Consulting on the telephone requires a different skill-set, relying on common sense and improvisation. Learning how to do this effectively is necessary to safeguard patients and your professional position, says GP and popular author Dr Tony Males

Try these sample AKT questions provided by Dr Mahibur Rahman from Emedica

In this issue we bring you two interesting cases; the first encourages GPs to exercise caution when diagnosing haematuria, and the second highlights how various poor communication channels can have a negative impact on patient care.

With the ever-changing legislation surrounding the management of controlled drugs, clinical risk manager Kate Taylor asks, is your practice is up-to-date?

MPS clinical risk programme manager Julie Price discusses how to build a patient safety culture in primary care.

What happens on tour stays on tour, but what happens on Twitter stays on Google forever. Practices should be cautious when posting on social media sites, says web editor Jack Kellett and MPS medicolegal adviser Dr Rachel Birch

Dr Paul Heslin, a GP and occasional locum based in Dublin, looks at the misunderstood life of a GP locum.

MPS advisers answer real dilemmas from the advice line.

GPs are the most discussed group on NHS Choices; here are some tips to use patients’ comments to your advantage.

In her last column, our columnist Laura Davison, talks about her experiences of being a new GP.

Honesty and integrity are central to probity and define how any professional person should act. This is vital in healthcare as the doctor-patient relationship is balanced on trust.

The care.data programme has been subject to intense media coverage and scrutiny. GMC Chairman Professor Sir Peter Rubin looks at what doctors can disclose and in what circumstances.

Professionalism can be hard to define and even harder to teach. Dr Mark Dinwoodie, Head of Member Education at MPS, highlights some practical tips to encourage professionalism in trainees.

Kate Taylor, MPS Clinical Risk Manager, explores the implications for nurses of technology in general practice

It has come to the attention of our practice that a long-standing member of our reception staff team is registered as a patient at our practice. We had a management meeting about this and the partners feel uncomfortable about the arrangement. Please can you advise on how we should manage this situation – should we remove her from the practice list?

Nurse and CQC inspection adviser Elaine Biscoe says that more training is needed for nurses as their responsibilities expand at a rapid rate.

As summer approaches GPs will experience increasing requests for declarations that patients are “fit to fly”. Sessional GP and medicolegal consultant Dr Rachel Birch presents three case scenarios advising what you can do to support patients while minimising your risks.

With complaints against nurses increasing, clinical risk manager Kate Taylor shares tips on how to decrease risks associated with delegation

“From the case files” features unusual cases and cases with strong learning points. Here we deal with a common question on the MPS helpline – how to deal with a father’s requests to access his child’s records.

Dr Clare Etherington, Clinical Lead for MAP at the RCGP, discusses the benefits of the new route to membership for established GPs

MPS advisers answer real dilemmas from the advice line

Professor Sir Peter Rubin, Chair of the GMC, discusses the GMC’s latest campaign and online resource

Professor Nigel Sparrow, senior national GP advisor at the CQC, chats to Charlotte Hudson about the regulator’s new ratings for GP surgeries

Diane Baylis, MPS Clinical Risk Manager, discusses how protocols enable practice teams to practise the right way.