Both Wales and Scotland are at risk of suffering an exodus of GPs because of growing workloads, according to two surveys published yesterday. In both countries about nine out of ten doctors agreed that shortage of resources was putting patients at risk. Both surveys were commissioned by the Royal College of GPs through pollsters ComRes…

The much talked about General Practice Forward View – published earlier this month – confirmed that the frequency of CQC inspections is to change. Going forward, once all practices have been inspected once, most practices will receive the dreaded visit from inspectors just once every five years. This new, streamlined approach is part of moves…

The number of full time equivalent GPs in England fell by 2% last year, reflecting the growing crisis in the profession, according to new figures. Practices have also seen reductions in administrative and other staff – but increases in nurses, according to the figures. The analysis shows the equivalent of 34,100 full-time GPs in England…

Practices are being offered the chance to join a new project intended to give people with long-term conditions a greater chance to manage their own health care needs. NHS England has tested the initiative, called the Patient Activation Measure, in a pilot scheme based in five English Clinical Commissioning Groups and the UK Renal Registry.…

Health and Safety legislation imposes a number of duties on employers when providing equipment for employees. This is true whether it’s the “usual” type of equipment you would see in any office or practice or something more specialist, like an orthopaedic chair. Let’s start by examining those duties: Legal duties (1) Basic Duty Section 2…

“Doctors say that the pressure on GPs in England and Wales is now so great that many feel they are failing patients and potentially providing unsafe care.” Extract from smart clinics web site. The BMA are concerned, according to media reports, that GPs have reached the stage where consultations are rushed and patients are now…

The big news this week was the long-awaited announcement by the NHS of its big-money rescue plan for general practice. In what has been called the “most significant announcement for our profession since the 1960s”, spending on general practice is to increase by £2.4 billion a year by 2021 – a 14% increase in real…