Hospital Doctor articles from December 2003

Hospital Doctor archives from December 2003

LOCUM; LIFELINE.
December 4, 2003... clouds on the horizon? I had always been confident that the future was rosy for locums. But of late, I have seen one or two clouds on the locum horizon. A locum career is easily as important as a mainstream career, whether it is conducted...

Make sure your Christmas isn't a taxing time.
December 4, 2003... Don't let the taxman ruin your season of goodwill. Ray Stanbridge explains how to avoid problems Father Christmas is coming - but make sure the taxman doesn't! In recent times he has been taking an increasing interest in consultants'...

Technological revolution is not wholly welcome.
December 4, 2003... By Peter McDonald Last month, my hospital made Nigel redundant. He was our only remaining medical illustrator and a talented artist. He had served the hospital well for 15 years by drawing, making slides and giving advice about layout of...

Laugh? The interview panel nearly offered me the post.
December 4, 2003... Going for a job interview? Getting the jokes right is an important skill, says Helen Linklater, and she has some tips on mixing medicine with humour 'Tell us what makes you laugh,' the suit enquired, looking hard at me, a quivering...

Diary dates.(Calendar)
December 4, 2003... Courses and conferences DECEMBER 2003 Thursday 4, Staying Sane, London. Contact: 020 7290 3946 or e-mail: sharan.gallagher@rsm.ac.uk Thurday 4, First International Topical Negative Pressure Focus Group Meeting, London. Contact: 01722...

My projects will lift your status.
December 4, 2003... By Bob baker this one of the saddest sights in hospital medicine? The tormented doctor who is jostled in the canteen queue, spat at and humiliated, simply for not having enough peer-reviewed publications. There are many of these sad cases...

How the new contract affects your tax liability.
December 4, 2003... The new consultant contract presents a number of tax choices for doctors. Jason Sharp looks at the implications So here we are at the dawn of a new contract. Consultants may have thought long and hard about how they will change their...

OBS & GYNAE.
December 4, 2003... Changes in training, an increase in national training numbers and a national service framework on maternity services mean the outlook is bright for obstetrics and gynaecology. Janis Smy investigates the future of the specialty Recruitment...

Treatment centres are integral.(independent treatment centres)
December 4, 2003... This month Health Minister John Hutton addresses independent treatment centres which he says will complement the NHS and improve capacity. Here he explains how they will work Everyone who works in the NHS, and everyone who cares about its...

Doctors behind bars.
December 4, 2003... Earlier this year a doctor was jailed after a medical accident caused a patient's death. There has been a sharp rise in the number of doctors facing manslaughter charges following medical accidents over the past decade, even though the system...

Start preparing for appraisal.
December 4, 2003... Appraisal for locums is on the horizon and, while systems have still to be worked out, locums are advised to start gathering information now. Francesca Robinson finds out why Appraisal for locums is moving a step closer, and doctors working...

Smoking ban 'premature'.(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... The Government has dismissed calls from senior doctors for a ban on smoking in public places. The Royal College of Physicians of London and 16 other colleges and faculties said the restriction was needed because passive smoking caused an...

Momentum builds for foundation status.(foundation trusts)(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... The Government has announced another 32 trusts are aiming for foundation status, bringing the total to 57. Health Secretary John Reid said one-quarter of the population would now be covered by foundation trusts, which will have some power to...

Jailing doctors for their errors is not the answer.
December 4, 2003... Hospital Doctor Comment Doctors who accidentally kill a patient are stepping into a nightmare. Not only do they suffer the mental anguish associated with the mistake, they sometimes lose their right to practise, their career and are...

Irish discussion clears way for contract ballot.(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... CONSULTANT contract negotiators in Northern Ireland have reached agreement over seniority and back pay, allowing the ballot in the region to go ahead, a week later than originally planned. Voting began last Friday and will now close at midday...

New guidelines soon on adverse incidents.(National Patient Safety Agency )(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... MEASURES intended to tackle the way adverse incidents are handled in the NHS should start to be in place from the end of the year. The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) plans to implement its reporting system across England and Wales as...

