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Articles by Nicola Merrifield
Campaign's most-read features of 2025
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FCB London, Mother, Adam & Eve/DDB and Uncommon Creative Studio pick up gongs at Ciclope 2025
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Decent value exchange or dodgy? Inside the opaque world of pitch intermediaries
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Wrangles in the jury room: how the challenges of creative judging play out
Analysis Advertising Creativity Cannes Lions The Knowledge Tricky deliberations, outside influences and questionable entries can make the quest to recognise the best work with an award a difficult one.
Wrangles in the jury room: how the challenges of creative judging play out
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Publicis Conseil takes Direct Lion Grand Prix for AXA domestic violence campaign
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This is adland 2025: ‘Even without AI looming, jobs and budgets would be cut’
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CCG plans £1.5m GP funding cut after 'failing to phase out PMS payments'
A CCG is proposing to remove £1.5m from its primary care budget after failing to phase out PMS payments – creating a ‘disaster’ for local practices as surgeries could be forced to shut, local GP leaders have warned. Mid Mersey LMC said NHS Knowsley CCG’s proposed funding cut would affect all 25 GP practices in the region, but its 16 PMS practices would bear the brunt of the cash removal, including one set to lose £0.5m.
GPs lined up to verify exemptions for mandatory Covid jabs
GPs may be required to provide evidence showing staff in care homes are medically exempt from mandatory Covid vaccinations, new Government guidance has suggested. The Department of Health and Social Care released operational guidance this month on the new regulations that mean staff in care homes – or those visiting them, including GPs – will be subject to mandatory vaccinations.
GP practices hit with five-figure pension payment errors via new portal
GP practices are warning of potential cashflow problems after pensions deductions as high as almost £80,000 have been incorrectly taken via the new NHS payments portal in England. Payment issues, including those relating to QOF, have been ongoing since the launch of the portal, operated by Capita-run Primary Care Support England (PCSE), on 1 June.
GPs facing venue hire problems for Covid booster programme
GPs are having difficulties securing venues from which to deliver the Covid-19 booster vaccination programme, in particular due to sites no longer being available, the BMA has said. In its latest update to members, it said issues with ‘sourcing securing and/or funding’ sites for booster jabs was affecting ‘a number of’ GP groups. This is happening ‘particularly when previous venues are no longer available’, the BMA added.
PCNs told to pay back funding for ARRS staff giving Covid jabs after CCG error
A CCG has rowed back on an instruction to primary care networks (PCNs) that they should stop claiming funding for Covid vaccination staff hired under the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS). NHS North Central London CCG said that it sent the instruction in error, but failed to clarify to Pulse the reason for the mistake.
GPs may be able to order extra flu vaccines from central stock
The Government is in ‘ongoing’ discussions with flu vaccine suppliers over whether a central stock will be provided for this year’s expanded programme, the Department of Health and Social Care has said. NHS England’s enhanced service specification for the programme, released last week, said practices ‘may’ be able to vaccinate adults with jabs ordered from a national stockpile.
Practice open for emergencies only as widespread GP shortages 'bite'
Rising demand from practices looking to cover GP absence but too few available locums is leading to unfilled sessions – and in some cases causing surgeries to offer only emergency appointments. In Scotland’s East Kilbride a GP practice has stopped offering routine appointments for two weeks due to ‘short-term staff shortages’ and ongoing pressures.
GP pension errors in Scotland reveal £10m in incorrect payments
Pension payment errors affecting around 10,000 practitioners, including GPs and dentists, have been uncovered by Scotland’s public pension body, which has apologised for the problems. Scottish Public Pensions Agency first identified the errors – which include overpayments and underpayments by ‘practitioner’ members of the scheme – in the spring of last year. The SPPA told Pulse it has carried out ‘extensive analysis’ with employers to establish 9,145 members have overpaid a total of £10.5m.
GPs to be able to jab flu patients from other practices under new ES
GPs will be able to vaccinate patients against flu who are not registered with their practice this year in a ‘key’ change to the service announced by NHS England. Unveiling the 2021/22 flu vaccination enhanced service specification for GP practices last night, NHS England said it was inviting ‘all practices’ to opt in to the programme over the next two weeks.
