Podcast

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Spinal cord compression and cauda equina syndrome. They’re on our (long!) list of things we never want to miss. They’re uncommon presentations, but they cause us a lot of anxiety. We can help…
• The new NICE guidance on menopause, published in December 2024. Much stayed the same, but we focus on the bits that may change our practice…

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear a best intentions story that will have you checking your phone and your headphones before launching into your next consultation!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Acute cough and pneumonia in adults. Who needs face-to-face assessment? Who needs antibiotics?
• ‘I got this new gadget’… we consider technology to support health and wellbeing.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. The rest of the Pearls from January will be covered next week along with a new best intentions story to put a smile on your face.

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Wintering, time to restore ourselves. We share an article from our lifestyle medicine course, offering a roadmap to wellbeing that we can use to support ourselves, family members and patients as we embark on 2025.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear a best intentions story that will have you double checking the address before going on a home visit!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• 3% of adults presenting to primary care with an acute cough have pertussis, but would you spot it?
• What is our role in primary care if a patient approaches us for advice about antibiotic prophylaxis for STIs?

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

The rest of the Pearls from December will be covered next week along with a new best intentions story to put a smile on your face.

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Diagnosing diabetes: do you know MODY from LADA?
• PSA testing in asymptomatic men. Why don’t we have a national screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK?

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear a best intentions story that will have you patting your seat before you sit down!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Chronic urticaria. How confident are you in spotting and managing it?
• Preparing for the worst…we consider the important issue of bleeding and haemorrhage in advanced cancer.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

The rest of the Pearls from November will be covered next week along with a new best intentions story to put a smile on your face.

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Mpox- what do we need to know after the WHO declared Mpox a ‘public health emergency of international concern’ ?
• Ovarian cancer: genetic risk. Did you know that reducing the risk of ovarian cancer death with risk-reduction surgery is an alternative for some at higher genetic risk of the disease, and is now recommended by NICE?
• Gut microbiome: cutting through the noise. We unpack the growing understanding of the importance of the gut microbiome, why it matters and future practical applications…

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• HRT, bleeding and endometrial cancer... Have you had more phone calls and e-consults? Recent media coverage has made this a topic that we all need to know about.
• Big changes in the UK vaccination schedules. We help you to update and refresh your knowledge in this fast-changing area.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

The rest of the Pearls from October will be covered next week along with a new best intentions story to put a smile on your face.

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Nephrotic syndrome in children: would you spot it?
• Broken heart? Think Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• How to approach alopecia consultations. Having a framework for conditions that patients have to pluck up courage to ask about can be really helpful…
• Workplace-based assessment (WPBA) demystified. We’re here to support the next generation of GP trainees, along with their supervisors.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

The rest of the Pearls from September will be covered next week along with a new best intentions story to put a smile on your face.

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• The national Medical Examiner System- big changes came into play in England and Wales on 9th September 2024. How’s it going for you?
• HRT regimens and progestogen dosing: time to change our practice? Unopposed oestrogen can increase the risk of endometrial cancer, so it must be balanced with an adequate dose of progestogen. But what is an adequate dose?

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear a best intentions story where a good deed ended up with one of our listeners wedged under a bed in a nursing home!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Wilson’s disease. How would you go about testing for this? What should you look out for?
• How to approach all types of anaemia in primary care. Please share our GEMS with new Team GP members.
• Tick-borne encephalitis: when to vaccinate.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• All things worm related. You’ve been requesting it, so here it is!
• We may well be getting more calls about painful/ itchy/ discharging ears. Otitis external may be one explanation!

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear a best intentions story involving a bottle of champagne and false hopes! All to put a smile on your face!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Seeing REDs with exercise? There are many benefits to physical training, but also some things we should be aware of- would you spot REDs?
• Familial hypercholesterolaemia: why does it matter? Find out how we can make a huge difference in primary care.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

The rest of the Pearls from July will be covered next week along with a new best intentions story to put a smile on your face.

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Motor neurone disease: spotting, referring and supporting
• There’s something not quite right…we cover how to approach a consultation around phimosis

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear a best intentions story that involved a food farce to put a smile on your face!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Curable: hepatitis C and the NHS elimination programme.
• Acne: what’s new?

