This week Emma speaks to Dr Caroline Watson, who is chair of the Royal College of GPs Secure Environments Group and has over a decade of experience working as a GP in prisons in England. Caroline is currently clinical director of Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust Secure Services and works as a GP at HMP Bedford.

Caroline explains how she got involved in working in secure environments, what working in these environments entails, and the challenges faced by GPs working in them. She also discusses the complexities of prescribing in prisons, the common health issues seen in prisoners, and the multidisciplinary teams that GPs work alongside.

Caroline shares her insights into the rewarding aspects of working in secure environments and the role of the RCGP Secure Environments Group in championing improved healthcare for people in contact with the criminal justice system – and she offers some practical advice for GPs interested in this career path.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

RCGP Secure Environments Group

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(Please note in this episode we mistakenly refer to a report on GP partner numbers as being produced by the Health Foundation. It was in fact produced by the Nuffield Trust)

This week Emma and Nick discuss falling numbers of GP partners and what this could mean for the future of general practice.

They talk about what went on at the UK LMCs conference last week, where the BMA launched a new report highlighting the value of a GP and there were debates on GP unemployment and the employer national insurance increase.

And they look at the latest on plans to cut back ICBs, after an NHS England blueprint suggested this could mean some big changes for primary care.

Our good news story this week is about a pilot in general practice in Manchester that is aiming to cut falls among older patients

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and deputy editor Nick Bostock. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Useful links

In charts: How the loss of GP partners is accelerating

Viewpoint: Is the partnership model really in decline?

BMA dossier defines 'value of a GP' in push for fresh investment

LMCs hear harrowing stories of GPs impacted by unemployment crisis

National insurance hike is 'death sentence' for some GP practices, LMCs warn

ICBs told to 'merge functions' as blueprint outlines primary care shift

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This week Emma speaks to Professor Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard, who is a GP and the national chief medical officer in New Zealand.

Helen took on her new role as chief medical officer six months ago, however many UK doctors will know her from her previous roles as chair of the Royal College of GPs, a post she held from between 2016 and 2019 and as chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges during the pandemic from 2020 to 2023. Before her move to New Zealand she was also a GP partner at a practice in Staffordshire, a professor of GP Education at the University of Birmingham and a member of the NHS England board.

In this conversation Helen explains what prompted her to take such a big step in her career and move to the other side of the world, how the health system in New Zealand compares with the UK and what it’s like working as a frontline GP there. She also talks about the emotional impact of leaving her practice - and her life - in the UK.

Helen offers some practical tips to other GPs taking on leadership roles, and those considering moving to work in another country, based on her own experiences, and gives her view on the UK government’s decision to scrap NHS England.

This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.

Visit GPonline for all the latest news affecting general practice and other resources to support GPs https://www.gponline.com

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