Pulse

12/09/2026

GP leaders and experts are warning of an ‘increasingly urgent’ need to switch patients with diabetes from Levemir insulin before it is discontinued at the end of this year.

Local medical committees in London are among those writing to the integrated care board with patient safety concerns after pharmacies in the area are already reporting intermittent supply problems.

Manufacturer Novo Nordisk informed the Department of Health and Social Care in September 2024 that it would be withdrawing several older insulins including Levemir (insulin determir) in both its Penfill and Flexpen options.

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11/09/2026

MPs have voted against the revived assisted dying bill in its second reading in the House of Commons today.

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11/09/2026

MPs reject revived assisted dying bill in ‘incredibly close’ vote

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MPs have voted against the revived assisted dying bill in its second reading in the House of Commons today.

11/09/2026

'I suspect online access is here to stay. But if we are going to declare it a success, we also need to take into account the unintended consequences.

'If easier access to the practice means GPs spending more of their time triaging the online flood, fewer face-to-face appointments and longer waits when a patient really does need to see a GP, could this apparent efficiency actually end up costing the NHS more in the long run?'

Following NHS England’s declaration that online access to GP appointments has been successful, Pulse editor Sofia Lind questions whether that tells the full picture when it comes to access

Read her full blog at the link our comments

11/09/2026

New guidelines developed to support the safe use of GLP-1 medicines before, during and after pregnancy are limited by gaps in the evidence, the researchers who developed them have said.

An international team, led by the University of Plymouth said a lack of evidence in many areas meant they had to provide some of the advice based expert knowledge and experience.

Women are disproportionately affected by obesity which can have detrimental effects on their reproductive health, including contributing to difficulty conceiving, the guidelines published in Obesity Reviews note.

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11/09/2026

ICBs will no longer be required to appoint GP representatives to sit on their board, as part of changes outlined in the Health Bill.

In an impact assessment for the Health Bill, the Government said this would reduce conflicts of interest in decision making as ICBs move into strategic commissioning functions.

The BMA told Pulse that the changes would ‘shut the door on GPs’, who are ‘experts’ in delivering community-based continuity of care and should be closely involved in ICB decision-making.

The bill, which completed the report stage in the House of Commons this week, sets out legislation to abolish NHS England, as well as creating the NHS single patient record.

ICBs will get legal responsibility for primary care commissioning when NHS England is abolished, in order to make sure that services are ‘tailored’ to local needs.

Read more at the link in our comments

11/09/2026

❓️ How common are fibroids, and which groups are particularly susceptible? What sorts of presentations should make us suspect fibroids? And what should we do about fibroids found ‘coincidentally’ on a scan?

GPwER in women’s health and gynaecology Dr Mehreen Ali Khan answers key questions on fibroids, including common presentations, symptoms and complications, and appropriate management depending on fibroid size and location as well as symptoms, patient preferences, comorbidities and fertility wishes

Read more at the link in our comments

10/09/2026

In a briefing on the bill, which is returning to Parliament tomorrow, the union urged MPs to amend the legislation to ensure that protection from discrimination extends to job applicants.

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10/09/2026

Assisted dying bill could expose GPs to discrimination by future employers, BMA warns

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The union urged MPs to amend the legislation to ensure that protection from discrimination extends to job applicants.

10/09/2026

GPs should receive ‘mandatory training’ on how to use AI products in the future, the national commission into the regulation of AI in healthcare has recommended.

A new report by the commission – which was established by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) – said that clinicians including GPs ‘have a responsibility to become competent’ using technologies that form part of their role.

It said that mandatory training should be supplemented with additional technology-specific training where needed. It also called for this training to be ‘coordinated’ by the Government and royal colleges.

And it recommended an ‘L-plate’ system for new AI to speed up the process for it to enter the NHS, and also urged the Government to clarify the responsibility for AI errors to prevent clinicians becoming ‘liability sinks’ for clinical negligence claims.

There should also be clear distinctions of the responsibilities of manufacturers, commissioners and clinicians, to clarify liability for when the technology fails, it recommended.

Read more at the link in our comments