The GP+ Careers Podcast

• 16: GP+ Gambling Harms with Dr Emma Ryan

  In this episode of the GP+ Careers podcast, Sophie interviews Dr Emma Ryan, a GP partner and Clinical Director, and also serves as the lead GP at the UK's first national primary care gambling harms service, established in 2019. She discusses her dual role, the holistic mental health assessments offered by her service for individuals experiencing gambling harm, and the service's evolution from self-referrals to increasing GP referrals. The episode also covers Dr Ryan's journey into this specialised field, the importance of raising awareness among healthcare professionals, and advice for GPs interested in diversifying their careers into similar areas of special interest. Top tips Educate yourself thoroughly: Begin by reading the latest NICE guidelines on gambling harms (2025), which recommend GPs ask about gambling harms in certain consultations, especially mental health consultations. You can also attend a free RCGP Gambling Harms webinar, which provides an overview of the NICE guideline Gambling-related harms and its relevance to CQC, practical interventions to use during consultations such as the Very Brief Advice (VBA), signposting to local support, and insights from lived experience. Attendance at a webinar will enable full accreditation under the RCGP Gambling Harms Scheme, unlocking access to valuable resources, patient-facing posters, and recognition for your practice. Also make use of the RCGP Gambling Harms Hub, which offers additional learning resources such as e-Learning modules and podcasts. Connect with established services and networks: Reach out to the Primary Care Gambling Service, as they are keen to expand their network of interested GPs and have links across all regions. Also, explore the National Gambling Support Network, commissioned  by Gamble Aware, to find information about services available in different areas. It's also beneficial to visit existing voluntary (third) sector treatment and support services to understand their long-standing work. Leverage your existing GP skills and embrace opportunities: Your core GP skills, such as being interested in patients and their stories, are highly valuable, and you shouldn't let imposter syndrome hold you back. Your role primarily involves identifying patients and conducting initial holistic mental health assessments, not necessarily providing the specific therapies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Be open to saying "yes" to new experiences, as an initial interest can lead to significant career development and opportunities. Understand the evolving landscape and funding: Be aware that increased funding is now being directed towards the NHS for gambling harm treatment and support, making this a timely opportunity for GPs to get involved. Recognising gambling harm as a "hidden addiction" that patients often suffer from for many years before seeking help highlights the crucial need for easy referral pathways and GP awareness. Develop strong organisational and leadership skills: If you balance multiple roles, you must be highly organised and excellent at time management. Clearly separate your "gambling harms days" from "GP days" to ensure focus in each role and prioritize your main tasks over checking emails first to prevent getting sidetracked. Leadership experience can be very valuable in setting up or developing services. Further reading RCGP Gambling Harms Hub: https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/view.php?id=734  Primary Care Gambling Service: https://www.primarycaregamblingservice.co.uk/ NICE guidelines (2025): https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng248 Emma qualified from King’s College London in 1999 and began her career in General Practice in 2005. She is a GP Partner and PCN Clinical Director.  She has been part of the team that has established the Primary Care Gambling Service. A national service that provides free, confidential, NHS treatment for those experiencing gambling harms.    She is a GP trainer, and educational supervisor and has worked with the Royal College of General Practitioners to develop a specific Gambling Learning Hub on the college’s website. This is an educational resource for the whole primary care team. In parallel to this includes an accreditation scheme developed for GP practices to enlist to. This is for practices to highlight to their patients that they are knowledgeable in gambling harms. She is the co-author of a Primary Care Gambling Competency Framework endorsed by the RCGP and was a committee member of the NICE Guideline Gambling: identification, diagnosis and management committee that was published in January 2025. Tell us what you thought! We'd love to hear your valuable feedback. Please take 2 minutes to complete the form.

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• 15: GP+ Minor Ops with Dr Pim Dhahan