PCNs will no longer be provided with all Covid vaccination equipment
Primary care networks (PCNs) will no longer be provided with some of the equipment they need to deliver Covid vaccinations during the booster programme this autumn, NHS England has said. Items including handwash, waste bags and sharps bins will instead have to be purchased by GP-led vaccination sites themselves, it added.
GP practices could close or reduce services this winter as pressures mount, warn LMCs
GP practices face the ‘very real prospect’ of having to close temporarily or permanently this winter among rising workload and staffing issues, GP leaders have warned. One LMC is predicting a third of GP practices in its region will soon be on the highest alert levels for workload pressures. And GP leaders in other areas said they expect practices to be operating ‘skeleton services’ this autumn as appointment levels rise during the traditionally busiest parts of the year.
Almost nine in 10 PCN leaders want 'no' new service specifications this year
The vast majority of PCN leaders do not want any new network service specifications to be implemented this year, a new report has revealed. Four extra PCN services are set to be brought in as early as October – and the additional workload they will bring for GPs on top of giving flu and Covid jabs and dealing with winter illnesses has already been raised by GP leaders.
Co-administered flu programme may draw patients away from GP, NHSE admits
Patients may choose to get their flu vaccination through a ‘different provider’ than their GP this year if the Covid booster programme includes co-administration of the two jabs, NHS England has acknowledged. However, it said NHS policy makers ‘do not anticipate that there will be an excess of flu vaccines’, in response to concerns that GP practices could be left with an abundance of supply.
'Do not’ begin vaccinating 12-15-year-olds against Covid yet, NHS England tells GPs
GP-led vaccinations sites are having to cancel Covid-19 jabs for 12-15-year-olds after NHS England said they should not yet go ahead due to indemnity concerns. Last week primary care networks (PCNs) were given the green light to vaccinate children aged 12-15 who are deemed at ‘increased risk of serious Covid-19 disease’. GPs were told to identify children in this group who would be eligible for the jab.
GPs invited to turn off online consultations 'to manage demand'
GPs using the online consultation system provided by eConsult will be able to restrict patient requests as the company introduces a feature for turning the system off outside of core hours. Practices will initially only be able to switch to an ‘in-hours’ service, covering Monday-Friday, 8am-6.30pm.
RCGP sounds alarm with emergency action plan as GPs reach 'breaking point'
General practice is at ‘breaking point’ and urgent action is needed from the Government to help GPs deal with the aftermath of Covid and prevent them and their staff from burning out, the RCGP has warned. Launching an emergency action plan for recovery today, the college said the set of proposals ‘sends out an SOS for general practice’.
Pregnant women more likely to be hospitalised with Delta Covid variant
New concerns have been raised about vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women, amid new research showing that the Delta variant is more likely than previous Covid variants to cause severe illness in the patient group. The study, which also revealed that 99% of pregnant women hospitalised with Covid were unvaccinated, has prompted England’s chief midwife to write to GP practices urging them to encourage expectant mothers to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
GP pension problems on new online portal continue
Ongoing issues with the new pensions and payments portal, including GP pension information not being displayed, are continuing to be addressed, NHS England has said. In a letter outlining how it is tackling the wide-ranging problems, NHS England said Primary Care Support England, which runs the portal, was ‘actively working on a fix’ to the defect that meant some pension data has not been transferred to the new system.
PCNs to access remote locum GPs from across UK through joint staff bank
Exclusive A CCG has commissioned a new service for pooling staff that will allow locum GPs – potentially working remotely from across the UK – to provide shifts for GP practices in Worcestershire. The newly launched Worcestershire Clinical Pools Service has been set up as part of NHS England’s national programme for creating flexible banks of staff in primary care.
GP practices delivering Covid vaccinations ‘for free or at a loss’, survey reveals
More than 40% of GPs in England say their practices either broke even or made a financial loss by taking part in the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination programme, a specialist Pulse survey has revealed. The survey, of almost 100 GP partners and managers with access to practices’ financial accounts, showed 32% broke even (31 respondents) while 10% (10) lost money. In one case, the estimated loss was £100,000 for a practice serving over 10,000 patients.
