A new data extraction system will provide fast access to millions of practice-held patient records for planners and researchers, it has been announced. A formal notice was issued to practices this week, informing them that data collection will begin. Developers at NHS Digital say that patients can opt out of the new collection system, which…

Practices should not be put under pressure to resume non-essential services following the pandemic, GPs will say today. The annual conference of local medical committees is set to hear about the pressures faced by practices during the pandemic – and will call for improved mental wellbeing services for the practice workforce. It will also call…

GPs should continue to provide a combination of remote and face-to-face consultations, the Royal College of GPs says today. The College’s new report, ‘Future of remote consulting and patient triage’, focuses on what consultations should look like once the pandemic is over. The authors say while both options have their advantages, the decision about how…

GPs in Northern Ireland face soaring costs from legal claims following a major technical adjustment to the calculation system, a defence union has warned. The proposals have been brought forward by the region’s Department of Justice and would mean massively escalating costs for lifetime awards. The Medical Defence Union warned this could mean an increase…

As many as a hundred GP practices closed last year during the height of the pandemic, according to new data. It brings the total number of closures in the last eight years to 800, according to the analysis. GP leaders called for a full investigation into closures, many of them caused by GP recruitment problems.…

GPs have been deluged with overnight messages from overwrought patients since a new on-line appointment system was introduced, it has been revealed. The new on-line GP inquiry system has provoked a 16-page letter from one practice to patients, asking them to reconsider the way it is used. GPs at the Ivy Grove Surgery, Derbyshire, say…

Practices delivered record numbers of appointments last month, boosting a return to normal working with millions of telephone consultations, according to new data. Nearly 26 million appointments included some 15.8 million delivered face to face, according to the NHS Digital data. It means the number of face to face appointments have nearly reached pre-pandemic levels…