Programme

'Genomics' is recognised in Primary Care through presentations of family history of cancer or an inherited condition, or symptoms or investigations with a possible underlying genetic diagnosis.  It is an area in which practitioners find it hard to address learning needs; the preference is to seek information at the point-of-care.   

Through the just-in-time education resource 'Genotes' (Genomics Education Programme), attendees will be taken through quick-fire real-life clinical scenarios and given concise and practical information for clinical management, incorporating updates on recent guidance and programmes such as NICE Familial Ovarian Cancer, Clopidogrel genotyping, Sudden Cardiac Death and Bowel Cancer screening.

Social prescribing is now an integral part of primary care, and over 2.4 million patients have been referred, with further expansion commitments in the NHS Workforce Plan. We explore how this approach is enabling primary care to address the underlying causes of ill-health, and supporting vulnerable patients to maintain their own health and wellbeing. The latest examples and robust evidence will be shared, both in the UK and other trailblazing countries globally. We will encourage delegates to explore how their own social prescribing services can be enhanced and consider future developments in an interactive, fun and energising session.  

The Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) poses a significant challenge for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) in the UK, evidenced by a 45.3% pass rate for first-time exam takers during GP training. In response, the Chesterfield Training Programme Directors (CTPD) devised a 5-point strategy. This approach utilises insights from the RCGP AKT review documents, focusing on aiding IMG registrars in addressing challenges encountered in answering AKT questions. The strategy includes identifying and addressing topics causing difficulties, as indicated in the AKT feedback report, aiming to level the playing field for IMGs and improve their success rates in the examination.

There has been a rise in young people presenting to general practice gender questioning or as a trans-person. In a paper published in June 2019, The Royal College of GPs recognised that GPs are not experienced in treating and managing patients with gender dysphoria and trans health issues, nor is it part of the GP curriculum or GP speciality training. This, alongside significant problems with referral pathways, leads to a lack of confidence in how to approach consultations especially with young people. The session aims to address this.

Safeguarding children, and adults at risk of harm, is an integral part of general practice. It is intrinsic to the holistic care we give our patients but can be complex and challenging. Safeguarding learning is career-long and ever evolving. It needs to represent and respond to the voice and needs of victims and survivors of abuse. To do this, the RCGP has developed new professional safeguarding standards for general practice along with new resources. Join us to hear about the new standards and resources, RCGP safeguarding policy, and what the RCGP is doing to support safeguarding in general practice. 

The RCGP and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) have created a guide for early-career researchers about how they get involved and learn more about research. This session will be an interactive summary and launch of that guide including exciting opportunities to explore your interests and practical ways to improve your skills.  

You will: 

1. Gain a greater understanding of what research is and why it is so important. 

2. Be signposted to numerous opportunities to develop your skills and get involved. 

3. Explore how research can fit into your career and be linked to your interests.

Primary Care Networks should encourage Work-Able Digital Champions in each participating general practice; to become familiar with the range of digital resources for creating and sustaining healthy workplaces and practice team members adopting self-care. We have received national funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocated to Stoke-on-Trent to evolve and provide healthy workplace kits for 20 or so local practices and a range of other NHS and community organisations. The themes include: combatting work stress, back pain and the effects of the menopause, adopting healthy lifestyle habits and utilising digital aids matched to an individual's personal circumstances/health and wellbeing.   

We will share our learning and experience in this session, with many 'take home' messages and links to freely available good practice guides that participants can use in their own NHS setting(s).

While most veterans have similar levels of health to the general population, more than half of (52%) have long-term illness, disability, or infirmity, higher than in general population (35%). They are also more likely to have higher rates of common mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. Alcohol is part of military life and alcohol abuse leads to mental problems for veterans. This session will help GPs identify veterans and highlight referral pathways taking care away from the busy clinician. Accrediting your Practice as Veterans Friendly will improve the health care of veterans. 