  This month, we hear from Dr Pim Dhahan, a GP in Birmingham with a special interest in minor surgery. He shares his journey into minor operations, emphasising the importance of accredited courses and hands on experience gained through observation and supervised practice. He also outlines a number of benefits of the role such as providing a practical and engaging alternative to GP work and reducing hospital wait times. Top Tips Observe and get involved in your local area - If your practice already offers minor surgery, Pim suggests that you go and attend a session to see what is involved. If your practice does not perform minor operations, find out who does within your local Primary Care Network (PCN) and see if you can observe them. Observing others will help you determine if you truly have an interest and will enjoy this type of work. Complete an accredited course - To carry out minor procedures in practice, you must first complete an accredited course. Look for courses run by the RCGP or through the Association of Surgeons in Primary Care. Pim, for instance, used his study budget to do the RCGP minor surgery course. These courses may include a small assessment, potentially involving practical elements like removing a paintball pellet from pig skin or assessing your suturing skills. Gain hands-on experience with supervision - After completing an accredited course, do not immediately start performing procedures on your own. Pim advises you sit in with or assist someone who already performs minor surgery so they can observe you and ensure you are comfortable. Start by performing small procedures with a supervisor to build your confidence, then gradually move to doing them independently. It is important to build up your portfolio of accreditation and experience. Explore funding opportunities - If you are a GP trainee and interested in minor ops, consider using your study budget to attend RCGP-accredited courses. However, if you are an established salaried doctor or partner, present a case to your practice. Highlight that minor surgery is beneficial for patients and can bring in funding that will surpass the cost of the course itself.  Commit to regular practice and continuous auditing - Minor surgery is a skill that needs to be performed regularly to maintain proficiency. Continuously audit your work, checking for complications like infections, and assessing the accuracy of your diagnoses. Pim noted that he gets about 70% of his differentials correct, which is acceptable as long as no cancers are accidentally removed.     Further reading RCGP Minor Surgery courses: www.rcgp.org.uk/learning-resources/courses-and-events/minor-surgery Association of Surgeons of Primary Care (ASPC): www.aspc-uk.net/ Dr Pim Dhahan is a Birmingham based GP Partner, Trainer and TPD with a special interest in Minor Surgery and interest that started as a GP Trainee in Dermatology. His main focus of work is as a grass-roots GP based in North Birmingham. Tell us what you thought! We'd love to hear your valuable feedback. Please take 2 minutes to complete the form.

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• 14: GP+ Academic with Dr Tom Purchase

  In this episode, Sophie speaks with Dr Tom Purchase, a First5 GP and a Health and Care Research Wales NIHR Doctoral Fellow at Cardiff University. Tom describes his career journey into his doctoral fellowship, where to look and how to secure some funding opportunities, and the benefits of the role. Top tips Be Curious and ask questions - Tom’s journey began by simply asking a GP colleague what she was doing in her academic GP role. Don’t underestimate the power of curiosity and conversation, as most people are happy to share their experiences and may connect you with others or current projects. Seek early opportunities even without prior research experience - You don’t need formal research qualifications to start. Tom didn’t have any before his postgraduate certificate. He built experience by joining projects, showing interest, and asking how he could get involved. Take initiative and look for small roles on existing studies. Apply for small-scale research funding early on - Start small and go from there. Tom received a grant from the RCGP Scientific Foundation Board which is perfect for early-career GPs wanting to trial an idea. These short-term grants help you develop a track record and build your portfolio for larger funding later (e.g. NIHR , Health and Care Research Wales etc). Be Aware of the Challenges - The role is not without some challenges such as: Job security: Early academic roles are often fixed term Financial hit (initially): Academic salaries may be lower than full-time clinical GP work. Juggling roles: You need flexibility and resilience to balance deadlines with clinical responsibilities and personal life. Appreciate the benefits – variety, impact and autonomy - Academic GP work brings a number of benefits such as: Variety: Every week can be different, for example, teaching, research, and conferences. Autonomy: You can shape your projects and personal development based on your interests. Wider impact: Your research can change policy or clinical practice nationally or globally. Tom’s experiences even led him to the WHO in Geneva—a unique opportunity to contribute to global health initiatives. Master organisation and time management -Academic work can involve different demands to clinical work, including project planning, literature reviews, participant recruitment, writing, and meeting deadlines.. Being organised and managing your own time becomes a crucial skill. Further reading: How RCGP support your research (including information on the Scientific Foundation Board): rcgp.org.uk/representing-you/research-at-rcgp/how-rcgp-support-your-research National Institute for Health and Care Research: nihr.ac.uk The Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC): sapc.ac.uk Primary Care Academic Collaborative (PACT): gppact.org Tom's fellowship project IncorporAting parental health aDVOcaCy when mAnaging unwell Children in primarY care (ADVOCACY): a multi-methods systems approach to co-develop a complex intervention | Health Care Research Wales Dr Tom Purchase is a General Practitioner and a Health and Care Research Wales NIHR Doctoral Fellow at Cardiff University.  Tom works with the Patient Safety team at the Division of Population Medicine where his research has focussed on exploring patient safety data to generate recommendations to improve healthcare safety for vulnerable groups. Tom has an interest in applying systems-thinking through the principles of Human Factors and Ergonomics to patient safety research to better understand system complexity within healthcare. Tom’s current fellowship aims to understand how and where parental advocacy takes place within primary care. The project will explore how parents speaking up for their child can be better supported and incorporated into the management of unwell children. This will inform the co-development of system changes to help parents and healthcare staff work together to reduce healthcare-associated harms. Tell us what you thought! We'd love to hear your valuable feedback. Please take 2 minutes to complete the form.

