GPs in Northern Ireland are pressing for primary care to get a huge increase in funding as voters go to the polls for regional elections. They have launched a “prescription for general practice” with a call for spending to increase from 8% of the health budget to 11% of the health budget. This would lead…

A new project has explored how “safety netting” can be used effectively to improve the timely diagnosis of cancer in UK primary care, researchers have reported. Researchers in Bradford have been developing systems to enable practice staff to explain to patients the uncertainty around symptoms – and when and why they need to report changes…

Practices must deliver 50 million extra appointments and take on 26,000 extra staff, the government has ordered. The plan is contained in the annual instruction booklet issued to NHS England, known as the NHS mandate. The increase represents 15% of the current level of 300 million appointments and the demand is likely to stoke tension…

The number of GP partners has fallen by more than a fifth in the last seven years, according to new data showing how practices are struggling to cope with growing numbers of appointments. Practices delivered a record number of appointments in February despite declines in the trained GP workforce, according to new NHS Digital data.…

There is something about the phrase “health inequalities” which is intangible and difficult to relate to the day-to-day practice of a GP surgery. We all understand the concept of health inequalities, that some people struggle with access to healthcare and their healthcare outcomes are worse than others, even within a very small geographical area. What…

We are proud to announce the launch of the Gender Identity Toolkit for General Practice. The toolkit has been produced in collaboration with the Institute of General Practice Management, Indigo Gender Service, and Pride in Practice. It is designed to increase knowledge and support general practice staff, enabling them to feel confident in providing inclusive…

Public satisfaction with the NHS and primary care collapsed in the wake of pandemic restrictions on services, according to a bleak analysis published today. Practices services, a frequent target for complaint, now for the first time attract more dissatisfaction than satisfaction – in spite of very heavy public use, according to the data from last…