Pulse articles from November 2005

Pulse archives from November 2005

Our campaign to rescue your vaccine pay.
November 5, 2005... Pulse today launches a campaign to reverse disastrous changes to rules governing child vaccine pay which will cost practices thousands of pounds and undermine the immunisation programme. Our campaign will demand the Department of Health...

Extended opening and health MOTs top patient wishes.
November 5, 2005... Extended GP opening hours and annual health MOTs for all look certain be in the upcoming primary care White Paper after they topped patients' list of demands. More walk-in centres and community health services were also favoured by 1,000...

Managers failing on complaints.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... NHS managers are failing abjectly to deal with complaints against doctors, latest figures show. A report from the Healthcare Commission reveals fewer than one in five complaints in the past year has been dealt with properly by PCTs and...

PCTs tell GPs `we've no money left'.(primary care trusts)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... A consortium of three PCTs has warned it may not be able to pay its GPs until next April because it is about to run out of money. Suffolk East PCTs issued the warning in a letter to 43 practices last week, stating it would run out of cash...

Call that an IT choice?(medical practice software)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Dr Fay Wilson says she has been battling with Hounslow PCT for six months to get servers upgraded in 18 practices running EMIS software. Dr Wilson, secretary of Hounslow LMC, said practices had been given a choice of either changing to a...

Practices held to ransom over computer upgrades.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... PCTs are holding GPs to ransom by refusing to replace out-of-date computer equipment unless practices sign up to new IT systems, writes Ian Cameron. One in three practices is now running on inadequate servers as a result of the problem,...

Choose and Book a full year behind.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Choose and Book is a year behind schedule, the chief executive of the NHS has admitted. Sir Nigel Crisp told a committee of MPs that the flagship project, which was meant to cover all referrals by the end of December, was `running about 12...

Pregnant women to get flu vaccine.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... EXCLUSIVE Pregnant women are set to be added to the risk groups for next year's flu immunisation campaign, Pulse has learned. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is set to recommend vaccinating pregnant women who are...

GPs think it's a waste of time to report violence.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... GPs are failing to report violent incidents in their practice to the NHS because they don't believe anything will be done about them. In a pilot scheme run by the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service, none of five serious...

IN BRIEF: Pharmacists lead on Pill.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Women are increasingly obtaining emergency contraception from chemists rather than their GP, a report by the Office for National Statistics reveals. The proportion of women who bought the morning-after pill from pharmacists increased from...

IN BRIEF: GP numbers up by 270.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... The number of GPs in England increased by 270 in the last three months. Government figures for June 2005 show there were 34,899 GPs. Full-time equivalent numbers were 31,380, an increase of 201 on the March level. Copyright: CMP...

IN BRIEF: Wales complaints rise.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Dissatisfaction with out-of-hours services in Wales has driven a 35 per cent increase in the number of complaints about family health services for the year to the end of August. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

IN BRIEF: Practice quality soaring.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... The quality of care in general practice has improved dramatically over the past few years, new research shows. Care has improved markedly for patients with asthma, diabetes and heart disease, according to the National Primary Care Research and...

IN BRIEF: GP assessments dropped.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... GPs will no longer have to provide child welfare assessments for every patient undergoing fertility treatment, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has ruled. During consultation on new guidance, issued this week, GPs said they...

IN BRIEF: Join us on eBay.
November 5, 2005... The Small Practices Association is selling itself on eBay. The organisation is using the auction website to sell membership in a bid to show it is `fun' as well as educational. Practices interested in joining for #100 should search for item...

IN BRIEF: HIV cases on the increase.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... The number of injecting drug users contracting HIV and hepatitis C is increasing, Health Protection Agency figures reveal. The agency said the proportion of injectors infected with HIV increased from around one in every 100 in the late...

Antibiotics OTC move attacked.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... The Government's leading adviser on antimicrobial resistance has launched a stinging attack on moves to make antibiotics widely available over the counter. Professor Richard Wise, chair of the Specialist Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial...

Minister's gaffe over GP training.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Doctors should not `waste valuable time on training', a health minister has told MPs. The comment, which provoked stunned disbelief from GPs, came from Jane Kennedy MP during a debate on NHS finances. Asked to defend plans make 15 per cent...

Our seminar draws GPs.
November 5, 2005... Premises expert Dr Peter Swinyard addressed more than 50 GPs in London last week at the first Pulse seminar. GPs at the meeting, held at Stamford Bridge, learned the latest options for financing development of practice buildings. Hosted by...

