Much of the reaction so far to the Fuller Report has been that it’s pretty anodyne and that the implications for general practice are relatively limited. My sense, however, is different; the report could end up being one of the most significant ever for general practice and how it operates. This is because of the…

As many of you might know, I’m an active participant on social media and regularly add my ‘two penneth’ to comments fired at healthcare providers. I usually try to give a balanced response, avoiding saying anything too contentious that could come back to bite me, while still trying to get my point across. I was,…

Doctors are to reconsider industrial action over changes to general practice, it has emerged. The issue will be a key debate at the British Medical Association conference later this month. Doctors voted last year for practices to take “industrial action” over the government’s attitude towards them. At the time GPs were angered by a government…

Only 50% of GPs intend to work beyond the age of 60, according to the latest survey highlighting the pressure on the profession. GP leaders said the findings of the survey, by Pulse, were “unsurprising.” The survey found significant numbers of doctors seeking to leave the profession before the age of 55. Dr Martin Whitenburgh,…

There was a two-fold rise in telephone and video GP consultations with children and young people during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, according to new figures out today. Children and young people’s contacts with GPs in England dropped by 41%, which is equivalent to 2.8 million contacts, between March and June 2020 compared with…

The rate of violent crimes at GP practices has doubled over the past five years, researchers report today. Gareth Iacobucci, of the BMJ in London, UK, led the investigation. He sent freedom of information requests to the 45 police forces in the UK, asking for details of crimes committed at general practices. Of these, 42…

A search is under way for the best practice in Northern Ireland. The Royal College of GPs in the region names a practice and a GP annually as the best of the year. It has now appealed to patients to make their nominations. Regional college chair Dr Laurence Dorman said: “The last couple of years…