Supporting local GPs during the COVID-19 pandemic

St Luke’s expert medical team have designed and delivered three educational webinar sessions to support and educate local GPs across North West London during the pandemic. This helps GPs to improve the way they care for vulnerable and elderly people when coping with both a terminal illness and COVID-19.

St Luke’s Medical Director, Dr Charles Daniels says: “We set up these programmes because we realised that many GPs were having to help people make informed decisions about treating an infectious disease which they knew little about and how best to manage it. We also recognised that GPs were having many difficult and sensitive conversations with sick people and their relatives, and we felt they may benefit from our help and experience on how to handle these difficult talks.

“We invited two NHS hospital colleagues to explain the experiences and treatments being offered to people with COVID-19 in hospital. We used this information along with our expertise to provide useful guidance and top tips in our education programmes.

“GPs told us that this improved their ability to talk sensitively around this serious illness to someone who may be frightened and anxious about what may happen to them. We also helped GPs understand how to meet patients’ wishes and to centre and plan their care and treatment around what matters to their patients.

“Nearly 200 GPs in Harrow and Brent attended our webinars. This included the largest single attendance in Harrow for a local GP education programme. We plan to hold further educational webinar training sessions to help more GPs in our community.”