The conference programme is currently under development and will be available fully in June 2021. Click below to view early release programme.
Conference programme
The RCGP Annual Conference programme is peer reviewed by senior GPs to ensure we’re bringing you relevant and insightful information. Only the highest scoring sessions, submitted by RCGP members are presented at the conference. Plus our essential CPD sessions ensure you’re up to date with the latest practices and crucial learning on adult and child safeguarding and basic life support.
97% of delegates rate our sessions as excellent/good.
We’ve extended our early bird until 30 June 2021. Register now and save up to £96
Plus we’re delighted to welcome the following keynote speakers:
KEY
GP health and wellbeing
Medical education
Inspiring GP careers
CPD
9:00 -10:10
Conference Chair’s welcome: Dr Michael Mulholland, Vice Chair, Professional Development
President’s welcome: Professor Amanda Howe OBE, President, Royal College of GPs
Chair’s address: Professor Martin Marshall, Chair, Royal College of GPs Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair in Global Public Health, University of Edinburgh
10:20 - 11:05
Sedentary behaviour and physical inactivity are associated with multiple adverse health outcomes and increased mortality. GPs who are more physically active are more likely to recommend physical activity to their patients. Patients are more likely to follow the lifestyle advice from their clinician if they believe that their clinician follows the advice themselves. We have conducted pioneering research examining current levels of sedentary behaviour among General Practice staff. We will summarise and discuss the latest evidence regarding sedentary behaviour and physical activity, before going on to explore ways of reducing sedentary behaviour and increasing physical activity among General Practice staff.
Speakers:
Dr Richard Mayne, GP ACF, Queen’s University Belfast
Dr Neil Heron, Clinical Lecturer, GP, Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine, Queen’s University Belfast
GP health and wellbeing
An audit evaluating the accuracy of clinical coding in COVID-19 local General Practice patients on the EMIS primary care service system. – Ting Ip
Adherence to COVID-19 post-discharge prophylactic anticoagulation best practice standards in local General Practice patients- Zobya Hussain
Oxygen saturation self-monitoring by Covid-19 patients at home – Mark Rickenbach
Evaluating the effectiveness of video intervention at addressing concerns about the Covid-19 vaccination amongst care home staff: A qualitative study – Ailin Anto & Arunima Basu
Necessity is the mother of invention: Developing remote clinical teaching for General Practice during the COVID-19 pandemic – Dr Ciaran Conway
A personality disorder training programme for general practice teams transforms attitudes and facilitates specific practice level change – Rob Schafer
GP Trainee Hubs – an innovative model to support GP training in Urgent and Unscheduled Care during the ‘out of hours’ period – Anne Whitehouse
CPD Essentials
BREAK
11:55 - 12:40
1.1 billion prescriptions are issued within primary care annually, costing £9.2 billion. A significant proportion of prescriptions are ineffective, result an adverse drug reactions or simply increase the burden of polypharmacy. Pharmacogenomics, study of how genes affect a person’s response to specific drugs, promises the ability to predict how effective or safe drugs may be for an individual; the NHS is progressing towards implementation of pharmacogenomic testing. Will Pharmacogenomics make prescribing safer, reduce inappropriate polypharmacy and save money? Or is it merely ‘hope and hype’ adding complexity but not value to prescribing? Join our ‘prescribing debate’ and find out!
Speakers:
Professor Nadeem Qureshi, Professor of Primary Care, University of Nottingham
Professor Tony Avery, Professor of Primary Care, University of Nottingham
Professor Bruce Guthrie, Professor of General Practice, University of Edinburgh
Dr Jude Hayward, GPwSI in Clinical Genomics, Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust
Dr Imran Rafi, Reader in Primary Care and Genomics, St. George’s University, London
CPD: Professional Topics
What is the effectiveness of brief interventions on changing alcohol use in young people? A systematic review. – Kate King
Quality Improvement Project: Identifying child-safeguarding concerns in General Practice.- Sara Pradhan
Young peoples’ perspectives on accessing primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a quality improvement project – Meriel Raine
How accurately can the NICE Traffic Light System predict serious illness in acutely unwell children under five? A retrospective cohort study. – Amy Clark
Ethnic-specific BMI cut-off points for overweight and obesity based on type 2 diabetes mellitus risk : a cohort study of 1.5 million people in England – Rishi Caleyachetty
Cost-effectiveness of oral ondansetron for children with acute gastroenteritis in primary care: a randomised controlled trial – Anouk AH Weghorst
Supporting doctors through complaints processes: A cross-sectional survey of UK doctors and medical students – Leila Ellis & Laura Humes
LUNCH
13:40 - 14:25
Evidence shows that continuity of care in general practice is beneficial for both staff and patients. But in an age of intense workforce pressures, new models of general practice, and new innovations and technologies in response to COVID-19, what are the practical steps primary care professionals can take so that continuity is maintained or even enhanced? This session will explore how continuity can be improved and maintained during and beyond the pandemic. This interactive session will draw on the practical learning from the Health Foundation’s two-year programme supporting five sites covering 500k+ patients to increase continuity in general practice.
