Vital Support for GPs to Help
Patients to Work
18th May
2009
The RCGP has been awarded a £1million contract
by the Department for Work and Pensions to provide vital support to
doctors managing patients with work and health issues to help those
patients remain in or return to work.
The funding will be used to roll out a
National Education Programme of half-day workshops around the
country to help GPs increase their knowledge, skills and confidence
in dealing with clinical issues relating to work and health.
The workshops will be interactive and
offer recent evidence about work and health - along with skills and
strategies for managing difficult consultations.
RCGP Chairman Steve Field said: “This
is a major boost for the College and for GPs. Tackling health
inequalities is a big priority for us and helping people to remain
in or return to employment is clearly one of the best ways of
improving the mental, physical and economic well-being for our
patients.”
“However, helping patients return to
work can put GPs in a difficult and stressful situation and many
GPs worry about consultations on this issue. The National Education
Programme will remove many of the anxieties and concerns by giving
GPs increased confidence to approach and deal with difficult
situations and to make the best decisions for patients in the
long-term.”
“As it has been developed by GPs for
GPs, those attending the workshops can be confident that it will be
time well spent and that they will come away with effective
strategies for dealing with work related issues that they can then
share among other members of the primary care team.”
Lord McKenzie, Minister for Work and
Pensions, said: “We know work is good for you - now more than ever
it's important to help people with health issues remain or stay in
work so that they can support themselves and their families.
This initiative will support doctors to do just that.”
Chaired by a local leader and
delivered by an RCGP-trained GP and specialist Occupational Health
Physician, the National Education Programme begins in June and will
be made available across Great Britain.
Around 100 -150 workshops will be
delivered over a two year period by the College’s local and
regional Faculty offices with the aim of providing training and
support for between 3,000 and 4,500 GPs. Further infromation
can be found on the courses on the RCGP website
Notes to Editors
The National Education Programme is
the culmination of three-year collaboration between the RCGP and
the DWP after the RCGP submitted a proposal for an education
programme to drive up professional standards in the area of health
and work.
The scheme was piloted extensively
throughout 2007, with workshop content developed and presented by
Professor Sayeed Khan and Dr Debbie Cohen. Evaluation by the
Department for Work and Pensions was extremely positive, leading to
the commitment to a wider rollout.
The role of the RCGP has since been
expanded to include delivery of the entire project, including
content development, trainer training and quality assurance.
The Royal College of General
Practitioners is a network of over 36,000 family doctors working to
improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the
highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice
of GPs on education, training, research and clinical
standards.
FURTHER INFORMATION
RCGP Press office – 020 7344
3136/3137/3135
Out of hours: 07885 958 632
press@rcgp.org.uk