Royal College of General Practitioners - Online Learning Environment

Atopic conditions such as asthma, eczema, allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and food allergy commonly present in primary care. In the last few years we have seen tragic deaths from food allergies make the headlines, and we know that over 2% of children in the UK are affected by peanut allergy, with estimates of lifetime prevalence for any food allergy reaching around 20%. Allergic rhinitis is even more common, affecting up to 50% of the population worldwide; it is often seen as a mere summer inconvenience but is more significant than this, being associated with poorly controlled asthma and impaired performance in school exams and at work. The National Review of Asthma Deaths serves as a timely reminder that allergy is a key consideration in severe asthma, with trigger factors being recorded for under half of those featured in the report. Eczema also has a significant effect on quality of life; children with eczema are more likely to be bullied, to miss school, and to have poor school performance than their peers and are at a higher risk of depression than the general population.

The RCGP allergy hub provides a variety of resources to help learners to improve their knowledge on allergy. The eLearning course on allergy has four modules which between them cover all of the atopic conditions already discussed. A pre and post course MCQ allows users to test the improvement in their knowledge after doing the course.

There are also a variety of podcasts which cover different aspects of the diagnosis and management of allergy in primary care, particularly the difference between IgE mediated and non-IgE mediated allergy. Non-IgE mediated allergy can be more difficult to diagnose, because symptoms may present some time after the allergen was ingested, and may not be initially recognised as being allergic in origin. The connection between asthma and allergic rhinitis is discussed, using the concept of the one-airway theory. Pollen food syndrome, otherwise known as oral allergy syndrome, is also the subject of a podcast; whilst this allergy is usually mild and short lived, it can cause anxiety if oral symptoms are incorrectly interpreted as the start of a more sever reaction. In many of our courses and podcasts we attempt to do some myth busting, so that patients can access accurate information from their GPs, and any incorrect assumptions can be challenged. Finally, there are four short screencasts which provide bite-sized updates for the time-pressed GP who wants to know more about eczema, peanut allergy, asthma or allergic rhinitis.

References:

• https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/food-allergy/
• https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/allergic-rhinitis/ 
• https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/eczema-atopic/ 
• Walker S, Khan-Wasti S, Fletcher M et al. Seasonal allergic rhinitis is associated with a detrimental effect on examination performance in United Kingdom teenagers: case-control study. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Aug;120(2):381-7. 
• de la Hoz Caballer B, Rodríguez M, Fraj J, Cerecedo I, Antolín-Amérigo D, Colás C. Allergic rhinitis and its impact on work productivity in primary care practice and a comparison with other common diseases: the Cross-sectional study to evAluate work Productivity in allergic Rhinitis compared with other common dIseases (CAPRI) study. Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2012 Sep-Oct;26(5):390-4 
• Royal College of Physicians. Why asthma still kills. May 2014. https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/why-asthma-still-kills

Developed in collaboration with the Intensive Care Society, this webinar allows you to hear from the multi-professional team in Intensive Care to understand some of the rehabilitation needs of patients post-COVID-19 critical illness. The webinar covers:

• The challenges around recovery of communication and swallowing post ICU.
• The psychological impact of COVID-19 recovery and what to look out for.
• The breathless ICU survivor post coronavirus infection - heart, lungs or muscle as the problem?

The crux of the diabetes hub revolves around the 2022 updates to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on the management of people with type 2 diabetes. Courses of 15-30 minutes explain the change in emphasis from a target-driven and glucocentric approach towards a greater focus on cardio-renal risk reduction. This shift in focus places the assessment of current and future cardiovascular risk at the centre of treatment. There are courses on the challenges of polypharmacy in diabetes, lifestyle modification, the low GI diet in the context of diabetes and the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. 

This is a recording of a live conference that took place on 4 November 2025. This recording will be available to view until 20 August 2026.

Gastroenterology is one of the major medical specialties and accounts for 10% of all appointments in primary care. The British Society of Gastroenterologists (BSG) estimate that 90% of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are managed in primary care. 