Speakers:
Candida Perera, Head of Improvement Programmes, The Health Foundation
Hugh Reeve, GP Partner, Nutwood Medical Practice
Professor Mark Rickenbach, GP and Professor of Healthcare, Park and St Francis Surgery, University of Winchester
CPD: Professional Topics
There are many people who have problems in the recovery from COVID19 which is not just confined to initially severe illness. This session will be aimed at providing clinicians with real advice on how to manage this substantial patient population learning from regional and national experts familiar with recovery after hospitalisation, those with earlier problems and those with longer term symptoms. Useful tips for understanding the spectrum of problems being seen and management options to help them.
Speakers:
Dr Steve Holmes, General Practitioner, The Park Medical Practice Shepton Mallet
CPD: Clinical topics
TELEHEALTH embracing new tools to enhance the care of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients during COVID-19 – Danielle Reesby
Audit of Capacity Assessment Documentation across 2 hospital sites – how can we help junior doctors to write legally sufficient assessments? – Kimi Worsdell & George Lodge
Implementation of a Primary Care health optimisation and prehabilitation service at point of suspicion of cancer, can it improve health and wellbeing? – Rachel Lee
The Macmillan Primary Care Cancer Framework: introducing primary care participation to welsh cancer platforms. – Ruth Corbally
A Review of the Prescribing of Hormone Replacement Therapy in Primary Care – Zahra Khan
The Use of Beta Blockers in those with Uncontrolled Asthma – Daisy Williams
An observational study of the compliance of bespoke Mandibular Advancement splints for Sleep Disordered Breathing – Deborah Thomas & Sara McNeillis
A whistle-stop tour through the unique challenges of Adult Safeguarding. We will cover Safeguarding Principals & the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty & the new Liberty Protection Safeguards, Enduring Power of Attorney & will finish up discussing some of the different forms of abuse. I will provide plenty of anonymised cases throughout, to hopefully make it more interesting & clinically relevant
Dr Rowena Christmas, GP, Wye Valley Practice
CPD Essentials
14:35 - 15:20
We are all in need of activities which boost our happiness levels, counter stress & protect against the vicissitudes of ever increasing workplace demands. The 2020 pandemic has left healthcare practitioners cut off from social activities which ordinarily can protect us from burnout. The one constant was, and remains, the natural world. For many of us developing a love of nature ” biophilia’ has been a profound discovery; for others it has brought a deeper connection. Being occupied outdoors can repair and restore tiredness and disillusionment. It offers hope and seasonal regeneration. This practical session will inspire through visual imagery, a wide ranging evidence base of real-world examples and the growing evidence base for why ‘green time’ (spending time in nature) is good for our physical health and emotional well-being.
Speakers:
Dr Jane Roberts, GP Partner, Joint Clinical Lead for Mental Health Liverpool CCG, Aintree Park Group Practice
Dr Sue Stuart-Smith, Psychiatrist & Psychotherapist, Author, Tavistock Clinic, London & DocHealth
GP health and wellbeing
It’s an emergency! Organisational change following Activity Theory analysis of a team-based response to paediatric emergencies in General Practice – Sarah O’Hare
MDT working for people living with frailty in the context of covid-19: a multi-professional training project – Benedict Hayhoe
PRECODE: A mixed-methods exploration of the primary care response to domestic violence during the COVID pandemic. – Sharon Dixon
Transforming the Two-Week Wait Pathway: Management of Breast Pain in Primary Care – Thilan Bartholomeuz
Establishing a proactive process for DMARD monitoring and prescribing utilising Practice Nurses and Clinical Pharmacists – Katrina Catton
Improving continuity of care in General Practice – our practice experience over a year – Simon Thornton
Cost and Effectiveness of Extended Scope Physiotherapy Practitioners in Primary Care – Sanjeev Chaand Sharma
BREAK
16:10 - 16:55
The need to extend the range of shared learning resources to support undergraduate teaching in general practice was brought starkly into focus by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This interactive session will present and demonstrate a range of novel learning and teaching resources developed jointly by RCGP (Royal College of General Practitioners), SAPC (The Society for Academic Primary Care) and MSC (Medical Schools Council) since the onset of the pandemic to support medical student learning in general practice. We will demonstrate how these resources can be used in GP surgeries and virtual teaching seminars, giving session participants an opportunity to discuss how they might work best in their own settings.
Speakers:
Professor Joe Rosenthal, Professor of Primary Care Education, UCL Medical School
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Head of Graduate Entry Medicine, Swansea University Medical School
Medical Education
GPs change as we get older, and of course we don’t change in the same ways. Each of us have our own unique life choices. This workshop will help participants to consider what guiding values may help in their decisions about how to spend their time in future. Dr Amar Rughani wrote an article “Moving On” https://bjgplife.com/rughani in June 2020 with his thoughts on moving between what he calls “the natural arcs in our lives”. He will be our key speaker, leading on to discussions in the room, triggered by questions arising from his themes.
