Imperial College London Primary Care

The Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) Northwest London has moved from the Department of Medicine to join the School of Public Health’s Department of Primary Care and Public Health. CLAHRC is a research programme funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) that aims to address the ‘second translational gap’ – this is the gap that exists between research knowledge and clinical practice – it is hoped that by addressing this gap we can better understand how research can be implemented, delivering improved patient outcomes and experience and supporting the effective organisation and delivery of healthcare. The CLAHRC Northwest London, funded since 2008, is hosted by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust with Imperial College London as its lead academic partner, but engages with all healthcare providers and commissioners across north west London. CLAHRC Northwest London is a research programme that specifically aims t...

I decided to become a General Practitioner when I realised that a robust primary care system is essential in the development and functioning of any Community. As GPs, we are the first port of call of all illnesses, whether acute or chronic, and we must remain up to date at all times to ensure excellent care. With this in mind, I was determined to not just become a GP, but to explore the different opportunities available to us. This determination led me to have a taste of performing my medical duties in a wide variety of places: traditional GP surgeries, hospitals, prisons, walk-in centres, out of hours services, 111 telephone service, urgent care centres and private practice. These experiences have offered me valuable insight into what makes the fibres of our Community function and why some medical problems are significantly skewed in some ethnicities, social circles or economic groups. But gaining this rewarding knowledge and exposure would somehow be fickle if I were not able to s...

Dr Shivani Tanna, Year 3 GP and CMT Course Lead "I am delighted to have been appointed as year 3 GP course lead. My role in the department started on the 1st March 2016 and I have now taken over as CMT course lead. Having taught on this course, I feel privileged to be able to help maintain its excellent reputation and content. I am also developing the new 10 week GP attachment in year 3 which is being piloted for 60 students from September 2016. The students have expressed great enthusiasm and interest in this and we have already reached our recruitment target. Together with plenty of input from department leads, teaching fellows, and our GP tutors, we have started developing new ideas for both the attachment and departmental teaching sessions. I am hoping this is going to be fun and rewarding for all involved.  I aim to design a course that is innovative, comprehensive and exciting. My version of “ICE”. If all goes to plan, the pilot will be rolled out ...

By Puja Verma, GPST1 There are not enough GPs to meet the current demand. Not enough junior doctors are choosing general practice and an increasing number GPs are leaving full time practice.  The Government plans to meet the increasing demand on our National Health Service by transferring care into primary and community settings, but without more GPs this will not be possible. So how do we inspire a new generation of junior doctors to enter General practice? With a positive recruitment video? With a letter outlining the positive aspects of the profession?  These are both recruitment strategies suggested by the £10 million10 point plan by NHS England.     I undertook a systematic review of strategies used to recruit and retain family doctors. I found 51 evaluations of 42 interventions implemented across 8 high income countries. Interventions were categorised into thirteen groups including retainer schemes, re-entry schemes, support for professional developmen...

By Helen McGeown, GPST1   One of the many innovative posts offered on the Imperial GP training scheme is a six month placement in public health.   Having some background knowledge of this area, I was pleased to have the opportunity to work in public health, enabling me to see how the theories which I have studied are translated into practice. During my placement, I have been primarily working with the Immunisations team at NHS England (London region). This team has responsibility for commissioning and monitoring vaccination services for all of London. So far I have undertaken numerous projects for this group, including the appraisal of an intervention to improve vaccination uptake, and a consultation on effective social media strategies for vaccine promotion. Perhaps most valuable, however, has been the opportunity to visit GP practices which have been rated as delivering ‘outstanding’ care by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). During CQC inspections, practices are a...