NASGP

Hosted by National Association of Sessional GPs

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Apr 2026

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About the show

One in four general practitioners - fully qualified doctors specialising in family medicine - in the UK work as freelance locum GPs. We're the most professionally isolated of all workers in the National Health Service NHS, and the NASGP exists to support both locum GPs and salaried GPs to improve patient care and make their work more fulfilling and enjoyable.

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60 recent

April 13, 202647 min

LinkedIn tips for GPs

Are you a sessional GP who needs to stay visible and connected between bookings? This conversation with social media expert Debbie Ford gives you 10 practical, low-effort tips to transform your LinkedIn profile into your professional shop window.View on YouTubeJoin NASGP's community to download Debbie's slides – subscribe on nasgp.org.uk for the link.Learn –How to optimise your profile for better discovery on Google search and AI tools.–The difference between following and connecting to build your professional network with other GPs.–How to use the scheduling tool to batch content about your GP work and career. –Simple strategies to interact with key organisations like NASGP, your local ICB, and fellow NASGP members to amplify your voice.–Why the 'one post, one message' rule helps GPs write effectively.Practices think carefully about who they bring in as a locum. Your network and online presence play a part in that.In this video Debbie shares ten practical tips to help you strengthen your profile, connect with the right people, and make this platform work for you.If you’d like more tailored support, Debbie offers a one-hour ‘Super Sixty’ session for NASGP members (£150), focused on your profile, positioning, and next steps.Explore what’s included: https://thechichestersocial.com/linkedin-power-hourBook your session: https://cal.com/debbie-ford-the-chichester-social/super-sixty-for-nasgp-members00:00 Intro01:18 Why LinkedIn for GPs? 12:44 Always repost!16:18 One post, one message21:44 How often to post33:13 LinkedIn for GPs

March 30, 202636 min

Dr Susanna Petche – The trauma-informed GP linking chronic disease to complex trauma and inflammation

In this episode, Dr Richard Fieldhouse is joined by Dr Susanna Petche to trace her diverse career path. From an innovative, arts-in-medicine GP VTS at the Whittington, through to her time as a locum GP within the Chambers model, and her later work in commissioning and medical education. The conversation pivots to her personal experience with a diagnosis of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). Dr Petche now uses this lived experience and a master's in psychological trauma to teach other clinicians how common presentations like chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and resistant anxiety are often rooted in unacknowledged trauma. She offers practical, actionable advice on how GPs can become trauma-informed and empower their patients through lifestyle medicine to break the cycle of chronic stress and inflammation.Common ThreadsTEDx: "Is trauma costing you your future?"Website: www.trauma-sense.com

March 19, 202640 min

Dr Keith Grimes – AI in general practice: what sessional GPs need to know about safety and scribes

GP locums are on the front line of AI adoption, but inconsistent practice-level governance creates significant risk. In this conversation, Helen Holmes-Fogg (NASGP Chief Exec), digital health specialist Dr Keith Grimes, and practising locum Dr Claire Sieber dive into the practical reality of using AI scribes (AVT) when moving between multiple practices. They discuss the critical need for patient consent, the ambiguity around MDO indemnity, and how a surprising 70% of deployed digital health technology may not be fully compliant with clinical safety standards. This is essential listening for any sessional GP looking to benefit from AI while protecting their registration, their patients, and their portfolio career.Youtube edition

March 6, 202656 min

Identifying your risk: how to recognise the burnout cliff and build a wellbeing plan

As a GP, you are at high risk of burnout, which the World Health Organisation defines as a syndrome from chronic, unmanaged workplace stress—it is not a personal failure. In this essential webinar, Dr Helen Garr, Medical Director at NHS Practitioner Health, shares practical, evidence-based tools to recognise the signs before you reach the 'burnout cliff' and find support within your practice and the wider sessional workforce community.YouTube of webinarhttps://youtu.be/Xg8aO2JjJLsWhat you will learnWhy burnout is a system problem, not a character flaw in the sessional GP workforce.How to use energy accounting (the 'spoon theory') to protect your capacity and maintain continuity.The crucial steps to build psychological safety within your team by 'reaching in' to colleagues.The common signs you are near the 'burnout cliff' and what 'bad medicine' coping strategies look like.How to create a personal wellbeing plan (WRAP plan) and identify your vital support network (Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes crew).Topic orderBurnout: It's a systemic issue, not a flaw (Boiling frog analogy).The burnout cliff: recognising common signs and compassion fatigue.The temperature continuum: checking in on your psychological well-being.Developing a Wellbeing/Resilience Action Plan (WRAP plan).Psychological safety and secondary stressors (the psychological backpack).Building your support network (Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes crew).Energy accounting: the 'spoon theory'.NHS Practitioner Health: confidential mental health and addiction treatment.ResourcesNHS Practitioner Health: https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/Dr Richard Duggins' book: Burnout Free Working https://uk.jkp.com/products/burnoutfree-working Wellbeing & Coping Website: wellbeingandcoping.netMind's Wellbeing at Work Plan: https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/my-mental-health-at-work/wellness-action-plans/ Balint Groups (for peer support): https://balintsociety.org.uk/balint-groups-and-balint-method