NICE signals significant changes in BP guidance.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... The ASCOT trial is likely to have a `significant impact' on new NICE and British Hypertension Society guidelines for hypertension, a preliminary review has concluded. The Expert Advisory Committee review, by representatives of NICE, the...

Jobs crisis looming in Yorkshire.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Practices in south Yorkshire are facing a workforce crisis with more than one in 10 GPs wanting to retire in the coming year. Figures from South Yorkshire strategic health authority show that 11 per cent of GPs in the area are aged over 60...

Expert patient programmes failing those most in need.
November 5, 2005... Expert patient programmes are benefiting only the pushy white middle- classes and failing to attract those most in need, the Government's own evaluation of the scheme has concluded. Lack of co-ordination with the rest of the NHS and the...

GMC consultation branded `useless'.(Gneral Medical Council)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... A GMC public consultation on new good medical practice guidelines has been branded `useless' by patients and doctors. The consultation involves five meetings around the UK attended by patients and a panel of doctors and patient...

MEDIA WATCH: `Iron tablet risk to babies'.
November 5, 2005... THE STORY Taking iron tablets during pregnancy could put babies at risk of behavioural problems, the Daily Mail warns. THE SOURCE Research reported in New Scientist found mothers who took iron supplements were more likely to have...

MEDIA WATCH: `Eggs carry bird flu risk'.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... THE STORY The EU food safety watchdog warns over bird flu risks from raw eggs and poultry, the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Financial Times and Evening Standard report. THE SOURCE The European Food Safety Authority urged people...

MEDIA WATCH: `Ginseng can fight colds'.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... THE STORY Ginseng can help ward off colds, the Daily Telegraph and BBC News Online claim. THE SOURCE A study of 323 patients found 10 per cent of people taking daily ginseng capsules had two or more colds, compared with 23 per...

MEDIA WATCH: `Magic box combats SAD'.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... THE STORY A magic light box can help Britons beat seasonal affective disorder, the Daily Express reports. THE SOURCE British company Outside In claims sales are booming of its new light box, which helps bring serotonin levels back...

PCTs dispute phone review.(primary care trusts)(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... PCTs in some areas are refusing to accept that telephone reviews of asthma patients can count towards QOF targets, Pulse has learned. GPs have warned of `a lot of confusion' over the issue, with some PCTs insisting telephone consultations...

Women report sexism.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Significant numbers of female GPs believe general practice is institutionally sexist and their role is not properly recognised. More than two out of five female GPs who responded to the Pulse Gender Gap survey felt they were not given a...

Men say part-time can be `negative'.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Male GPs are far more likely to believe practising part-time has a negative impact on continuity of care than female colleagues. One male GP in three said the issue was a problem compared with just 8 per cent of women GP respondents. ...

`Rise above chauvinism'.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Women GPs should rise above `chauvinistic' comments directed at them by patients or GP colleagues, Dr Jane Fairweather believes. Dr Fairweather said former partners at her practice in Bildeston, Suffolk, made it clear they did not think...

`Childcare would improve our lot'.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Improved childcare support and more flexible working hours would most improve the position of women in the profession, GPs believe. More than 60 per cent of respondents picked the two as the most important changes. Almost as many GPs...

Gender gap: what GPs said.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... `I was told ``Women GPs don't read medical journals, only their children's nursery books''. ' Female GP, Leicester 'Men shoulder the responsibility. Women just do the job and go home.' Male GP, Belfast `On returning from 13...

Two-week rule not working.
November 5, 2005... The Government's keystone two-week rule on cancer referral does not save lives and may increase waiting times, a comprehensive review of audit data concludes. A leading cancer expert called for the scheme to be scrapped after the review of...

Pneumococcal vaccine's benefit.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... The planned introduction of pneumococcal vaccination in children is likely to cut cases in older adults dramatically, new research suggests. An evaluation of the US childhood vaccination programme, introduced in 2000, found it reduced cases...

Weight loss plans prevent diabetes.
November 5, 2005... Diet, physical activity and behavioural change can effectively promote weight loss in patients with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes, two Cochrane reviews conclude. Recent research has found GPs are sceptical of the benefits of weight loss...

JOURNAL WATCH: Ethnicity is asthma factor.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Ethnicity and immigration significantly affect the likelihood of consulting for asthma, a UK study reveals. Researchers prospectively evaluated GP consultations among 502,482 patients. White patients had 26.4 consultations per 1,000...