Clinical case reviews (learning logs) in the trainee portfolio promote the reflective learning cycle, and enable trainees to tag both curriculum capabilities and clinical experience groups to their learning logs.    

However, is there a risk of plagiarism from artificial intelligence tools? Or should these tools be harnessed to promote learning, and if so, how? Or should clinical case reviews be replaced with another form of evidence to demonstrate learning?

An estimated 340,000 people are thought to have a gambling disorder in the UK, and another two million people in the UK experience some harm from gambling and are at risk of developing a gambling disorder.  

Currently, healthcare professionals have low awareness in this area and limited knowledge on how to identify and assist patients experiencing gambling harm.  

This session will explore the patient perspective and provide GPs with some take away actions to implement in their practice. The RCGP is delivering a Gambling Harms project to raise awareness and help reduce the stigma attached to seeking help. 

One of the main greenhouse gas emitters, and something that we do not often consider, is the food industry. We know that one third of food is wasted in the UK, and that hospitals are making fantastic attempts to reduce this. We also know the importance of supporting local and seasonal food produce. As healthcare professionals, what is the impact of the food we eat, how it is grown, how it is packaged and transported- and how can we advocate for healthy and sustainable eating for us, and for our patients? 

'Ikigai' (ee-Key-guy) from the Japanese concept of ‘Finding my Purpose’ An interactive session aimed at helping middle to later careers GPs consider what they need and what to do to remain healthy, fulfilled and successful in NHS practice. 

This session explores everyday experiences of living with multimorbidity. Grounded in qualitative research conducted in East London, we highlight patients’ experiences with polypharmacy, health disparities, and the navigation of care services as central to the challenge of multimorbidity. Facilitated by anthropologist, Esca van Blarikom, and academic GP, Najia Sultan, the session offers a conceptual introduction to multimorbidity followed by an excerpt from the research film 'Harbouring Illness'. This documentary offers a portrait of three women living with long-term health conditions. Session participants will be invited to discuss and reflect upon the film and the challenges of multimorbidity in Primary Care.

• Awareness of the significant impact that neurodiversity can have in GP Training is increasing. 

• Significant stigma continues to be felt, and the impact of cultural beliefs and understanding can result in intersectionality. 

• In Yorkshire and the Humber, we have been proactively offering neurodiversity screening to all trainees at the start of training on a voluntary basis. 

• The impact of an early diagnosis on trainees will be discussed in terms of exam success, workplace adaptations and wellbeing. 

• We will focus on the support mechanisms that we have developed, particularly encouraging neuroaffirmative practice.

The NHS needs advanced generalist medicine, now more than ever. Patients, professionals and policy makers urgently need access to the distinct expertise of whole-person, tailored healthcare. But it has been designed out of the way we run and support everyday practice. Join us to take a critical creative WiseGP look at your own practice set-up. Together, we will use our new 4Es framework to identify strengths and gaps in advanced generalist provision within your own practice teams. And we’ll invite you to work with us beyond the session to make the changes we need to reclaim general practice. 

The presentation highlights crucial role of time management in General Practice (GP) emphasizing the balance between patient care and administrative tasks. Key takeaways include conducting a personal time audit, employing prioritization techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix, and setting realistic goals. The importance of effective appointment scheduling, delegation, and utilization of technology, especially electronic health records are discussed. Stress management techniques to be provided for GPs. The session aims to enhance efficiency, reduce stress, improve GPs personal or professional well-being. 

Currently it seems possible that the legislation regarding assisted dying may change in the Isle of Man. There is also a parliamentary review occurring in Scotland. 

If assisted dying is legalised in the Isle of Man , what will that mean for GPs on the Isle and those on the British mainland, especially in places like Liverpool which are in close proximity ? 

Will GPs be expected to be involved? Will GPs not be involved at all? 

Will GPs be expected to do assessments regarding AD? What about conscientious objection? What will it mean for GPs in the rest of the U.K.?  

