MDDUS
INSIGHT
PRIMARY

Rediscovering the joy of general practice

Photograph of white house in Scottish mountains
Photo graphic of laptop with floating icons Practice systems

Making “new normal” the norm

Head of training Liz Price assesses the risks of embedding new models of care safely into practice.

Diagram of cross section through melanoma Pitfalls

Diagnosing malignant melanoma

GP Dr Barry Gibson-Smith discusses some common pitfalls in spotting melanoma.

Man taking call with telephone headset Advice

Call log

A range of common - and not so common - queries from GPs and practice managers.

Doctor consulting patient records Record keeping

Altering clinical records – do’s and don’ts

Clinical records should be made contemporaneously - but there are occasions when it's reasonable to alter an existing record.

King's coronation logo Practice management

Do we need to give staff an extra bank holiday in May?

Are practices obliged to give employees an extra day off for the coronation?

Photograph of defibrillator box on wall Best practice

Being prepared for unexpected medical emergencies

Would you know what to do if the practice was asked for access to its defibrillator?

Case file: Claim

Twisted ankle

...Dr G receives a letter claiming failure to diagnose the ankle fracture and refer for X-ray...

Blurred photograph of ambulance Case file: GMC

Alleged falsification of notes

...In her complaint to the GMC Mrs V states that Dr T failed to correctly check her brother’s vital signs and falsified readings...

Laptop with man typing Case file: advice

Dispute over referral letter

...Ms S alleges that Dr N provided “selective and inaccurate details” in a referral letter...

Painting of surgeon John Hunter with backdrop of skeleton Feature

A more perfect language than that of words

Allan Gaw celebrates the reopening of the Hunterian Museum in London and the inspiring figure at its heart.

Human hand touching robot hand Ethics

The human touch

Professor Deborah Bowman defers to AI for her latest column – and the results are rather less than human.

Dr John Alcindor Vignette

The Trinidad doctor who became a local hero

John Alcindor - Dedicated clinician who furthered the cause of equality throughout his career.

Row of burnt matchsticks Risk

Burnout risks patient safety

The rising incidence and severity of reported burnout among NHS staff is not just a wellbeing issue.

Elderly woman being clinically monitored at home Innovation

Virtual wards in action

One initiative to ease pressure on overstretched hospital services.

Photograph of pregnant patient undergoing ultrasound examination Dilemma

Consent and Gillick competence

A young patient refuses life-saving treatment. What would you do?

News

Digital mental health therapies offer promise of wider access

10 March 2023

New clinical statements address pneumonia in people with learning disability

08 March 2023

NHS plan to further reduce opioid prescribing

08 March 2023

Too many patients fall into “referral black hole”

27 February 2023

Step closer in regulation of anaesthesia associates and physician associates

24 February 2023

GMC campaign to tackle bias in its work

21 February 2023

Enduring Covid concern reflected in NHS web visits

14 February 2023

More News

MDDUS Updates

Advice for junior doctor members during industrial action

07 March 2023

Scottish GDPs: ensure you check your nhs.scot email inbox

31 January 2023

Supporting members with temporary GMC registration – make sure you update MDDUS

31 January 2023

Protect your personal finances – with 20 per cent off*

30 January 2023

A quarter of junior doctors are victims of race hate at work

19 January 2023

MDDUS call to members - send us your photos

18 January 2023

One in three UK junior doctors are going hungry on shift

16 November 2022

MDDUS Updates

Editor: Dr Susan Gibson-Smith

Managing editor: Jim Killgore

Associate editor: Joanne Curran

Email: insight@mddus.com

Editorial departments

Medical: Dr Susan Gibson-Smith

Legal: Joanna Jervis

Insight Primary is published quarterly by The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, registered in Scotland No 5093 at 206 St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5SG.

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in Insight Primary are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of MDDUS.

View previous issues of Insight Primary

Insight Primary is published quarterly and distributed to MDDUS members through the UK who work in primary care

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Insight Primary Care Q1 2021 cover

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