

How has patients' experience of GP services changed over the past year?

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This week Emma speaks to Dr Richard West, a GP partner in a dispensing practice in Suffolk and chair of the Dispensing Doctors’ Association.

Dispensing practices are a vital lifeline for patients in rural areas, but they are facing a host of challenges that are threatening their viability. In this conversation, Richard explains the crucial role these practices play and the immense pressures they are under.

Richard talks through the complexities of dispensing practice funding, highlighting how out-of-date fee scales and unreimbursed drug costs are affecting practices and what the Dispensing Doctors’ Association is campaigning for to ensure these essential services survive.

He also discusses what needs to change in the GP contract to support dispensing practices, the impact drug shortages have on staff and patients and the need to ensure that ways of working envisaged in the 10 year plan are designed to work for rural populations.

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

Useful links

Dispensing Doctors’ Association

Dispensing Doctors’ Association RAMP UP campaign

MIMS - Drug shortages - live tracker

MPs demand major review as UK medicine shortages now 'daily reality'

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This week Emma and Nick talk about how adding GPs to the additional roles reimbursement scheme has impacted on the workforce in different parts of the country. They look at what the government has to say about the ARRS and asking whether it is painting an accurate picture of the current state of the GP workforce in England.

They also discuss what the BMA wants the government to do to avert a jobs crisis for newly qualified GPs this summer. This formed part of a series of red lines that it said the government had to deliver to avoid further industrial dispute by the profession, and Emma and Nick explain what these are and what has led the BMA to make these demands.

Our good news story this week is about some more data from an innovative fruit and veg prescription project that’s running in East London.

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

●     Is the ARRS widening GP workforce inequality?

●     Opaque GP workforce data spark call for 'honesty'

●     BMA sets red lines for government to avert industrial dispute with GPs

●     10-year plan could unlock more GP funding or lead to salaried service, says BMA

●     Karin Smyth: ARRS GPs can help turn the tide of pressure on practices

●     Alexandra Rose Charity

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This week Emma talks to Dr Andy Hilton, a GP partner and chief executive of Primary Care Sheffield a not-for-profit company, owned by the city's GP practices, which was recently highlighted in the 10-year health plan as an example of successful neighbourhood working.

In this conversation, Andy explains the origins of Primary Care Sheffield, how it has worked to support practices, and the wide range of services it now provides. He discusses the benefits of working at scale, not just for patients but also for practices and the wider health system, and how this approach can help to tackle health inequalities.

Andy also offers his thoughts on the move towards a neighbourhood NHS, why he general practice will be crucial to its success and the challenges that lie ahead, including estates and the demands of an ageing population. He provides valuable advice on how to work more collaboratively with other practices, PCNs and partners in the healthcare system.

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

Useful links

Primary Care Sheffield

The 10-year health plan at a glance

GPs pioneering neighbourhood model say it has eased workload

Dozens of 'neighbourhood health service' sites to launch from September

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In our news review Emma and Nick talk about the findings of the independent review into the use of physician associates in the NHS and what this means for their role in future.

They look at the results of the latest GP patient survey and what that tells us about how patients feel about general practice. And they discuss what happens next for neighbourhood health as more details emerge about the government plans for 42 sites that are set to push forward this agenda.

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

Useful links

●     Could the 10-year health plan derail rising GP patient satisfaction?

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

●     Government backs Leng review and warns PAs should 'never replace doctors'

●     PAs urged to dispute job changes following Leng review

●     NHS won't 'throw money' at neighbourhood health sites, officials warn

●     10-year plan 'risky as hell' for general practice

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This week Emma speaks to Dr Duncan Gooch, a GP in Derbyshire and the chair of the NHS Confederation's Primary Care Network, which represents at-scale primary care organisations. As well as being a GP partner, Duncan also has leadership roles in at-scale primary care organisations in his local area.

In this conversation Duncan shares his thoughts on the what the 10-year health plan could mean for general practice. He discusses new contracts for neighborhood providers, how they could work alongside the GP contract and primary care networks, and why he believes they are not a threat to the partnership model.

Duncan also offers his views on what practices can do to prepare for the move to neighborhood working, the role technology and data will play in how general practice works in the future, and how he believes working at scale can help GPs to have greater influence in their local healthcare systems and how at-scale organisations could evolve to take on some ICB functions in future.

He also talks about addressing problems with GP premises and the importance of having thriving practices if you are to build a successful neighbourhood NHS.

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

Useful links

NHS Confederation Primary Care Network

The 10-year health plan at a glance

NHS won't 'throw money' at neighbourhood health sites, officials warn

10-year NHS plan unveils 'alternative' to GP partnership model

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