Illuminating Primary Care

In Conversation with Dr Mateen Ellahi, Part One

Part one - The Rise of Portfolio Careers
A three-part episode with an entrepreneurial young GP Partner, Dr Mateen Ellahi. First, we discuss how he balances his NHS and private work and what a portfolio career gives him in terms of balance and job satisfaction. We then move on to his practice and how they’ve become one of the highest rated GP Practices in the country on Google. Part three covers Dr Ellahi’s venturing into GP Consultancy, offering his experience and insight to practices who are struggling, much in the way that management consultants exist but from a specific General Practitioner viewpoint.
Timings:
00:29 - Intro
00:58 - Mateen's portfolio
02:54 - Why does a portfolio career suit Dr Ellahi?
04:29 - How did you find and secure your private roles?
05:59 - What does the mixture of NHS and private work give you?
07:13 - What does the growth of the private GP market mean for the NHS?
08:24 - What would you say to the GPs thinking of going into the private sector?
09:30 - Should the NHS be encouraging GPs to have a portfolio?
10:55 - What do you wish you'd known before you started working as a portfolio GP?
12:49 - How do you see your portfolio evolving?
#primarycare #generalpractice #menloparkprimarycare #primarycarepodcastportfoliocareer #portfoliogp #healthcare #healthcarepodcast #generalpractitioner #podcast #podcastsetup

How Big a Problem is Stress and Burnout?

In this episode, Ciaran Fletcher is joined by Dr. Farnaaz Sharief MBE, to discuss stress and burnout in healthcare.
 
Farnaaz offers insight about how you can recognise signs of stress and burnout in yourself and your colleagues, as well as offering her tips and advice for dealing with these complex issues.

Dr Ennis' Route to Partnership

GP Partner, Dr Rebecca Ennis from Western Avenue Medical Centre in Chester, delves into her journey to Partnership, specifically not long after qualifying, and how her practice does things differently.
 
In this episode, we discuss:
🩺Choosing GP as a speciality
📚Returning to University to specialise
🏠Choosing a practice
💭Lessons learnt as a partner
📈The future of GP
 
Timings:
00:05 - Introduction.
00:48 - Overview of Dr Rebecca's medical career.
02:42 - What, about the practice she joined as a partner, was attractive?
04:34 - How does her practice offer such good work/life balance?
05:34 - Did she view many practices before finding her current partnership?
06:22 - How much exposure to financial and contractual issues did she have before committing to partnership?
07:12 - What is the team like at her practice?
07:53 - How her practice does things differently.
09:00 - What areas is she improving on in the practice?
10:27 - What is her strategy for navigating these uncertain times?
11:29 - Lessons learnt so far as a partner.
13:11 - What does the government need to do to make GP a more sustainable career path?
 
If you want to get in touch regarding partnership or anything else to do with primary care, you can call 0113 350 1308 or email info@menloparkrecruitment.com.
 
#primarycare #generalpractice #partnership #gp #podcast #menloparkprimarycare #healthcare #nhs #primarycarepodcast

Are GPs Given a Bad Reputation?

In this episode we are joined by Dr Steve Taylor, a former GP Partner who has been involved in training 60 GPs throughout his career. Steve is focussed on helping get the message out there about the truth of what GPs experience on a daily basis – something that the mainstream media do a poor job of.
We discuss some of the stats and figures that Steve shares online and what the future of general practice might look like. 
 
Timings:
 
00:05- Ciaran introduces Dr Steve Taylor
00:46- Steve Taylor introduces himself
01:25- Background on Dr Steve’s work and why he became a GP
02:57- Where and how did the GP workload and pressure stats start?
07:36- GPs in the media
09:21-What has brought about the increase in GP workload?
12:51- Mental health in general practice
14:37- Funding in Primary Care
16:13- Why are younger and newly qualified GPs leaving?
17:33- GPs from overseas
20:48- International Health Policy Statistics
21:52- What needs to be done to turn around ‘bad GP statistics? What needs to change?
27:04- Failure to support GPs
32:00- ‘Bad news’ about GPs sells!
33:52- Patient satisfaction
35:20- Is there a lack of understanding by Labour and Lib Dems?
42:10- Is there hope for Primary Care?
47:42- Find Dr Steve Taylor on social media.

