Doctor articles from February 2006

Doctor archives from February 2006

Clarity on CVD pledged this year.(cardiovascular disease screening)(Brief article)
February 7, 2006... Screening Conflicting advice for GPs on cardiovascular disease screening will be resolved this year to allow an opportunistic screening programme to go ahead in 2007, says a top Government adviser. In December, the new Joint British...

Extend hours or lose patients, GPs warned.
February 7, 2006... Access Cathy Comerford GP PRACTICES which fail to offer extended opening hours will lose patients as increased choice allows them to vote with their feet, according to the white paper. Better access to GPs was one of the main public...

GP list clampdown.
February 7, 2006... Closed-list practices face cash penalties and could lose out to private providers Cathy Comerford GPs FACE tough new measures to ensure they do not close their lists, in the Government's primary care white paper. It proposes a number...

GP list clampdown.
February 7, 2006... Closed-list practices face cash penalties and could lose out to private providers Cathy Comerford GPs FACE tough new measures to ensure they do not close their lists, in the Government's primary care white paper. It proposes a number...

Government to force GPs into competition.
February 7, 2006... THE WHITE PAPER Steve Ford GPs will be made to compete with alternative providers and each other to safeguard their practices and maintain their income, under proposals set out in the white paper. The Government has said establishing...

Self-care to be QOF priority.
February 7, 2006... QOF The Government has signalled that it will be pushing for patient self-care indicators to be added to future versions of the quality and outcomes framework (QOF). The white paper said that by 2008-09 the QOF would include new...

'Incentives' for GPs to take on hospital work.
February 7, 2006... Working practices Practice-based commissioning (PBC) and payment by results will act as incentives for GPs to shift services from hospitals into the community, according to the white paper. Over the next decade, 5% of NHS resources...

Death report rules to change.(coroners' system upgrades)(Brief article)
February 14, 2006... Coroners Relatives of deceased patients will have a right to ask for a 'second opinion' on death certificates under Government plans to reform the coroners system in England and Wales. Last week, ministers ann-ounced proposals to allow...

Axe still poised over community hospitals.
February 14, 2006... White paper Cathy Comerford Threatened community hospitals will not be saved, despite promises in the primary care white paper, warn GPs. Earlier this month, national newspapers reported a U-turn on plans to close around 80 community...

London has lowest MMR uptake.
February 14, 2006... Vaccination London lags behind the rest of England in uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, latest analysis shows. Westminster (11.7%) and Kensington and Chelsea PCTs (33.3%) have the lowest MMR uptake by fifth birthday,...

GMC plans random drink and drug tests.
February 14, 2006... Regulation GPs under GMC supervision for drug or alcohol addiction will face random drug tests under plans by the regulator. The measures, endorsed by the council last week, were recommended by a Health Review Group set up to examine...

'Death knell for the personal doctor'.
February 14, 2006... Exclusive: 79% of GPs think white paper poses a major threat Steve Ford GPs HAVE delivered a damning verdict on the primary care white paper, warning that it signals the demise of traditional general practice but with few benefits for...

Call for tax exemption on reports.
February 14, 2006... VAT Medical reports and certificates of fitness should be treated as VAT exempt when new rules come into force on 1 April, says the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICA). Responding to a Government consultation paper, the ICA said...

GPs get go-ahead to give flu drugs.
February 14, 2006... DoH advice GPs can now prescribe the anti-flu drug oseltamivir to 'at-risk' and older patients, say Government advisors. Dr David Salisbury, DoH director of immunisation policy, said surveillance data indicated that the overall rate of...

Legal scrutiny for private bid.(United Health Europe contract)(Brief article)
February 14, 2006... Privatisation protesters are seeking a judicial review of the selection process which awarded a contract to run a Derbyshire practice to United Health Europe (UHE), say GP representatives. North Eastern Derbyshire PCT's decision to...

Snub for GPs as jab scheme overhauled.
February 14, 2006... Immunisation Adam Legge GPs are angry that the Government has announced changes to the childhood immunisation schedule before consulting them. The move is seen as further evidence that the Government is marginalising the GP's role as...

