Hospital Doctor articles from March 2004

Hospital Doctor archives from March 2004

A marriage made in lecture theatres.
March 4, 2004... For the past two years, Hospital Doctor has followed aspiring doctor Amy Miller from her decision to study medicine to her acceptance into medical school in Leeds. Here she reports on getting hitched, all in the name of mentoring I t...

The tax-wise way to incorporate.
March 4, 2004... In a follow-up to his article on incorporation, Willie MacKenzie examines some crucial matters you need to consider to save yourself a bit of tax when forming a company Before you ever move your private practice into a company, you should...

Ensure your slides put viewers in the picture.(presentation skills)
March 4, 2004... In the final part of our series on how doctors can improve their presentation skills, Bob Mathers believes simplicity is best when using visual aids Had she had PowerPoint, Jane Austen might have said it was a truth universally...

Delays due to radiology are a thing of the past.(Ealing Hospital NHS Trust)
March 4, 2004... Ealing Hospital NHS Trust is one of the first four hospitals in the UK to be involved in an ongoing scheme aimed at reducing delays in hospital. Here, Gwynneth Kirkpatrick explains the developments in radiology Radiology has long been...

. . . and so is an exodus of staff.(Letter to the Editor)
March 4, 2004... recently read an article in The Guardian entitled: 'Reid to smash NHS cartel'. It said John Reid, our Health Secretary, was preparing an advertising campaign to tell patients to bypass doctors who made them wait too long for treatment. He was...

Death of NHS is now inevitable . . .(Letter to the Editor)
March 4, 2004... am sad this week. I am sorry to say I have suffered bereavement. A dear and close relative - one I have lived with since I was 18 - has died and left me alone, wondering about the future. The NHS is, for me, one of the ideals that put the...

Confused about SSRIs for under-18s? You should be.(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)(antidepressants)
March 4, 2004... With polarised views from both sides of the Atlantic on the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in patients under 18, consultant psychiatrist Dr Martin Newman admits to being confused Depression in children and...

Overseas doctors 'poorly informed' of job situation.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Over 80 per cent of overseas doctors were poorly informed of the job situation in the NHS before they arrived in the UK, according to a survey. All the doctors surveyed by the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) had...

Minister voices support for paediatricians.(Margaret Hodge)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Children's minister Margaret Hodge has called for paediatricians to be supported in the face of criticism over high-profile cot-death cases. Mrs Hodge was speaking in the House of Commons on the review of criminal cases involving sudden infant...

Could agency errors be costing you work?(filtered resumes)
March 4, 2004... Locums say some agencies are harming their careers by altering their CVs. Francesca Robinson investigates Locums are claiming that their job prospects are being damaged because agencies sometimes filter and retype their CVs before sending...

Would the last one to leave academic medicine please turn off the lights.(research assessment exercise)
March 4, 2004... Academic medicine has reached crisis point. Critics blame inflexible clinical training and the Research Assessment Exercise. But are plans to resolve this achievable? Melanie Newman reports There is a joke in academic circles about the...

Merit awards to be different for Scots.(new clinical excellence award scheme)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Consultants in Scotland look set to have a very different merit awards system from their colleagues in England. The deal reached south of the border has been dismissed by the Scottish BMA. It said it was 'not terribly impressed' by the new...

Pay for quality not quantity.(Letter to the Editor)
March 4, 2004... Sir, I find it regrettable that when talking about clinical excellence awards (CEA), high performance is interpreted quantitatively as the number of additional hours worked. 'Over and above' must be interpreted to mean contributions in excess...

Commons to quiz head of Bristol inquiry.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... A House of Commons committee is to question Prof Sir Ian Kennedy over the Bristol inquiry he headed. The questioning will form part of an investigation into the Government's use of inquiries to deal with controversial issues. The House of...

Paramedic solution to MRI treatment times.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Paramedics are key to driving forward improvements in 'call-to-needle' times for heart attack patients, says England's national clinical director for heart disease. Since the national service framework (NSF) for coronary heart disease was...

Refugees can register with GMC for [pounds sterling]200.(General Medical Council)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The GMC has announced it will reduce the cost of joining the register by [pounds sterling]200 for refugee doctors. About 100 refugee doctors register with the GMC each year from a total of 11,500 new registrants. GMC president Sir Graeme Catto...

Does Doctors for Reform have the answer to the NHS's woes?(new funding scheme proposed for National Health Service)
March 4, 2004... A new group of doctors has proposed a social insurance scheme to replace the current way the NHS is funded. Here, two doctors argue the case for and against the scheme for With 500 fellow professionals, I am coming out. We all work in...

