Practices should shut their doors for a few minutes next Friday and take time to focus on their own staff wellbeing, according to professional leaders. The move has been made after the tragic death of GP Dr Gail Milligan and growing evidence of the stresses on practice teams. Saturday 10 September is World Suicide Prevention…

Practices in England delivered significantly more appointments last month than in the summer before the pandemic, according to new data. Some 26 million appointments took place in July – representing almost one appointment for every two people in England. The number was 5.5% greater than in July 2019 and the Royal College of GPs said…

The loss of dozens of local surgeries is increasing health inequalities in the UK, senior GPs claimed today. An investigation published today suggests that 474 premises have closed since 2013 and that centralising GP services has reduced access for many people. The Pulse investigation found that closures most often occurred in deprived areas – and…

There are 2.4 million military veterans in Great Britain, constituting 5% of the population aged 16 or over.  Despite the common perception that veterans are elderly, 40% of veterans are aged between 16 and 64 years.  Although many veterans make the transition from military to civilian life without difficulty, a small proportion struggle due to…

Referring patients to Saturday morning “park runs” has proved very successful, according to an analysis published today. The findings came after the British government announced support for social prescribing of cycling and walking in 11 council areas. The British Journal of General Practice carries analysis of a survey of 45,622 parkrunners, which shows how the…

Patients at GP surgeries are less likely to be happy with service provision if there are more non-medical staff in clinical roles, according to a new analysis. A study by University of Manchester researchers explored the impact on delivery and patients’ experience of healthcare with the introduction of new roles including social prescribers, clinical pharmacists,…

The first patients in England will receive the new COVID bivalent vaccine early next month, it has been announced. NHS England said the vaccination programme would begin in care homes and among the housebound. One primary care leader said practices would “continue to deliver” the programme – whilst calling for more resources. Some GP leaders…