Launched in December 2021, the ASK Biosimilars programme offers multi-format education resources on the use of biosimilars to our community of oncologists and hospital pharmacists.

Developed by PCM Scientific, the ASK Biosimilars programme provides free educational resources to enhance learning on the use of biosimilars. This includes 10 learning chapters, a library of 30 abstracts, local guideline summary documents, an archive of expert-led webinars, and a downloadable handbook.

To reach our community of oncologists and hospital pharmacists across Western Europe, Canada and Japan, the ASK platform has been translated into English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish, and is promoted through our media brands Hospital Healthcare Europe and Hospital Pharmacy Europe.

To date, the programme has generated over 11,970 unique engagements and over 5,340 website users. This success has resulted in the platform being expanded to include an abstract library and case studies showcasing real-world evidence of the use of biosimilars. Due to launch this month, the programme will not only now reach our audience of oncologists and hospital pharmacists in Europe, but also Canada, the US and Australia, as well as payors.

Read our full case study here.

The cover feature of the Pulse November issue focuses on the story broken by Pulse that the GMC has proposed relaxing rules to allow secondary care doctors to work in general practice. We look into the implications of the move and what it means for the recruitment crisis in general practice.

The Pulse investigation also analyses how deprivation affects childhood vaccination rates, revealing that a new payment system introduced last year has widened the inequality gap.

The clinical section answers key questions on bronchiectasis, gives tips on managing groin and hip injuries in general practice and we have a quiz based on our new site, Pulse Reference.

The Cogora Events team have been busy delivering a series of events, both virtually and face-to-face, to healthcare professionals across the UK.

Over 600 GPs logged in to watch the recent Pulse Virtual event in October, with many staying tuned in all day to watch the expert-led talks. In view of this success, we have added two new dates to the calendar for 2022: Public Health & Lifestyle Medicine to be held on 24^th November, and Rare Diseases, to take place on 6^th December. Feedback from delegates has been hugely positive: “An amazing event that covered the whole spectrum of general practice. It was very educational and informative, and it helped me to change my practice.”

The Nursing in Practice Virtual events have also been similarly successful with over 400 nurses joining us online in September and almost 350 in October. We have received strong pre-event sign up for the remaining event in 2022 and expect to finish the year with great engagement.

On 19^th October we held the first ever Management in Practice Bristol conference which saw positive interaction between our attendees and exhibitors. Feedback for the event has been very positive with delegates enjoying “the chance to have time to speak to the exhibitors and get a better idea of what is in the marketplace for services to Primary care.” Plans for 2023 are now underway.

This year has seen record ticket sales for the General Practice Awards ceremony which is taking place on 9^th December in London. We will be welcoming 700 guests on the night to celebrate the incredible achievements of those working in primary and community care. If you are interested in sponsoring the 2023 Awards, do get in touch now as we expect the packages to book up quickly after this year. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Looking ahead to 2023, we are working on exciting plans to optimise our engagement with our HCP audience through the newly launched PULSE 365 platform and the soon-to-be released Nursing in Practice 365 edition – offering a greater choice of event content, both live and on-demand.

Winter pressures began early, with nurses in primary care facing a host of challenges, including rising workload and unknowns around the severity of flu and Covid-19.

The autumn print edition of Nursing in Practice focuses on the enormous task that nurses in general practice have done in preparing for this winter: to deliver winter vaccinations, manage increased demand and the care backlog following Covid, and to support stressed patients and families who are worrying about their economic situations.

With a ‘depleted and exhausted’ workforce still tackling the impact of the past two years, busy nurses are confident in delivering the flu and Covid vaccination campaigns at pace, but concerns remain about workload and that vaccine fatigue may affect uptake.

Adele Parsons has worked in general practice for more than 16 years is a senior lecturer at the University of Lincoln. She points out that the success of a flu campaign often depends on the goodwill of practice nurses who, she says, ‘do what they need to do to make it work with what they’ve got’. However, she warns this goodwill is ‘starting to ebb a little bit’.

‘The PCNs have been fantastic because they’ve been able to pool resources, and in some areas, they are really well integrated,’ she adds. ‘I have no doubt that the goodwill again will be a major factor. The only problem might be the vaccine hesitancy for patients.’

In our ‘Ten Top Tips’ clinical series, GP partner and PCN clinical director Dr David Coleman offers clear advice to nursing teams for this autumn on protecting vulnerable patients this winter, including: active screening for mental health problems, promoting Covid and flu services, prioritising patients with poorly controlled asthma, and increased awareness of those who are particularly at-risk for other reasons. He says: ‘It goes without saying that patients who are elderly, frail or have a chronic illness will be particularly vulnerable. We must also be mindful of the pressure on carers and the challenges facing young families.’

At the same time, Marilyn Eveleigh, nurse adviser and Nursing in Practice advisory board member, asks ‘Why on earth does the NHS let experienced nurses walk away?’. She tells the story of nursing colleague ‘Natalie’ who, at retirement age, would have been willing to stay within the NHS, but found opportunities lacking. Despite a serious nursing shortage, and the UK reaching out to other countries for recruits, the NHS is an inflexible and unimaginative employer, says Ms Eveleigh, who adds: ‘Sadly, the NHS has allowed another experienced nurse to leave, taking much-needed skills with her. What a scandalous waste.’

