Pulse Reference launches

Posted on by Bianca Pettifor

Pulse Today launches Pulse Reference, a new service for GPs that allows them to check symptoms and receive potential diagnoses while in consultations.

Pulse Reference is a free service based on the best-selling Symptom Sorter book, written by Pulse’s clinical adviser Dr Keith Hopcroft and Dr Vincent Forte.

The service has details on 140 symptoms and has been designed by GPs to be used within consultations, including easily searchable symptoms and categories.

It is free for all GPs to use and it will be constantly updated.

The Symptom Sorter book was released to redress the balance between symptoms and diagnoses.

It presents a multitude of symptoms commonly encountered in primary care, using the red flags, top tips and ready reckoner format for sorting symptoms – a format that has been replicated on Pulse Reference.

Pulse editor Jaimie Kaffash said: ‘We hope that this new service will be invaluable for GPs. This is for use within consultations, to enable GPs to refresh their knowledge on symptoms with suggested diagnoses.

‘We know how busy GPs are, and Pulse Reference has been written and designed by GPs who understand these pressures. So please, add the site to your favourites to support you in your practice.’

The experts behind Pulse 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.

Dr Poppy Freeman is also a clinical advisor to Pulse and set up the Covid Toolkit on Pulse Today in 2020 to provide GPs with up-to-date guidance on all the clinical and organisational Covid updates. She is a GP in Camden.

Pulse Reporter awarded Newcomer of the Year

Posted on by Bianca Pettifor

Congratulations to Pulse Reporter, Caitlin Tilley, who was awarded Newcomer of the Year at yesterdays Medical Journalism Awards.

The judges said ‘Caitlin impressed us with her dogged determination to discover the real reason behind the ambulance delays and she clearly has a great eye for a story. She sensed that handover delays were more than the odd unfortunate incident and was tenacious in her approach, amassing all the supporting evidence from a variety of reputable sources, as well as securing strong quotes from key individuals.’

Jaimie Kaffash, Pulse Editor, was also shortlisted for Editor of the Year at the Medical Journalism Awards.

With a membership of over 450 health and medical writers, broadcasters and editors, the Medical Journalists’ Association seeks to promote excellence in journalism, encourage and support their membership and to provide opportunities for networking.

Two nominations at the Medical Journalism Awards

Posted on by Bianca Pettifor

The team have received two nominations at this year’s Medical Journalism Awards.

Caitlin Tilley, Pulse Reporter, has been shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year, and Jaimie Kaffash, Pulse Editor, shortlisted for Editor of the Year at the Medical Journalism Awards.

The judges said ‘Caitlin impressed us with her dogged determination to discover the real reason behind the ambulance delays and she clearly has a great eye for a story. She sensed that handover delays were more than the odd unfortunate incident and was tenacious in her approach, amassing all the supporting evidence from a variety of reputable sources, as well as securing strong quotes from key individuals.’

Jaimie Kaffash offered judges a ‘positive light through which to view the prism of GP access, Pulse launched a new campaign for a better vision of the profession for GPs and patients. The aim was to offer positive thinking driven by GPs and create a context in which their skills could be used to revive primary care through simple changes. The constructive approach, a panel of GPs as a sounding board and GP surveys, led to a list of principles devised to make NHS leaders and ministers pay attention. Acknowledging that GPs were losing the PR war, Pulse made a creative stab at tackling the negative messages in a manner designed to serve both readers and patients.’

With a membership of over 450 health and medical writers, broadcasters and editors, the Medical Journalists’ Association seeks to promote excellence in journalism, encourage and support their membership and to provide opportunities for networking.

The winners will be announced in September.

Best news writer win at the BSME Talent Awards

Posted on by Bianca Pettifor

We are delighted to announce that Costanza Potter, Pulse Deputy News Editor, has been awarded best news writer at the BSME Talent Awards.

The judges said that in a ‘highly competitive category’, Costanza ‘stood out for her tenacious reporting that had a big impact to the magazine’s audience and beyond’.

