Healthcare staff working in some of the most high-risk Covid-19 settings, including practices, are still struggling to access the protective personal equipment – and the situation is worsening, according to several new surveys. Royal College of Physicians president Professor Andrew Goddard described the continued lack of equipment as “truly terrible”, adding that health workers are…

To assist with the changes to the Primary Care Network (PCN) DES, new updated guidance documentation has been published on Practice Index and can be accessed here. While the guidance document goes into more detail, the changes that have been made by NHS England are summarised in their explanatory note dated 19th March 2020, shown…

“Great Scott!” How many times have we all said, “If I knew then what I know now…”? Well, if I could jump in my DeLorean and travel back just a few months, I’d certainly make a plan before I did so. My new-found business plan would include having a stash of downloaded lottery numbers and…

One of the many consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is how it is changing healthcare provision and, in some parts of the country, the workload of providers. The government says it is aware that many parts of the health service may be experiencing a surge in patient demand and accordingly, has taken steps to try…

The doctors who have died from Covid-19 may have been mostly working with asymptomatic patients, according to a new analysis which will raise fresh concerns about the quality of protective equipment offered to staff. A new study identifies 119 deaths of NHS staff, including five practice staff, based on news reports and social media. Reporting…

Well, haven’t we all had a few interesting weeks! What started out for some as “it’s only like flu, don’t panic”, has rapidly become akin to the Great Plague with Joe Public wearing masks and gloves while doing the supermarket shop (I’m saying nothing about the absolutely appalling behaviour of some panic-buying as that’s a…

Current circumstances have prompted organisations worldwide to quickly move to remote work and work-from-home structures. While some organisations already offering some form of remote work had all the necessary infrastructure in place, many have had to scramble to pull off this new approach. GP practices, of course, tend to fall into the latter category. The…