Important IT system upgrade
From Friday 12 December
We’re carrying out an important upgrade to our systems to improve the services we provide to our members. This means that access to online systems and contact points, including MyRCGP and the member helpdesk, will be temporarily unavailable from 16:00 on Friday 12 December, with a gradual restoration of services from Monday 15 December.
In the health news
Publication date: 09 December 2025
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.
9 December 2025
Mental health
The College secured national coverage following polling by BBC News showing GPs are concerned about the overdiagnosis of mental illness, as well as lack of access to specialist support. College Chair Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown said that while normal behaviour and feelings should not be ‘medicalised’, it’s important not to dismiss patients’ concerns as ‘overdiagnosis’ and discourage them from seeking help.
RCGP Medical Director for Clinical Policy Dr Adrian Hayter was interviewed by the Today Programme on BBC Radio 4 (13:25) where he made the point that accurate mental health diagnosis is a complex process that cannot be rushed in pressured appointments. His comments featured across BBC News bulletins and the story was covered by The Telegraph, Daily Express, Daily Mail and other outlets.
PPIs and deprescribing
The College featured in The Daily Mail examining concerns about the long-term use of Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) and their potential side effects. The article included clear guidance from Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown where she stressed that while PPIs are effective and appropriate for many patients, any changes to treatment must be done safely and in consultation with a GP.
AI in general practice
The College featured in the European Medical Journal examining how emerging AI tools could help GPs work more efficiently by reducing administrative burden and supporting clinical workflow. The piece followed the publication of the joint RCGP–Nuffield Trust report on AI in general practice, and reflected the College’s call for safe, regulated and evidence-based adoption.
5 December 2025
AI in general practice
The College collaborated with the Nuffield Trust on a report on the rapid rise of AI use in GP surgeries. The report was covered exclusively by The Guardian reporting that more than a quarter of UK GPs already use AI tools in some form. The RCGP emphasised that AI has great potential to support care, but that its use must be safe, regulated and underpinned by proper training.
Read our full comment and our new Chair Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown’s quote
Frailty care and older patients
The College featured extensively across national media on new findings showing serious failings in the care of older people living with frailty. Victoria was quoted making it clear that while GPs provide dedicated, holistic care, the system is under-resourced and urgently needs investment to meet rising levels of patient need.
Coverage included The Guardian online and in print, as well as across regional media.
Social Housing and Mould
Immediate Past Chair Kamila Hawthorne appeared on BBC This Morning Live to discuss the impacts of damp and mould on vulnerable patients. The interview, recorded just before she stepped down, was part of a wider news segment and can be seen on BBC iPlayer - starting at 18:15.
Winter viruses and flu pressures
College messaging around winter pressures gained widespread attention as rates of flu and other viral infections rose sharply across the UK.
Before demitting office, Kamila Hawthorne spoke to The Telegraph, discussing the four major viruses currently circulating and outlining how escalating seasonal demand is impacting GP capacity. Our warnings on increasing flu cases were also referenced by The Daily Mail, drawing on RCGP surveillance data and our calls for eligible patients to take up the flu vaccine.
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