We have come a long way from the start of the pandemic, when those well enough to avoid admission could not even access a COVID-19 test, let alone any specific therapeutics. Those in the highest-risk groups for severe consequences of COVID-19 can now access an antiviral or neutralising monoclonal antibody in the community. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Professor Simon de Lusignan outline the various drugs available, which are recommended by NICE, who is eligible for them and the practicalities of ensuring that your patients have access to these medications in a timely manner.  They also discuss the PANORAMIC trial and which patients might want to take part in that, as well as the broader issues around testing for viruses in primary care.  Full financial support for the design and development of this podcast is provided by Pfizer Ltd as a corporate sponsorship project, an arm’s length agreement. Pfizer has had no involvement in the content. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP.

Diagnosing cancer in primary care is difficult. Many patients present with non-specific symptoms and the positive predictive value of even the ‘red flag’ symptoms is low. In this podcast, Dr Thomas Round and Professor Willie Hamilton discuss the issues around cancer diagnosis in primary care, including the positive predictive value of symptoms, the increasing number of two-week wait referrals and the usefulness of tests such as Ca125.  Financial support for the project was provided as an Independent Medical Education Grant from Pfizer Limited. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP.

In this podcast, Dr Emma Nash talks to Professor Derek Connolly about cardiovascular disease and lipid management. Measuring and interpreting lipid profiles and when to initiate treatment are discussed. Professor Connolly takes us through the various treatment options and their respective benefits, in light of the updated lipid pathway, and illustrates the benefits that they can have on cardiovascular risk, both in terms of primary and secondary prevention. An educational grant was received from Amarin UK Limited for the production of this resource. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP.

To learn more about Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) please access the newly designed RCGP Inflammatory Bowel Disease Toolkit, which allows users to learn about IBD through different formats including three bite-sized NUBs - New Useful Bits, a 30 minute module and a recorded podcast. The toolkit provides tips to help those working in Primary Care suspect, investigate, and refer patients for appropriate investigations. It also summarises key information to consider when supporting patients living with IBD.

Inflammatory bowel disease is a lifelong condition which can impact on many areas of a person’s life. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Dr Kevin Barrett discuss how we can diagnose inflammatory bowel disease at an earlier stage and make logical use of the tests available to us. They then go on to discuss the management of flares of the disease and holistic care for patients with IBD, at all stages of life.  This podcast was funded by Crohn's & Colitis UK. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP eLearning.