MDDUS chief medical officer Dr John Holden observes that doctors have unique characteristics that make them vulnerable to the stresses that arise in dealing with the profound needs of others, and the profession must strive more to “look after our own”

A range of common - and not so common - queries from GPs and practice managers.

MESSAGING apps might seem an obvious choice for communicating with patients, but it is essential that professional standards are not diluted simply because we are behind a keyboard or phone

Employment law adviser Liz Symon offers advice on preventing and dealing with sexual harassment in the office

Risk adviser Alan Frame urges practices to have a formal process in place to ensure that individual staff are up to date with their professional registrations.

Risk adviser Kay Louise Grant offers advice on effective safety netting in patient consultations

Alan Frame urges practices to monitor local social media posts to keep aware of emerging topics of complaint

Jim Killgore looks at smartphone applications that are changing how doctors manage diabetes and other chronic diseases

Reflective practice is common – but do your insights go deep enough to ensure real change? Senior risk adviser Liz Price offers practical advice

Allan Gaw recounts the tragic story of Hillsborough victim Tony Bland and the far-reaching implications of the legal ruling in his case

...Mrs Z makes an appointment at her practice to be vaccinated, but an hour later Mr Z phones to cancel it...

...Mr T is told he has tested positive for hepatitis B, but weeks later it appears an error has been made...

...Ms P is told by the out-of-hours GP that her wrist injury is just a sprain, but a month later she is still in pain...

How do you deal with work-related stress and burnout given the current demands placed on healthcare staff?

Professor Deborah Bowman shares insights from her research on the ethical experiences of practitioners during the pandemic.

Book review by Dr Greg Dollman

Physician and double Olympic gold medallist