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There was a packed programme, in the picturesque setting of the National College for Teaching and Leadership at the University of Nottingham, for the SAPC Trent Regional Conference on 17 March.

Delegates were audience to a range of primary care research from the Universities of Nottingham, Sheffield, Leicester and Lincoln. From disease specific areas of research such as Stephen Weng’s presentation on 'Improving identification of familial hypercholesterolaemia in primary care' to ‘Learning from Chekov’s Stories’ by Dr Maria Keerig from the University of Leicester’s new Medical Humanties Centre, the cross-disciplinary research on offer was a highlight of the event and commended by Professor Tony Avery.

This was a really impressive regional SAPC conference with excellent presentations and posters on a range of research and educational topics. One of the highlights was the plenary on multimorbidity which was delivered by Prof Chris Salisbury from Bristol.


- Professor Tony Avery

After the opening address by Professor Joe Kai (Head of Primary Care Division), SPCR board member Professor Chris Salisbury, from the University of Bristol, gave his plenary on multimorbidity. In the context of an ageing population, Chris spoke about the importance of re-designing healthcare to better suit patients. He emphasised the importance of general practitioners adopting a more generalist approach in consultations, alongside their areas of expertise, to better manage the treatment of multiple illnesses. A new approach would not only help GPs manage the complex needs of elderly patients by alleviating problems associated with lack of continuity of care, it would reduce frequent referrals and diminish the potential of an ever-increasing fragmented healthcare system.

Dr Ruth Baker, SPCR doctoral student at the University of Nottingham, spoke about the potential impact of her investigation of the epidemiology of three common injury types that affect children and young people (poisonings, fractures and burns) taking into account factors such as age, sex, geographical region and socioeconomic status. She has found that linking primary care data to other sources will allow a detailed description of injury epidemiology.

The one day event highlighted the quality of primary care research being conducted in the region and if this standard is anything to go by, the Annual SAPC conference in July will be well worth a look in.