I’m revelling at the moment, revelling in the praise and recognition. Patients everywhere, so happy with the roll-out of vaccines. Sometimes crying with happiness. Patients treating us like heroes. I think I should be feeling sickly about it; I should be being modest. I should be saying, “It’s nothing; you’re our patients. We’re here for…

We first heard about the new tool Vaximap in a forum post by one of our members, who found it was useful for planning home visits. We spoke to the developers to find out more about using the tool and how it can help you in practice. So, what is it? Vaximap (https://vaximap.org) is a…

GP leaders have reacted in dismay to a Scottish parliamentary report pressing for extended opening hours for practices. Scottish parliamentarians said they were calling for a “radical revision” of primary care – but their proposals reopened the long-running controversy from the last decade about claims that practice opening times are unfriendly for patients. The report…

Doctors are facing a wave of complaints coming in from patients who are frustrated about treatment and diagnostic delays during the pandemic, a survey has revealed. The Medical Defence Union (MDU) and GPonline found that two thirds of the 1,203 respondents (67%) to a questionnaire said they feared facing a complaint related to the pandemic.…

The UK has achieved 15 million first dose vaccinations, it has been announced – with 25 million more to be achieved by the end of April. There was widespread praise for the NHS and for GP practices as the programme of vaccinating over-65s begins today. GP leaders, however, warned of the impact of pressure to…

Figures published today by NHS England highlight the acute problem of long delays for secondary care referrals. A problem that, once again, often falls on frontline GP practice care to deal with. According to the latest figures, nearly 225,000 people in England have waited over a year for routine hospital treatment. That’s the highest number…

Sweeping changes to the NHS were due to be announced today – with the practice-led clinical commissioning groups being abolished. Doctors’ leaders, who welcome many aspects of the changes, called for caution as exhausted health workers come to terms with the legacy of the pandemic. The government is to seek to take back control over…