Speakers:
Dr Amar Rughani, Provost RCGP South Yorkshire North Trent Faculty, RCGP
Dr Pamela Martin, Retired GP and Volunteer, South London
Inspiring GP Careers
Case Study: Anaphylaxis and the clinical and psychological continuum of care – Sara Pradhan
The personal experience of UK-based doctors suffering from nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP)/hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) both as patients and at work – Sophie Rowlands
TELEHEALTH reviews for asthma patients during COVID-19 – Carl Deaney
Development and evaluation of an online education tool on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder for general practitioners: the importance of co-production – Blandine French
Prostate cancer and supportive care: a systematic review – Jai Prashar
Trauma-informed care in primary care: a UK policy document review – Elizabeth Emsley
Embedding the right approaches to social prescribing in primary care: An ethnographic exploration of primary care and link worker perspectives. – Bethan Griffith
Dr Joy Shacklock, GP Partner and RCGP Safeguarding Lead, North Yorkshire CCG
CPD Essentials
09:00 - 09:45
Speakers: Professor Michael Kidd
09:55 - 10:40
There is a widespread wish to ‘build back better’ after the pandemic but uncertainty about what that means and how to do it. If GPs work towards becoming net zero carbon practices it drives improvements in planetary, population and personal health. This promotes a healthier and more sustainable world where natural systems are not disrupted, public health is not harmed and personal health solutions that are evidence-based and available.
Speakers:
Dr Terry Kemple, RCGP National representative for Sustainability, Climate Change and Green Issues
Dr Aarti Bansal, GP, Greener Practice
CPD: Professional Topics
Long COVID is a new and emerging illness which first emerged around April 2020. As time has gone on we have seen a rise in cases and it is thought to affect up to 25% of patients between the age of 25 and 60. Having experienced this illness first hand, alongside other affected colleagues we have gathered the evidence as it’s been emerging and have shared our own experiences which may help our colleagues decipher the puzzle that is this new illness. We hope to dispel myths and discuss why we should have listened better to our patients with post viral symptoms previously.
Speakers:
Dr Amy Small, Locum GP, Lothian, Scotland
Dr Harsha Master, GP lead in COVID rehabilitation, Hertfordshire Community Trust
CPD: Clinical Topics
Improving the quality of Cancer Care Reviews’ in Primary Care Wales – Susan Llewelyn & Juliet Norwood
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer education and the interface between Primary and Secondary care – Gemma Eccles
All change! Transforming undergraduate GP taught content in the peri COVID world. – Elora Baishnab
Heart sink feelings in consultations – how to overcome these and help your patients – Hugh Reeve
Impact of Covid 19 on Secure Environments: Collaborative working at a new level – Saloni Jain
Evidence of Long Covid in Children – Sammie Mcfarland
Dr Joy Shacklock, GP Partner and RCGP Safeguarding Lead, North Yorkshire CCG
CPD Essentials
11:30 - 12:15
The inverse care law lives on in general practice. Our most deprived communities have the highest levels of physical and mental illness, but remain underfunded and under-doctored. This engaging session combines national policy with local action, considering how to tackle the inverse care law in general practice. You’ll hear about new research, gain an understanding of where problems are, what’s been tried already, and what might help. This interactive session will allow you to share your views and experiences, and hear from GPs working in national policy and in their own practices to improve outcomes for patients in deprived areas.
Speakers:
Dr Rebecca Fisher, GP, Senior Policy Fellow at the Health Foundation, The Health Foundation
Dr Rachel Steen, GP, Sheffield
CPD: Professional Topics
A whistle-stop tour through the unique challenges of Adult Safeguarding. We will cover Safeguarding Principals & the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty & the new Liberty Protection Safeguards, Enduring Power of Attorney & will finish up discussing some of the different forms of abuse. I will provide plenty of anonymised cases throughout, to hopefully make it more interesting & clinically relevant
Dr Rowena Christmas, GP, Wye Valley Practice
CPD Essentials
12:25- 13:25
NHS Question Time is our popular version of the BBC TV debate show, in which a varied panel of guests is asked questions on the hot healthcare topics of the day by a live audience of GPs. It’s always a lively session and you can find a video of the 2019 session here
Chair: Dr Steve Mowle, RCGP Honorary Treasurer
Panellists (confirmed):
Professor Martin Marshall, Chair of RCGP Council
Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and Primary Care Director, NHS England
Dr Aarti Bansal, GP Founder of Greener Practice
LUNCH
14:25 - 15:10
CPD Essentials
BREAK
15:55 - 16:40
Eczema and acne are “bread and butter” problems mostly managed in primary care, but what is the latest evidence? In this practical session, we will cover common problems and what the latest research says about best practice for managing these conditions. Which emollients are worth trying first, what is the evidence around safe use of topical corticosteroids and is there a role for food allergy testing in eczema? Which topical agent is best for acne, where do oral antibiotics fit in and what other primary care treatment options are there?
Speakers:
Professor Miriam Santer, GP & Professor of Primary Care Research, University of Southampton
Dr Matthew Ridd, GP & Reader in Primary Health Care University of Bristol
CPD: Clinical Topics
16:50 - 17:10
Professor Amanda Howe OBE, President, Royal College of GPs