The aims of this conference are to update delegates on the emerging issues, such as the new Faecal Immunochemical Test guidelines and the management of metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (the new name for NAFLD), as well as the more common presentations of GI conditions like dyspepsia, functional bowel disorders and iron deficiency anaemia. 

By the end of the day, you will have more confidence in investigating and managing patients presenting with GI and liver problems, which will improve patient care, result in less referrals to gastroenterology services and benefit service issues around the provision of endoscopy.

Learning objectives:

• How to manage patients with abnormal liver blood tests in primary care
• Provide updates on Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease 
• Provide updates on how to assess and manage patients presenting with lower and upper GI symptoms 
• Provide updates on neuroendocrine tumours 

Topics: 

• Liver disease 
• Gastroesophageal reflux
• Lower and upper GI symptoms
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Neuroendocrine tumours (NETS) 

Conference chair:

Dr Mark Follows, GPwER gastroenterology

Available until 13 February 2026.

Lifestyle medicine is a global medical discipline, teaching clinicians behavioural techniques to support patients with some of the root causes of ill health. These include assessing and addressing financial stress, poor mental wellbeing, social isolation, inactivity, poor quality food, poor sleep/shift work and harmful substances or behaviours such as smoking, alcohol and harmful tech use. Lifestyle medicine provides one-to-one assessment and support but requires wider public health population level interventions. The aim of these interventions is to prevent, treat and potentially reverse ill health whilst minimising the need for long-term medications.

This One Day Essentials lifestyle medicine conference will describe lifestyle medicine practice and how it is applied in everyday clinical practice for GPs. The conference will cover the RCGP GP with extended role in lifestyle medicine pathway, the evidence for lifestyle medicine and where it sits with population and public health, how this practice can be used to reduce health inequity, avoid over-diagnosis and over-prescribing. Speakers will also address how lifestyle medicine practice can be more sustainable medicine, can deliver person-centered care and recognises the wider aspects of wellbeing such as art and nature. 

 Learning objectives

• Define lifestyle medicine
• Describe how public health and population health interventions can be complemented by lifestyle medicine’s one-to-one support
• List the evidence for lifestyle medicine interventions 
• Define over-diagnosis and over-prescribing and how lifestyle medicine can address these challenges
• Describe how lifestyle medicine can be used to address inequity
• List how lifestyle medicine can improve sustainable practice
• Describe how art and time in nature can improve health outcomes

Topics

• What is lifestyle medicine and introduction to RCGP GP with extended role in lifestyle medicine
• The evidence for lifestyle medicine and how it works with public and population health
• Lifestyle medicine is sustainable medicine and can improve planetary health
• Social prescribing, physical activity, green spaces
• Lifestyle medicine and health inequalities
• The challenge of over-diagnosis and over-prescribing; can lifestyle medicine help?
• How art and music can improve health

Conference chair

Dr Ellen Fallows - GP and expert in obesity and lifestyle medicine

Bronze sponsor

Symprove sponsored this conference. Editorial and content decisions were made solely by the RCGP.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions account for up to 30% of general practitioner consultations, representing a substantial clinical workload and a significant societal burden. MSK problems often persist longer than many other conditions, leading to reduced quality of life and wider socioeconomic impact. GPs are pivotal in early recognition, accurate diagnosis, effective management, and preventive care for MSK presentations, helping to minimise disability and support long-term health and wellbeing.

This One Day Essentials conference equips primary care professionals with practical, evidence-based skills to confidently assess and manage MSK conditions in a time-pressured GP setting. Delegates will gain up-to-date knowledge on management of musculoskeletal conditions across the ages, prevention strategies, and the role of physical activity as both a therapeutic and preventive intervention.