Record flu programme to target 35m for vaccinations
An expanded national flu vaccination programme this winter will target 35m people across the UK, the Government has announced. The 2021/22 programme, due to start in September, will see GP practices, pharmacies and school-based providers deliver the free jabs. For the first time all secondary school pupils will be eligible for the flu vaccine, creating a significant expansion to the scheme. In 2020, the only extra students added to the programme were those in year 7.
GP should prescribe fruit and veg to boost healthy eating, says Government-backed report
GPs should prescribe fruit and vegetables to people who have poor access to healthy food, a Government-commissioned review has recommended. The National Food Strategy, independently led by businessman Henry Dimbleby, looked at how to improve healthy eating and said primary care networks (PCNs) in England should bid to design ‘Community Eatwell’ programmes that would also provide food-related education and social support.
BMA passes vote to reject untimely 'power grab' Health and Care Bill
The BMA council has passed a resolution calling for MPs to reject the new Health and Care Bill, arguing it is ‘not the right time’ to be bringing in widespread legal reforms while the NHS deals with the Covid-19 pandemic. The bill, which includes powers that will see CCGs abolished and replaced with new integrated care systems (ICSs), is due to have its second reading in Parliament today.
Double winter hospital admissions for flu and RSV set to 'intensify' GP pressure
Outbreaks of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) could lead to double the number of related hospital admissions this winter, a major new report has warned. Primary care would experience particular pressure from an RSV outbreak, due to GPs seeing the majority of these patients, who are usually the under-fives, according to the review by the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Oral contraceptive pill to become available without prescription in UK
The UK medicine regulator has approved two progestogen-only pills for sale without a prescription from pharmacies. Following a Government consultation earlier this year, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has reclassified Hana and Lovima tablets – both desogestrel (DSG) 75 microgram progestogen-only pills – so they can be provided over the counter.
GP trainee numbers on track to beat records again with 7% rise in acceptances
The number of doctors accepting GP trainee places in England has risen again this year – by 7% – following initial recruitment rounds. Health Education England figures show 3,690 GP trainee places have been filled so far in 2021, which is up on the 3,441 who had accepted a place at the same point last year.
Covid vaccine interval to be cut to eight weeks for all adults
The time between first and second doses of Covid-19 vaccines will be reduced to eight weeks for all people under the age of 40, the Prime Minister has announced. In a press briefing this afternoon Boris Johnson confirmed the interval would be reduced from the current 12 weeks for all adults ‘so that everyone over 18 should be double-jabbed by the middle of September’.
Legal requirement to wear face masks to end when Covid restrictions lifted, says PM
It will no longer be a legal requirement for patients to wear face masks in GP practices or any other setting, the Prime Minister announced today. In a media briefing this afternoon, Boris Johnson said while the legal requirement for wearing a mask is set to be removed from 19 July, ‘guidance will suggest where you might choose to do so’.
Co-administration of flu and Covid jab 'very likely' for booster scheme, says NHSE chief
The planned Covid-19 vaccine booster programme later this year will ‘very likely’ involve giving the vaccine at the same time as the flu jab, NHS England’s chief executive has said. NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens added that the campaign is set to run from the start of September to mid-December. But he stressed details of the programme will not be confirmed until after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation issues its advice.
Ministers urged to fight racism by patients against GPs and staff
Local GP leaders have called on the Government to step up the fight against racism experienced by GPs and their staff. Health ministers must ‘publicly and repeatedly’ tell patients they cannot decline care based on a clinician’s ethnicity, the UK LMCs conference urged last month. The motion, which was carried unanimously, also called upon ministers to ‘commit to a zero tolerance approach’ to patient complaints about being challenged over racism.
New staff bank risks 'financially crippling' Welsh locum GPs
GP locums in Wales could face ‘potentially financially crippling’ effects from the new requirement to join a staff bank in order to receive state-backed indemnity, GPs have warned at the UK LMC conference. Wales brought in state-backed indemnity for all GPs in 2019, but in recent months has stipulated all locum GPs must join the new Locum Hub Wales to qualify for the cover.
'World-first' UK trial to report on booster Covid vaccines 'by September'
A new UK clinical trial will test seven different vaccines for a third ‘booster’ Covid shot and report by September, the Government has announced. The ‘world-first’ study will see participants given one of seven different existing vaccines as a booster, to see what side effects and immune response they produce.