February 23, 202624 min

Dr Kevin Fernando - Leveraging locum flexibility to build a global medical education portfolio

We speak to Dr Kevin Fernando about his deliberate and successful transition from a GP partnership to a thriving, multi-faceted portfolio career. Kevin explains how a desire for better work-life balance initially led him to general practice, and how his passion for medical education became the key to unlocking a global role with Medscape. He shares practical advice on how to start teaching, the importance of surrounding yourself with mentors, and how part-time sessional work provides the necessary foundation for flexibility. We also discuss his new private practice (focused on CVRM), the luxury of time it affords for holistic care, and his thoughts on the evolving role of AI as an invaluable tool for clinicians.

February 13, 202654 min

Making Tax Digital for sessional GPs

Luke Wheal, a specialist medical accountant from Azets, breaks down the monumental shift to making tax digital for income tax (MTD) and what it means for UK sessional GPs and any GP with qualifying rental income. He clarifies the confusion around staggered turnover thresholds (starting at £50,000 for April 2026) and stresses that while reporting is going quarterly, the existing self-assessment payment dates remain the same. This episode is a practical, demystifying guide to navigating the future of tax for the flexible sessional workforce and avoiding the common traps of the new digital record-keeping system.View on YouTube (includes slides)#MakingTaxDigital, #MTD, #GPlocum, #SessionalGP, #NHS

February 9, 202640 min

Dr Martin Brunet – The two houses: a model for effective communication and managing moral distress in general practice

Dr Richard Fieldhouse sits down with GP, trainer, and author Dr Martin Brunet to explore the "art" of general practice. Martin shares his journey from hospital medicine to finding his "tribe" in GP, where he developed a passion for the mechanics of communication. We dive deep into his "Two Houses" consultation model—a practical way to navigate complex patient agendas—and discuss the clinical reality of burnout. Martin introduces the vital concept of "moral distress," explaining how system pressures force us away from our core values and, crucially, how "shared moral purpose" and creative self-care can help us stay resilient.Resources:“Your Worry Makes Sense: Anxiety and Burnout are Logical (and You Can Overcome Them) “The GP Consultation Reimagined: a Tale of Two Houses” NASGP LocumDeck Professional ToolkitInstagram Key Quotes:"Surgeons operate, GPs communicate... we're all better as doctors and people if we communicate well"."Moral distress is when you're being put in a position where you're asked to, or expected to, or have to operate outside your values".

February 2, 202643 min

Stop being a superhero GP

Dr Richard Fieldhouse is joined by Dr Helen Garr, Medical Director of NHS Practitioner Health, for a candid conversation about the mental health of the workforce. They discuss the unique pressures faced by sessional GPs and partners alike, moving beyond the standard "resilience" talk to address the reality of compassion fatigue and the "superhero" complex. Helen shares personal stories of her own career—including a wake-up call while working under a palm tree on holiday—and offers practical advice on how to build connection and psychological safety in a fragmented system.ResourcesNHS Practitioner Health: https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk/ NASGP LocumDeck: https://www.nasgp.org.uk/ Key Quotes"We give, we give, we give, until we fall off that cliff and we crash. And often the point at which people recognise they need some help is when things have got really quite bad.""There is no 'not unwell enough' to come to us. If you think things aren't quite right, please do reach out."

January 23, 202635 min

Dr Sarah Coope: The three degrees of burnout and how to find joy in your GP career

In this essential conversation, former GP Partner and Director of Training, Dr. Sarah Coope, charts her remarkable career from a young GP with a thirst for continuity to a specialist in clinician well-being and conflict resolution. Sarah shares how taking a risk on coaching early in her career proved transformational, leading her to discover her "joy in work" and ultimately protect herself from burnout. She breaks down the three degrees of burnout and offers immediately actionable, self-aware strategies—from the power of the midday break to identifying the 20% of your week that brings you purpose. This is a must-listen for any sessional GP looking to find stability, set boundaries, and manage the emotional load of modern general practice. Dr. Coope’s company also runs a ‘Permission to Thrive’ personal development community for doctors interested in ongoing support.

December 11, 202539 min

Dr Sarah Jacques: From burnout to balanced: how to create a sustainable portfolio GP career

In this episode, Dr Richard Fieldhouse is joined by Dr Sarah Jacques to discuss her deeply personal experience with professional burnout, which led her to leave her GP partnership and re-evaluate her career. Dr Jacques details her transition to a balanced portfolio, combining a single clinical session per week with influential non-clinical roles in Doctors Association UK (DAUK) and the Medical Women's Federation (MWF). They explore the systemic issues driving GP dissatisfaction, the critical role of grassroots advocacy, and why uniting the entire Sessional workforce—locums, salaried, and partners—is essential to fight for a sustainable future for general practice against looming threats like the new GP contract and privatisation.