Pulse were nominated for four awards in total, with Sofia Lind up for deputy editor of the year, Costanza also up for B2B writer and the news team up for team of the year.

The award follows Pulse PCN’s ‘Launch of the Year’ win at the BSME Awards in February. The judges commended the Pulse PCN team for identifying a ‘genuine need in their audience’ and getting them ‘involved in shaping and providing content from the outset’.

The British Society of Magazine Editors (BSME) is the only society in the UK exclusively for digital and print editors.

Pulse Editor wins at the PPA Awards

Posted on by Bianca Pettifor

Congratulations to Pulse Editor, Jaimie Kaffash, who was awarded Editor of the Year by the Professional Publishers Association!

The judges said Jaimie had ‘demonstrated excellent journalism and demonstrable commercial success’.

‘This editor plays a huge part in highlighting important issues and consistently puts out relevant content for the readers.’

Jaimie said: ‘This is a recognition of the team, first and foremost. I have been in awe of how they have managed to produce so much incredible work throughout the pandemic.

‘It is a pleasure to continue editing a magazine for such an engaged and smart audience, who are so willing to highlight problems and injustices in the health service – and occasionally what is going well! – and tell us when we get things right and wrong.’

Pulse was nominated for a further three awards at the PPA Awards: Media Brand of the Year (business), Innovation of the Year (Pulse PCN) and Cover of the Year. The PPA Awards seeks to celebrate the work and achievements made across the UK publishing and media industry since the start 2021.

Pulse in the Press: Half of GPs plan on retiring by the age of 60

Posted on by Bianca Pettifor

An exclusive Pulse survey revealing that half of the existing GP workforce plans to retire at or before the age of 60 has been picked up by the national press.

The story of half of GPs plan on retiring by the age of 60 has been mentioned in the Mail, Independent, the Times and ITV News. Our reporters have also been on Times Radio and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire to discuss the findings.

Of more than 800 GPs surveyed across the UK by Pulse, almost half (47%) said they intend to retire at or before 60, including 1 in 8 who said they intended to retire before reaching 55.

Respondents gave a number of reasons why they wanted to retire early, with the most common factors being burnout and workload, although problems around pensions have also been a significant reason.

This story follows another recent Pulse exclusive, revealing that the first female chair of the BMA GP Committee had taken sick leave following sexist comments.

Pulse: Does sexism within BMA House leave GPs in England unrepresented?

Posted on by Bianca Pettifor

This month, a major Pulse investigation focuses on the culture within the BMA as we reveal that the first chair of the BMA’s GP Committee in England in its 109 years had to take sick leave partly as a result.

Pulse reveal how a ‘toxic’ culture is putting off new GPs – especially female ones – from joining the GPC, and how the complaints culture is leading to numerous solicitor-led investigations. The exclusive has since been picked up by the national press, including the Times and the Daily Mail, and has sparked huge debate on social media.

We focus on the NICE guidelines on dependence-forming drugs plus we ask whether a lack of face-to-face GP appointments really was to blame for a spike in stillbirths, as one national news website claimed.

Columnist Dr Shaba Nabi says that the profession needs to evolve or die, while Copperfield is delighted that he is currently facing no complaints.

In the clinical section, we have Key Questions on peripheral arterial disease and a guide on remote consultations for headaches.

Pulse in the Press: BMA GP Committee Chair had to take sick leave following reports of sexist comments

Posted on by Bianca Pettifor

An exclusive Pulse story into sexism at the BMA caused huge controversy.

Pulse revealed that the first female chair of the BMA GP Committee had taken sick leave following sexist comments. This story has since been picked up by the Times and the Daily Mail, and sparked huge debate on social media.

Dr Farah Jameel was elected as the firs female chair of the BMA’s GP Committee (GPC) in England in November 2021. However, in March this year she took sick leave, with the conduct and culture of the GPC contributing to her ill health, a Pulse investigation has concluded. Dr Jameel has now returned to her role.

