COVID vaccination: What's next?

There are concerns that developed countries such as the UK have resorted to ‘vaccine nationalism’, that is stockpiling vaccines to prioritise rapid access for their citizens due to public or political...

We should be celebrating general practice, not criticising

It would be so helpful to have more public messaging with positive stories of general practices being open to face-to-face appointments, and more stories of the benefits of remote access to a...

Raising awareness: ‘but you don't look like you have a stoma…’

I have always been honest and open about my condition and my stoma, yet I have encountered many negative perceptions, bewildered and commiserative looks. I am not embarrassed or ashamed of my ostomy,...

Spirometry going forward – should we restart?

As the diagnostic element of the hub is currently only myself undertaking testing, the risk assessment that is recommended has been based on my personal safety and that of my patients. It also...

Violence in primary care: a growing problem?

Professor Gautam Gulati is a consultant forensic psychiatrist and Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Limerick. ‘The following violent scenario,’ Prof Gulati told Practice...

Improving health outcomes for people with learning disabilities

A project led by Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust aimed to address this by increasing the number of annual health checks carried out with people with a learning disability over 12 weeks. The...

Make your voice heard on standards of specialist practice

What the practice nurse needs to know about Lyme disease

Infected ticks can be found all over the UK and are found in woodland, heathland and parkland, but have also been found in urban parks and gardens. You can be bitten and infected at any time of the...

Compulsory vaccinations: sensible or coercive?

Cervical Screening Awareness Week: getting the facts out

14–20 June is Cervical Screening Awareness Week. We have a valuable opportunity to highlight the importance of the test but also to communicate what HPV testing is, and what it means to have HPV....

Weight loss and financial incentives: a flawed scheme?

But what does the evidence show? When Korean mathematicians Lee et al (2021) devised an epidemic model to investigate the theoretical role of financial incentives to see how they might usefully...

What is lifestyle medicine and how can it help our patients?

Most clinical guidelines for managing long-term conditions, both physical and mental, suggest addressing lifestyle/modifiable factors as the first step of treatment. But in practice, this is often...