Will people now travel from the rest of the U.K. to the Isle of Man? 

What form would AD take? 

There are many unanswered questions, and this session is aimed at discussing them. 

This session will reflect on how social issues such as poor housing, poverty, food quality, or discrimination have an impact on the health of our populations, and how they explain health inequalities. Presenting the RCGPs policy work on health inequalities, it will discuss what the role of general practice is in tackling inequalities and what can be done to equip GPs and their teams with the tools they need to help reduce health inequalities.

We will explore Burnout theory utilising the three circles model of Self-care (Threat-focussed, Drive & Achievement, Connect, Soothe & Self-care Systems) to help the audience understand the mechanics of the three systems, their neurophysiology and their effects on our thoughts emotions and behaviours. 

We will cover the science behind the compassion, before focussing on the evidence behind the Why of General Practice: Continuity of Care.

Medications account for 25% of the NHS carbon footprint, they can be lifesaving but can also cause harm. This interactive session looks at the scale of the opportunity, and recognises the challenges and complexity of medicines optimisation. The session offers practical solutions for teams – vote on your preferred option. Quiz cases consider common clinical prescribing scenarios.   

“There is a huge prize to be gained in improving the health of millions of people - comparable to a new blockbuster medicine - if only we can get this right.”

Persistent Physical Symptoms (PPS), formerly known as medically unexplained symptoms, represent more than 1/3 of GP consultations.  These consultations can feel frustrating for healthcare professionals and leave patients feeling disappointed and misunderstood.   

This interactive workshop introduces the mechanisms of PPS, why PPS is significant for primary care, the role of explanation and reassurance in recovery, and how ‘applied medical improv’ (not role-play) insights can help healthcare professionals improve the quality of care and better support patients with PPS.    

This workshop helps healthcare professionals both improve their practice and develop new patient-centred approaches for PPS patients.

Managing the symptoms of a person at or approaching end of life is a core part of general practice and a core skill for GPs and practice teams. This session will use clinical case examples alongside current guidance to give practical clinical information about management of common symptoms. The session will include assessment, pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of common symptoms experienced at end of life . Symptoms discussed will include pain, breathlessness, nausea and vomiting, distressing respiratory secretions, hiccups, anxiety, agitation and delirium. We will discuss some of the practical issues around managing end of life care at home. The session will be presented by GPs with expert specialist knowledge in managing these symptoms in the community. 

The workshop, titled "Innovative Strategies for Embedding Lifestyle Medicine in Primary Care: A Blueprint for Collaborative Action," offers a comprehensive exploration of a groundbreaking initiative originating from the Leamington Primary Care Network (PCN). The 45-minute session delves into the development, implementation, and evaluation of a lifestyle medicine service that showcased promising results in addressing chronic conditions through a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach.

According to the UNHCR, in November 2022 there were 231,597, 127,421 pending asylum cases and 5,483 stateless persons in the UK. There are many reasons why people make a perilous journey from their country of origin to the UK and this talk will give an overview of some of the reasons and the triggers that can cause mental health decline. When arriving in the UK it is important to holistically care for the patient and there will be resources highlighted to aid GPs in caring for this patient population.  

This would be a similar session (but bigger) to what was delivered on the RCGP Stand in Glasgow 2023- a panel of First5 GPs who hold a variety of additional roles, talking about their interest areas, how they have come into this and how it helps sustain their careers. This will be a chaired session. the session chair will ask questions to the panellists, as well as inviting audience participation with questions in the room and on the app. A similar setup to the popular "ask the chairs" session that happens every year at conference.

Shared decision-making is a vital skill in general practice, but it is commonly misunderstood, and it can be difficult to know if we’re doing it or not. This session will introduce a suite of new virtual patients designed to support clinicians in developing their shared decision-making skills. And we will disseminate and discuss results from the formal qualitative evaluation of the impact of the new virtual patients on shared decision-making in clinical practice. The experience of clinicians is key in understanding the role of this learning for clinical practice.

Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers: Effective Engagement in Primary Care: This session illuminates strategies for enhancing engagement across various healthcare domains. From within your GP practice and primary care networks to neighbourhoods and broader healthcare systems, the session offers practical tips, tools, and methods to maximize impact. Attendees will gain insights on fostering effective communication, breaking down barriers, and building collaborative bridges within and beyond their practice. This dynamic session empowers healthcare professionals to navigate and strengthen connections at every level, ultimately advancing the quality and impact of care delivery in diverse healthcare settings.

"Late-Career GP: Opportunity Knocks” explores the effective late-career transition to whatever one makes of it: some cannot wait to escape Primary care, others want to contribute and develop the NHS widely, whilst others stay at the Coal Face.  This session will explore options associated with Primary Care, rather Pensions, camper vans, or new business enterprises!  Emphasizing the value of experience in enhancing patient care and mentoring new doctors, there will be a short overview with audience participation, followed by 2 speakers with varied experience after formal retirement. Delegates will be encouraged to speculate personally and perhaps change paradigm.

Using a table-top simulation exercise known as a tactical decision game, this interactive session will explore the complexities and nuances of triage decision making in General Practice. Participants will be asked to rank patient presentations in order of priority and decide as a group the best course of action whilst justifying the decisions made. This is a novel way of teaching this growing area of General Practice, and may be of particular interest to both educators and learners alike.    

Enhancing asthma care in the UK is imperative, given its alarming asthma mortality rates, ranking among the highest in Europe. The 2014 National Review of Asthma Deaths identified preventable factors in a staggering 90% of cases, while a significant number of individuals with asthma endure unnecessary symptoms and attacks. Two critical focal points involve optimising medication delivery to patients and concurrently addressing the carbon footprint tied to pressurised metered dose inhaler prescribing, which accounts for 13% of the NHS's direct carbon footprint. Join this session to discover actionable strategies for elevating the quality of asthma care in practice settings.

This session offers insights into the establishment and operation of a successful system wide Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) network within primary care in Birmingham and Solihull. The discussion will delve into the triumphs and challenges encountered throughout this process. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the strategies that contributed to the network's success, as well as the obstacles that were navigated. The session aims to provide valuable reflections that can inform future initiatives and inspire participants to actively engage in fostering more inclusive and equitable healthcare environments within primary care settings. The session aims to explore the journey of implementing and sustaining an EDI network, with a focus on the lessons learned, achievements, and the ongoing commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in healthcare.

1 in 2 of us will develop cancer. Primary care has a key role in cancer detection, via supporting asymptomatic screening programmes and symptomatic diagnosis. This session will summarise latest evidence to help GPs and teams keep up to date in this rapidly changing area. It will cover novel approaches for asymptomatic screening, such as self testing (cervical), higher risk screening (lung and oesophageal) and reducing inequalities. For symptomatic patients, evidence for triage tests and rapid diagnostic centres (RDCs) for vague symptoms will be outlined. Finally, the potential for multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests in both asymptomatic and symptomatic populations.

Are you fed up with always having to step up to lead change? Want to share the responsibility with the rest of your team, but can’t seem to make this happen? Then read on. Leadership in primary care, getting the best from each other to achieve more, isn’t a skill just possessed by a few. It’s a capability that many have but need help finding their inner leader. In this dynamic session we describe how you can build a team of effective leaders in practical ways you can action tomorrow. 

Symptoms are central to our work as general practitioners. As well as new symptoms, we deal with persistent symptoms such as pain, dizziness and fatigue. Persistent symptoms often defy diagnosis and frustrate patients and practitioners. There is an emerging science of symptoms - of how our brains read and interpret our bodies - but this hasn't yet gone mainstream. This session will briefly introduce this science of symptoms. It will move on to looking at how GPs can use this science to listen more confidently, explain persistent symptoms to patients, and maximise the reassurance from necessary diagnostic tests.