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• 13: GP+Humanitarian Health with Dr Hareen De Silva

  In this episode, Sophie is joined by Dr Hareen De Silva who has a special interest in Humanitarian and Global Health. Hareen describes how he got into the field, how you can find out if it is the right role for you physically, emotionally and morally and the benefits and downsides of the role. Top tips: 1.Gain Relevant Clinical Experience & Skills Broaden Your Clinical Scope: Try and gain experience in areas often neglected in high-income settings but critical in humanitarian contexts. Just because you may deploy as a GP you may have to step into other situations. Hareen has gained skills over his career. Some of these can be obtained free or paid. Consider using your GP training study budget.   Emergency Medicine: ACLS, PALS certifications - paid for by CADUS  Trauma Care: Even basic trauma stabilisation Have a look at cheap/free courses organised by a UK chairty called CitizenAid that have a free app to download.  Mental Health: Basic psychological first aid (PFA) and recognition/referral of common mental health conditions. There are websites such as Coursera that offer free certification in PFA Procedural Skills: Minor surgery, suturing, wound care, basic fracture management, IV insertion. Resource-Limited Settings: Consider volunteering locally within the UK using your skills. Crisis at Christmas is where he started volunteering and then locally in homeless healthcare clinic in Doncaster. The UK Government website has a database of opportunities.  2. Understand the Humanitarian Aid Sector Research Organisations: There are so many organisations that you could work with. Each has their own individual identity. CADUS is different to other organisations Hareen has worked with. When you interview for a position, make sure your personal values line up with those of the organisation.  Humanitarian Principles: Stress the importance of understanding and committing to the core humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. Contextual Awareness: Stay informed about global crises, geopolitical situations, and the specific health challenges in different regions. ReliefWeb has a jobs board and collates information from all around the world.  Networking: Connect with doctors already working in the field. LinkedIn, professional associations, and humanitarian aid conferences are good avenues. Hareen is happy to take on mentees via RCGP Mentoring.  Realistic Expectations: Prepare for challenging conditions, long hours, emotional toll, and potential ethical dilemmas. This work is not for those with a saviour complex.  3. Essential Training & Qualifications Specific Humanitarian Training:  Pre-Deployment Courses: There are plenty of free online resources to help you understand the basics. DisasterReady is a free online resource which Hareen uses every year to increase his knowledge.  Tropical Medicine/Public Health Diplomas: These are highly relevant and often required or preferred by some organisations. But think about the financial impact on yourself before paying for courses. Will it help you get a volunteer position or a paid job.  Language Skills: Proficiency in languages other than English (especially French, Spanish, Arabic) can be a significant asset and sometimes a requirement for specific deployments. Even just having a few phrases will help to generate rapport with beneficiaries of the project.  Security Training: Consider something like a HEAT (Hostile Environment Awareness Training) Course. CADUS offers a free course. The United Nations also has a free course called BSAFE  4. Practical Steps to Get Started Initial Deployments: Your first deployment might not be your "dream" assignment. Starting with shorter deployments or less complex contexts can be a good way to gain experience. Be warned that the smaller organisations may ask you to cover your travel and accomodation costs. Please do not be exploited for voluntourism type projects.  Application Process: Be prepared for a rigorous application process, including interviews, assessments, and background checks. Financial Planning: Humanitarian work, especially early on, may not be highly paid. it is advisable to have some financial stability or savings. Health & Wellness: Stress the importance of maintaining their own physical and mental health during and between deployments. Long lasting effects: Hareen has deployed to multiple conflict zones and now has  to apply for visas to travel to countries as a tourist. He also holds two passports to avoid questions at the border - one for work and one for tourism. Consider where you want to travel in the future as some countries do not allow travel if you have been to another country.  5. It may not be for everyone You may realise it is not for you, and that is fine. Within the UK we have so many health inequalities and this is how Dr De Silva's humanitarian career started. Consider joining the RCGP Health Equity SIG working group and contribute locally.  Hareen is a Fellow of the RCGP and in his GP career he was the national wellbeing lead for First5 GPs and then became the youngest faculty Chair (SYNT) in the RCGP history. He moved into expedition medicine, travelling to Dominica, Costa Rica, Gough Island with the Royal Society for Protection of Birds and Midway Atoll with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Hareen has deployed on humanitarian assistance missions as a clinician, medical coordinator and Head of Mission to Greece, Syria, Iraq, Ukraine and Gaza with CADUS e.V. He has an interest in health inequalities and is a trustee for the UK medical education charity Fairhealth. He has received a British Empire Medal in 2020 for his Services to General Practice during COVID-19 and The UK’s Humanitarian Medal in 2025 for his work in Gaza with UK-MED. Further reading RCGP Health Equity Special Interest Group https://www.rcgp.org.uk/about/communities-groups/health-inequalities RCGP Mentoring https://www.rcgp.org.uk/your-career/gp-mentoring CADUS https://www.cadus.org/en/ UK-Med https://www.uk-med.org/ Fairhealth https://www.fairhealth.org.uk/ DisasterReady https://www.disasterready.org/ ReliefWeb https://reliefweb.int/ United Nations BSAFE course https://training.dss.un.org/thematicarea/category?id=6  Tell us what you thought! Please take 2 minutes to complete the survey about this episode.

