GP video-consultations slumped during April as patients stayed away from practices, according to new figures. The total number of practice appointments fell by about a third – and hopes that practices would successfully switch to using video appeared disappointed in the NHS Digital figures. They show that practices recorded 44,146 video or online consultations compared…

First of all, I should start this blog by announcing that actually I’m a real advocate of having a healthcare regulator, and having the CQC is a good thing. So, there it is… I’m now officially a social outcast and I await your abuse! Background to the Emergency Support Framework (ESF) It all started on…

Nearly a quarter of practices have yet to sign up for the new contract with days before a deadline, it has been revealed. Only a handful of practices intend to refuse the contract, which attracted controversy over its requirement to provide increased levels of care for care homes, according to a leaked memo. Practices have…

Changes to general practice during the Covid-19 crisis have been “like a cloud” lifting, a senior GP has said. The crisis has changed demands on GPs, enabling them to focus on the “clinically relevant” and to experience an “absence” of red tape, according to Professor Mayur Lakhani, former president of the Royal College of GPs.…

As time in lockdown creeps slowly onward, are you finding life as challenging as I am? With NHSE emails and briefings, LMC and CCG emails, phone calls and an overwhelming tide of new guidance to keep an eye on, how are we all staying sane? I’m struggling to stay ahead of the workload and have…

Practices may find themselves dealing with increasing numbers of problems linked to deteriorating mental health caused by the pandemic lockdown, GPs have warned. The Royal College of GPs Northern Ireland branch reported growing concern about the effect on the mental health of many practice patients. It cited redundancies, alcohol abuse, domestic violence and disrupted grief…

Practices have been highly effective in responding to concerns about over-prescription of antibiotics, according to a new analysis. An evaluation of national primary care prescribing policy has found a reduction in the numbers of antibiotics being dispensed by primary care settings. Researchers at the University of Bristol examined the relationship between primary care antibiotic dispensing…