Law backs consent for tissue retention.(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... Government reveals plans for next changes in health care as Tories set own agenda The Government is to legislate to prevent any further instances of the retention of organs and tissue from dead children without their parents' consent or...

Doctors critical of Tory plan for local pay deals.(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... PROPOSALS by the Conservative Party to abandon national pay agreements in favour of local hospital deals have been criticised by senior doctors. They claim the scheme would break up the NHS and reinforce health inequalities across the country....

Mentally ill must wait for new Bill.(Mental Health Bill proposal)(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... The Queen's Speech did not contain any mention of the controversial Mental Health Bill. Its proposals have been extremely unpopular among doctors concerned about the effect on psychiatrists' workload and the implications for mentally ill...

Seniors welcome plan for review of quangos.(health inspection bodies under review)(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... DOCTORS' leaders have welcomed a review of the Government's health inspection bodies, which employ nearly 20,000 staff. The review will be carried out by Nigel Crisp, NHS chief executive, who has been asked to report back to Health Secretary...

BMA admits that poor tactics and communications hit contract talks.(British Medical Association)
December 4, 2003... THE BMA failed to tell doctors enough about contract negotiations and weakened its own hand by imposing deadlines which were missed, says an internal report. The report, which investigated the recent GP and consultant contract negotiations,...

Urgent warning about tetanus.(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has issued urgent warnings to staff in emergency departments and intensive care to be on the look out for cases of tetanus among intravenous drugs users. Seven cases of clinical tetanus in these patients have...

Quality results patchy in 'weary' health service.
December 4, 2003... The NHS is not broken, but 'worn and weary and malnourished', authors of a report into the Government's quality drive have said. The report, produced for health think-tank the Nuffield Trust, said the Government had spent [pounds sterling]3bn...

Revalidation evidence can be verified by trust letter.(General Medical Council)(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... GMC admits it meets too often in private, and gives details on revalidation evidence MOST doctors seeking revalidation will need only a letter from their trust as proof that their evidence stands up to independent verification, the GMC...

GMC admits lack of transparency.(General Medical Council)(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... The GMC has admitted to holding too many discussions in private after being criticised at the Shipman Inquiry. Caroline Swift QC criticised the GMC for a 'lack of transparency and consistency' during the inquiry. And, since the GMC's new,...

Increase HIV screening for gay men, says HPA.(Health Protection Agency)(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... GAY men attending genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics should be screened annually for HIV, says the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The agency revealed that the number of people infected with HIV rose by 20 per cent between 2001 and 2002, and...

Fear of ITU bed shortage.(intensive care unit shortages)(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... A SHORTAGE of intensive care beds is being predicted this winter. The Intensive Care Society (ICS) said funding problems and increasing demand on critical care would leave a shortage of level 3 beds for patients with organ failure and requiring...

Juniors' leader faces no confidence motion.(British Medical Association's Junior Doctors Committee)(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... THE chairman of the BMA's Junior Doctors Committee (JDC) is facing a motion of no confidence just three months into his term of office. Mr Simon Eccles is due to face the motion at a meeting of the committee on Saturday. The Mersey regional...

Re-educate stigmatising mental health attitudes.(Letter to the Editor)
December 4, 2003... Sir, The tragic case of Daksha Emson and her three-month-old daughter, highlighted in your article Psychiatrist's suicide was avoidable, claims inquiry (page 4, 30 October), raises a number of very important issues. Attitudes to mental illness...

'Misdiagnosis' not fault of A&E doctors.(Letter to the Editor)
December 4, 2003... Sir, Having left the NHS declaring it was unsafe to practise neurology in my area, it would be so easy to jump on the Dr Evan Harris bandwagon (page 23, 13 November). Of course it is a tragedy that his partner developed a brain tumour, but it...

Scotland in bid to end postcode prescribing.(Brief Article)
December 4, 2003... The Scottish Executive is taking steps to address postcode prescribing. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) is being given a stronger role to ensure that certain drugs - once they are approved as being the only effective treatment for a...

