Pulse in Focus Podcast: How Burnham may affect neighbourhood health

The latest episode of Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs examines what a new Government means for general practice and neighbourhood care.

Pulse Senior journalist Maya Dhillon is joined by deputy news editor Anna Colivicchi and reporter Harry Hetherington. The team takes stock of the change in Government over the past month and considers what this will mean for general practice.

Drawing from his investigation into local enhanced services, Harry asks how Andy Burnham’s history as health secretary and mayor who oversaw health devolution in Manchester may impact the rollout of neighbourhoods.

GP and editorial adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft returns for our clinical segment, in which he goes through a new review which shows that patients with hypertension may be having more blood tests than they need.

Dr Hopcroft explains which tests were and weren’t deemed necessary by researchers, and why the outcome will benefit both GPs and patients.

And finally, Harry returns to the studio to talk about his interview with newly-elected chair of the BMA’s sessional GP committee Dr Lucy-Jane Davis.

She shares how it took her three years to find a substantive GP post amid the under and unemployment crisis; the importance of not undervaluing locums; and how she hopes to use her term to address the gender pay gap and support neurodivergent GPs.

Pulse in Focus: The Podcast for GPs is hosted on Buzzsprout but you can find it wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to the full episcode here.

Last month's podcast included discussed Pulse's Big Interview with the new chair of the BMA’s GP Committee in England, Dr Clare Bannon.