Pulse PCN roundtable success

Posted on by Bianca Pettifor

The Pulse PCN roundtable on enhanced access was the best attended roundtable since Cogora launched the brand last year.

There were 12 participants, including 10 PCN clinical directors, from across England representing areas including Devon, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, Lancashire, and London.

The hour-long discussion, held virtually in April and chaired by Pulse PCN editor, Victoria Vaughan, shed light on the reaction to the new PCN Network Direct Enhanced Service (DES) contract.

It focussed on the requirement that PCNs must provide appointments in the weekday evenings between 6.30pm and 8pm and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays.

The delegates were largely positive about the move with most feeling it was well funded and within their capabilities. For others though, this latest demand nearly saw their network break-up.

A full report of the roundtable will be out in the summer edition of Pulse PCN in June and also available online here.  Previous topics covered in roundtables include place-based partnerships and population health management.

Private sector booms on the back of NHS troubles

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Private companies are boosting their profits by up to 100% as the health service struggles to cope, shows a major investigation into the increased privatisation of health in England by Pulse magazine.

The investigation – the most comprehensive since the introduction of the Health and Social Care in 2012 – shows that local commissioners are paying hundreds of millions to private hospitals and that hospitals have also boosted their income from private work.

An analysis of company reports and statements from all the major private hospital chains that make their figures available shows all have boosted their revenues this year.  They say they are gaining from the plight of the NHS, with patients more likely to pay for their care to avoid lengthening NHS waiting lists.

Figures obtained by Pulse under the Freedom of Information Act also show increasing use of private hospitals by clinical commissioning groups, largely in an attempt to reduce waiting lists, with an 18% rise between 2013/14 and 2015/16.

Other FOI figures from hospital trusts show they are taking advantage of their new freedom to carry out more private work (the cap was lifted in 2013) by increasing the amount of private work they do by 14% from 2012/13 to 2015/16, with one trust reporting a 36% increase in income – at a time it is being put through remedial measures due to the length of its NHS waiting lists.

And a number of private companies are now springing up to take advantage of long waiting times for GP appointments, with one promising to deliver a GP on your doorstep in 90 minutes for £120.

BMA council member and former RCGP chair Professor Clare Gerada, who led much of the GP opposition to the 2012 reforms, says: ‘I am afraid that we are sleepwalking into US health system.’

Pulse editor Nigel Praities said: ‘Our investigation shows a real sea-change in healthcare provision in England. While the NHS crumbles, private companies finding increasing demand for their services. Chronic underfunding is degrading what is a cherished public institution and the Government is culpable for what amounts to an inexorable slide towards an increasingly profit-motivated healthcare system.’

But a DH spokesperson said: ‘This Government was the first to ensure that doctors, not politicians, make decisions about who provides care. In fact, the rate of growth in use of the private sector as a proportion of the NHS budget remains slower than it was before 2010. On the back of a strong economy, we are giving the NHS the £10bn it asked for to fund its own plan for the future.’

Read the latest issue of Pulse magazine online here.

Pulse’s investigation was covered in the Daily Mail and the Times newspapers.

Pulse in the Press: GP closures on BBC News

Posted on by cogcogoraora

A senior NHS England official has said vulnerable practices must ‘transform…or be allowed to fail and wither’, a leaked document obtained by Pulse and the BBC has revealed.

Paul Twomey, medical director of the Yorkshire and Humber area team, made the claim in a briefing sent to NHS managers and GP leaders in the region.

He said that NHS England is ‘no longer in a position’ to continue supporting vulnerable practices ‘irrespective of their willingness or ability’ to transform.

The story, which was covered on BBC News at Ten, focuses on this quote from one NHS manager in the north of England, “vulnerable practices must either transform and deliver a quality service or be allowed to fail and wither by the system”.

It comes as Pulse has revealed that a £10 million fund to support vulnerable practices announced 14 months ago has had very little impact, with many area teams having failed to even identify the practices that will receive funding.

Read the full story here.