Nursing in Practice launches Nursing in Practice Reference, a new resource for nurses that allows them to check symptoms and decide on next steps to take during consultations.

Nursing in Practice Reference is a free searchable tool, with details on 140 symptoms commonly seen in primary care. It has been designed by GPs and adapted by nurses to be used within consultations or as a learning resource.

The tool has been launched alongside Pulse Reference, and is based on the best-selling Symptom Sorter book, written by Pulse’s clinical adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft and Dr Vincent Forte. It has been further adapted by primary care nurse and editorial advisor for Nursing in Practice, Marilyn Eveleigh, to make it more relevant for the nursing profession.

It presents a range of symptoms commonly seen by nurses, along with red flags and top tips. It is free for all general practice nurses and community nurses to use, and will be kept updated as information changes.

Gemma Collins, Nursing in Practice’s director of content and editorial, said: ‘We hope that this new service will be invaluable for nurses working in primary care. It’s a great development for Nursing in Practice and is a unique tool.’ 

Carolyn Scott, editor of Nursing in Practice, added: ‘We hope that Nursing in Practice Reference will be an incredibly useful resource to make your working day just a little bit easier. Please take a look and add the site to your favourites to support you in your practice.’

This follows the launch of Pulse Reference in September.

The experts behind Nursing in Practice Reference:

Dr Keith Hopcroft is the co-author of Symptom Sorter and has been Pulse’s editorial advisor for more than 15 years. He is a GP in Basildon, Essex, an associate trainer and medical writer and columnist.

Marilyn Eveleigh is a primary care nurse and editorial advisor for Nursing in Practice. She is the former head of clinical quality and risk and lead nurse at NHS Brighton and Hove and is an independent trainer and consultant for quality and patient safety. She works as a primary care nurse in East Sussex.

This month, the Pulse October issue focuses on long Covid, its effect on patients and how it affects general practice workload. We ask whether the sheer numbers of long Covid sufferers – as estimated 2 million in the UK – might help researchers develop a better understanding of medically unexplained symptoms.

Elsewhere, Pulse looks at the plan from the new health secretary to ensure patients get a GP appointment within two weeks – and how this is just a baseless promise.

In our clinical section, we look at NICE’s new guidelines on depression and dealing with shoulder and arm sports injuries.

This month, our CME division, PCM Scientific, hosted the live IOTOD summer webinar: ‘The opioid-dependance treatment triangle in prisons: medication, continuity, and harm reduction.’ 

The IOTOD summer webinar was led by world leading expert Professor Dr Heino Stöver from Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and joined by Dr Andrej Kastelic from the Center for Treatment of Drug Addiction, Slovenia.  

During the live session, attended by over 80 healthcare professionals, experts discussed the topic of opioid use disorder within the prison system and the specific needs from treatment services. The educational session is now avaialble to watch on-demand.

The event was well received, with 92% of delegates finding the content relevant to their practice and stating that they would attend a future IOTOD webinar. Our key opinion leaders were also pleased with the content and logistical support from our PCM Scientific team: “found your support in the preparation of the session extremely helpful”.

Best practice treatment approaches were explored, including transferring patients on daily dose methadone or buprenorphine to long-acting buprenorphine (LAB), and the associated benefits of these treatment formulations in this patient population. The interactive session also included a live Q&A session, with the chance for delegates to ask the experts questions. 

The event was promoted to our community of primary and secondary care healthcare professionals via our media brands, as well as the well-established IOTOD community. Attendees included addiction specialists, GPs, primary care nurses, community pharmacists, psychiatrists, as well as other healthcare professionals interested in the management of opioid use disorder across the UK and Europe.  

The IOTOD summer webinar was supported by arms-length funding from Camurus, and the archived version is now available to watch for free on-demand on the IOTOD website. 

Pulse remains the most widely read non-reference journal among GPs, with a higher readership than the BMJ and the British Journal of General Practice, according to the recently released GP Media Survey (GPMS 2022).

Pulse’s average readership score was 29% over the past year, a point higher than the BMJ and 13 percentage points ahead of the British Journal of General Practice.

Pulse remains the most widely read non-reference journal among GPs for the second year running.

The NMRS is commissioned each year by JICMARS (Joint Industry Committee of Medical Advertisers for Readership Surveys), a group of healthcare publishers and media buyer representatives.

The 2022 annual report covers the period from October 2021 to July 2022, using a sample of 547 GPs. The data are weighted to the estimated universe of all GPs based on counts provided by IQVIA, the sample list provider.

Publications included in the survey (based on the latest period) were: BMA News, BMJ, GP magazine, Prescriber, British Journal of General Practice, GM, Guidelines in Practice, Pulse, The Practitioner, Guidelines and MIMS.

It follows a very successful year for Pulse, which has won an array of awards, including, PPA editor of the year and PPA editor of the year business publication of the year, BSME launch of the year and MJA newcomer of the year.

