Illuminating Primary Care

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.
 

The Evolution of Clinical Pharmacists in General Practice

Shilpa Patel is the lead GP Pharmacist (and partner) at WellBN Integrated Healthcare, pharmacist mentor, assessor and Inspirational speaker.
 
Jasmine Kaur discusses with Shilpa what Clinical Pharmacists can bring to a practice, what career opportunities are available for Pharmacists within primary care, and the story behind becoming a GP Partner.

Holistic Treatments: Lifestyle and Mind-Body Medicine

In this fascinating episode of the Illuminating Primary Care podcast, Ciaran Fletcher is joined by Dr. Anna Smith, an NHS and Holistic GP.
 
Dr. Anna Smith explains what she does as a Certified Lifestyle Physician, as well as her work as a Mind-Body Practitioner. She provides tips and advice for preventing various chronic illnesses through lifestyle changes, as well as explaining the links between our bodies and minds.
 

Taking Care of Your Mental Health - Top 10 Tips to Prevent Burnout

In this episode of the Illuminating Primary Care podcast, Alexa Makaafi is joined by GP Dr Karen Forshaw, and Chartered Physiotherapist and Psychotherapist Chrissie Mowbray. They formed 'Resilient Practice' to teach evidence-based tools and techniques for maintaining wellbeing and resilience to all.
 
Karen and Chrissie discuss with Alexa the issues of stress and burnout for healthcare workers, and offer their top 10 tips for how to prevent burnout and stay resilient.

The Transition from the Ambulance Service to Primary Care

Jasmine Kaur is joined by Paramedic Practitioner Charlotte Humfrey. Charlotte is a team lead for the West London network at the Location Medical Services, and she is building up her own team of paramedics whilst working at the Acute Illness and Urgent Treatment Centre.
 
Charlotte discusses the transition from secondary to primary care, offering first-hand experience and insight from the perspective of a paramedic. She explains why practices may have a misunderstanding of what the role of a paramedic can be, and what she believes the future will hold for paramedics in primary care.
 
Everything we cover in the podcast
1:30 – Why transition from secondary to primary care
4:09 – Transitioning to primary care
6:20 – Benefits of transitioning to primary care
9:13 – Tips for paramedics transitioning to primary care
15:15 – Why practices are struggling to recruit paramedics
19:07 – Misunderstandings about what a paramedic can do
23:26 – The future for paramedics in primary care

A Podcast for GPs considering relocation

We’re excited to share our latest episode featuring Dr James Kier, GP Partner at Lido Medical Practice in St Helier, Jersey.
In this episode of the Illuminating Primary Care podcast, Patrick Flowers discusses all things related to Jersey General Practice, and why you might want to consider moving there as a GP.
Other topics covered are: What are the main benefits of working in Jersey over the UK?; understanding differences between the NHS and a Private Healthcare system and the impact this has on workload; top tips for a GP considering relocating and finally, what the future holds for the NHS.
 
00:56- Dr Kier introduction
01:29- Why did Dr Kier choose to relocate?
02:24- The main advantages of Jersey over Australia and Canada
04:07- Main learning points from moving to Jersey
05:58- How does being a Partner/Business owner in Jersey differ to the UK?
07:53- What are the main benefits between Jersey and UK general practice? What has been the most different and beneficial as a GP?
11:14- Any drawbacks to working in Jersey vs UK as a GP?
13:10- Advice for GPs thinking of relocating
14:48- What does Dr Kier see in the NHS’ future?
16:05- Specific financial benefits of Jersey – Increased sessional rates and less tax
17:58- Get in touch if you’d be interested in talking about Channel Island opportunities!
 

Salary and Contract Negotiations

In this episode, David and Patrick talk about contract and salary negotiations.
They walk you through what might affect sessional rates, differing contract types, BMA model recommendations, and they also offer practical advice for salary negotiations – including what you should definitely avoid when negotiating with a practice!
If you would like to watch the full, free webinar where they discuss this topic in more detail, request the link here.
 
Everything we cover in the podcast:
00:42 Factors affecting sessional rate
04:59 Practical advice for GPs
07:28 Contract negotiations
10:08 BMA contract recommendations
11:28 What to do if a practice doesn’t offer BMA contract
12:35 Common contract variations
14:53 General advice for contract negotiations
17:30 Salary negotiations
19:30 Tips on negotiating
24:25 Things to avoid in salary negotiations

The Stresses of being a GP. Can Anything Help?!

In this episode, we are joined by Dr Clara Doran, a former GP, writer and founder of Noggin The Brain People. Clara is focused on helping everyday folk, including GPs, take better care of themselves and cope with the stresses of daily life.
We discuss some of the techniques and strategies that Clara would recommend to help GPs and other medical professionals cope with the stresses of the job and how to cope with the daily challenges that come their way.
 
Timings:
00:00 - 21:00 - Micro breaks and the importance of sleep
21:00 - 25:00 - Checking in with yourself, how are you feeling?
25:00 - 28:00 - Make sure to communicate 
28:00 - 32:00 - Pressures on GPs
33:00 - 39:00  - Burnout
40:00 - Brain Health 

Expert advice for newly qualified GPs

Matthew and Victoria take you through everything you need to know about what to look for in your first practice, as a newly qualified GP.
 
The pair talk you through everything you need to know, to provide you with extensive detail on what to look for in your first post, useful questions to ask, guidance on what level of salary and benefits to look for, and any pitfalls to avoid! 
 
If you would like to watch the full webinar as mentioned in the podcast, request the link here: https://menloparkrecruitment.com/contact/
 
We will also be running a new series of webinars in June 2023, so if you would like to attend these, free of charge, please request to attend by completing our contact form above. 
 
What do we cover in the podcast:
00:00 - Intro
00:01 - 00:02: What to do before you enquire
00:02 - 00:05: Making your enquiry 
00:05 - 00:07: What are your first impressions of a practice and why are they recruiting?
00:07 - 00:08:  Are you looking for partnership opportunities?
00:08 - 00:09: How to know what type of GP the practice is looking for
00:09 - 00:11: What are you looking for in your role and what is the team like and what are the hours like?
00:11 - 00:14: What is the workload like, what else do you need to find out about the practice? 
00:14 - 00:19:  Once the offer has been made - what you need to know
 
If you would like to attend our next webinar in June, please contact us and we will send you the zoom link https://menloparkrecruitment.com/contact/