JOURNAL WATCH: IP strong lymphoma risk.(inflammatory polyarthritis )(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Patients with severe inflammatory polyarthritis are at a strongly increased risk of developing lymphoma, a UK study finds. Researchers followed up a primary care cohort of 2,097 patients newly diagnosed with IP for a median of 8.2 years. There...

JOURNAL WATCH: Statins in breast cancer.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Statins do not lower risk of breast cancer, reports a large-scale analysis of participants in the US Nurses Health Study. Researchers analysed data from 79,994 women aged 42 to 69 who were free of cancer and were followed up for 12 years....

JOURNAL WATCH: Fish can prevent asthma.
November 5, 2005... Whole grain products and fish appear to protect against the development of asthma, Dutch research shows. The study distributed semi-quantitative questionnaires to parents and assessed dietary intake in 598 children aged eight to 13....

JOURNAL WATCH: Digital scans better.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Digital mammography is more effective than film mammography in younger women but has similar efficacy overall, a US study concludes. Researchers evaluated 49,528 asymptomatic women who received both film and digital mammography. ...

GPs fume at smoking failure.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... GPs have strongly condemned the Government's failure to toughen up plans to ban smoking in public places, warning patients in deprived areas would be the losers. They branded the plans `an absolute disgrace' and said practices in deprived...

Scots GPs must `double up'.
November 5, 2005... GPs in Scotland will be expected to work in a network of new community health centres as well as their practice under new plans for the NHS north of the border. The 10-year strategy aims to make NHS Scotland `as local as possible', with...

GP takes bird flu battle to the frontline.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Dr Richard Lawson is taking the extreme step of vaccinating local chicken farmers in an attempt to safeguard `frontline' workers from avian influenza. Dr Lawson, a GP in Congresbury, Somerset, said: `It's not premature. It's a token...

Enhanced services cuts anger.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... GPs in Sussex say they are being forced to put too many patients on antidepressants because the PCT has decommissioned a mental health enhanced service. Sussex Downs and the Weald PCT has also frozen other enhanced services in a...

NICE warns on depressed children.
November 5, 2005... NICE has warned that depressed children could be left without treatment for up to six months unless PCTs find #19.5 million a year to implement new guidelines. A new report on the cost-impact of NICE guidelines for depression in the...

Guided self-help no help to waiting depression patients.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Practice Watch by David Austin Guided self-help does not help patients with depression and anxiety who are on waiting lists for psychological therapy, new research concludes. Patients who received guided self-help for three months had...

`There is no incentive to bother'.
November 5, 2005... Dr Redmond Walsh gives a weary sigh. After almost a decade of constant battle over vaccine uptake, he thought he had finally hit the target for top vaccine pay. But his practice, in gentrified Clapham, south London, with its mix of...

VACCINE PAY Q&A.
November 5, 2005... THE STORY SO FAR How exactly have vaccine pay calculations changed? Under a rule change slipped into April's Statement of Financial Entitlement, uptake is now calculated on just two vaccines: MMR and the new five-in-one. Under the old...

Letter: Medical reporting: BMA will not enter into discussions.(Letter to the Editor)
November 5, 2005... From Dr Simon Margolis Chair, Association of Medical Reporting Organisations The Association of Medical Reporting Organisations has read with interest recent statements by the BMA. AMRO has never been in direct consultation with the...

Letter: Why we need funds to test complementary therapies.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... From Dr Jerry Thompson, Slough The debate on complementary therapies seems to revolve around the question of whether there is an evidence base for it or not but I believe this is the wrong question. The strength of conventional medicine is...

Letter: I'd rather listen to experts, thanks.(Letter to the Editor)
November 5, 2005... From Dr Craig Goldsmith, Norwich I was alarmed by Dr Chris Manning's reply (Letters, 22 October) to my letter summarising NICE's findings in favour of the Beating the Blues (Ultrasis) computerised-CBT package. I understand that Dr...

Letter of the week: Faith lost in complaint system.
November 5, 2005... From Dr John Chalmers, Fife I suspect the pendulum will eventually swing back to a more neutral position with regard to the handling of complaints, but I won't be holding my breath. I had a ringside seat as `friend' to a colleague...

