GP articles from July 2011

GP archives from July 2011

Opinion: It seems everything is going from bad to verse.
July 8, 2011... 'Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/And falls on th'other side,' said Macbeth. I'm not claiming to be a Shakespearean scholar, but like any serious columnist, I own a dog-eared copy of The Big Book of Quotes, which I keep in the bathroom...

Opinion: Always begin by asking the obvious question.(Column)
July 8, 2011... The importance of asking the obvious question is driven home when Mrs Bloat embarks on a torrid tale of pelvic distress. Throughout the consultation, the sad specimen of manhood she brought in with her sits in silent misery, contributing nothing...

Education: How to ... Deal with body donation wishes.
July 8, 2011... It is important for GPs to be aware of the issues surrounding body donation, says Dr Linda Miller. GPs are skilled at presenting a neutral expression in response to unusual complaints or requests from patients, but a request from a patient to...

Plain Tales from the Surgery.
July 8, 2011... - Spare us the details I happened to glance through a new patient questionnaire this morning To the question: 'Do you do testicular self examination?' one patient had written: 'No, my other half does'. A bit too much information, I think. ...

Clinical: Journals Watch - Vitamin D, smoking and stroke.(Report)
July 8, 2011... Not had time to read the journals? Let Dr Louise Newson update you on the latest research. Symptomatic vitamin D deficiency in children - Arch Dis Child 2011; 96: 694-96 Recently, several studies have shown that the incidence of vitamin D...

Clinical Review: Acute appendicitis.(Disease/Disorder overview)
July 8, 2011... Section 1: Epidemiology and aetiology Appendicitis is defined as in- flammation of the appendix. This condition is common, yet notoriously difficult to diagnose. This diagnosis can be associated with a variety of severe consequences and...

Clinical: Cataract.(Disease/Disorder overview)
July 8, 2011... The Basics Cataracts may be congenital, traumatic or secondary to ocular or systemic disease, says Dr Judy Duckworth. Cataracts are the most common cause of blindness worldwide, affecting 16 million people globally. In the UK, advancing...

MedEconomics: Ask the experts - Excess pension contributions.
July 8, 2011... Q: EXCESS PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS I am a high-earning 54-year-old GP partner in an NHS PMS practice. I understand that to decide whether extra tax is payable there are three steps: 1, calculate the annual pension entitlement at the start of the...

MedEconomics: Put your money where your IT is.
July 8, 2011... Investing in IT at your practice could mean putting your hand into your own pocket. Do you invest enough in the IT at your practice? 'What's that?' I hear you cry: 'Why should I invest anything? Surely the PCT should provide all the IT...

MedEconomics: In a nutshell ... partners' NHS pension.
July 8, 2011... How the employer's share of NHS pension contributions for GP principals is funded. In a nutshell A quick guide to issues affecting GPs Under the pre-2004 GMS contract, GPs paid their employee's NHS pension contributions and the PCT, as...

Commissioning: Prescribing - Make the most of your pharmacy.
July 8, 2011... Maximise new pharmacy services for patients living with long-term disease, says Georgina Craig. For many years, the government has been highlighting the potential benefits of closer working between GPs and pharmacists. The introduction of...

Vaccine-like jabs could stop asthma.
July 8, 2011... Study finds bacterial infection blocks development of asthma in mice. Asthma prevention through vaccine-like injections is being studied by Swiss researchers after they found that infections can block development of the condition in mice. ...

Size of flu epidemics can be predicted by computer.
July 8, 2011... The extent of flu epidemics could be predicted several weeks before peak infection levels are reached, using a computer model developed by scientists. The tool uses routine flu prevalence data to predict in advance the dominant strain and...

Research Briefs: Exaggerating the truth.(Brief article)
July 8, 2011... Almost two-thirds of teenagers overestimate the amount of exercise they do, a Cambridge University study suggests. Researchers said education should increase awareness of the benefits of physical activity beyond weight control (Arch Ped Adol...

Research Briefs: Boozy mosquitoes.
July 8, 2011... Mosquitoes are attracted to people who drink beer, a study suggests. French researchers found mosquitoes are 15 per cent more likely to fly towards those who had drunk one litre of beer than those who had not (PLoS One Online 2011). ...

Scotland's public sector must reform.
July 8, 2011... Scotland's public services must be reviewed urgently if they are to meet the challenges of the future, a wide-ranging report has recommended. A report on public services said budgets and provision would 'buckle under the strain' if Scotland...

