Hospital Doctor articles from February 2007

Hospital Doctor archives from February 2007

Trust curbs PFI to take up loan offer.(private finance initiative)(Plymouth Hospital)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... finance PLYMOUTH HOSPITALS NHS Trust has abandoned plans for a [pounds sterling]200m private finance initiative (PFI) project following the introduction of a new borrowing regime for hospital trusts. From 1 April, they will be able to...

Letters to the Editor.(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... Fewer beds could lead to more deaths Dear Editor Advocating fewer hospital beds is not merely counterintuitive (11 January, page 5), it is irresponsible, condemning patients to avoidable deaths. Patients infected with MRSA or c....

It's a fair bet you will all lose out.(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Hospital Doctor comment The year 2007 is just a month old, but already there are worrying signs that it won't be a happy one for the medical profession. I'm not a gambling man, but I would lay my GP's income on a bet that the doctors'...

Done deal on regulation.
February 1, 2007... regulation Elizabeth.Fox@rbi.co.uk THE GOVERNMENT is to ignore professional input into the biggest overhaul of med-ical regulation in over 30 years, Hospital Doctor has learned. By the autumn, the DoH hopes to bring to law,...

NHSE gives new life to sub-consultant threat.(NHS Employers)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Staffing Melanie.Newman@rbi.co.uk The controversial sub-consultant grade, believed to have been killed off last year, has been resurrected by NHS Employers (NHSE), which is canvassing trusts' opinions on the subject. NHSE is...

Appeals letdown on SAS regrading.(staff and associate specialist)
February 1, 2007... contract Melanie.Newman@rbi.co.uk There will be no special mediation and appeal process in the new staff and associate specialist (SAS) contract for staff grade doctors who fail to be regraded to associate specialists, Hospital Doctor...

Generalist's.(shortage of consultant physician, more concentration on specialized medicine practice)
February 1, 2007... GPs are increasingly looking to specialise and the hospital-based generalist physician is a dying breed. But looking at experiences here and abroad, Dr Peter Williams backs the generalists I used to sign my letters 'consultant physician and...

BUPA extends network date.(British United Provident Association Ltd. contracts )
February 8, 2007... ophthalmology Melanie.Newman@rbi.co.uk BUPA Health Insurance has extended its deadline for applicants to join its ophthalmology services network amid speculation that interest from consultants has been patchy so far. The insurer...

The body's.
February 8, 2007... With space agencies working towards manned missions to Mars, and suborbital tourist flights also on the horizon, doctors caring for astronauts are set for new challenges. Adam Legge boldly goes to find out what they can expect When a...

Letters to the Editor.(Letter to the editor)
February 8, 2007... SAS contract is a huge letdown Dear Editor I am rather disappointed and frustrated about the new SAS contract. Negotiations started with the following aims: Career progression for SAS doctors; More responsibility and...

Doctors scoop bid for outpatients contract.
February 8, 2007... service provision Melanie.Newman@rbi.co.uk A consortium of consultants and GPs has been sel-ected as the preferred bidder in a tender to provide ENT outpatient services in Ipswich, in a move believed to be the first in the country. ...

Doctors' health is marred by lack of aid from employers.
February 8, 2007... occupational health Almost A quarter of doctors have health problems and more than half think NHS employers should be doing more to help medics work around their condition, new research by Hospital Doctor/Medix has found. An online...

Pressure tells on doctors' health.
February 8, 2007... Hospital Doctor comment Sometimes it seems the cycle of NHS reform and reorganisation, new contracts and new EU directives will never end. All this change can be frightening. Although new contracts often bring better pay and new directives...

Trusts to be punished for doing extra work.(United Kingdom Department of Health's new law on primary care trusts paying hospitals )
February 8, 2007... contracting rules Melanie.Newman@rbi.co.uk From April, primary care trusts (PCTs) will no longer have to pay hospitals if they treat more patients than agreed, increasing the chances of contractual disputes between commissioners and...

Seniors urged to publish volumes and outcome data.
February 8, 2007... publicity Consultants are being encouraged to publish volumes and outcomes of cases and other data directly to the public. Dr Foster Research is marketing its Consultant Guide to medics as an opportunity to promote their NHS and private...

There is no job worth dying for.(Brief article)
February 15, 2007... Hospital Doctor comment The Government lied. Former health minister Lord Warner was last week exposed in the High Court for failing to consult with overseas doctors' groups over changes to immigration laws, despite his claim doctors were...

SHOs ire at MMC deadline disasters.(Modernising Medical Careers)(Medical Training Application Service )(Brief article)
February 15, 2007... late APPLICATIONS Junior doctors who missed the specialty training deadline for technical or personal reasons have condemned the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) team for failing to consider their late applications. Since applications...

SHOs slam costly advice.(self help organization)
February 15, 2007... training applications Elizabeth.Fox@rbi.co.uk A junior doctors' pressure group has raised concerns that some companies are cashing in on the uncertainty surrounding specialty training. Numerous websites and services have started...

Suspension judged to be a punishment.(Dr Gillian Mezey continues non-clinical duties)
February 15, 2007... court ruling Melanie.Newman@rbi.co.uk A doctor's suspension has been ended by a senior court in an unprecedented step, after a ruling that exclusion from work is not a neutral act. The Court of Appeal upheld an earlier High Court...

Visa hopes go up in flames.
February 15, 2007... Elizabeth.Fox@rbi.co.uk Thousands of overseas doctors were left devastated last week after the High Court ruled that the DoH had not acted unlawfully by changing the immigration rules in March 2006. The judgment leaves up to 16,000...

Visa tragedy.
February 15, 2007... court verdict An overseas doctor has taken his own life after changes to the immigration rules left him with little hope of securing a job in the UK. Dr Imran Yousaf (above), who came from India two years ago to take part 2 of the...

Letters to the Editor.(Letter to the editor)
February 15, 2007... NHSE caught with blinkers on Dear Editor Mr Henderson of NHS Employers (NHSE) has a very rosy outlook of the future of the NHS and its workforce (1 February, page 56). I would not ruin his illusions, but I have some concerns about the...

biologicals.
February 15, 2007... The controversy surrounding access to Herceptin is likely to become a familiar story, as drug companies are now firmly focusing their search for new therapies on the more expensive 'biologicals'. Mark Pownall takes stock of developments ...