The Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3 - Rational pathology testing in general practice series is a 3 part podcast being delivered by Medcast through the Quality Use of Pathology Program.

Visit medcast.com.au/qupp for more free education resources for GPs to develop the skills to support the rational use of pathology tests in general practice.

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 - QUPP Podcast 3: Strategies

Dr David Beaumont is a Consultant Occupational Physician, a doctor specialising in the health of workers. He is a Past President of the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. He provides consultancy services to some of New Zealand’s major employers and also the provision of health and wellbeing programmes through his company Positive Medicine Limited.

His book, Positive Medicine: Disrupting the Future of Medical Practice won the BMA (British Medical Association) Medical Book Award for Primary Care, 2022. 

David is passionate about helping people realise that to truly experience positive health in their lives they first have to change their own understanding of health. To truly have health it must be viewed as a positive concept, with the realisation that it is integral to every area of our lives. To move beyond being experts in disease, doctors need to be able to treat the whole person and empower people to take control and responsibility for their own lives and health.

www.drdavidbeaumont.com

www.positivemedicine.com

David Beaumont, Positive Medicine

Dr. Winemaker is a graduate of McMaster University Medical School. She has completed residency training in Family Medicine, and fellowship training in Palliative Medicine. Her clinical work is predominately community based, caring for people in their home. She is an associate clinical professor at McMaster University in the Department of Family Medicine, Division of Palliative Care. She has held multiple leadership roles including McMaster Postgraduate Curriculum Lead, Hospice Medical Director, Regional Palliative Clinical Lead and Medical Lead Palliative Care Outreach Team. She is an active educator and researcher. Most importantly, Dr. Winemaker is an advocate for palliative care reform.  She believes strongly that basic principles of palliative care should be the responsibility of all health care providers and integrated into care seemlessly, upstream in the patient’s illness journey. She is the co-creator of the social movement called The Waiting Room Revolution, the co-host of the Waiting Room Revolution podcast, co-authour of the book Hope For The Best Plan For The Rest: 7 Keys for Navigating a Life-Changing Diagnosis, and very active voice on multiple social media platforms. She has won numerous awards for her leadership and palliative care education for health care professionals.

Sammy Winemaker, palliative care physician

Eric Fisher is a Candian certified counsellor with over 13 years experience working in inpatient and outpatient treatment environments. Originally from the US, Eric specializes in helping those with addiction and trauma. He operates his private practice, Recovery Arts Counselling, in Calgary, AB.

Eric Fisher, Counsellor and Patient Advocate

Public services are a key election battleground. The NHS is consistently cited in surveys as one of the top two issues facing the country, while social care and schools have played a critical role in deciding recent elections. Rishi Sunak made improving NHS performance one of his key pledges, Keir Starmer included healthcare and schools in his six “first steps”, and both the Conservatives and Labour will use their manifestos to set out their public services policies.

So just how well are public services performing across the country – and what impact could they have on the election campaign?

In this expert briefing, the Institute for Government and Ipsos UK presented analysis of how public service performance and public satisfaction have changed over this parliament.

What are the key public services challenges facing an incoming government? How much variation is there in public service performance across the country? And how does public satisfaction with services differ by constituency?

To discuss these questions and more, we were joined by an expert panel, including:

Nick Davies, Programme Director at the Institute for Government
Zoë Grünewald, Westminster Editor of the Lead UK and a freelance political journalist and broadcaster
Gideon Skinner, Head of Politics, Public Affairs at Ipsos UK
Phillip Woolley, Partner at Grant Thornton

The event was chaired by Emma Norris, Deputy Director at the Institute for Government.

General election 2024: How are public services performing across the country?

Sjögren's Syndrome patient and patient research partner for rheumatic diseases.

Rebecca Anson, patient and patient research partner

How can NHS backlogs be tackled and waiting times improved? What are the prospects for adult social care reform in this parliament? How can government ensure health and care services have sufficient workforces? Do health and care services have sufficient funding and is existing funding used effectively? To what extent can and should health services focus more on prevention? And to what extent do the government’s proposals address these challenges?