QOF boosts quality of GP care but unincentivised work slips.
July 8, 2011... The QOF has improved quality of care since it was introduced in 2004 but at the expense of unfunded work, research has found. The framework has brought 'substantial' improvements in quality of care, according to research led by Tim Doran of...

DoH 'railroading' Health Bill into law.
July 8, 2011... GP leaders warn reforms increase bureaucracy and urge DoH to slow down. The government is not allowing proper scrutiny of the updated Health Bill as it continues to 'railroad' the legislation through parliament, GP leaders and the Labour...

DoH response to listening exercise 'too prescriptive'.
July 8, 2011... Future Forum chairman Professor Steve Field says commissioning groups could have to merge. Tough DoH rules on the make-up of clinical commissioning groups are a 'mistake', according to the senior GP who led the Health Bill listening exercise...

GPs key to end-of-life care plans.
July 8, 2011... GPs should be placed at the centre of plans to co-ordinate end-of-life care, an analysis of eight pilot schemes has found. The findings come as NICE published a draft quality standard on end-of-life care. The pilots, supported by the DoH...

BMA to ballot over pensions strikes.
July 8, 2011... The BMA is poised to ballot members on industrial action over government plans to overhaul NHS pensions. Delegates at the 2011 BMA annual representative meeting (ARM) in Cardiff last week overwhelmingly backed a motion to 'ballot BMA...

Quality premium for GPs 'stinks'.
July 8, 2011... GPC chairman Dr Laurence Buckman criticised the quality premium, privatisation of the NHS and Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration in his speech to the conference. He said that despite the recent listening exercise and Health Bill...

BMA demands withdrawal of Health Bill.(British Medical Association)
July 8, 2011... Doctors have voted for the BMA to continue to campaign for the withdrawal of the Health Bill in its current form. However, echoing a vote at the emergency BMA Health Bill conference in March, delegates voted against a motion to oppose the...

Conference in brief.(Conference news)
July 8, 2011... - Keep GP contract UK-wide The BMA has called for the single UK-wide GP contract to be maintained Delegates backed Northern Ireland GP Dr Arnie McDowell, who said the UK-wide contract should remain 'in spite of the divergence of health...

DoH maps out dementia plans.
July 8, 2011... Improved support for GPs and up to pounds 35 million in new funding for research will form part of a DoH 'route map' to improve dementia care in England. The route map sets out a series of actions to address problems identified by a group...

GPs must blow whistle on child abuse.
July 8, 2011... GMC says GPs can breach patient confidentiality if a child could be at risk. GPs should help prevent child abuse by reporting patients who they believe could pose a danger to children, according to draft GMC guidance. But GP leaders warned...

GP commissioners urged to improve complaints system.
July 8, 2011... Clinical commissioning groups must have a key role in ensuring the NHS handles complaints correctly, MPs have said. A House of Commons health select committee inquiry into complaints and litigation in the NHS found 'unwarranted variations' in...

GPs back expanded role for telecare.
July 8, 2011... DoH prepares to release evidence of telecare benefits from large-scale trial. GPs have backed a wider roll-out of telecare technology as key to tackling the 'big challenge' of patients with long-term conditions. GPs who commissioned...

Tool to compare health outcomes.(Report)(Brief article)
July 8, 2011... GPs can use a DoH tool to compare data on local health outcomes with national averages across measures from childhood obesity to cancer and heart disease. The 2011 Local Health Profiles include a separate profile for each local authority in...

GPs urged to refer heart patients within two weeks.
July 8, 2011... GPs should urgently refer cases of suspected heart failure for specialist assessment within two weeks of presentation under new NICE standards. The benchmark NICE standard for diagnosing and managing heart failure sets out 13 statements...

RCGP urges DoH to slow down Health Bill.(Royal College of General Practitioners)(Department of Health)
July 8, 2011... In an exclusive interview, RCGP chairwoman Dr Clare Gerada tells Susie Sell the NHS reform battle is not over. As the Health Bill pause came to an end last month, it quickly became clear that the government had not just hit 'play', but 'fast...

Where GPs fit into the new NHS.
July 8, 2011... Critics fear changes to the Health Bill will make the NHS more complicated. GP unravels how it will work. Health secretary Critics feared plans to limit direct political control over the NHS would cut accountability. The DoH has said the...

