GP leaders have challenged government claims that doctor numbers have improved – as new appointments data showed a worrying drop in activity in primary care. Health ministers claimed a 500 increase in GP numbers last week – but the Royal College of GPs said there was “simply not enough” doctors. The increase in doctors in…

Practices are to keep their panic button, it has been announced. The “button” was to have been phased out of the EMIS management system used by many practices. It was available for use by staff facing a security crisis or clinical emergencies. EMIS had said the third party technology that supports the button was “no…

Many practices in Scotland have closed their lists to new patients as the service faces a “sustainability crisis”, GP leaders have warned. A new analysis of the state of general practice in the country shows a 10% reduction in the number of practices in the last decade – with numbers falling to 905. The British…

Ministers have claimed a milestone in the recruitment of thousands of extra staff to primary care – while practice leaders warned of “continuing” collapse. Health Secretary Steve Barclay announced the recruitment of 29,000 extra professional staff just as the local medical committee representatives gathered in London for their annual conference. The numbers met a 2019…

One of the most dreaded sentences in general practice at the moment is “I’m handing in my notice”. It’s the catalyst for a whole host of processes that need to be gone through to get new staff in, train them and get them off and running. But how often do we take time to consider…

As many as 40% of practice premises are “unfit for purpose”, according to a major survey of general practice staff published today. 88% of staff said they do not have enough consulting rooms while 66% said limited space is hampering the training of GPs. As many as 75% said space shortages were limiting the number…

The public is increasingly turning to self-testing kits – but without regulation this could increase pressure on general practice, according to the Royal College of GPs. The college has now made a plea to regulators to ensure that kits have quality marks and are independently validated. The public can now buy self-testing kits for cholesterol…