Letter: Flu vaccine and Guillain Barre syndrome.(Letter to the Editor)
November 5, 2005... From Professor RAC Hughes, department of clinical neuroscience, King's College London, and vice-chair, GBS Support Group's medical advisory board Your article concerning influenza vaccinations (Clinical, 15 October) states that Guillain...

Letter: It's churlish to say we have overperformed.(Letter to the Editor)
November 5, 2005... From Dr Rod Manton, Marple, Cheshire They say life imitates art. In a wonderfully inventive short story by Kurt Vonnegut there was a character called Diana Moonglampers, a rampantly authoritarian figure whose mission in life was to...

Letter: Why chlamydia epidemic needs the specialists.(Letter to the Editor)
November 5, 2005... From Dr David Church, Machynlleth, Powys Further to your news snippet (15 October), GPs refer patients to GUM clinics not for a prescription for proven chlamydia (we can do that ourselves) but for specialist services that we have neither...

Letter: How we can help combat bird flu.(Letter to the Editor)
November 5, 2005... From Dr N. Gaballa, Sheldon, Birmingham Regarding preparations for bird flu, there is a lot more that could be done in the community. So far the disease has been characterised by lung effusions and vomiting that lasts for days. If so,...

Letter: Are gene groups really predictive in the real world?(Letter to the Editor)
November 5, 2005... From Dr Muhammad Siddiq, Walsall The finding that Beta-blockers are infective in certain gene groups (JAMA 2005; 294: 1,526-33) has led to the suggestion that we may need to modify treatment according to genetic variations. Out of 597...

Letter: Let's be honest on `assisted dying'.(Letter to the Editor)
November 5, 2005... From Dr Robin Fisher, Taddington, Buxton A quiet revolution has happened over the summer. Through the BMA we have voted to adopt a `neutral standpoint' over the `assisted dying' issue. We need to be honest over what we are doing. *...

FOR THE RECORD: Mr David Baker.
November 5, 2005... In our front-page story about GPs missing the upper immunisation target (22 October) we ascribed a quote to Dr David Baker of Lincolnshire LMC. The opinion is actually that of Lincolnshire's other Dr David Baker who practises in Grantham and...

PHIL PEVERLEY: In the eye of the storm.(Column)
November 5, 2005... Phil finds out what it's like to be at the centre of a media campaign - and he's not impressed When the editor of Pulse first offered me the opportunity to write this weekly column, he suggested I might want to use a pseudonym. He knew I...

Second Opinion - Andy Jones: Are you up for this challenge?
November 5, 2005... I have been beaten to the draw by Boris Johnson. I have just read a piece by him where he questions the wisdom of closing our community hospitals. He has a point. He writes: `Why on earth are we promising to close community hospitals when...

HOW TO HAVE A HAPPY SALARIED/PARTNER MIX.
November 5, 2005... Salaried GPs and partners must work together in harmony if general practice is to have a strong and successful future, says Dr John Couch. Here he gives some pointers In recent years the introduction of PMS and nGMS has allowed a large...

BEWARE FLU VACCINE PITFALLS.
November 5, 2005... GPs have been seeking reassurance on influenza vaccination, not least because of recent concern about avian flu. The MDU's Dr Nicholas Norwell gives advice With the flu jab season in full swing and public sensitivities heightened by the...

CASE EXAMPLE: A double dose.
November 5, 2005... A 75-year-old female patient had a regular appointment at the practice nurse-led diabetic clinic. During the winter flu vaccination season the nurse opportunistically offered the woman a flu vaccination, which she administered. Unfortunately,...

NEED TO KNOW: SCHIZOPHRENIA.
November 5, 2005... In this series GPs put their burning questions on a particular topic to an expert. This week Dr Richard Bowskill answers questions from Dr Richard Stokell 1. Early signs of psychosis can be difficult to differentiate from severe anxiety...

TAILORING TREATMENT TO HEADACHE TYPE.
November 5, 2005... An estimated 20 per cent of the population have headaches that affect their quality of life. But GPs with a special interest in this area say it is one of the most rewarding areas of medicine because of the changes witnessed with the correct...

HOW I USED DIARIES TO IMPROVE ASTHMA DIAGNOSIS & MANAGEMENT IN CHILDREN.
November 5, 2005... Asthma in young children can be very distressing for parents. Dr Chris Woodforde explains how he put them more in control to manage their child's symptoms Our practice is in a converted bingo hall in a deprived area. There is lots of...