GP ONLINE.com: A round-up of the best from GP's website this week.
July 8, 2011... - Exclusive video interview Watch Dr Clare Gerada's candid reaction to the updated Health Bill and the overhauled clinical commissioning plans. GPonline.com/video - NHS reform timeline View our interactive NHS reform timeline to...

Opinion: Your say online.
July 8, 2011... Health Bill to sail through parliament, says former shadow health minister - The Bill still needs opposing as it has simply been fiddled with rather than changed radically. More noise please! BMA calls for Health Bill withdrawal but not to...

Opinion: Ballot box.
July 8, 2011... 69% of GPs think the changes to the Health Bill will hamper GPs' ability to commission effectively Source: GP -------------------- Did you find this article useful? Why not subscribe to the magazine? Please call 08451 55 73 55 for more...

Opinion: Editorial - DoH must not repeat Darzi centre mistakes.(Editorial)
July 8, 2011... When GP-led health centres were first established, many GPs feared they would become expensive white elephants. GP's investigation this week suggests these fears may be realised. As we reveal, many of the centres have failed to register a...

Opinion: Assisted suicide law must include an opt-out.
July 8, 2011... Who could fail to be moved by the plight of Sir Terry Pratchett, now facing early onset Alzheimer's disease? Or those people with motor neurone disease, MS or terminal cancer? Yet at a time when politicians are emphasising the importance of...

MedEconomics: How to - Reduce your prescribing costs.
July 8, 2011... Ten simple tips for improving the quality of your practice's prescribing, by Dr Anita Sharma. Prescribing is one of the three areas of significant cost where expenditure decisions are in the hands of primary care. It makes sense to reward...

Patients shun 'wasteful' Darzi centres.
July 8, 2011... GP investigation shows 26% of Darzi centres have fewer than 500 patients. One in four Darzi centres have registered fewer than 500 patients, a GP investigation has found, sparking calls from GP leaders to shut them down. Figures obtained...

Your copies of GP.
July 8, 2011... Dear reader During the summer GP will be published once a month. After this issue, the next copy you will receive will be on 5 August. Throughout the summer you can keep up with the latest developments in the NHS and primary care, and access...

'Impossible' targets threaten GP pay.
July 8, 2011... Hospitals struggle to hit target that may govern 15 per cent of practice income. GP commissioners face a struggle to hit targets that could affect 15 per cent of practice income, after most hospitals failed to achieve similar goals in a trial...

EU rule could let in poor doctors.
July 8, 2011... Proposed EU rules could force the GMC and other health regulators to register doctors and nurses who do not meet UK standards, experts fear. The GMC and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) gave evidence to the House of Lords EU social...

GPs warn boundary change must wait.
July 8, 2011... The DoH is unlikely to hit its April 2012 deadline for removing practice boundaries, GP leaders have predicted. RCGP chairwoman Dr Clare Gerada said the deadline would probably have to move because the government had yet to set out in detail...

GPs warned over legal indemnity.
July 8, 2011... PCTs have allowed clinical commissioning groups to take control of budgets without written agreements to offer them legal protection, a GP investigation has found. Last month, GP revealed that 41 per cent of the groups had taken on PCT...

Councils could siphon off funds meant for NHS.
July 8, 2011... Local authority public health role could see NHS resources being reallocated to housing or schools. GPs must block attempts by local authorities to siphon off cash from healthcare budgets to ease cuts to other services, a leading public...

Welsh GP demands an end to 'harmful' cervical screening.
July 8, 2011... A Welsh practice has called for an end to the 'dangerous' policy of offering cervical screening to young women under the age of 25. In a letter to Cervical Screening Wales, seen by GP, Powys GP Dr Chris Nevill argued that testing below this...

GPs join public sector protests.
July 8, 2011... GPs in east London took to the streets last Thursday in support of strike action by teachers and public sector workers. About 35 NHS workers, including GPs, receptionists, nurses and others from five practices in Tower Hamlets, joined the...

One-third of PCTs limit prescriptions to 28 days.
July 8, 2011... DoH says PCTs must not make prescription time limits mandatory as GPs warn of workload impact. One in three PCTs has issued guidance restricting prescriptions to 28 days' treatment at a time, despite opposition from patients and GPs. Of...

GP Diary.
July 8, 2011... NO-SIZE-FITS-ALL Should you tell patients they are obese or fat? Last year, England's public health minister Anne Milton said doctors would better motivate patients if they used the f-word instead of clinical language like 'obese'. Now,...