Universal crash-call number demanded.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Switching to a single number to call emergency teams to an inpatient about to arrest could save lives, the Government has said. The National Patient Safety Agency's recommendation that all hospital trusts in England and Wales switch to using...

A quarter of night work could be redistributed.
March 4, 2004... association of surgeons in training conference association of surgeons in training co Around a quarter of junior doctors' night-time workload could be redistributed, figures emerging from the Department of Health's 'hospital at night'...

Trainees 'do not operate enough'.(Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Trainee surgeons are getting scant opportunity to perform some procedures, according to the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI). Mr Tom Bates, ASGBI president, presented data from the association's databases for higher...

A year is 'optimum' amount of research.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Most general surgeons think one year is the optimal duration for research during training, according to Prof Irving Taylor, professor of surgery at University College London. He presented results of a questionnaire sent to consultant general...

DoH 'must promote public health more'.(Department of Health)
March 4, 2004... The Government needs to spend more time on promoting public health, not just the treatment of sick people, Downing Street adviser Derek Wanless has urged. Councils and health authorities should produce annual surveys on the health of their...

Longer pharmacy hours 'cut errors'.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... More prescribing errors could be avoided on medical admissions wards if there were extra support from pharmacists working after hours, a pilot study has suggested. Pharmacists at Colchester General Hospital gave exten- ded support seven days a...

Hospitals urged to step up MRSA fight.(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)(Health Protection Agency, Office of National Statistics)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Hospital staff have been urged to step up their efforts against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) after research has shown that deaths from the infection have risen over 15-fold in the past decade. Researchers from the Health...

Consultants asked how to beat racism.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... CONSULTANTS are being asked to identify ways to tackle racism in the medical profession. They are being asked to consider six key areas in which racism might occur, including postgraduate training, mentoring and career progression, and suggest...

London hospital to review security.(Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, London)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... A hospital where a 60-year-old man was robbed and assaulted as his wife lay dying is to review its security. Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Woolwich, London, said the review was to ensure the safety of staff and patients. The man was dragged from...

GP contract threatens prescribing for young.
March 4, 2004... The new contract for GPs could have a negative impact on prescribing for children, claims the Child Growth Foundation Charity. It is particularly concerned that high-cost, low-volume conditions such as growth hormone deficiencies could be left...

DoH quits NCCG appraisal review.(Department of Health)(non-consultant career grade)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The Government has pulled out of an appraisal survey of non-consultant career grade (NCCG) doctors, triggering claims that it was worried about bad results. The survey was supposed to be a joint project between the Department of Health (DoH)...

Give Government time to see reforms through.(United Kingdom. National Health Service)(healthcare budgets)
March 4, 2004... Consultants are not known for collective action. At the height of the dispute over the revised consultant contract, an influential doctor commented to Hospital Doctor that getting the profession to agree on anything was like 'trying to herd...

Consultants spark debate on healthier NHS funding.(National Health Service)(Doctors for Reform seeks changes in NHS funding system)
March 4, 2004... A group of doctors which formed to promote changes to the way the NHS is funded has been praised for speaking out for the profession. The campaign by Doctors for Reform - a group of over 500 doctors - wants compulsory social insurance to pay...

DoH 'only just cottons on' to hours problem.(Department of Health)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The Department of Health only discovered one month ago that the Working Time Directive would have a serious impact on the NHS, according to the BMA. Giving evidence to a House of Lords select committee, council chairman of the BMA James Johnson...

Six million errors a year.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The number of errors in the NHS could be as high as six million a year, a survey says. The most recent NHS staff survey showed much higher levels of errors than previously known, with 47 per cent of respondents admitting to a mistake. This...

Contract shortfall of [pounds sterling]20m is quite small.(Letter to the Editor)
March 4, 2004... Sir, Hospital Doctor suggested that the new consultant contract was in crisis, with a [pounds sterling]20m shortfall, job plans not being agreed and my resignation (front page, 19 February). I do not believe that there is a crisis and have been...

Stand up for doctors' rights.(General Medical Council)
March 4, 2004... The GMC must rethink its plans to withdraw prescribing rights from retired doctors, argues Dr Dermot J. Ward he GMC has made it clear in a communication to the Society of Clinical Psychiatrists that it has decided to withdraw prescribing...