How a GP Surgery Became Google’s Highest Rated

In this episode of the Illuminating Primary Care podcast, David Murphy is joined by Dr. Nabeel Arshad, GP Partner at The Brooke Surgery, which is Google's highest rated in the country.
 
We discuss what changes practices can make to drastically improve patient satisfaction, and how to improve Google reviews.

The Challenges Faced by GP Trainees

Join Ciaran Fletcher and Dr. Erwin Kwun, the man who coaches GP trainees to help them succeed MRCGP SCA and beyond.
 
They discuss the challenges GP trainees can face, doctors' wellbeing in training and beyond, preparation for the SCA, and developing a portfolio career.

Are GPs Happy in Their Jobs?

Ciaran Fletcher is joined by Dr. Sally Hambly to discuss her work in coaching doctors to make career decisions which put their wellbeing at the centre.
 
We discuss the sunk cost fallacy and how it may prevent doctors leaving primary care, the pressures of taking on a new role, how imposter syndrome affects GPs, and why career diversification may be the right choice for some.

How to Improve Your Health Span

In this fascinating episode of the Illuminating Primary Care podcast, Kirsty Morris is joined by Riccardo DiCuffa, Co Founder & Chief Medical Officer of Thyme.
Riccardo explains how he believes we should approach the issue of an ageing population, with people living longer, but not necessarily healthier. He offers advice as to how people can implement lifestyle changes to ensure they live long, healthy lives.

The Emerging Role of Physician Associates within Primary Care

We speak to James Catton, an experienced Physician Associate within primary care based in Suffolk and Physician Associate ambassador working with Health Education England to discuss all aspects of the PA role, from qualifying through to working as part of a PCN and what the future looks like in general practice for PAs.
 
Timings:
00:04- Introduction
01:01- What attracted James to become a PA?
03:33- What does a day in the life of a PA look like for James?
05:04- How does James find working across multiple practices, being part of a PCN?
07:34- What advice would James give to any PAs that might become the first/only PA within the PCN or practice?
09:37- Was James heavily involved in both the acute and the long-term conditions when he initially started?
13:04- Has James taken on a kind of lead PA role at his practice? Is there a hierarchy?
14:57- What sort of appointment times was James working to when he first started, and what are they now?
18:36- Is there anything James thinks either surgeries or PCNs could do to better understand the role of a PA?
21:03- Does the imbalance of PAs doing secondary care, as opposed to primary care placements, need to be addressed?
22:41- What are James’ thoughts on PAs having prescribing rights?
27:16- As a PA, has James expressed specialist interest in any areas?

The real impact of the Investment and Impact Fund

We speak to Dr Valeed Ghafoor, GP Partner in Blackpool to discuss Primary Care Networks, The Investment and Impact Fund (IIF), It’s effects on Primary Care providers and how this can be improved on.
 
00:35- Dr Ghafoor introduction
01:30- Dr Ghafoor gives overview of Primary Care Networks.
03:45- What is the IIF and how does it come into Primary Care Networks?
08:00- How can funding be lost via the IIF?
12:25- Why can’t the IIF work in conjunction with QOF to have one system so that practices don’t miss out on funding?
15:14- What other aspects of IIF apart from coding are causing problems with funding in practices?
21:25- What happens if a practice doesn’t need some of the staff the IIF allows them to recruit, and doesn’t use the funding allocated?
22:40- If the funding didn’t get used last year, but it is needed this year- what happens?
23:50- Suggestions Dr Ghafoor has for other practices to manage and avoid issues with the IIF.
31:32- What has Dr Ghafoor done in his practice to take control of stress, burnout and still provide the best care and meet target?
33:50- How can the network help practices?
37:30- Are practices having to use their own staff to satisfy the needs of the IIF because staff provided by the network isn’t enough?
41:44- Content of next podcast.