In the health news

Last year, the RCGP’s press team secured almost 20,000 media hits across print, broadcast and online outlets. The College regularly features in the news to be the voice for general practice on issues that matter to members, including GP workload and workforce, health inequalities and preventive health. We’re frequently quoted in articles covering wide-ranging clinical, health policy and wider societal issues. In the health news’ is our regular round-up of media coverage featuring the College and its spokespeople, and will be updated on a weekly basis.

20 June 2025

Ten-Year Health Plan

A short op-ed from Kamila Hawthorne was published in The Telegraph exploring what we need to see in the Ten-Year Health Plan to shore up general practice and, in turn, the wider NHS. Kamila stressed the need to protect the GP-patient relationship, tackle workforce issues, and how a shared patient record may improve joined up working across the NHS.

Holyrood Public Audit Committee

RCGP Scotland Chair Dr Chris Provan featured on the front page of The Scotsman, as well as in the Daily record, Daily Express, The Herald and MailOnline after speaking to Holyrood's Public Audit Committee as part of evidence session on a recent Audit Scotland report on GP workload and workforce. As part of his evidence, Chris described the feeling of perpetual crisis facing Scottish GPs and the inadequate state of GP IT systems.

Assisted dying

The College's position that any assisted dying service must sit outside of core general practice was used as part of Sky News coverage in advance of the final vote in the House of Commons today on assisted dying. The story was also broadcast on Sky News Radio, Radio Essex, Heart FM and a range of local radio services.

Menopause supplements

We featured on BBC Morning Live warning against the use of non-evidence based supplements to help alleviate the symptoms of the menopause, outlining that while the College would encourage people to take an active interest in their health, it is important that patients are mindful of misinformation and that they treat these products with an appropriate degree of scepticism.

Decriminalisation of abortion

We featured in Pulse responding to the vote by MPs to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales via an amendment to the crime and policing bill. You can read our full response on our website.

18 June 2025

Antidepressants

We featured in the Sunday Times responding to reports from patients that they felt as though they had not been given enough support by their GP when coming off a prescription of antidepressants and had experienced severe withdrawal symptoms. Our statement expressed concern over the reports and highlighted that GPs will be acutely aware of the potential risks that come with prescribing anti-depressants and the serious side effects that can come with withdrawal.

Weight-loss drugs

We featured in The Sun responding to reports of growing public desire to access weight-loss drugs in primary care as Mounjaro is rolled out to patients with the highest clinical need. Our comment outlined that practices won’t be able to provide weight loss medication to patients who don’t meet the certain criteria and that GPs will need to follow local guidelines while prescribing.

RCGP Physical Activity Lead Dr Hussain Al Zubaidi featured in Bolton News as part of an address he gave to a community group on the roll-out of weight-loss drugs and the importance of physical activity in achieving a healthy weight.

Health consequences of low literacy

We secured coverage in Pulse commenting on the results from a survey undertaken by the trade title which found that almost one in ten GPs see patients whose health has been negatively affected by low literacy daily. Our comment highlighted how education is a key social determinant of health, and the need to tackle inequality.

Scotland CMO annual report

RCGP Scotland Chair Dr Chris Provan featured in Health and Care Scot responding to the publication of Scotland's Chief Medical Officer's annual report. The report pointed to community connections as a vital part of health, aiming to address the loneliness epidemic and its health consequences.

Prostate cancer

Further coverage was seen in WalesOnline for our response to a new campaign by Prostate Cancer UK and the British Association of Urological Surgeons to move away from using digital rectal exams to help detect potential prostate cancer.