Stop ex-BMA members' perks.(Letter to the Editor)
March 4, 2004... Sir, The quite extraordinary compensation packets for private practice financed by BMA membership (front page, 5 February) reminds me of the excessive claims made by the GMC's senior personnel. I would be surprised to hear that the Goodmans and...

This is not a poverty-line level of pay.(Letter to the Editor)
March 4, 2004... Sir, I was disgusted by my SpR colleagues claiming poverty due to pay re-banding (front page, 12 February). I am always keen for more money, but to pretend we are on the poverty line is ludicrous. The year-five orthopaedic SpR who had to...

Fears over medical picture-messaging.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... DOCTORS have been warned that using mobile picture phones to record images of patients could have serious ethical and legal implications. According to recent reports, there is a growing trend among both hospital consultants and GPs to use their...

One-sided view of the Israeli conflict.(Letter to the Editor)
March 11, 2004... Sir, I am writing to express my dismay at your recent article entitled Where war has made medicine a constant battle (29 January, page 18). It made no attempt to present a balanced view of the tragic situation. You might argue that your...

Will the GP; contract result in; longer A&E queues?(accident & emergency)(General practitioners)
March 11, 2004... In just three weeks, the new GP contract will come into force. But doctors are concerned that provisions allowing GPs to opt out of out-of-hours care will place yet another burden on A&E. Janis Smy talked to doctors on what the impact might be...

Urology to get two-tier training.
March 11, 2004... A NEW training programme for urology being proposed as part of changes to medical careers will involve creating two tiers of consultants. After completing a two-year foundation course, trainees with an interest in urology will enter a five-year...

NHS head says staff must stop whingeing whingeing.(National Health Service (UK))(helath care industry)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... The head of the NHS wants doctors to stop whingeing about the NHS as they may be putting patients off. Whistle-blowers and the generally disgruntled may be responsible for the public failing to buy the Government's message that the NHS is...

Doctors warn against dumbed down training.(medical training)
March 11, 2004... Doctors' leaders are warning that Government changes to training will create consultants 'in name only'. Fears about the Modernising Medical Careers reforms prompted a rare joint-statement from the BMA and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges...

Complaints put doctors off child protection work.(health care industry)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Paediatricians are being discouraged from child protection work because of the volume of unsubstantiated complaints against them, a new survey reveals. Of over 3,000 paediatricians who responded to a Royal College of Paediatrics and Child...

Seniors ready to elect latest lead negotiator.(health care industry)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... A new lead negotiator to head up the continuing talks on the consultant contract is due to be elected today. The post on the BMA's consultants committee has been vacant for a month, since the sudden resignation of Mr Nizam Mamode in February....

Numbers need to rise but not at expense of training.(health care industry)
March 11, 2004... The Department of Health is under pressure to hit its recruitment targets. Two years ago the Government pledged to dramatically increase the number of consultants. By 2008, there is supposed to be 15,000 more GPs and consultants. This is one...

Patient video boosts screening attendance.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Sir, I read your news story National bowel checks could cripple NHS with interest (22 January, page 5). I have been involved in qualitative research aimed at improving the information received by women attending for colposcopy and reducing...

Senior posts have to be earned.(health care industry)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Sir, There has been extensive coverage in the medical press concerning the compensation awarded to staff grade surgeon Mr Vijay Jadhav for racial discrimination (8 January, page 4). It is not clear to me whether the allegation is that this...

Why my lecturing career will never be on the rocks.(health care industry)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Sir, Thank you for your illuminating article on public speaking (5 February, page 29). Next time I am presenting I will remember to imagine I am a lighthouse 'and that the beam of my gaze is moving slowly across the sea of faces'. This will...

'Insulting' pay rise for old contract.(doctor's pay rise controversy)
March 18, 2004... Controversy as small pay rise awarded on existing contract and DoH responsible for new contract delays Consultants staying on the old contract have been 'punished' by being given a lower annual pay rise than those taking up the new deal....

Welcome shift in roles.(Letter to the Editor)
March 18, 2004... Sir, My feelings were somewhat divided when reading the feature, Is this the consultant of the future? (19 February, page 20). I have been a supporter and promoter of introducing a specialist grade for a very long time, and the belated...

How racism blocked this doctor's career.(Rajendra Chaudhary)
March 18, 2004... Mr Rajendra Chaudhary took on the BMA and won. After an extraordinary battle, he was awarded more than [pounds sterling]800,000 - the highest ever award made by an employment tribunal in a race discrimination case. He spoke exclusively to...

