#GPnews: Rock band lends hit single to GP recruitment campaign

16:25 Tooth decay among children is strongly linked to deprivation, according to a think tank report.

Data complied by the Nuffield Trust showed that children in Blackburn were four times more likely to have fillings than children in South Gloucestershire.

Among five-year-olds across England, rates of kids with missing, decayed or filled teeth varied from 14% to 57%, the BBC reports.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: ‘NHS England’s Starting Well programme is working in 13 areas across the country, including Blackburn with Darwen, specifically targeting children who are not visiting a dentist to prevent poor oral health.’

14:50  In Scotland, GPs have come together on an uncharacteristically sunny Thursday for the inaugural Glasgow edition of Pulse Live.

Speakers at the conference included Scottish BMA GP Committee chair Dr Alan McDevitt (who said the new Scottish GP contract wasn’t about delivering a pay rise), and Paul Gray, CEO of NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government’s director general for health and social care.

At #pulselive @PAG1962 recognises that some general practices are under intolerable pressure & explains how to attract GPs to the workforce pic.twitter.com/0x45pllgLj

— Mandy Simmons (@mandysimmons01) November 2, 2017

11:55 Patient representative group Healthwatch has compiled its annual report to MPs about experiences of the NHS.

Its section on primary care says that ‘most people are satisfied with the care they receive from GPs, dentists and pharmacists however we have heard there is still room for improvement’.

Healthwatch found that ‘in particular the process of booking appointments is a significant source of frustration’.

It says: ‘The best way to identify what needs to improve is for services to actively seek out feedback, with the CQC stating in their recent report that understanding people’s needs is key to delivering outstanding care.

‘Over the next year Heathwatch will encourage GP practices to remind patients how they can share their views to help improve care, and clearly outline how these views have been used to make changes.’

09:40 Rock band Elbow has given permission for its ‘smash hit single’ One Day Like This to be used in the latest GP recruitment video, Health Education England has proudly announced.

The ‘One career endless opportunities’ GP specialty recruitment campaign video also includes GPs and trainees explaining their career choice and experience of the profession.

HEE says this comes as the next specialty training application round opens next week.

One Day Like this entered the UK charts at number 39 when it was released in June 2008. It later peaked at number 4.

The chorus line goes: ‘One day like this a year would see me right’. Boy, is general practice quite the career choice.