Learning Objectives:

• Strengthen diagnostic confidence by recognising common and important MSK presentations, distinguishing mechanical, inflammatory, and systemic causes, and applying effective history-taking and examination techniques in primary care.
• Improve examination skills for MSK conditions 
• Enhance management strategies in MSK conditions seen in primary care
• Optimise patient outcomes through practical approaches to patient education, self-management support, safe physical activity promotion

Topics include:

• Gout
• Physical activity
• Chronic pain
• Paediatric rheumatology
• Osteoporosis
• Back and hip
• Shoulder and knee

Conference Chair:

Dr Jean Wong MRCGP, GP and RCGP eLearning fellow

This toolkit contains five NUBs, designed to cover the key areas related to cancer in primary care. The majority of patients who are diagnosed with cancer present with non-specific symptoms, rather than clear red flags; the early diagnosis NUB covers the factors which slow down diagnosis for these patients, and how to address them on an individual and systems level. Two NUBs will discuss pre-cancer issues (screening and smoking/vaping), and the final two cover the patient journey after diagnosis. With more patients than ever surviving cancer, the survivorship NUB gives some ideas for holistic primary care for this cohort, and the end of life NUB talks about the principles of providing good end of life care. An extensive resources list signposts to other eLearning on this subject and to more detailed information on symptom control, commissioning, and how services can vary by country of the UK.

Sexual and reproductive health needs are an important aspect of the holistic care we provide for our patients and cover a wide range of concerns. This One Day Essentials in sexual health will cover a variety of topics including updates on frequently managed concerns and some that require new and evolving management. All the expert speakers appreciate the demands of primary care and will include many tips and recommendations to improve the care you offer and to share with other members of your primary care team.

Learning Objectives:

• To gain confidence in addressing sexual health as part of the holistic care offered
• Update on new developments 
• Managing cases that are typically presented in the primary care setting
• Appreciate psychosexual concerns and how these may present and be managed in the primary care setting
  
  

Topics include:

• Psychosexual health
• Erectile dysfunction/premature ejaculation
• A primary care approach to vaginal discharge
• STIs that affect the skin
• Case-based safeguarding in sexual health
• Contraception update
• Sexual health and the menopause
  
  

Conference Chair:

Dr Toni Hazell FRCGP, GP and RCGP eLearning fellow

Available until 15 January 2026.

GPs are the first port of call for women’s health issues. We manage the majority of them without recourse to secondary care, even though the amount of time that medical school and vocational training devotes to subjects such as contraception and the menopause can be variable. When we do refer, our patients wait for many months or years, during which we manage symptoms and answer our patients’ questions. 

In this One Day Essentials conference, Dr Toni Hazell and a group of leading speakers will focus on essential information, latest evidence, practical tips and take-home messages to help improve practice and patient outcomes. The primary care perspective will be foremost in all of the talks, with consideration of the real-life decisions that we make every day whilst working in an under-resourced system. There will be ample opportunity for questions. 

Learning Objectives:

• To gain confidence in the management of women’s health issues in primary care, and knowledge of when referral is appropriate. 
• To understand the updated NICE guideline on menopause and how to explain complex issues of risks and benefits to women contemplating HRT, as well as being aware of the British Menopause Society guidance on unscheduled bleeding on HRT and how this might affect your referral decisions. 
• To understand how to manage suspected endometriosis in primary care and how decisions on referral should be individualised depending on factors such as symptom severity and desire to conceive. 
• To be updated on contraception and the latest thinking in PCOS. 
• To be aware of the NICE guidelines on familial cancer risk and know how to manage a patient who presents with concerns about genetic risks of cancer. 
• To be able to talk to women holistically throughout their life and give sensible advice when asked about lifestyle and complementary medicine.  

Topics include:

• Menopause update: What NICE did and did not say in 2024?
• Bleeding on HRT
• Contraception cluedo: Update your contraceptive knowledge for 2025
• Endometriosis
• Familial cancer
• PCOS 
• Holistic women's health throughout the life cycle 

Conference chair

Dr Toni Hazell, GP and RCGP eLearning fellow