Short Oz training far more intensive.(Letter to the Editor)
March 18, 2004... Sir, I read Paul Thorpe's recent column from Australia with some amusement (12 February, page 20). I spent a year at the Royal Brisbane Hospital in 1997 as a senior registrar in ear, nose and throat and remember it as a tremendous experience,...

Hospital job ad for staff grade doctor demands 'illegal' hours.(University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... A hospital has advertised for a staff grade doctor to work in a post which exceeds the Working Time Directive's 48-hour week limit. The advertisement, in the BMJ, was placed by University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust. It advertised...

We'll all pay price for; low salary increases.(public sector pay )(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... The importance of pay in the public sector has risen considerably in recent years. Traditionally, the government of the day has been able to minimise pay rises, counting on staff commitment to the cause. Suddenly, New Labour injected a huge...

Extra pay point for SPRs.(Doctors and Dentists Review Body)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... Review Body acknowledges longer training and contract delays but pay awards stay low A recommendation that SpRs receive an extra pay point is evidence that training time is increasing, according to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges....

I thought BMA members were sacrificing fees.(Letter to the Editor)
March 18, 2004... Sir, Your article Is the BMA secretive and out of date? (12 February, page 22) came as something of an eye-opener. I have always supported senior BMA members for discretionary points and clinical excellence awards as I have been under the...

Lower GMC subs would lift a burden on junior doctors.(Letter to the Editor)
March 18, 2004... Sir, I was alarmed to read the details of the news story, Calls for cut in GMC fees as profits climb (29 January, page 4). I welcome Dr Krishna Korlipara's comments on the GMC altering its fees structure. We are paying up to [pounds...

Recognise training gained overseas.(Letter to the Editor)
March 18, 2004... Sir, These days, there is a lot of talk about the use of the locum consultants and staff and associate specialist (SAS) doctors to fill gaps. The rules are going to be changed soon on SAS doctors, potentially allowing them the chance to get...

Stop saving tax to waste on cars that ruin planet.(Letter to the Editor)
March 18, 2004... Sir, Until this week, I had never been able to work out if your financial diarist was real or just a parody (BMA is right to pay expenses, 26 February, page 23,). I am still unsure, but I can certainly exclude the possibility he has any idea at...

Contract held up by DoH meddling.(Department of Health)(contracts)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... IMPLEMENTATION of the new consultant contract was derailed when strategic health authorities (SHAs) were asked to interfere in what trusts were doing, it has been revealed. Hospital Doctor has learned that a letter was sent to SHAs by David...

Train of thought.(health secretary John Reid's interview)
March 25, 2004... He may have uttered a four-letter word on being told he was Health Secretary, but John Reid is now relishing his role. In an exclusive interview with Amena Saleem he explains why centrally driven targets will be removed, his concerns...

BMA slams Reid grade plan.(John Reid)(Brief Article)
March 25, 2004... The BMA has written a damning letter to Health Secretary John Reid, following a television appearance in which he endorsed the formation of a 'junior consultant' role. Speaking on ITV's flagship political show, Jonathan Dimbleby, Mr Reid was...

First new contract deal finally struck.(Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust)(Brief Article)
March 25, 2004... A hospital trust in Camb-ridgeshire has become the first in the country to implement the new consultant contract. But the deal, struck by Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust, has been described as a compromise and it is currently unclear whether...

Training under threat from nurse surgeons.
March 25, 2004... By Melanie Newman melanie.newman@rbi.co.uk Junior doctors' training needs are being undermined by a Government initiative that would see nurses performing theatre operations. Twenty-five pilot schemes have been set up across the UK over the...

Giving you a louder voice.(Brief Article)
March 25, 2004... Welcome to the new-look Hospital Doctor. This week we launch a fresh approach to covering all the latest news, analysis and opinion in secondary care. We are not a magazine that likes to stand still. And, while our attitude remains the same...

DoH prepares for training calamity.(United Kingdom. Department of Health)
March 25, 2004... exclusive By Julie Griffiths julie.griffiths@rbi.co.uk The Government is braced for failure over plans to modernise medical training, as a leaked report shows the initiative could result in less than 400 extra consultants in four years. A...

Racism cash upheld.(doctor gets compensation)(Brief Article)
March 25, 2004... The doctor who sued the BMA for racial discrimination has had his compensation of over [pounds sterling]800,000 upheld. Mr Rajendra Chaudhary was awarded [pounds sterling]814,877 - the highest award ever made by an employment tribunal in a race...