RCGP eLearning Podcast

About RCGP eLearning Podcast

The Royal College of General Practitioners is the professional membership body for family doctors in the UK and overseas. This podcast is produced by the RCGP eLearning and Essential Knowledge Update teams and features discussions with clinical experts about a range of key topics in primary care.

Publisher

RCGP eLearning Podcast

Category

education · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Oct 2015

Latest episode

22 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

152 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Oct 2026

   EKU Podcast: Rational testing in primary care

   Estimates have suggested that 25% of primary care laboratory tests might be ‘unnecessary’, with research demonstrating unwarranted variation and overuse of specific tests including thyroid function tests, liver function tests, prostate- specific antigen tests, and vitamin D tests. In this podcast Dr Thomas Round talks to Dr Jessica Watson, GP and Consultant Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol with an interest in evidence based rational testing, about rational testing in primary care. They explore why testing is undertaken in medicine and general practice, when doctors should use blood tests, how to share information about tests with patients, manage patient queries and demand and when to retest. They discuss the increase in testing demand, the science behind testing and what the evidence shows us regarding over testing. In addition, they review recent research and guidance e.g. accessible results practical toolkits and the PITSTOP project. They also offer top tips for everyday practice and signpost to useful resources. RCGP Podcast Feedback Your feedback plays a crucial role in helping us improve the CPD products and services we offer. We would be grateful if you could please complete our short RCGP Podcast Survey (https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/49LX-11EN/rcgppodcasts), which will take no more than 5 minutes to complete. Transcript References & Further Reading: Watson J, Burrell A, Duncan P, et al. Exploration of reasons for primary care testing (the Why Test study): a UK-wide audit using the Primary care Academic CollaboraTive (https://bjgp.org/content/74/740/e133). British Journal of General Practice 2024; 74 (740): e133-e140. Buss L F, Spitzer D, Watson J C, et al. Can I have blood tests to check everything is alright? (https://www.bmj.com/content/382/bmj-2023-075728) BMJ 2023; 382: e075728. Smellie W S A. Spurious hyperkalaemia (https://www.bmj.com/content/334/7595/693). BMJ 2007; 334 :693. McCormack J P, Holmes D T. Your results may vary: the imprecision of medical measurements (https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m149). BMJ 2020; 368: m149. University of Bristol. Accessible Results: Accessible Results – Enabling patients with diverse needs to access and understand their blood test results online (https://accessibleresults.bristol.ac.uk/). (Toolkit will be published in November 2026). Watson J. PITSTOP: Project 823 | Using Routine Primary Care Data and Co Production to Reduce Potentially Inappropriate Testing (PITSTOP): A Mixed Methods Study (https://spcr.nihr.ac.uk/research/projects/project-823-potentially-inappropriate-testing-primary-care-pitstop/). NIHR School for Primary Care Research (SPCR). Learn evidence-based methods to make more accurate diagnosis (https://www.testingwisely.com/). Testing Wisely O'Sullivan J W, Stevens S, Hobbs F D R, et al. Temporal trends in use of tests in UK primary care, 2000-15: retrospective analysis of 250 million tests (https://www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k4666). BMJ 2018; 363: k4666.

2. 

   6 Aug 2026

   Learning disabilities podcast

   In this podcast we interview Dr. Katherine Peterson, a GP partner and strategic clinical lead for learning disability, neurodivergence and mental health in North East and North Cumbria ICB. Patients with learning disability can have difficulties accessing primary care and have worse health outcomes than the general population. This podcast discusses some practical ways that practices can improve care for this cohort.

3. 

   1 Jul 2026

   EKU Podcast: HIV in primary care

   In 2024 there were 3,043 new HIV diagnoses in the UK, this is a 4% decrease from 3,169 diagnoses in 2023; while in England, new HIV diagnoses decreased by 2% from 2,838 in 2023 to 2,773 in 2024. In this podcast Dr Thomas Round talks to Dr Shrey Mathur, an academic GP in East London and researcher at Queen Mary University of London with an interest in HIV early diagnosis, about HIV and the role of primary care. They reflect on what HIV is, its historical context and the changes in diagnosis, treatment and management and the need to move away from potential bias within specific populations/at risk groups for testing and ways to reduce the stigma. They discuss when to test in primary care including thresholds and managing positive results, transfer of care to specialist services and communication between the two, coding patient records accordingly around medications, the use of Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and long-acting injectables. They also offer top tips for everyday practice and signpost to useful resources. RCGP Podcast Feedback Your feedback plays a crucial role in helping us improve the CPD products and services we offer. We would be grateful if you could please complete our short RCGP Podcast Survey (https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/49LX-11EN/rcgppodcasts), which will take no more than 5 minutes to complete. References: People First Charter (https://peoplefirstcharter.org/) HIV Lens (https://www.hiv-lens.org/) Liverpool HIV Drug Interactions Tool (https://www.hiv-druginteractions.org/checker) British HIV Association (https://bhiva.org/) (BHIVA) NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary: HIV infection and AIDS (https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/hiv-infection-aids/) NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary: HIV infection - treatment (https://bnf.nice.org.uk/treatment-summaries/hiv-infection/). Resources: RCGP eLearning course on Contraception (https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/info.php?id=210) RCGP eLearning course on Sexual health (https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/info.php?id=1245) RCGP eLearning course on Sexual and reproductive needs of the LGBTQ+ community (https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/info.php?id=356).

Who has been a guest on RCGP eLearning Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Willie Hamilton
• Paul Little
• Kevin Barrett
• Ed Pooley
• Khyati Bakhai

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

665,943

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

4.8 / 5

24 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 77 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

82

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

95

Contact RCGP eLearning Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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