Talking General Practice GPonline.com

The GPonline team discusses the BMA ballot on collective action, which launches in June and what the general election could mean for that and general practice more widely. They talk about the Royal College of GPs call for an overhaul of GP funding so that it better addresses health inequalities and a wider report the college has produced on how to reverse the inverse care law. And they round up what went on at last week’s UK local medical committees conference.
Our good news story this week is about a scheme in London that has been prescribing fruit and veg to patients on low incomes and with long term conditions that has seen some really impressive results.
This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower, deputy editor Nick Bostock and senior news reporter Kimberley Hackett. It was produced by Czarina Deen.`
Useful links
GPonline’s general election coverage
DDRB uplift could leave practices £350m behind 2019 funding, warns GP leader
RCGP demands overhaul of 'all GP funding streams' to cut inequality
RCGP report Breaking the inverse care law
GPonline’s UK LMCs conference coverage



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This week Emma talks to Tara Humphrey, founder and CEO of THC Primary Care, which provides management support and training to primary care networks across England. Tara is also the host of the Business of Healthcare podcast.
Tara explains what makes a successful network, some of the challenges networks have to overcome and the positive side of the additional roles reimbursement scheme. She also talks about how the 2024/25 GP contract could affect PCNs, why financially secure GP practices are crucial to the success of networks and whether networks are here to stay.
This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and produced by Czarina Deen.
Useful links
THC Primary Care


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In our regular news review the GPonline team looks at NHS England's plans to pilot new ways of working in general practice in a bid to ‘optimise the general practice operating model’ - and what this could all mean for the future. They also discuss what the BMA has suggested should be included in the next major overhaul of the GP contract.
They look ahead to next week’s UK conference of local medical committees and discuss some of the key motions up for debate and they talk about the state of GP premises after updated premises cost directions were published last week following many years of delay.
Our good news story this week is about an outreach project that’s taking health services out into deprived communities.
This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower, deputy editor Nick Bostock and senior news reporter Kimberley Hackett. It was produced by Czarina Deen.
Useful links
What do the Premises Costs Directions 2024 mean for practices? - on GP Business
Listen to the podcast episode where Emma and Nick talked about the Fuller stocktake when it was first published.
BMA sets out demands for 'new substantive GP contract'
How safe working limits for GPs should change to reflect complexity
LMCs to debate mass resignation and 'triple lock' linking GP contract to inflation


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Earlier this year the Royal College of GPs published a statement setting out a number of steps it said needed to be taken to ensure general practice was treated on a par with other branches of medicine. The college argued that a failure to recognise general practice’s role as the cornerstone of the NHS was driving underfunding and perpetuating the GP crisis.
This week Emma talks to the college’s vice chair for external affairs Dr Victoria Tzortziou Brown about how we can achieve parity of esteem for general practice and why it is so important that we do.
Victoria talks through some of the recommendations the college has made around tackling inequalities in training, education and research; why we need steps to limit workload in general practice; and the importance of greater representation of general practice in leadership roles both locally and nationally.
She also explains why the GMC’s specialist and GP register should be merged and discusses how the college hopes its strategy on achieving parity will develop in the coming months.
You can find the college’s statement on achieving parity for general practice here https://www.rcgp.org.uk/representing-you/policy-areas/parity-esteem
The article on GPonline about how the RCGP was founded is here https://www.gponline.com/nhs-70-founding-rcgp/article/1485054
This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and produced by Czarina Deen.
Get in touch
If there is an issue or topic you would like us to cover on future episodes of Talking General Practice, please email us at gppodcast@haymarket.com


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In our regular news review the GPonline team looks at what’s happened to the GP workforce over the course of the five year contract, in particular the number of GP partners. They also talk about the cost to the NHS of not retaining doctors following some BMA research and the government’s view of the workforce crisis.
They discuss the issue of drug shortages and how it is affecting GPs and patients and look at the government’s plans to tackle the ‘sick note culture’ that could see GPs lose their role signing fit notes and big changes to benefits for those with disabilities and long-term illness.
Our good news story this week is about a crowdfunder that’s raised money to support a popular local GP in her bid to keep her practice after it was put out to tender.
This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower, deputy editor Nick Bostock and senior news reporter Kimberley Hackett. It was produced by Czarina Deen.
Useful links
Which ICB areas are losing GP partners fastest?
General practice lost 2,900 partners as GP workforce shrank during five-year contract
GPs condemn 'ridiculous' practice underfunding as registrars fear unemployment
Leadsom claims there are '3,000 more GPs than in 2019'
Patients left without medication as record drug shortages hit GP prescribing
Constant NHS medicines shortages 'the new normal', report warns

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Emma speaks to Jake Beech, a policy fellow from the think tank the Health Foundation, about why we need to change the way we think about access in general practice.
Jake is involved with a research project that’s a partnership between the Health Foundation and THIS Institute looking at what access in general practice means. The project is developing a ‘candidacy framework’ that provides a series of interventions and ideas for improving access.
Jake explains why access is much more complex and nuanced than just thinking about supply and demand and how practices could use the candidacy framework to help understand their patients and develop solutions to suit their needs.
He also talks about the limitations with the national data on general practice appointments which are often used by policymakers to make decisions and why patient satisfaction with access is so low despite the fact that practices are delivering more appointments than ever before.
This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.
Useful links
Health Foundation report - Rethinking access to general practice: it’s not all about supply
Get all the latest news affecting general practice from our website GPonline.com


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