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Allergic rhinitis and hay fever- should we be thinking of it as asthma of the nose?
• Melanoma: as the incidence continues to rise, how do we pick out moles that are concerning and need referral?

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

The above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. And hear a best intentions story that involved a fit note fiasco to put a smile on your face!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Lifestyle as medicine- an antidote to too much medicine?
• Dying matters: identifying adults approaching end of life.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

Pearls released in May were so jam-packed with key updates that we split them into two podcast episodes! Here's the first episode where we cover half of our May Pearls, plus we announce the winner of our Primary Care Superheroes competition…!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Acute prostatitis: Is it the last stand for the floxacins?!
• Adenomyosis: demystifying the condition behind the headlines. How would you diagnose it?
• A diagnosis no one wants to miss… cancer in children and young people. What are the key presentations?
• When does hearing loss warrant an urgent assessment? How could you potentially save someone's hearing?

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear a best intentions story that highlights that one size doesn't fit all, especially when it comes to lifestyle medicine!!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Acute aortic dissection. What would you do if you suspected it?
• The limping child. Who goes in to hospital? Who might be able to be managed in primary care?
• Soluble tablets. Are you aware how much sodium is in the average soluble pill?
• Quinolones… just say no to systemic fluroquinolones! Why have the MHRA released a drug safety update?

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear about how some home grown tomatoes brought a primary care team together, but left an unpleasant taste in the mouth!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Recent changes with progestogen-only pills. How is the new POP different from the others?
• Erectile dysfunction, and what is Eroxon?
• The available evidence and guidelines regarding measuring oestradiol levels with HRT. Which factors impact oestradiol levels?
• Eating disorders. What are the 5 subtypes of eating disorder?
• Ramadan- how can we support people with long-term conditions?

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear about how a young primary care parent needed to watch their back whilst trying to juggle everything on a busy work day!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Actively beating the new year blues. How can we build conversations about physical activity into our consultations?
• Scabies surge: how do you spot it and manage it? ( And can you get hold of the treatments?!)
• His head is all squished on one side… does the baby have a non-acute asymmetrical head, or not…?
• Measles: an update. With a significant measles outbreak in the West Midlands, have you had a chance to read the BRAND NEW UKHSA National Measles Guideline released in January? Don't worry if you haven't had time, we summarise them for you.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear about how crossed wires in a consultation lead to red-faced moment!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Galleri: will this blood test revolutionise cancer diagnosis? We review the evidence behind it and ask: How effective is it when cancer is suspected, and how effective is it for population screening?
• Sore throat and tonsilitis: All you ever wanted to know! Do you know when we should refer for tonsillectomy?
• Carbon monoxide poisoning: it's rare but easily missed. Would you be able to spot patterns in the history to make the diagnosis?
• Our free video bytes! We've given away 6 bytes in our Pearl email- over 45 minutes of free video CPD including infantile haemangioma, shoulder examination, hoarding disorder, serotonin syndrome, cancer: early diagnosis, and short stature. We discuss what leapt out at us from each one.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear about a home visit with a canine catheter catastrophe!!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Healthy ageing: adding quality to years? What does 'healthy ageing' look like? What are the 3 trajectories of ageing? How can we work as a primary care team to promote the basics that increase the chance of healthier ageing?
• Preventing breast cancer: what's our role? The MHRA are now licensing anastrozole for primary prevention of breast cancer in postmenopausal women at moderate to high risk. We discuss our article on Breast cancer: genetic risk, and explore how to assess risk, the evidence for preventative medication and some of the side-effects people taking it may experience.
• Acute retention: sort the catheter… then think: why? A Danish study showed that those who go into acute retention are at an increased risk of being diagnosed with genitourinary cancers in the following 12 months. How much should we worry about this?
• Self-harm: creating a safety-plan. The UK has one of the highest rates of self-harm in Europe and whilst it can occur at any age, it is most common in young people and females. The 2022 NICE Guidelines on self-harm recommend that whilst we are waiting for CAMHS support and assessment, we can help by encouraging the young person to develop a safety-plan. Would you feel confident to do this?

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear about a colleague's car-tastrophe...

