General practice continues to work under “intense pressure,” professional leaders have warned after the latest appointment data delivered a mixed picture of activity. Practices in England recorded 25,555,604 appointments in January, according to NHS Digital, nearly 500,000 more than in December.In January last year practices recorded just 22 million appointments but in January 2020 they…

The UK’s COVID vaccination programme wins rare praise from auditors today – amid concerns about how it will be continued. Digital systems proved successful in coordinating the drive across multiple outlets while wastage of doses was less than anticipated at just 4%, the National Audit Office reports. Community health facilities ended up delivering many more…

People who are prescribed physical exercise in primary care settings increase their levels of moderate to vigorous intensity activity by an average of 14 minutes a week, according to a new study. A study published in The BMJ find in most countries physical activity programmes have been ineffective. Overall, one in four adults do not…

A uniform approach to reporting GP burnout is needed, according to the authors of the first systematic review into the subject, published today. Researchers, led by Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, conducted analysis on the prevalence of GP burnout documented in studies, with the aim of establishing the burden GP burnout imposes on the healthcare system.…

A new “stronger voice for primary care” is to be launched, which will help to shape the future of primary care within integrated care systems. The NHS Confederation said the national network, which will unite the PCN Network and Primary Care Federation Network, will begin in April and will focus on ensuring primary care is…

Continuing our series of must-have guides for primary care, the Reception Manager’s Handbook is now available. Packed with 265-pages covering everything that Reception Managers, or Care Navigators, and their teams need to know to carry out their roles successfully. Topics include: Clinical and non-clinical contractual requirements Reception processes Financial matters including banking and petty cash reporting…

Practice staff are “devastated” that a promised three year funding settlement for the NHS in Northern Ireland cannot be delivered, a senior GP has warned. Ministers had proposed to increase spending in the region by 10% over three years, adding £21 billion to NHS budgets, helping to tackle record waiting times. However, the region’s power-sharing…