Podcast – Charlie Andrews – Bridging the Gap: GPs, Gastroenterology, and the Future of Patient Care

What if general practice could seamlessly connect with secondary care? In this episode, Ben speaks with Dr. Charlie Andrews, a GP at Somerset's Summer Valley Medical Group and a leading voice in gastroenterology. Charlie shares his journey and the inspiration behind pioneering specialised roles for GPs. He discusses his innovative training programme, supported by NHS England and the Southwest Endoscopy Training Academy, which empowers GPs to expand into areas like inflammatory bowel disease and endoscopy while collaborating with hospital specialists. Charlie also explores the challenges of recruiting and funding GPs for extended roles and explains the practical implementation guide that ensures smooth transitions and proper supervision. Join us for an insightful conversation about how collaboration, innovation, and passion are reshaping patient care, bridging the gap between primary and secondary care, and opening exciting new pathways for GPs across the UK. Introduction (0:09) Does anyone else offer the same training programme? (03:54) Joint working between General Practice & Secondary care.. (04:21)  A two way learning.. (06:45)  Referral and utilisation rates (07:23) Making it better for patients (08:01) The 10 year plan (08:46)  The training programme (10:17)  The placements (12:44) Funding (14:14)  Learnings so far.. (15:53)  Find out more.. (17:54) What does gastroenterology look like in 10 years time (20:17)  Getting in touch (22:28) Access the GPwER framework document here.  The GPwER course brochure can be found here. The training programme evaluation can be found here. Listen to Charlies educational podcast that he runs for the PCSG for primary care clinicians here. Contact Charlie directly via email here. For all enquiries about the Ockham podcast, please contact Ben Gowland here.