Each year the General Practice Awards recognise and showcase the incredible hard work, innovation, and dedication of individuals and teams working across the UK in primary care. The General Practice Awards 2022 offer a chance to come together in our finery to celebrate the achievements of the past year and the innovative ways that our community provide the very best care for their patients.

Once again it has been a challenging and demanding year for general practice and community care and, again, you and your peers have proven how inspiring and unwavering you are in your commitment to your work as healthcare professionals.

Cogora is proud to announce the shortlist for the General Practice Awards 2022. We received a record number of nominations this year, with our brand-new Vaccination Service of the Year Award receiving nearly 100 entries alone! We heard from individuals and teams working across the full scope of general practice, as well as suppliers and organisations who are providing incredible support, products, and services for healthcare professionals.

A huge thank you must go to our judges who worked tirelessly to score the hundreds of entries we received. We recently heard from some of them about the quality of this year’s nominees.

Dr Dean Eggitt, principal GP, The Oakwood Surgery and Chief Executive Officer, Doncaster Local Medical Committee who is one of our judges for the GP Trainee/Rising Star Award, told us: “These are truly inspiring reads that really fill me with a great sense of hope and enthusiasm. Anyone who thinks General Practice is struggling should be given a copy of these entries to read. I am truly honoured to have had the chance to review the work of these wonderful individuals.”

Dr Viral Doshi, past winner and judge of our Pharmacist/Pharmacy Team of the Year Award has said that: “Judging proved very difficult as all the nominations were excellent, and of a very high calibre. The sheer dedication portrayed by the nominees in an effort to enhance patient welfare was heart-warming.”

Tickets for the General Practice Awards 2022 Ceremony will shortly go on sale. If you are interested in attending, please email us for more information.

Good luck to all our finalists! You can stay tuned on the night for the results by following us on Twitter.

Our September issue features a major Pulse investigation on GP practice closures – Lost Practices. This revealed that 474 surgeries across the UK have closed in the past nine years without being replaced, with small practices on lower funding in more deprived areas most likely to be affected.

Previous investigations by Pulse and other groups have looked at the number of practices where GP partners have handed their contracts back, or closed branch surgeries, but this latest investigation is the first to focus only on those where a surgery has not been replaced in the same postcode.

The practice closures investigation examined the reasons behind the closures and the effect on the 1.5 million patients that have been displaced. It found that the final straw for many practices tended to be staffing issues, although CQC ratings and an APMS contract ending were major factors too.

The investigation also revealed that practices in deprived areas are more susceptible to closure than those in more affluent areas. Linked to this, our September analysis explores the growing call for the Carr-Hill funding formula for practices to be changed to take greater account of deprivation factors.

Elsewhere in the issue, an opinion piece calls on NHS managers to take the climate emergency seriously and provide practices with urgent support to keep staff and patients safe.

In the clinical section, we have key questions on acute red-eye presentations in primary care, a Clinical Clangers piece on swollen ankles, and advice on dealing with sports injuries to the foot and lower leg.

The Lost Practices investigation has been covered across the national media, with Pulse Editor Jaimie Kaffash also on LBC Radio on Tuesday 30^th August to discuss the findings.

A major Pulse investigation into GP surgery closures has been picked up across the national press.

A major Pulse investigation has revealed that 474 GP surgeries across the UK have closed in the past nine years without being replaced, with small practices on lower funding in more deprived areas most likely to be affected.

Pulse’s Lost Practices investigation – which will run throughout this week and next – examined for the first time the number of GP surgeries that have closed for good, the reasons behind the closures and the effect on the 1.5m patients that have been displaced.

It found that the final straw for the majority of practices that have closed for good have tended to be recruitment issues, although CQC ratings and the ending of APMS contracts were major factors too.

The story on lost practices was covered by the Times, the Telegraph, ITV news, the Daily Mail, Channel 5 News, the Daily Express and the Sun. Pulse Editor Jaimie Kaffash was also on LBC Radio on Tuesday 30^th August to discuss the findings.

An exclusive Pulse story on the NHS 111 outage was also picked up by the national media last month.

PCM Scientific are excited to launch new resources for Supporting Patients with Cancer within the Oncology Nursing in Practice platform.

These patient-focussed resources are designed to facilitate discussions surrounding fertility between patients recently diagnosed with leukaemia and their healthcare providers. Developed with the guidance of expert faculty, the resources include frequently asked questions leaflets and videos, available to view and download from Oncology Nursing in Practice.  

The videos provide high-level summaries on the processes of fertility preservation and why leukaemia treatment negatively impacts fertility, and the leaflets give more depth to the information. These patient-facing assets have been created to support the different consequences for female versus male fertility and should benefit oncology multi-disciplinary teams who need to have difficult and time-sensitive conversations about fertility preservation with their newly diagnosed patients.

The Supporting Patients with Cancer programme will specifically target clinicians working in oncology haematology in the United Kingdom and Europe. Marketing avenues include Oncology Nursing in Practice and Hospital Healthcare Europe.