Pregnant women should be offered Covid vaccine, says JCVI
Pregnant women should be offered Covid-19 vaccination, but preferably either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna jabs, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said. The committee said no specific safety concerns had been identified with any brand of Covid-19 vaccines in relation to pregnancy.
GPs working average 11-hour day, major survey reveals
GPs are working 11-hour days and dealing with an average of 37 patients in that time – far more than the 28 patients they believe is the safe daily limit in the pandemic, a major survey has revealed. Pulse’s snapshot survey of 1,400 UK GPs, which took place on Monday 1 March 2021, revealed 69% of GPs’ patients were either ‘very’ (29%) or ‘fairly’ (40%) complex. Over half of GPs said consultation time is now ‘significantly’ (24%) or ‘slightly’ (31%) longer than before the pandemic.
GPs paid thousands for pensions blunders placed under NHS gagging clause
Exclusive NHS England has paid out thousands of pounds in compensation to GPs for mishandling their pensions but has banned them from talking about it. At least 35 GPs have each been given an average of £1,000 after Primary Care Support England – NHS England’s body for pensions administration, run by private firm Capita – failed in its management of their pension information.
15m vaccine target hit as GPs told to use ‘clinical discretion’ with learning disability patients
GPs have helped the UK hit its target of 15 million Covid-19 vaccinations a day early, with the health secretary confirming all adults aged 50 and above should be offered the jab by the end of April. It comes as NHS England has told GPs they should identify patients with severe learning disability, who are eligible for the jab, based on ‘clinical discretion’, as it laid out how GPs should start inviting at-risk patients aged 16-64.
GPC to discuss obesity enhanced service for 2021
The BMA’s GP Committee is to discuss the introduction of a new enhanced service on obesity and weight management with NHS England. The aim would be to bring in the new measures during 2021/22, backed by Government funding, said the BMA as it announced changes to the GP contract in England from April. The GPC said it had agreed to the discussions ‘given the significant focus of the pandemic on obesity and weight management’.
BMA ‘cannot support’ QOF incentives for GPs to refer all obese patients
The BMA is opposing new QOF incentives for GPs to refer all obese patients to weight management services because ‘GPs do not generally play a major role’ in the process. NICE’s draft QOF proposals, released last year, would see GPs rewarded if they refer obese patients – those with a BMI of 27.5 kg/m2 or more, or 30 kg/m2 or more for white patients – within three months.
Both Covid vaccines likely to be 'more effective' at 12-week intervals, say Government experts
The Oxford Covid vaccine is more effective when the second dose is delayed, according to the UK medicines regulator, with the Government’s expert vaccine committee adding that this is likely to also be the case for the Pfizer vaccine. Regulatory documents filed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said there was ‘more certainty’ of the efficacy of Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine if the second dose is delayed by eight to 12 weeks after the first.
NHS England injects £120k per region to set up ‘flexible’ GP staffing banks
Salaried and locum GPs are to be recruited into new flexible staffing ‘pools’ that will be set up with £120,000 of funding in each region, NHS England has said. The local banks will initially be used to provide extra staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, with GPs paid through NHS England’s £150m support fund to keep practices running until the end of March 2021.
GPs to be paid extra £10 per Covid jab for care home residents
GPs will receive an extra £10 for every Covid vaccine dose they give to care home residents or staff, on top of the £12.58 item-of-service fee, NHS England has said. The extra payment has been agreed due the ‘additional time and resources needed’ to deliver the vaccination programme in care homes, it added.
NHSE keeps back 40% of ARRS cash unless PCNs prove ‘need’ -
NHS England is withholding 40% of PCNs’ additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) funding this year and will only allow CCGs to access it ‘based on need’, it has emerged. In a letter to CCGs and regional primary care leaders, NHS England said £257m of the £430m ARRS funding had been handed to CCGs for PCNs to use in 2020/21. However, it noted the remaining £173m ‘has been held centrally by NHS England and NHS Improvement’.
GPs to deliver just one fifth of Covid vaccines in London under draft plans
Exclusive Only around 13% of Covid vaccines will be delivered by GPs in primary care networks in London, provisional plans obtained by Pulse reveal. A further 8% of the one million vaccines to be administered every week at the peak of the programme in the capital will be provided by ‘roving units’ – 171 roving cars that will be staffed by primary care.
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