Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs

Senior journalist Maya Dhillon is joined by reporter Harry Hetherington to discuss the findings of Pulse's survey which exclusively revealed that an estimated quarter of patient referrals are now returned as unsolicited advice and guidance (A&G) to general practice.
This comes despite NHS England denying the existence of a 25% target for GP referrals to be ‘diverted’ back to GPs as A&G.
Harry explains how this has impacted patient safety and the extra workload it is creating for GPs. The pair also consider how this could affect the rollout of the consultant-led 'single point of access' triage - due to begin from 1 October.
Following a flurry of news stories in the past few months about PSA testing and prostate cancer, this episode's clinical segment sees GP and Pulse editorial adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft look at the Government's updated guidance on when GPs should offer PSA testing.
Dr Hopcroft speaks with Dr Samuel Merriel - GP and clinical senior lecturer who has sat on expert advisory groups relating to prostate cancer for NICE and NHS England - to clarify the National Screening Committee's (NSC) recommendations; whether GPs should be proactively looking to offer PSAs to patients; and more.
Dr Merriel also shares some insight from the TRANSFORM trial, on which he is a co-investigator, which is researching the best ways to detect prostate cancer earlier.
Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

This month, senior journalist Maya Dhillon is joined by deputy news editor Anna Colivicchi and reporter Harry Hetherington. The team takes stock of the change in Government over the past month and considers what this will mean for general practice.
Drawing from his investigation into local enhanced services, Harry asks how Andy Burnham’s history as health secretary and mayor who oversaw health devolution in Manchester may impact the rollout of neighbourhoods.
GP and editorial adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft returns for our clinical segment, in which he goes through a new review which shows that patients with hypertension may be having more blood tests than they need.

Dr Hopcroft explains which tests were and weren’t deemed necessary by researchers, and why the outcome will benefit both GPs and patients.
And finally, Harry returns to the studio to talk about his interview with newly-elected chair of the BMA’s sessional GP committee Dr Lucy-Jane Davis.
She shares how it took her three years to find a substantive GP post amid the under and unemployment crisis; the importance of not undervaluing locums; and how she hopes to use her term to address the gender pay gap and support neurodivergent GPs.
This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon and Mollie Fraser-Andrews.
Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs is hosted on Buzzsprout but you can find it wherever you get your podcasts.
Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

Senior journalist Maya Dhillon is joined by Pulse editor-in-chief Jaimie Kaffash to discuss his new report on the complaints system in general practice and his interview with chair of the BMA’s GP committee in England Dr Katie Bramall at Pulse LIVE Birmingham.
Jaimie shares his white paper findings on how the fear of complaints is causing just under 80% of GPs to practise medicine ‘defensively’ as well as how patients are using AI when making complaints.
Jaimie also tells Maya about his Big Interview with Dr Bramall at Pulse LIVE Birmingham. The GPC chair revealed her fear that wholesale GMS negotiations may be off the table following Wes Streeting’s health secretary resignation, and explains her strategy for ongoing collective action against the Government.
Last but not least, clinical adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft is joined by Professor Tom Barber, consultant endocrinologist and professor of endocrinology at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, to revisit his session from Pulse LIVE Birmingham on managing metabolic syndrome in general practice.
Professor Barber explains what exactly metabolic syndrome is, advises GPs on they should identify patients at risk (using a measuring tape rather than scales), and how to manage the condition.

Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

Editor Sofia Lind is joined by deputy news editor Anna Colivicchi to discuss Anna’s Big Interview with the new chair of the BMA’s GP Committee in England, Dr Clare Bannon.
The pair reflect on Dr Bannon’s plan for her term in power, including future collective action, the importance of the partnership model to the healthcare system, and how preparing for a ‘plan B’ could give GPs other options in the scenario that the NHS fails.
Anna the speaks with senior journalist Maya Dhillon about her trip to Wales for Pulse LIVE Cardiff, where she also interviewed GPC Wales chair Dr Gareth Oelmann.
As the Welsh Government goes through a transition period, Dr Oelmann discusses the need for an increase in funding to general practice; the need more GPs; and explains why contract negotiations have been delayed.
And for our clinical section, GP and editorial adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft runs through one of our most popular stories from June: the development of a risk calculator that estimates a person’s risk of developing serious muscle disorders from taking statins.
Study lead Dr Ting Cai, research fellow in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford joins him to answer his questions about the future of this tool being used in consultations, as well as how it may affect management and monitoring of patients.
Continue your learning by registering for our upcoming Pulse Virtual Events. These events are designed for GPs and primary care professionals seeking practical, CPD-accredited clinical updates and expert-led insights they can apply straight into everyday consultations. The next session, taking place in August, focuses on vaccinations and immunology.
We’ll also be travelling to Newcastle, Cardiff, Glasgow, Belfast and Liverpool this year, delivering our Pulse LIVE Events. Book your free place today.
This episode was produced by Maya Dhillon.
Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs is hosted on Buzzsprout but you can find it wherever you get your podcasts.
Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.

In this episode, the Pulse team discusses the BMA’s decision to ballot GPs in England on a ‘plan B’ or an alternative model of general practice.
Pulse senior journalist Maya Dhillon is joined by deputy news editor Anna Colivicchi and editor-in-chief Jaimie Kaffash to look at where this has come from, what it shows about the profession's mood and how likely an exit from the NHS actually is.
The group reflect on what 'doing a dentist' could actually look like, as well as talking to Dr Maitiú O’Faoláin - vice chair of the GP committee of the Irish Medical Organisation - about what GPs here could learn about the Republic of Ireland's mixed private and state-funded model of general practice.
Editorial adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft is joined by Professor Celia Gregson, professor of clinical epidemiology and chair of the National Osteoporosis Guideline Group, to discuss new research on the use of vitamin D and calcium supplements for fracture prevention.
Reporter Harry Hetherington stops by to talk about his investigation into local enhanced services across England. He explains the threefold 'LES Lottery' he uncovered through data, explaining the variation for services across ICBs and why GPs continue to carry out underfunded LESs.
And we round off the episode with a quickfire clinical round-up with the biggest stories this month: the final recommendations for prostate cancer screening in the general population; a name change for polycystic ovary syndrome; and uptake in combined asthma inhalers since NICE update.
Free registration for Pulse newsletters here.