Dr Becks Fisher, Director of Research and Policy at Nuffield Trust
Professor Naomi Fulop, Professor of Health Care Organisation and Management at the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care 
Preet Gill MP, former Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health
Dame Una O'Brien, former Permanent Secretary in the Department of Health 

This session was chaired by Stuart Hoddinott, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.

This event was part of the IfG's public services conference, kindly supported by UCL.

Reform or repair? What next for health and social care?

In this episode, we explore the changing landscape of nicotine dependence and discuss cessation, focusing on practical strategies for GPs to support their patients in quitting smoking and vaping or other forms of nicotine. 

We discuss recent legislative changes, the latest evidence-based treatment options, and the importance of patient-centred communication.
Our expert guests include:

•	Professor Rowen Ivers – GP, public health physician, and member of the RACGP Expert Advisory Group on Tobacco
•	Vanessa McLean – NSW Quitline Supervisor and experienced counsellor
•	Facilitated by Carolyn Murray – Director, Tobacco and E-Cigarettes Strategy, NSW Health

Trigger Warning:
This episode contains discussions about nicotine dependence, withdrawal, and quitting, including references to mental health struggles, suicides, and suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out to Lifeline (13 11 14) or Quitline (13 7948).

Key Discussion Points:
1.	Understanding the policy and legislative environment
2.	Effective conversations about nicotine dependence
3.	Evidenced-based treatment options
4.	The role of Quitline and referral pathways

Resources mentioned in this episode:

•	RACGP Supporting smoking cessation: A guide for health professionals - https://www.racgp.org.au/clinical-resources/clinical-guidelines/key-racgp-guidelines/view-all-racgp-guidelines/supporting-smoking-cessation

•	ICanQuit NSW Government website - https://www.icanquit.com.au/

•	Quitline PAVE app - https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/So_5Clx1rOT1XjRGCGfVTzZYUN?domain=cancer.nsw.gov.au
Download it for Apple devices - https://apps.apple.com/au/app/pave/id6737787436
Get it on Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.cinsw.vayp&pli=1

•	NSW Health Guide to Support Young People to Quit E-Cigarettes - https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/tobacco/Pages/e-cigarette-young-people-guide.aspx

•	NSW Health Vaping toolkit - https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/tobacco/Pages/vaping.aspx

•	Therapeutic Goods Administration Vaping hub - https://www.tga.gov.au/products/unapproved-therapeutic-goods/vaping-hub

Having Effective Conversations About Nicotine

In this podcast, we discuss the 2025 paper published in the Journal of Primary Health Care on primary care awareness and diagnostic confidence regarding Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM). We explore why clinicians—particularly those in primary care—should consider DCM, common diagnostic challenges, and the path forward.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/HC24180

Disclaimer: This podcast was generated using NotebookLM, has been professionally proofed, and reflects the author’s insights.

New Zealand Primary Care Awareness of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy

In this episode of the Transforming Primary Care podcast, a panel of practising GPs including Dr Minal Bakhai, Director for Primary Care and Community Transformation and Improvement at NHS England, discuss how new digital triage techniques within the Modern General Practice model have made a huge difference to both practices and patients.
For more information about Modern General Practice visit: 

https://www.england.nhs.uk/gp/national-general-practice-improvement-programme/modern-general-practice-model/

A transcript of this episode is available on our website - 
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/modern-general-practice-top-tips-for-successful-triage/

Modern General Practice – Top tips for successful triage

The leading think tank working to make UK government more effective. 

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The Health Design Podcast brought to you by the Journal of Health Design(www.journalofhealthdesign.com). Features interviews with the world's leading health design experts including clinicians, designers, patients, authors and researchers. Better health by design.

At NHS England our aim is to support the NHS and help improve care for patients. Our podcast will be providing commentary and information about NHS health care services, policy and success stories.

Improving healthcare in Australia and around the world.

New tracks tagged #General Practice