MINOR AILMENTS: MANAGING CONSTIPATION IN ADULTS.
November 5, 2005... Constipation is a common problem but only a few treatments are proven to be effective, as Dr Mark Follows explains in this evidence-based update Constipation is a common disorder with a prevalence of 10-20 per cent in Western countries....

FACTS & CURIOS.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... The length of time that drugs last in the urine * Cocaine 24-48 hours * LSD 24-48 hours * Amphetamines 24-48 hours * Methadone 4 days *...

CLINICAL CASEBOOK: EFFECTIVE TREATMENT OF RED EYE CONDITIONS.
November 5, 2005... Dr Tanvir Jamil discusses options and management CASE HISTORY Bob, a 38-year-old mechanic, has developed a painful red eye over the last two days. He is too busy to come to the surgery and would like to pick up a prescription for eye...

RECEPTIONIST ADVISES PATIENT ON PHONE TO SELF-PRESCRIBE.
November 5, 2005... Three GPs share their approach to a practice problem CASE HISTORY You are signing scripts in the office when you become aware that your receptionist is on the phone to one of your partner's patients. This patient recently came out of...

IS THE SINGLE-SEX SURGERY TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING?
November 5, 2005... Dr Sally Whittet drops in on an all-male and an all-female practice to compare their structures and effects on GPs and patients The all-female nature of the team at Streatham Common Group Practice attracts mixed reactions from male...

CV: Dr Eric Rose.(Brief Article)(Interview)
November 5, 2005... What/who made you decide to go into general practice? It is generally believed by my family that it dates from my biting the end off the doctor's thermometer at the age of five. What would you have done if you hadn't been a doctor? ...

LET'S PRACTISE IN THE NEW FOREST.(Brief Article)
November 5, 2005... Each week we take a GP's-eye view of an area of the UK Where? The New Forest, famed for its wild ponies, is located in Hampshire between Southampton and Bournemouth. Created in 1079 by William the Conqueror as a royal hunting ground...

Pulse Comment: Stark choices on vaccines.
November 5, 2005... Six months ago, Pulse reported on an obscure rule change the Department of Health had slipped into the new Statement of Financial Entitlements. Vaccine uptake was to be calculated on two vaccines rather than four, and one of those vaccines was...

NICE ruling to triple statin prescriptions.
November 12, 2005... EXCLUSIVE By Nerys Hairon GPs will have to treat millions more patients with statins from next year after NICE went far further then expected in sanctioning a vast expansion in their use. The institute's final appraisal determination...

Statins `the new aspirin'.(Brief Article)
November 12, 2005... Dr Rubin Minhas, an expert witness to the NICE appraisal committee, proclaimed the move on statins as a `historic decision'. Dr Minhas, CHD lead at Medway PCT and a GP in Kent, said statins were `the new aspirin' and would be available to...

Ministers face grilling on vaccine pay.(Brief Article)
November 12, 2005... PULSE CAMPAIGN Ministers will be forced to justify their new system for vaccine pay to Parliament after the Conservatives threw their weight behind Pulse's campaign to have the changes scrapped. Andrew Lansley, the Tory health...

White Paper will signal demise of GP access target.
November 12, 2005... EXCLUSIVE By Rob Finch Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has vowed to scrap the 48 hour access target after admitting it has distorted service provision and caused `real frustration' for patients. In a speech this week, Ms Hewitt said...

PCT cancels appraisals in bid to save cash.(primary care trusts)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2005... A PCT has cancelled GP appraisals for the rest of the year in a desperate effort to save money. Around 20 GP appraisers have been told by Taunton Deane PCT in Somerset to put off booking any visits to GPs until after next April. Dr...

VAT registration - the facts.(value-added tax)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2005... * Practices with #60,000+ turnover from third party medical reports must register * Fees for the work must increase by 17.5 per cent if GPs are not to lose out * Smaller, non VAT registered practices may undercut * Practices may...

Three-quarters of GPs facing VAT registration sting on non-NHS work.(Brief Article)
November 12, 2005... Three-quarters of GPs will have to become VAT-registered, possibly as early as next April, under Government plans to implement a European court ruling, writes Ian Cameron. Practices with a turnover of #60,000 or more this year from non-NHS...

GMC to rule on legal cover for GPs.(General Medical Council)(general practitioners)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2005... Thousands of GPs could have to change their indemnity arrangements from next year under proposals put out to consultation by the Government. Plans to reform the Medical Act 1983 propose making insurance compulsory for all doctors to...