Hospital Doctor articles from April 2004

Hospital Doctor archives from April 2004

Shortened junior training.(medical education)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Government plans to reform the SHO grade and revamp the way doctors are trained has come under fire. Here Prof Aidan Halligan (left) argues the initiative will create an improved workforce, whereas Dr Simon Calvert believes it could damage the...

Emergency tsar calls for action on flu jab uptake.(Sir George Alberti)(vaccination for impending influenza outbreak)
April 1, 2004... By Steve Ford and Lisa Hitchen Action is needed to improve poor flu jab uptake among hospital staff, according to emergency care tsar Prof Sir George Alberti. But a targeted vaccination campaign for health care workers has been ruled out,...

SHA to limit private work to four hours.(strategic health authority)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... exclusive By Simon Meek simon.meek@rbi.co.uk A southern strategic health authority (SHA) is planning to restrict consultants' private practice to only four hours in one day under the new contract. In a leaked document seen by Hospital Doctor,...

Heads demanded over [pounds sterling]1m BMA racism case.(British Medical Association)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... THERE have been calls for resignations at the top of the BMA following an appeal ruling that could see the organisation paying out over [pounds sterling]1m in compensation and legal fees. The BMA's secretary, Jeremy Strachan, and its chairman,...

Fee rises have to be justified.(British Medical Association membership fee)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... More than one eyebrow will be raised upon reading that the BMA intends to raise its annual membership fees by 7.5 per cent. Many doctors are wondering why it outstrips inflation and their pay deals. While the BMA claims that it is due to...

Fury at 7.5% BMA fee hike.(British Medical Association)
April 1, 2004... By Hospital Doctor reporters hospital.doctor@rbi.co.uk BMA plans to bump up annual subscription rates by an inflation-busting 7.5 per cent have sparked outcry among its membership. Many have accused the association of 'wasting' their money,...

Cleared doctors could have cases reopened.(misconduct cases)
April 8, 2004... By Julie Griffiths julie.griffiths@rbi.co.uk Doctors cleared of serious professional misconduct could find their cases reopened following a landmark ruling at the High Court. The GMC has been urged to appeal a High Court ruling made last week...

letters.(Letter to the Editor)
April 8, 2004... Product helps renal referral Sir, As designers of the NeoErica system, we feel your headline, Renal units facing new referral boom is misleading and fails to capture the fundamental goals of the new system (page 9, 26 February). NeoErica...

Hospital calls in stress experts.(Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust)(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... Stress experts have been called in to one of the country's largest children's hospitals at the request of its consultants. The Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust is the first trust to audit the stress...

Hit squads set to sort out contract.(medical consultant contracts)
April 8, 2004... By Hospital Doctor reporters hospital.doctor@rbi.co.uk Contract hit squads are ready to try and break the deadlock at a number of trusts that are set to miss the deadline for implementing the consultant contract. The contract implementation...

Contract adds to stress risk.(Brief Article)
April 8, 2004... Stress is a blight in many work places throughout the UK. Over 13 million working days are lost a year due to stress, anxiety or depression, according to Health and Safety Commission figures. With key drivers of stress including long hours,...

To wake up.(European Working Time Directive Timeline for Hospital Consultant and Specialists Association )
April 15, 2004... In less than four months' time, the introduction of the European Working Time Directive will herald a 58-hour week for trainees. The implications for service delivery and training are immense. But is the profession ready for it? Or will it be,...

letters.(Letter to the Editor)
April 15, 2004... He ain't heavy he's my guru Sir, I was perturbed to read the letter from James Begg (Stop telling me to lose weight, 18 March, page 21). While I agree one wearies of the political correctness which permeates all aspects of our society, he...

Junior member attacks RCS.(Royal College of Surgeons of England)(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... The first junior doctor to be elected as a council member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) in its 200-year history has criticised the organisation for failing to represent trainees. Mr Ian McDermott, an orthopaedics SpR, was...

Private hospitals to let juniors operate for NHS.(National Health Service)
April 15, 2004... By Melanie Newman melanie.newman@rbi.co.uk Private hospitals are preparing to allow junior doctors to operate on patients contracted to them from the NHS. Sally Taber, operational policy director at the Independent Healthcare Forum, which...