Lies, damned lies - and how to spot them.
December 11, 2003... Doctors are often faced with patients who tell half-truths or lies, but it is not always easy to identify them. Dr Raj Persaud has some tips to help doctors recognise when others are being economical with the truth How good are you at...

regional spotlight - Eastern.
December 11, 2003... The Eastern region is going through a period of expansion and modernisation with more planned for the future. Francecsa Robinson reports Hospital trusts in the Eastern region have been successfully recruiting more doctors, with many now...

How to make tax-free claims for working at home.
December 11, 2003... This Christmas some doctors will be able to make tax-free claims for working at home, explains Ray Stanbridge The vast majority of doctors working in the NHS do at least some kind of work at home, with a few carrying out a great deal of...

Will opposing every new reform get us anywhere?
December 11, 2003... This month, BMA Council chairman Mr James Johnson explains why doctors and politicians need to listen to each other more about reforming the NHS was born on the same day that the bill which enabled the NHS to be set up was given Royal...

What you need; to know about the new CEAs.(clinical excellence awards)
December 11, 2003... The new clinical excellence awards (CEAs) scheme for consultants in England is explained by Prof Sir Nettar Mallick and Lady Elizabeth Vallance, who head up the body which will oversee the scheme. WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR A NEW AWARDS SYSTEM?...

Why the profession must cut the risk of ; surgical adhesions.
December 11, 2003... The medical profession must act to reduce the risk of surgical adhesions, especially if surgeons want to avoid litigation cases in the future, reports Susan Mayor Adhesions are increasingly being recognised as a common and costly...

Standing training on its head.
December 11, 2003... The Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board caused concern among the royal colleges and profession even before it was up and running. Now the body has been set up, it is poised to revolutionise education and training. Janis Smy finds...

Christmas spoils a good holiday.
December 11, 2003... By Sarah Burnett 'm finally feeling festive, lying on the sofa with a glass of sherry. Just like I only ever drink a Bloody Mary on an aeroplane, Christmas is the only time sherry or Brussels sprouts pass my lips. The tree and decorations...

Remember, every second counts.
December 11, 2003... By John Wright Job planning is the new appraisal. After the euphoria of a successful vote for the new contract, we are now faced with deconstructing our lives of quiet desperation. The objective of this game is to achieve the magic 11. Hit...

Tories slam; Government over NHS; 'target culture'.(National Health Service)(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... NEW shadow health and education secretary Tim Yeo has launched a major attack on the Government's handling of the NHS. He has tabled 22 Early Day Motions in the Commons opposing the 'target culture'. The motions cover a range of issues from...

Blair opens ; debate on NHS future.(Tony Blair)(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... Prime Minister Tony Blair has opened up the possibility that NHS hospitals which fail could be closed or taken over. Launching his 'big conversation with the nation' consultation, billed as helping voters draft the next Labour Party manifesto,...

Action urged on Mental Incapacity Bill draft.(Royal College of Psychiatrists)(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... THE Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) has called for the Government to find time for the Mental Incapacity Bill in the current session of Parliament. The bill was left out of the Queen's Speech last month to allow for 'pre-legislative...

Tests made easier with bar-coded wristbands.(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... PATIENTS are being given identity wristbands carrying bar codes to help staff order blood and other tests. The scheme at University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, is thought to be the biggest of its kind in the country. The system uses a...

Medical reports to be liable for VAT.(value added tax)(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... SOME doctors are to become liable for VAT on medical reports prepared for courts, insurance companies, employers and pension firms. Following a European Court ruling in a test case, any doctor who earns more than [pounds sterling]56,000 a year...

BMA urges Government; to review ethics training.(British Medical Association)(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... THE Government needs to fund an urgent review of ethics training to keep doctors up-to-date with fast moving developments in science and medicine, according to the BMA. The plea came as the association launched its latest edition of Medical...

CHAI to monitor NICE advice implementation.(Commission for Health-care Audit and Inspection; National Institute for Clinical Excellence )(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... THE Government has confirmed that its new health watchdog will have responsibility for monitoring implementation of National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance. Health minister Lord Norman Warner told the NICE 2003 annual...

