Talking General Practice GPonline.com

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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This week the GPonline team talks about how untapped capacity among GP locums could help deliver hundreds of thousands of extra GP appointments every week, and what this all means in light of the current challenges sessional GPs are facing finding work.
They also discuss NHS England’s evidence to the Doctors and Dentists Review Body, which is due to make recommendations on whether GP funding should be increased further this year - as well as some of the steps practices are being forced to consider to cope with the tiny 1.9% funding increase they have currently been given.
There’s also news about a contract deal for GPs in Northern Ireland that could be agreed by the time this episode comes out, and they discuss NHS England’s decision to U-turn on funding cuts it was planning to make to NHS Practitioner Health - the specialist mental health service for doctors and NHS staff.
Our good news story this week is about a practice that has won a national small business award.
You can listen to the podcast interview with NHS Practitioner Health’s medical director Helen Garr here.
NHS Practitioner Health’s website is here.
Other useful links
Untapped locum capacity could deliver 250,000 extra GP appointments a week
GP workforce, funding and continuity all linked to higher life expectancy
Northern Ireland GPs near landmark deal to cover indemnity costs and abolish QOF
NHS evidence on GP pay 'completely out of date'
Practices weigh up cutting services, staff and partner drawings in coming year


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Emma speaks to Jacob Lant, the chief executive of National Voices, a coalition of more than 200 health and social care charities in England about what patients want from general practice and the NHS more widely..
In this conversation Jacob talks about why patient satisfaction has reached an all time low and what needs to happen to improve things.
He also explains how he would like to see the GP contract changed to give practices and PCNs more freedom to work in partnership with local communities to deliver the care people need, the importance of getting the basics right, in particular communication with patients, and how GPs and patients could make the case together for increased funding for general practice ahead of the general election.
He has some really useful and practical advice on what practices can do to work effectively with their patients to ensure they are meeting their needs. And he explains how compassionate GPs can transform experiences for individual patients.
This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.
Useful links
National Voices website
National Voices manifesto
RCGP manifesto

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