CONTENTS 03 | NEWS 03
COVID-19: the RCGP response
04
Devolved Councils: pandemic response
05
Continuing to learn
06
The vital ‘PRINCIPLE’ of research
07 | OPINION 07
Sigi Joseph on being a BAME GP during COVID-19
09 | STORIES FROM THE 09
FRONTLINE
Returners to the rescue
10
Different directions
11
Starting out during a pandemic
12-13
Tackling COVID around the world
15
The patient perspective
16
Compassion to the end
CHAIR’S WELCOME The NHS has been through one of the most difficult periods in its entire history, and for general practice it’s certainly not over. As well as being at the forefront of tackling the second wave of COVID-19, GPs and our teams are leading the rehabilitation of our communities after the first. We are supporting patients with long-term symptoms of the virus and psychological effects of the pandemic; managing the backlog of patients who chose not to seek care during lockdown; and delivering the biggest and most complicated mass flu vaccination programme ever. We’ll also be continuing to deliver care to around a million people every day who have conditions unrelated to COVID-19. I have no doubt that as a profession we’ll overcome our new challenges, along with existing ones. Just as we have overcome the difficulties posed by coronavirus so far. We will certainly need resources to do so, and the College is committed to privately and publicly lobbying government and key stakeholders to ensure the profession has the necessary support to make general practice ‘doable’ and deliver high quality patient care. Ironically, the crisis has also provided an opportunity for positive change. Different ways of
working, particularly the reduction in bureaucratic demands, could mean a more manageable workload, permitting more time forpatient centred care. There is also an opportunity to harness the technological gains that have been made – gains that pre-pandemic were considered a pipe dream. As a College, we want to make sure that any positive changes are permanently retained. This edition of GP Frontline is dedicated to showcasing the inspiring response of general practice to the pandemic, from FY doctors and trainee GPs who were thrown in at the deep end to the retired colleagues who came back in their thousands to help - and everyone in between. I am so proud to be Chair of this College, and perhaps never more so than over the past few months. We know there is further adversity to come, but the College will be here to support you all the way. Thank you all for your dedication to delivering patient care, and for your professionalism and courage in the face of one of the greatest challenges to face the NHS. Finally - and sadly – I wish to pay tribute to the 13 GP colleagues we have lost to this terrible virus. Our condolences go to their families and loved ones, and to their GP colleagues and practice team members still working on the frontline of patient care.
Martin Marshall
Staff editors: Daniel Openshaw, Gillian Watson Reporters: Amy Boreham, Kristy Ebanks, Emily Brewer, Lizzie Edwards
Clinical editors: Professor Martin Marshall, Dr Laurence Dorman, Dr Mike Holmes, Dr Mair Hopkin, Professor Amanda Howe, Dr Gary Howsam, Dr Jonathan Leach, Dr Carey Lunan, Dr Steve Mowle, Dr Michael Mullholland, Professor Peter Saul, Dr Victoria Tzortziou-Brown Cover cartoon: Martin Rowson
Inside cartoon: Kipper Williams Design: Aura Creative Ltd
Feedback: can be emailed to gpfrontline@rcgp.org.uk or tweeted using #gpfrontline. You can also write to us at GP Frontline, 30 Euston Square, London, NW1 2FB
02 | CONTENTS
General practice has an excellent track record of achieving high uptake rates of the influenza vaccine every winter. This year, to help minimise the impact of a second wave of COVID-19, the vaccination programme has been expanded to include 50-64-year-olds and Year 11 children. The College has drawn on military experience to develop guidance on how to deliver the flu vaccine successfully at this scale while considering social distancing as part of infec-
tion control measures. It explores alternative locations for flu clinics, equipment needs, and how to implement appropriate safety measures to protect staff and patients from and minimise the spread of COVID-19. The College has also been lobbying government for assurances that there is enough supply of vaccines for the expanded cohort of patients – and if not, for guidance for GPs on who to prioritise outside of at-risk groups.