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CLINICAL EXCELLENCE conference 2003.(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... Doctors put the heads of two of the Government's key health bodies on the spot at NICE's annual conference NICE chairman Prof Sir Michael Rawlins and Prof Sir Ian Kennedy, chairman of the new Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection...

Organ retention; prison threat.(Human Tissue Bill states that doctors who fail to obtain patient and family consent for organ use could face a prison sentence)(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... DOCTORS who fail to get consent from patients and families for the retention and use of their tissues and organs could face prison sentences of up to three years in proposals in the new Human Tissue Bill. The Bill aims to establish a regulatory...

Research 'fails; to improve NHS'.(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... RESEARCH done in the health service fails to make a significant contribution to improving the way the NHS is run or planned, according to an independent health charity. The Health Foundation claims funders, researchers and the users of research...

Row over BMA's advice to consultants on job plans.(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... A row has broken out between the Government and the BMA over different interpretations of job planning under the new contract. The Department of Health (DoH) and the NHS Modernisation Agency have published a list of areas in which they disagree...

Trusts try to dodge new contract pay obligations.(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... TRUSTS are trying to find ways round paying consultants in full for work done under the new consultant contract, it has emerged. At the South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, management has considered limiting consultants to 12 programmed...

Every hospital to get infection control director.(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... The Department of Health has announced that hospitals are to get dedicated infection control directors in an effort to tackle health care-associated infections (HAIs). The new posts, which will go to doctors or nurses with expertise in...

Northern Ireland suspends; 'confusing' contract ballot.(general practitioner contract)(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... THE consultant contract ballot in Northern Ireland has been suspended amid confusion over how many questions should have been included on the voting paper and how they should have been worded. The problems came to light at a meeting of the...

Juniors' leaders to declare interests.(British Medical Association's Junior Doctors Committee)(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... A register of interests has been established for the BMA's Junior Doctors Committee (JDC), following the defeat of a motion of no confidence in its chairman. Mr Simon Eccles came through the motion with an overwhelming majority: 27 committee...

NHS claims the burden; on hospitals is falling.(National Health Service)
December 11, 2003... Increasing treatment of patients in primary care is slowly relieving the burden on hospital doctors, the Department of Health has claimed. Launching his annual report into the health service, NHS chief executive Nigel Crisp highlighted the...

Demand outstrips workforce growth.(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... Consultant expansion is not happening fast enough to match patient demand or the requirements of the European Working Time Directive. The 2002 annual census of consultant physicians, published by the Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians...

Killjoy on Kilimanjaro is worried about emulation.(Letter to the Editor)
December 11, 2003... Sir, I congratulate Mr Plail and his colleagues at the Conquest Hospital for completing their Kilimanjaro expedition and raising [pounds sterling]270,000 for the Prostate Research Campaign (page 28, 30 October). I am concerned, however, at the...

REVIEW 2003.
December 11, 2003... In the past year, doctors finally accepted a new consultant contract in England, the Scottish contract almost collapsed and a new, slimline GMC emerged. Amena Saleem looks back at the main events of 2003 January The new year began on...

Spare a thought for the security guards.(Letter to the Editor)
December 11, 2003... Sir, I read your front page article, Half of all doctors face patient violence threat (16 October) with interest. I am a security officer who includes among his 'beat' two hospitals in a major city. One has an A&E department, the other does...

Tony's big tea party leaves a sour taste.(comment on health policy)(Brief Article)
December 11, 2003... Hospital Doctor Comment As the year draws to a close, the Government is making a strong bid to be more responsive to public opinion. Controversial decisions over Iraq, foundation hospitals and university top up fees, have raised question...

We need solutions to racism in profession.(Letter to the Editor)
December 11, 2003... Sir, Asking whether medicine is racist is the same as questioning whether the Pope is Catholic (page 18, 6 November). Ethnic minority doctors make up 30 per cent of the medical work force. Most of them end up as staff grade and associate...