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• 12: GP+ Lifestyle Medicine with Dr Callum Leese

  This month, Sophie interviews Dr Callum Leese, a First5 GP based in Aberfeldy, Scotland with an extended role in Lifestyle Medicine. Callum shares his journey into the field and signposts to a number of helpful resources if you are interested in finding out more in this area. If you think Lifestyle Medicine could be the right fit for you, here are some top tips to help you find out more: Connect with other Lifestyle Medicine Professionals - The British Society of Lifestyle Medcine (BSLM) is the primary professional body for lifestyle medicine. Callum suggests the BSLM is a great place to start to build those connections through their in-person events, online webinars and networking at the BSLM annual conference.  Research if there are any local lifestyle medicine groups and if not, why not initiate one with like-minded colleagues. Callum set up the 'Healthiest Town Aberfeldy' initiative with colleagues to inspire to inspire change and address some of the social determinants of health to inspire healthier lifestyles. Start small and strategic - Figure out what aspect(s) of lifestyle medicine interests you and begin with part time or low commitment roles alongside clinical practice. For example, Callum led on some group patient consultations in his practice for conditions such as diabetes and prostate cancer. This helps him to remain energized and enthusiastic about his role trying out different styles of delivering patient care. Research funding opportunities - Callum suggests look at your local deanery first for potential funding opportunities in lifestyle medicine. If you are a GP registrar, consider the study budget to cover some lifestyle medicine courses such as the BLSM Core Accreditation in Lifestyle Medicine or Red Whale. Callum had previously secured funding from the Claire Wand Fund for some courses in the past. He suggested also checking out the NHS Trust charities as his 'The Movement Prescription' podcast was part funded to support these ideas. Learn more about Lifestyle Medicine initiatives - spend time to do some community mapping in your local area. Callum suggests becoming familiar with existing initiatives and help to shape and support initiatives that already exist. If you identify a gap, think about what you can do but try not to reinvent the wheel. Dr Callum Leese is medically qualified at the University of Edinburgh, a GP in Aberfeldy, whilst working part-time at the University of Dundee undertaking research with the division of population health and genomics. He is co-founder of the community-based charity 'Healthiest Town' in Aberfeldy, Scotland where they try to enact and inspire local change and he is involved with the charity RunTalkRun. Callum is a champion for physical activity and lifestyle at the Royal College of GPs. When not working, Callum will be found running, cycling, skiing or climbing somewhere! Further reading Introduction and overview of GPwER in lifestyle medicine RCGP Physical Activity and Lifestyle hub Upcoming RCGP Lifestyle Medicine webinars Recorded RCGP Lifestyle Medicine webinars BSLM - Transforming Healthcare Through Lifestyle Medicine Callum’s podcast: themovementprescription.co.uk Callum's article after his talk at RCGP last year: GPs Urged to Embed Lifestyle Medicine into Primary Care Parkrun practices initiative Moving Medicine website Tell us what you thought! Please take 2 minutes to complete the survey about this episode.

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