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Burnout often creeps in while you keep showing up for everyone else.

In this special episode, Nik and GP and Red Whale Mental Health Lead Lee David explore:

1. What burnout really looks like in healthcare
2. The early signs we often miss in ourselves (and spot in others)
3. How burnout can quietly affect thinking, empathy and clinical decisions
4. Practical ways to check in with yourself or a colleague
5. What genuinely helps - from workplace conditions and team culture to boundaries, rest and therapy

No lectures on ‘resilience’. Just realistic, supportive steps that actually help.

If you have been thinking, ‘I’m fine, just tired’ - this one is for you.

Useful Links

Society of Occupational Medicine, 2023: Burnout in healthcare: risk factors and solutions

NHS Practitioner Health (offers free mental health support for health professionals)

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

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Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

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Headache in the consultation room is common; a brain tumour is (thankfully) not — and that’s exactly why we’re so prone to worry and to miss the subtle clues. In this episode, Nik and Fi cut through the noise on headaches, red flags and brain tumours. They explore how no single symptom reliably hits the NICE “refer” threshold, what to do with “headache +” and “cognitive +”, when to push for urgent imaging/referral, and how to safety net adults and children. Then they move on to a quietly game-changing topic: cancer and frailty — how to spot it, why it alters investigation and treatment risk, what to include in suspected cancer referrals, and practical steps that primary care clinicians can start today to reduce harm and improve outcomes.

Useful Links

Prehabilitation resources for healthcare professionals | Macmillan Cancer Support

Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool: MUST

Macmillan Cancer Support - healthy eating and cancer

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

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Do you ever feel a bit lost when you see someone with a sore mouth, a furry tongue, or bad breath? This episode is your rapid confidence boost, delivered as a cheeky (virtual) 'million pound question' quiz between Nik and Fi. You’ll get a practical, primary care friendly approach to:

1. Dry mouth ( what it is, common causes, and when to worry)
2. Oral thrush (the assessment bits we all forget),
3. Recurrent mouth ulcers (types, triggers, red flags for urgent referral, and what actually helps)
4. Halitosis (from hygiene to halitophobia… plus one surprising cause).

Press play now and prepare for faster, safer, calmer oral consultations afterwards.

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.