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• HRT for primary prevention? About 25% of menopausal-age women have no symptoms and so do not require HRT to treat vasomotor or other hormone-related issues. However, they may be influenced by media messages suggesting that HRT could be used to prevent certain chronic diseases. What do we advise?
• “I'm struggling…” GP burnout has been in the news again: not a surprise to most of us working in primary care. It can affect any role - not just GPs. We share some resources that can hopefully help, however you're feeling at the moment.
• COVID…there's a lot of it around…again! We summarise the current state of play with antiviral treatments for COVID. We need to know about this so that we can signpost appropriate patients to access treatment - whatever our local route.
• Common, easily missed and affects 10% of females of reproductive age… We discuss endometriosis, including options for first-line management, reasons for referral and surgery, and the impact of menopause on endometriosis.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear about a hot and sticky cornered colleague…

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• GLP-1 mimetics shortages: tackling drug swaps. The headline grabbing GLP-1 mimetics are rarely out of the news- most recently due to supply issues for people with type 2 diabetes. How do we deal with this?
• Tics and Tourette’s syndrome: spotting them in primary care. Singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi has been keen to dispel myths that Tourette’s is all about swearing uncontrollably. We share what you need to know.
• Blepharitis: it’s pretty common and is responsible for about 5% of primary care eye consultations- so worth a reminder about diagnosis and management, to stop you from getting stuck!
• Molluscum contagiosum…a nuisance but not a spell! We look at the diagnosis, management, who needs referral, and when to think about immunosuppression.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear about a multitasking, time pressured, dance themed debacle...

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Bites: human, animal and insect. It's still that time of year when the triage list is full of: “Bite ? Infected”. We look at all things bite related including assessment, management and who needs antibiotics.
• DeQuervain's tenosynovitis: what is it and why we shouldn't suggest it might have an occupational cause.
• Some tips for doing the 6-8 week baby check: as a welcome to our new GPSTs, and for those of us who learned this longer ago that we like to admit to, have we thought about what might have changed?
• Assertiveness: often we say yes to things that help our patients and colleagues, but sometimes we need to say no. If we do need to say no, how good are we at being assertive?

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear a cautionary tale from a listener about how, despite the best intentions, a nail issue didn't turn out to be as straight forward as first thought.

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: one child in every class at school is potentially affected and unsupported. What can we do about this, and why is discussing alcohol in pregnancy a taboo?
• Varicella zoster (chicken pox) and NSAIDs: why we shouldn't be recommending ibuprofen for chicken pox or children with shingles, and why a request for it could be considered a red flag…
• Heat-related illness: identifying those at greatest risk. How to prevent it, spot it and treat it.
• Measles: might we see an epidemic? Would we spot a case? How can we support and promote MMR vaccination in our specific local populations?

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear how a wedding day best intention went horribly wrong, knocking things sideways!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Intrauterine systems, and how they just got a bit simpler…
• Diabetes and frailty: how we need all our primary care superpowers across the whole multiprofessional team to think about the big picture!
• Joining with Up: The Adult Cerebral Palsy Movement to help us increase our confidence in supporting adults with cerebral palsy.
• Antidepressants: help or harm? What we can learn from the BBC Panorama documentary.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear a clinical room calamity from one listener involving a fabulous skirt and a sample pot!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Would you spot serotonin syndrome?
• Lower urinary tract symptoms: prescribing pointers for 5ARIs
• BMI and ethnic groups
• Anorexia, nutrition and hydration in the last days of life
• Infantile spasms: would you be confident in spotting them?

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear a premonitory account from one listener that might mean you don’t need a shower and a change of clothes before finishing your clinic!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• Menopause in the media: How our HRT GEMS can help the whole team
• Swap to stop: can e-cigarettes help smokers quit.
• Chronic diarrhoea: could it be microscopic colitis?
• How to assess and manage postural hypotension

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.

And hear a salutary tale from one listener that might just help you avoid a blood sugar showdown!

Join the Red Whale team for a relaxed round up of this month's Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. This month, we discuss:

• NICE guidance on semaglutide for obesity
• “Light bulb” conditions - we explore neuroendocrine tumours.
• Moral injury: looking afters our teams and ourselves!
• A structured approach to chronic cough in adults. And find out about one listeners best intentions to get some physical activity and how they were thwarted by an unexpected encounter.

All of the above questions, and more, will be answered during the episode. Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources.