Doctor articles from October 2005

Doctor archives from October 2005

GPs blast centre for 'wasting' [pounds sterling]6.5m.
October 4, 2005... Private providers Paul Stephenson GPs HAVE attacked a privately run NHS treatment centre as a waste of money for undertaking routine minor surgery that could be done in GP surgeries. The Cobalt NHS treatment centre on North Tyneside,...

GPs face depression dilemma in children.
October 4, 2005... Mental health Adam Legge NICE HAS informed GPs they should not prescribe antidepressants to young people, but its own advisers admit doctors may be left with few alternatives. Guidance published by NICE last week said children and...

Sinister link with breast cancer.
October 4, 2005... BEING A 'southpaw' seems to increase a woman's chances of developing breast cancer compared with right-handed women, say Dutch researchers. The team from Utrecht said previously it knew only of case-controlled studies on a putative common...

OOH opt-out harms quality of patient care.
October 4, 2005... Out-of-hours Almost half of GPs believe patient care has suffered as a result of opting out of out-of-hours cover, according to a survey. Around 95 per cent of practices took the opportunity to hand over responsibility for out-of-hours...

Health 'press gangs' for Scottish patients.(roundup of unhealthy Scots)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2005... Lifestyle Scottish ministers are proposing to send health 'press gangs' into deprived areas to identify unhealthy people and coerce them into consulting their GP. But GP leaders warned the plan could have the opposite effect, putting...

PBC implementation timetable 'unrealistic'.
October 4, 2005... Survey finds many PEC chairmen want deadline moved back Steve Ford The government's time-scale for implementing practice-based commissioning is not realistic, warn PCT clinical leads. Additionally, an analysis of evidence on...

Warning over ADHD drug suicide risk.
October 4, 2005... Psychiatry GPs HAVE been advised to closely monitor children taking the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug atomoxetine (Strattera) for signs of depression. New trial data shows a small increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviour...

Obesity drug to be sold without GP consultation.
October 4, 2005... Prescribing The obesity drug orlistat (Xenical) is to be sold by pharmacists in England without patients seeing a GP. The drug will be available from about 100 Boots outlets under a private patient group direction - patients will pay a...

Amoxicillin linked to dental defects.
October 11, 2005... Prescribing Steve Ford Children treated with amoxicillin during infancy appear to have a higher level of tooth enamel defects in their adult teeth than other children, researchers have warned. They said tetracyclines clearly...

QOF performance backs small practices.
October 11, 2005... GPs IN Kent have used quality and outcomes data to show that small practices performed better locally than surgeries with five to ten doctors. The BMA's Dartford, Graves-end and Medway division published a table showing the top performing...

Seniority hope for low-earning GPs.
October 11, 2005... GPs entitled to more pay but may have to use legal measures Derren Hayes Low-earning GPs have been told they may be entitled to full seniority pay after all - but they will have to fight for it. The GPC has drawn attention to a 2003...

New training board 'failing GPs'.
October 11, 2005... PMETB Doctors' leaders have joined forces to express 'grave concerns' about poor service from the newly created training body, the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board. Delays in getting Certificates of Completion of Training...

GPs question accuracy of BNP testing.
October 11, 2005... Doubts over value of NICE-recommended screening tool in primary care setting Adam Legge GPs HAVE branded a NICE-approved heart failure screening test as flawed and of little use in primary care. NICE guidance, published in July 2003,...

Patients to get Herceptin test.
October 11, 2005... Prescribing The government has bowed to media pressure over access to the expensive breast cancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin). Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said last Wednesday that all women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in...

Employers seek 2.5% GP pay rise.
October 11, 2005... Remuneration Employers IN the NHS are seeking a 2.5 per cent pay rise in line with inflation targets for salaried GPs and registrars from April next year. GPC chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum described the figure as a 'bit on the low side'. Last...

Incapacity rethink.(assigning disability status)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2005... Benefits GPs SHOULD no longer have to police the benefits system by signing their own patients onto incapacity benefit, according to the NHS Confederation. Instead, independent panels of doctors and other health care professionals should...

BMA bid to treble trainers' funding.
October 18, 2005... Remuneration Cathy Comerford GP leaders are seeking a trebling of trainers' grants in this year's pay round, as almost one-fifth are threatening to stop work because of low pay. In its evidence to the Review Body, the GPC said a...

Warfarin patients 'could self-manage'.(Brief Article)
October 18, 2005... Prescribing Many patients on warfarin could monitor and adjust their dose safely and effectively with adequate training, according to researchers. A study, involving 617 adults on warfarin, even found self-management could be better for...

Six-month wait for new BP guidelines.
October 18, 2005... Hypertension GPs will have to wait at least six months before new hypertension management guidelines are published. NICE and the British Hypertension Society said last month they would assess data from the ASCOT trial, with a view to...

Atrial fibrillation pulse ; checks for all over-65s.
October 18, 2005... CVD GPs could be required to opportunistically check the pulse of all patients aged over 65 as part of a national screening programme for atrial fibrillation (AF). The National Screening Committee will meet next month to discuss results...

Extra GMS tax bill may hit GPs.
October 18, 2005... Pensions GPs face a shock extra four-figure tax bill on their first year's new contract earnings as a result of an official muddle over pension rules. The additional expense arises because the taxman only allows GPs relief on...

GPs urged to set PBC agenda.
October 18, 2005... PBC GPs have been told to seize their chance to set the agenda for practice-based commissioning while PCTs are tied up with internal restructuring and mergers. NHS Alliance chairman Dr Michael Dixon said the next six months were a...

PCTs plan to; set quotas on; GP referrals.
October 18, 2005... PCTs want to cut hospital costs by increasing amount of treatment given in primary care Paul Stephenson GPs have reacted angrily to plans to cap referral quotas at hospitals that have financial problems. It emerged last week that PCT...

Patients want more frequent revalidation.(revalidation of medical professionals)
October 18, 2005... Five-year plan may be revised as almost one in two patients back annual assessment and GMC considers 'risk' factors Cathy Comerford The vast majority of patients support GPs being revalidated every one or two years, a...

Revalidation plans 'unfair'.(Brief Article)
October 25, 2005... Revalidation PLANS TO make 'high-risk' GPs undergo extra-tough revali- dation could amount to 'discrimination and unfair targeting', says the RCGP. In an in-depth report in this week's Doctor, a college spokes-man said the risk-based...

GMC hands back minor complaints.
October 25, 2005... Complaints Doctors with less serious complaints against them will no longer be investigated by the GMC and their names will remain on its website, as of this week. Changes agreed by the GMC in July mean local NHS systems will now handle...

GPs told 'hold your horses' over ASCOT.
October 25, 2005... Changes in prescribing should await unified guidance, says NPC Adam Legge GPs SHOULD not immediately change their hypertension prescribing practice based on results from the ASCOT trial, say prescribing advisors. New unified guidance...

Doctors sceptical; on switch to OTC ; chloramphenicol.
October 25, 2005... Prescribing GPs are sceptical about the decision to make chloramphenicol eyedrops available over the counter for conjunctivitis, suggests a joint survey by Doctor and Optician. The Government's own advisers on antibiotic resistance have...

GPs told to provide flu jabs on demand.
October 25, 2005... Immunisation Paul Stephenson A surge in patient demand for influenza vaccination due to publicity about bird flu has prompted a PCT to ask GPs to vaccinate anyone on request. Basildon PCT in Essex wrote to all practices last week...

Pensions victory.
October 25, 2005... Pensions GPs currently signed up to the NHS pensions scheme will still be able to retire at 60, despite Government efforts to increase the normal pension age to 65. Future GPs, however, will face an increase in retirement age to 65. But...

Power to the patient.(Brief Article)
October 25, 2005... Patient choice PATIENTS are to be given lists of 'power questions' in the Government's latest move to help them squeeze the best service from their GP. Bob Ricketts, head of access policy at the Department of Health, said GPs would be...

Trainers get [pounds sterling]750 grant at last.(Brief Article)
October 25, 2005... Remuneration GP trainers will now receive the [pounds sterling]750 grant awarded in last year's pay round but not paid out by the Department of Health, after a row over the interpretation of the Review Body's recommendations. Doctor...

'Grave concerns' on; registrars' training.
October 25, 2005... Doctors' leaders demand meeting with ministers over PMETB Cathy Comerford FEARS ARE mounting over the capabilities of the Post-graduate Medical Education and Training Board to manage GP training, just weeks after the body took over....