Practices are responding to public pressure by delivering more face to face appointments and home visits in spite of falling numbers of fully qualified doctors, according to the latest data. In total, practices in March delivered 27.1 million appointments of which 18.3 million were face to face, according to the NHS Digital data published yesterday.…

GPs are to vote on returning practices to normal working hours as part of a series of measures aimed at tackling overwhelming workloads. The proposal is to be considered in a special debate at the conference of local medical committees next month. GPs will discuss it exclusively with the proposal being tabled by the Avon…

As many as 75% of GPs report increased verbal abuse and aggression from patients, according to an alarming new survey. Some 38% of doctors said there had been a “significant” increase in abuse towards them and their practice staff in the survey of 2,000 doctors conducted by the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland.…

Primary care is strongest in the south west of England – and weakest in the south east, according to a new analysis. The south west region has significantly more GPs, employing significantly more clinical staff, per head of population than other regions, according to the Health Service Journal analysis. The numbers may reflect the ageing…

Our new Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) Handbook [PLUS] is now available to download. The latest in our must-have series of guides for primary care, this 23-page handbook contains everything you need to support the annual DSPT return. The handbook covers all key areas including: Requirements Data security standards Mandatory assertion evidence requirements How…

Researchers have called for interventions to support practice staff after a study highlighted widespread distress caused by working during the COVID pandemic. Nearly half of primary care workers in Spain showed significant psychological distress during the pandemic, according to an analysis published today. A team of researchers led by Dr Enric Aragones of the Primary…

A south London GP surgery has been rated inadequate for a second time and faces closure unless there are significant improvements, inspectors have announced. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out a second inspection at Village Surgery in New Malden in February, following an initial inspection in September after which the practice was placed in…