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.

25 July 2025

Self-testing

We appeared in The Guardian, BBC News and The BMJ responding to a study which analysed the effectiveness and reliability of self-testing kits available to patients in supermarkets, finding that a significant proportion had a high level of inaccuracy and lacked clear benefit. Our response highlighted that self-testing can be of benefit - their use in sexual health services and during the pandemic, for example - but that lack of after care and the risk of false positives can intensify pressures on GPs and their teams, as well as causing patients unnecessary anxiety.

Extra 2000 GPs

We secured coverage in Pulse responding to the Government’s announcement of over 2000 extra GPs in the workforce, as a result of action to slash red tape. Our response highlights that general practice remains chronically understaffed and that the figures don't reflect the full reality - the number of fully qualified full-time GPs has only risen by 600 in the past year. We reiterated that lasting change can only come from increasing the core funding for general practice.

Read our full response

Part-time work

We featured in The Independent responding to controversial comments about women GPs made by J Meirion Thomas - a retired surgical oncologist. Our comment highlighted the hard work of women GPs and the profession's proud track record on diversity.

Vaccinations

We featured in two articles in Pulse on vaccinations, one on the barriers to childhood vaccinations and the second on the need to increase take-up of the MMR and other childhood vaccination programmes due to a rise in measles cases. Both comments highlighted the importance of vaccinations and the public health dangers of falling uptake.

10 Year Health Plan

The College's opposition to the Government's plans for acute and community trusts to run general practice - as outlined in our response to the Ten Year Health Plan - was covered by Pulse. GPonline also covered our concerns about proposals to trial 'patient power payments'.

Workload

RCGP Wales Chair Rowena Christmas appeared on Greatest Hits Wales Radio discussing the high GP workload and why funding needs to be shifted back into the community where the majority of patient contacts are made. 

She also spoke to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast (50:15) on a new treatment available on the NHS for hay fever sufferers, particularly those affected by tree pollen. 

Sepsis

RCGP Wales Faculty Rep Dr Will Mackintosh spoke to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast (1:49:50) -about the need for public awareness of sepsis, the warning signs and when patients need to seek treatment.

22 July 2025

Rise in pre-natal depression

College Vice-Chair Dr Margaret Ikpoh spoke to the Daily Mail (covered online and in print) about helping patients with perinatal depression, covering the challenges GPs face when working with vulnerable perinatal patients and giving guidance on how to spot when perinatal mental health is a cause for concern.

Patient satisfaction

College Chair Kamila Hawthorne is quoted in GPOnline for a piece examining how proposals in the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan encouraging GPs to work over larger geographical areas could negatively impact rising patient satisfaction rates. Kamila outlines how patient satisfaction must remain a priority, whatever the size of the practice – through continuity of care, easy access to GPs within the community, and a personalised experience.

Concern for measles cases in rural areas

Scotland RCGP Chair Dr Chris Provan spoke to BBC Scotland following the measles outbreak in Liverpool that led to the tragic death of a child. He discussed why parents appear to be more hesitant to give their children the MMR vaccine, citing miseducation, barriers to access and vaccination shortages as key reasons that the immunisation level for measles are the lowest they’ve been in the last 10 years. The interview was covered across regional radio stations (Glasgow, Orkney, Shetland) and picked up by the Scottish Sun.

Leng review

The College’s position and guidance on physician associates were referenced in Pulse, The BMJ, Lexology and Management in Practice as reaction to the Leng Review – an independent review of the role - continues. Our position remains that we oppose a role for PAs in general practice, that we are now reviewing the Leng findings and their implications for general practice, and that any change in position on PAs would need approval by College Council.