Racism warning for new training body.(Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board )(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... The new medical training body could face claims of racial discrimination if it does not adequately process applications to the specialist register, warned a leading non-consultant career grade (NCCG) doctor. Mr Awani Choudhary, former deputy...

Ruling on hours won't be in time.(effect of European working time directive)(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... Many health care professionals will be breathing a sigh of relief at the latest twist in the implementation of the European Working Time Directive. The European Commissioner responsible for the directive has informed the Department of Health...

Sue threat on MRSA.(Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus)(hospital acquired infections)(Brief Article)
April 15, 2004... Doctors should step up their action against MRSA, a patient group is warning, or their trust could be sued by patients who have developed hospital acquired infections. Twelve members of the patient group, MRSA Support, are suing hospital trusts...

Resident on call rethink.(medical working hour standards)
April 15, 2004... By Hospital Doctor reporters hospital.doctor@rbi.co.uk The Government won a potentially important concession from the European Commission on the European Working Time Directive last week that could significantly reduce its impact on the NHS....

New health watchdog has teeth.(Healthcare Commission/Commission for Health Audit and Inspection )
April 22, 2004... The Commission for Health Improvement may no longer exist, but it has been replaced by what could prove to be a more dynamic and bigger beast. Francesca Robinson reports on the role of the Healthcare Commission On 1 April the NHS axed the...

letters.(Letter to the Editor)
April 22, 2004... funding the nhs debate NHS funding fatally flawed Sir, Congratulations to the Doctors for Reform for opening up the debate on NHS funding. For some years, I have been asking why no other country has copied the NHS if it is the best in...

BMA to reform its structure.(British Medical Association )(Brief Article)
April 22, 2004... The BMA has opened itself up to radical structural reform after identifying a 'disconnection' between central office and grassroots members. The association's governance committee decided reform was essential after finding that most local BMA...

A&E could be the casualty.(Accident & Emergency)(impending chemical attack concerns)(Brief Article)
April 22, 2004... A&E has always been the poor relation to other specialties. Habitually underfunded and poorly staffed, many A&E departments have struggled to deliver their services to an ungrateful public. Consequently, there has been little prestige in...

A&E fears terror attack overload.(Accident & Emergency)(decontamination of future chemical attack victims)
April 22, 2004... By Hospital Doctor reporters hospital.doctor@rbi.co.uk A&E consultants have raised fears that their departments would struggle to handle a major terrorist attack. The decontamination of patients in the event of a chemical attack or 'dirty bomb'...

Private work under threat.(consultant contract)
April 29, 2004... As the Government throws its weight behind treatment centres and doctors decide if the new consultant contract will steer them away from private work, there is a growing concern about the tough challenges facing private practice and whether it...

End goodwill hunting show.(consultant contracts)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
April 29, 2004... editorial comment The latest deadline for implementing the consultant contract passes tomorrow. The BMA estimates that at best half of all trusts will have done so, despite six months having passed since consultants voted for the revised...

25% of hospitals will not meet EU time rule.
April 29, 2004... by Melanie Newman melanie.newman@rbi.co.uk Staffing problems mean one in four hospitals is unlikely to comply with the European Working Time Directive, new research shows. Junior doctors will be restricted to working a 58-hour week under the...

letters.(Letter to the Editor)
April 29, 2004... Trainees need responsibility Sir, Surgical trainees have voiced concern over the substantial reduction of higher surgical training time to the Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST). Is this justified? I believe the...

Junior doctor suing trust in race case.(Dr Sushant Varma )(Brief Article)
April 29, 2004... A junior doctor referred to the GMC over accusations of dishonesty is suing his trust for constructive dismissal and racial discrimination. Dr Sushant Varma was suspended from his PRHO post at North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust in November...

Trusts fail to hit contract target.(consultant contracts)
April 29, 2004... By Simon Meek and Melanie Newman hospital.doctor@rbi.co.uk The new consultant contract is looking less and less like a national agreement as trusts scramble to hit this week's implementation deadline. There is considerable variation in the...

Trusts warned over financial spending.(Brief Article)
April 29, 2004... A huge variation in financial performance among NHS trusts has sparked warnings from the National Audit Office (NAO). The NHS accounts figures for 2002-03 show that 71 (12 per cent) of 577 NHS bodies did not achieve financial balance in the...