Practices need to be ready for patients gaining new rights of access to their medical records, a leading primary care organisation has warned. The rights are due to be introduced in April – although a deadline for complying with the rights may be extended to July, according to the Londonwide Local Medical Committees. The new…

Sadly, for some of our patients, access to general practice is a real problem, and it shouldn’t be. But why do some patient cohorts struggle with access? Well, there are multiple factors, and one factor that causes significant issues is the patient registration process. There’s a common myth about patient registration: that is, that patients…

It seems that depending on which way the wind is blowing, days at work can either be good or bad. Sometimes I walk in to smiles, sometimes even flowers (yes!). Everyone is laughing and joking. People stop as they walk past to tell me a funny story, they might even ask me something about my…

Women GPs may have suffered greater levels of burnout and anxiety during the pandemic than men, according to a new study. There is also evidence that older doctors suffered more stress than younger ones – possibly because of the increased risk from COVID, according to an analysis of studies from around the world. The detailed…

GPs have ceased to believe that their practice is safe because of “relentless workloads,” according to a new survey. The survey, published yesterday, found that 87% believe patients are not always safe when they seek GP services – and 70% believe the risk is increasing. The poll of 1,395 GPs found that 2% said patients…

The rise of GP telephone consultations has proved hugely popular among patients, according to a study published today. By September last year just 10% of patient requests for appointments specified that it should be face to face, according to a study by the Health Foundation. This compared with 30% of requests before the pandemic. In…

‘Evening all’ (said in my best Dixon of Dock Green voice). You may be thinking I’ve gone slightly mad with a blog about poster police but do bear with me, it’ll be a useful read. We all know that we need to provide accessible information for our patients, be it information about the services on…