Blair confirms wide scope for private firms.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2006... White paper PRIME MINISTER Tony Blair has confirmed that commercial firms will in future be free to compete with GPs in the provision of primary care in all areas, not just deprived inner cities. Private provider contracts have so far...

Warnings to be put on ADHD drug.
February 21, 2006... Safety Warnings on seizure risk and abnormal heart rhythm will be added to the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug atomoxetine (Strattera), says the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. But an MHRA-led review...

DTB may fall victim to budget cutbacks.
February 21, 2006... Prescribing The future of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin looks uncertain, as the Government seeks to make budget cuts. The DoH has failed to renew its bulk purchasing order for the independent review in 2006-07, and the contract...

GPs passed buck for home oxygen chaos.(General Practitioners)(Home Oxygen Order Forms (HOOFs))
February 21, 2006... Services Adam Legge GPs are being blamed for the chaos over the home oxygen service, but are being forced to administer a system that was never designed for, or piloted in, general practice. The new Home Oxygen Order Forms (HOOFs)...

GPs win ground on commissioning pay.
February 21, 2006... Savings to be protected from raids by cash-strapped PCTs Cathy Comerford GPs will now be able to keep 70% of practice-based commissioning savings without fear of PCTs skimming money off to pay debts. Government guidance on the...

Hewitt 'surprise' at GP verdict.(General Practitioner)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2006... White paper Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has expressed surprise at GPs' damning verdict on the primary care white paper, delivered last week in an exclusive Doctor survey. The poll revealed that 79% of GPs believe the Govern-ment's...

PCT's minor surgery pull-out sparks fury.(Primary Care Trust )
February 21, 2006... White paper Cathy Comerford GPs are furious after a PCT announced it would move some minor surgery work to a local acute hospital rather than pay local practices to do it. They warned that more PCTs would follow suit as they ran out...

Pension form change 'a shambles'.
February 21, 2006... Superannuation Last-minute changes are being made to superannuation forms as the 28 February deadline looms for submitting certificates to PCTs. The NHS Pensions Agency (NHSPA) plans to publish a new version of the controversial form...

BP-lowering is 'too aggressive in stroke'.
February 28, 2006... Researchers warn that guidelines are based on poor evidence Adam Legge Guidelines that advocate aggressive blood-pressure lowering in stroke patients are based on poor evidence and might be harming older patients, warn researchers....

Government buys vaccine to protect GPs from bird flu.
February 28, 2006... Immunisation The government has bought 3.5 million doses of H5N1 flu vaccine in order to inoculate GPs and front-line health workers if there is a pandemic. The vaccine will also be used for research in preparation for any epidemic...

IT deal to offer GPs choice of systems.
February 28, 2006... Technology GPs could be able to choose IT systems directly from suppliers rather than be tied to those offered via a local service provi-der, under a deal being negotiated by NHS Connecting for Health (CfH), Doctor understands. ...

Most GPs set to lose out under new QOF.(quality and outcomes framework for medical practices)
February 28, 2006... Steve Ford GPs in all but the highest-scoring practices could face a significant reduction in income from the revised quality and outcomes framework (QOF). Under the new QOF, virtually all lower thresholds for clinical indicators will be...

No points for flu jabs in asthma.
February 28, 2006... Respiratory Vaccinating asthma pat- ients during the flu season has been removed as a quality and outcomes indicator. However, the Green Book recommendation to vaccinate patients with chronic respiratory disease against flu still...

Warning over diabetes coding.
February 28, 2006... Diabetes GPs will have to separate diabetes patients into type 1 and type 2 to gain points for their register under the revised quality and outcomes framework. But GPs with a special interest warn that this could be difficult with...

What are the new DESs worth?(general practitioner payments)
February 28, 2006... GMS contract 2006-07 Access****Commissioning******Choice and booking******IT GPs who sign up for the access DES will be expected to meet its components this year but payments will be based on a patient experience survey that will not...