Talking General Practice

Nick and Emma look at the impact the current list cleaning drive has had on GP practices and explain why GP leaders have called for a pause in the process amid fears of inappropriate removals and a huge loss of funding for the profession.They talk about prescribing for obesity, after the BMA warned that the funding practices will receive for new QOF targets on this is unlikely to cover the cost of the work involved, and the union warned that some ICBs are cutting back on locally commissioned services related to prescribing Mounjaro since it has been added to the QOF.And they look at the additional roles reimbursement scheme after we found that millions of pounds earmarked for the scheme went unspent in 2025/26.Our good news story this week is about those GPs who received awards in the King’s Birthday Honours List.This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and deputy editor Nick Bostock. It was produced by Czarina Deen.Useful linksGP funding 'siphoned off' by unprecedented scale of patient removals, warns BMALMCs demand urgent list cleaning review as fears rise over inappropriate removalsList cleaning chaos leaves popular GP practice on the brinkWhere have GP practices been hit hardest by list cleaning?GP practices could boycott underfunded QOF obesity targetMore than £81m of ARRS cash unclaimed in 2025/26GPs recognised in King's Birthday Honours List Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Nick and Emma talk about list cleaning, after an analysis by Nick showed that 350,000 patients have been removed from GP practice lists, resulting in a loss of around £45m from practice funding. Nick explains why this happens and the impact it has on individual practices.They discuss GP contracts, looking at the first area in England that has agreed a local variation to PCN contracts, BMA fears about what neighbourhood and integrated health organisation contracts could mean for general practice and whether financial pressures on the current GP contract could make GPs back an alternative model.And they look at the impact successive governments’ obsession with GP access has had, after a report from the House of Commons public accounts committee found that practices struggle to provide the care frail, older patients need because they are overwhelmed with targets linked to improving access.Our good news story this week is about an initiative in Greater Manchester that has helped cut hazardous prescribing.This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and deputy editor Nick Bostock. It was produced by Czarina Deen.Useful links'Aggressive' list-cleaning drive strips 350,000 patients from GP practices'We're overwhelmed' - practices swamped by scale of patient removalsGPs agree first local PCN contract variation in £10m neighbourhood dealHospital-led general practice 'likely' outcome of government NHS plans, warns BMANHS England has overloaded GPs with access targets, MPs warn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emma speaks to Dr Nada Khan, a GP in Exeter and clinical lecturer in general practice at Exeter University, about her recent study on GP retention.In this conversation, Nada explains how GP workload has become increasingly intense, fragmented, and risk-laden, and she describes the impact of hybrid access models and moral distress on GPs - all of which is causing experienced doctors to cut back on sessions they work or leave the profession altogether.She also highlights the critical factors that help GPs stay in practice, including the importance of continuity of care, supportive practice teams, and establishing clear workload boundaries .And Nada describes what national policymakers need to understand to address the retention crisis among mid-to-late career GPs, and the practical changes individual practices can make on the ground to support their staff.This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.Useful links Sustaining a career in general practice: A qualitative study of experienced GPs in South West EnglandAdvice and guidance 'ping-pong' fuelling the GP retention crisisViewpoint: Why experienced GPs are leaving the NHS and how we can keep them   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Talking General Practice is looking at the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme - or NNHIP. This is the NHS England and government programme to support the development of neighbourhood health with 43 pioneer sites across England leading the way to test how integrated neighbourhood teams and neighbourhood approaches can better support patients.To find out what this looks like on the frontline, Emma speaks to leaders from two of those pioneer sites. Dr Zalan Alam, a GP in Rochdale, discusses his work in intermediate care and the importance of building trust across care boundaries to tackle frailty and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.Meanwhile, Rachel Stead, strategic PCN manager for South Sefton PCN, shares the success of their innovative adverse childhood experiences programme and highlights the need for infrastructure and funding to ensure neighbourhood working is sustainable for general practice.Zalan and Rachel discuss the reality of integrated working, what the future could hold, and why general practice must remain the cornerstone of any successful neighbourhood model.This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina DeenUseful linksAs part of the MIMS Healthcare Network, GPonline has produced a new report for our subscribers on neighbourhood health - view the report here.National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme websiteSefton’s adverse childhood experiences programmeCould new PCN rules make neighbourhood contracts redundant?MIMS Learning LiveMIMS Learning Live South is returning to London on Friday 12 June 2026, and tickets are free to book.This is your chance to boost your clinical know-how, connect with peers from across the UK, and gain fresh insights that can make a real difference in your patients’ lives. This year’s clinical programme covers issues including obesity management, paediatrics, women's health and cardiology.We’re also running a GP Business hub stream aimed at GP partners, practice managers and PCN managers, which will cover practice finance, neighbourhood working, using AI in practice and how to meet the challenges of rising patient demand.Get your tickets here www.mimslearninglive.com/south Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emma speaks to Professor Bola Owolabi, a practising GP in the Midlands and the chief inspector of primary care and community services at the CQC. Before this she director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England, where she led the Core20PLUS5 approach to tackling healthcare inequalities.Bola took on her role at the CQC in July last year at a particularly turbulent time for the regulator.In this conversation, she discusses how the CQC is working to turn things around after facing significant criticism about its work, the development of a new sector-specific assessment framework for primary care, and how she hopes inspections will become a less stressful experience for GPs, practice managers and the rest of the practice team.Bola also talks about her own experience of leading the turnaround of a GP practice in a deprived area that was rated inadequate, the role of the CQC in improving care and tackling health inequalities, and how the regulator views the move towards neighbourhood health and the use of AI in general practice.This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.Useful linksCQC regulators pioneers’ fund informationLack of investment in community services will hit plans to shift care out of hospitals, says CQCCQC mythbuster on AI in general practice Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emma talks to Robert McCartney, a senior associate in the corporate commercial team at the law firm Hempsons to discuss the shift toward a neighborhood NHS and what this means for the future of general practice.In this conversation, Robert outlines the potential impact new single and multi-neighborhood provider contracts could have and discusses the growing trend of PCNs incorporating as limited companies in response to possible changes and the practicalities of doing this.He also sets out some practical steps practices and PCNs can take now to prepare for the the reform ahead. This episode is an extract from a recent video Robert and I did for our sister site GP Business’s Monthly Briefing series. You can watch the full video, which also includes Roberts thoughts on the future of the partnership model, by visiting https://www.gpbusiness.co.uk/article/1945845/video-neighbourhoods-will-affect-practices-gp-contracts If you are a registered user of GPonline you can use the same login details to access a limited amount of content on GP Business each month.This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emma speaks to Patrick Denston about how GP practices can make the best use of new tech and what the next five years could hold.Patrick is a PCN digital transformation and change manager and a practice business manager based in Farnborough, Hampshire, as well as an NHS England AI peer ambassador.He has a proven track record of successfully introducing new technology into general practice. In this conversation, Patrick explains how his practice has moved away from manual, paper-based processes to embrace digital and AI tools and advanced data analytics.He discusses how these tools are helping to improve access and address other challenges in the practice and also shares some very practical advice for other practices looking to embrace new tech, including how to navigate the busy market of tech suppliers.Emma and Patrick also look ahead to the future of general practice, discussing the government’s 10-year plan and how AI and data-led population health management could fundamentally change the way practices operate over the next five years.This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.Useful linksViewpoint: How can general practice make best use of AI?AI tools in general practice and liability - advice for GPsUsing AI transcribing software in general practice - medicolegal considerations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.