Knowledgebase

Dapagliflozin with insulin for patients with Type 1 Diabetes

This is a new guideline from NICE on using dapagliflozin in patients with Type 1 diabetes.

Locums as educators – every day is a learning day

Every day is a learning day in general practice. We are constantly learning from patients, members of the primary care team, and our secondary care colleagues.

Being mindful of 
medical hierarchy

Medical hierarchy may present a challenge, and at times a possible reluctance, to open discussions about patients. Dr Rachel Birch, medicolegal consultant at Medical Protection, discusses possible reasons for this and provides helpful strategies to overcome this.

Meet the locum GP specialist

For years, we’ve been calling for recognition that locuming involves performing in a specialised environment requiring at least a mention in formal GP training. We brought that together in a one-day GP locum masterclass with the BMJ.

Burnout and how 
to avoid it

Burnout among GPs can be an occupational hazard and is believed to be increasingly common. Dr Rachel Birch, medicolegal consultant at Medical Protection, discusses burnout and the steps that sessional GPs can take to avoid it.

The story of a locum session; missing out on marginal gains

In this final article, we'll run through a hypothetical locum session (but inspired by real events!) and the typical response to errors, finally examining how a more considered, system-based approach based on the learning from psychology and Black Box thinking could promote patient safety, practice efficiency and GP morale and retention.

Systems to 
improve continuity of care

Following on from her previous article Dis-continuity; putting care into context, Dr Sara Chambers explores the idea that sometimes continuity of care is deployed to paper over the cracks where 'continuity of management' and 'information' is lacking or even absent, and why the locum's perspective needs to be part of a future solution.

Podcast | I’m a GeriGP

NASGP member Eva Kalmus describes how she became co-chair of the new GeriGP group of the British Geriatrics Society (BGS), and why being a portfolio GP has never been boring.

State-backed indemnity – 
what it means for sessional GPs

There's still some uncertainty about the new state-backed indemnity scheme for England and Wales, and Rachel Birch from the MPS has the answers.

Dis-continuity – putting 
care into context

Much is made of continuity of care, but little time is spent examining its weaknesses and exploring the alternatives. In the first of a two-part series, Dr Sara Chambers helps put continuity into context.

Should GP locums use WhatsApp to book work?

What you gain in convenience, you lose in the ability to control significant aspects of your practice

Locuming; it takes skill, needs training

Over 2,000 doctors will have qualified as GPs in the last 12 months, each having spent in the region of two years working in at least one, possibly several, GP surgeries, but including training on how to be a GP locum?

Elementary my dear doctor

Fed up of the world seeing GPs as the honest but dim-witted Watson, I took it upon myself to change our image in the public arena.

Is laughter the 
best medicine?

Dr Rachel Birch, medicolegal adviser at Medical Protection, addresses this issue in more detail and presents a case where humour had unintended consequences.

Podcast | A viper’s nest: when venom is a man’s best friend

Did you know that captopril was derived from the venom of the deadly Brazilian pit viper? Since it went on the market in 1981 captopril and its successor ACE inhibitors have probably saved many more lives than have been lost to pit vipers.

e-Learning | Bladder Pain Syndrome (Interstitial Cystitis)

Bisphosphonates, raloxifene and teriparatide for treating osteoporosis

Hearing loss and ear wax

The plane truth – Black Box Thinking in the NHS

Stop smoking intervention

Heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia)

The doctor’s bag

Home visits, the decline 
of the roving doctor

The evolution of mistakes and errors – an NHS perspective

Nice Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD guideline

Kyleena – a new intrauterine system for contraception

Otitis Media – when to use antibiotics

The case for 
GP locum chambers

There are many benefits to being part of a chambers if you are a GP locum, but what can you do if there is no chambers in your local area? Dr Richard Fieldhouse provides some advice.

Instant Book – does it sound too scary?

LocumDeck's Instant Book is the key to giving locums control of their work whilst at the same time giving incredible service to practices.

Peristeen transanal irrigation system for managing bowel dysfunction

Pancreatic cancer in adults (when to offer surveillance)

Faltering growth in children

Sore throat – when to use antibiotics

Diagnosing and managing cystic fibrosis

Multiple Sclerosis – Cladribine tablets (Mavenclad)

Sinusitis treatment down to five days

Fitness to fly

Latest endometriosis NG73 guidelines from NICE

Significant events and Swiss cheese

There is a scientific discipline called human factors and ergonomics (HF&E) which recognises the absolute certainty that human beings will make mistakes, and so seeks to design working systems and environments that work around our human nature to reduce the risk of error as far as possible.

Lost in translation

But what if all GPs were locums?

By the time we qualify as GPs, we have some 20,000 ‘bits’ of clinical information stored in our brains at any one time that we can retrieve 24/7 to make a clinical diagnosis within seconds

Podcast | Why did we call it LocumDeck?

It actually took us a while what to call it. Richard Fieldhouse and Sara Chambers help explain not just why we call it LocumDeck, but also something about what it does and how it empowers locum GPs.