Document process management frees up GP time It’s well documented that general practice faces unprecedented challenges. As a result, probably more than at any other time in recent history, big changes are having to be made, causing plenty of headaches for clinicians and practice managers. Throw into the mix an evermore transparent world of reviews,…

We’re nearly two years on from the changes in the GMS contract which announced extra help to practices in the event of GP sickness absence. So, how’s it going? For some practices it’s working as intended.  Dr X is off sick for more than two weeks and, instead of the practice having to fund cover…

Some 20,000 GPs were thought to be working as locums in 2016 (National Association of Salaried GPs). In 2016, there were 41,985 GPs in England working in 7,613 practices. The number of salaried GPs has increased by 400% in the last decade (British Medical Association). There are thought to be some 20,000 GPs working as…

As GP practices battle to provide an adequate number of face-to-face appointments, I was wondering if other forms of consultation are on the increase. I spotted recently a notice in my local surgery which declared that almost one third of consultations in July had been carried out on the telephone. This amounted to a remarkable…

By Robert Campbell Some 20,000 GPs were thought to be working as locums in 2016 (National Association of Salaried GPs). In 2016, there were 41,985 GPs in England working in 7,613 practices. The number of salaried GPs has increased by 400% in the last decade (British Medical Association). There are thought to be some 20,000…

GP practice managers are hitting back at recent news stories stating that the NHS pays £543m a year to GPs for 3.6 million ‘ghost’ patients who don’t exist. A number of newspapers reported on the story first published by the Mail on Sunday that despite a crackdown launched three years ago on so-called ‘ghost patients’,…

GPs are widely suffering from mental health problems as pressure grows on the profession, according to the findings of a survey published today. As many as 40% of doctors reported facing personal mental health problems in the survey conducted by the charity Mind. Problems included depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. The survey…