AlphaMED Resources · https://alphamedicine.uk/Resources/glossary/gp

GP

General practitioner

A GP, or general practitioner, is a doctor who treats common medical conditions and refers patients on for specialist care.

Updated 13 October 2026 (1 minute read)

Summary

Interview questions

  • What does a GP do?
  • How does a patient reach a hospital specialist?
  • What might draw a doctor to general practice?

Sources

  1. NHS Health Careershealthcareers.nhs.uk/…/training-and-development
  2. NHS Health Careershealthcareers.nhs.uk/…/training-doctor

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Cases that turn on it

Hong Kong A&E fee rise Autonomy On 1 January 2026 Hong Kong's public hospitals raised the A&E fee from HK$180 to HK$400 and made A&E free for the sickest patients. The aim was to move minor cases to clinics so that urgent patients are seen sooner. A&E in the NHS is free, and a former health secretary has argued for charging. ADHD and autism overdiagnosis debate Autonomy Far more people in England are diagnosed with ADHD and autism than 25 years ago. People disagree over whether ordinary difficulties are being given medical labels, or people who were missed for years are at last being recognised. A government review reported on 9 October 2026 that it could not show overdiagnosis on a large scale, partly because the data are out of date. It wants help to be given on need, without waiting for a diagnosis. Weight loss drugs for children Autonomy Weight loss injections such as Wegovy are licensed in the UK from the age of 12, and drug companies are testing them in children as young as six. On 7 October 2026 the World Health Organization said it does not recommend any obesity medicine for a child under 10. It said too little is known about what the drugs do to a growing body. Palantir and the NHS data platform Autonomy NHS England is paying a group led by Palantir, a US technology company, up to £330m for software that joins up hospital data. The BMA and two committees of MPs want the NHS to drop the company, and more than 44,000 people have filed legal objections. A decision on whether to keep it is due by December 2026. Resident doctor strikes Beneficence Doctors in training in England first went on strike over pay in March 2023. By the time they accepted a deal, by 53% to 47%, the argument was as much about a shortage of jobs. Birthmarks mistaken for bruises Beneficence Most Asian and Black babies are born with blue grey birthmarks that can look like bruises. In 2024 a mother in Hampshire was held overnight by police after her son's were taken as a sign of abuse.

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