What compassion looks like to patients

Health Expectations journal published a study that examined what compassion ‘looks like’ to patients, citing how important compassion is in predicting positive patient and practitioner outcomes,...

Retaining nurses in general practice through mentorship

A 2021 Local Medical Committee (LMC) survey demonstrated low morale among GPNs, with many planning to leave after the COVID-19 pandemic. GPN vacancies on the LMC website and NHS jobs were also...

How general practice can improve patient health with parkrun

It's safe: all adult parkruns have an automated external defibrillator (AED) available, while a study of 702 UK parkrun events involving almost 30 million participations concluded that ‘serious...

Exercise and breathing in rehabilitating long COVID

In exploring what effective rehabilitation would look like, Cheng et al (2021) recommend a comprehensive programme encompassing the promotion of functional recovery, as they note that this has been...

Primary care cardiovascular disease prevention post-pandemic: a call to action

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the effects of disrupting treatment for patients with hypertension. Data from the Quality Outcomes Framework from 2020–21 showed that optimisation rates for patients...

How practice nurses could raise awareness of ovarian cancer

Practice nurses are at the forefront of women's health. Contraception, sexual health advice, menopause management and cervical screening are some of the regular interactions nurses have with women....

Video group consultations take centre stage

When lockdown hit, the doors of the surgery shut overnight, and it was unclear what would happen next. Maggi said: ‘General practice nurses build up relationships with patients, and that's how we...

Prescribing the resolution of conflict in general practice

Conflict affects health. A GP surgery is often the first port of call when anxiety, depression or insomnia arising from conflict impacts wellbeing. The treatment for these conditions may alleviate...

Setting standards for specialist practice

Using motivational interviewing to improve health outcomes

Exercise is found by many researchers to have a positive effect on mood, self-esteem and other aspects of mental health, as well as a high impact on physical health and therefore the risk of long-term...

Give veteran patients the support they need

There are an estimated 2.4 million veterans living in England, and taking into account their families too, there is a considerable Armed Forces community living under our care. The healthcare needs of...

Type 2 diabetes and depression: what is the link?

But what about the mental aspects of T2D? Adams et al (2022) cite evidence showing that depression is more common among individuals with T2D than those without T2D, and that insulin therapy is...