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11 - 17 December 2007
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A Weekly Bulletin of Professional News, Guidance and Policy for Primary Care
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Word Version
Headlines...
- GMC Announces Increase in Fees .....
- Good Progress in Putting Patient Safety First .....
- High Quality Care for Pregnant Women .....
- Lower Mortality Rates for Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke and
Cancer in Scotland .....
Guidance featured in Seven Days is uploaded weekly to the
RCGP Non-Clinical Guidance Database for General Practice.
Professional
Seven
Days
10 January 2007
News
GMC Announces Increase in
Fees
The GMC will increase its annual
retention fees - for full registration on the medical register –
from £290 to £390 in April 2008. Provisional registration will also
rise from £100 to £135; while a 50% discount will still be
available for doctors on lower incomes.
GMC Fees Set to Rise (GMC Press
Release)
High Rates of Mental Health
Detention in Black and Minority Groups
Some black and minority ethnic
groups are three times more likely to be admitted as mental health
inpatients than the national average. Findings from a Healthcare
Commission census stress that a multi-agency approach (including
GPs) is required to prevent and improve the management of mental
illness in these groups. It notes that without accurate data, the
quality of care cannot be monitored; and calls on all NHS
organisations to improve the recording of patient ethnicity
data.
Count Me In (Healthcare Commission
Publication)
Good Progress in Putting
Patient Safety First
The National Patient Safety Agency
(NPSA) has reported significant progress in putting patient safety
at the top of the NHS agenda. Although a lot of work still needs to
be done, it claims that many milestones have been reached over the
last year – including the fact that the National Patient Safety
Forum has been meeting regularly to set the agenda and check
progress; and the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has
been working with Royal Colleges and deaneries to embed patient
safety in training.
Safety First: one year on (NPSA Report)
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Clinical
News
Use of Lucentis for Wet
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
A dose-capping scheme to make
Lucentis (ranibizumab) available on the NHS for people with wet AMD
has been proposed by NICE. It recommends that the health service
should pay for a maximum of 14 injections per eye, which should
result in stable vision for most patients and improved vision in a
quarter of patients. It also calls on the manufacturer to pay for
any further doses that might be required. Comments should be sent
to nice@nice.org.uk
by 14 January 2008.
Dose-Capping Scheme to Make Lucentis Available on the
NHS (NICE Consultation)
Guidance
High Quality Care for
Pregnant Women
A review of maternal deaths – which
analyses trends and makes recommendations for improving clinical
practice - has been published by the Confidential Enquiry into
Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH). It contains a chapter on key
issues and lessons in general practice, written by Dr. Judy
Shakespeare FRCGP. It offers specific advice on communication
skills; making urgent referrals; helping women who do not speak
English; obesity; mental health and substance misuse; and social
services and child protection.
Saving Mothers’ Lives, 2003-2005
(CEMACH Publication)
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England
Announcements
Patient Choice Survey
2007
Findings from the eighth national
patient choice survey, conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the DH,
show a reduction in the percentage of patients who recalled being
offered a choice of hospital for their first outpatient appointment
(43% in July, down from 44% in May 2007). No change was seen in the
percentage of patients who were aware of choice before they visited
their GP (38% in both May and July). The results provide a
statistical overview of patient choice at national and PCT
level.
Report on the National Patient Choice Survey, England:
July 2007 (DH Publication)
Transferring Prisoners to
and from Hospital
The DH has updated its document
'Procedure for the Transfer of Prisoners to and from Hospital,
under Sections 47 and 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983'. It offers
advice to ensure prisoners access timely care and treatment,
avoiding unnecessary delays. It states that:
- GPs who initiate the transfer,
along with another approved doctor, must inform the NHS Responsible
Medical Officer (or Clinical Director from the prisoner’s home
Medium Secure Unit / Low Secure Unit) at the earliest possible
stage.
- The Mental Health Unit must be
informed of the prisoner’s details immediately after they have been
identified as ‘possibly’ requiring a transfer under the Mental
Health Act.
- After the initial medical
assessment, if the prisoner is thought to be suffering from a form
of mental disorder that necessitates their transfer to a hospital,
the GP must arrange for them to be examined by another appropriate
medical practitioner.
Transfer of Prisoners to and from Hospital Under the
“Mental Health Act 1983” (DH Guidance)
Reducing Health
Inequalities by 2010
Three reports have been published
this week, outlining progress against DH targets to reduce health
inequalities by 2010. The first shows a reduction in the inequality
gap in infant mortality - although not by a sufficient amount to
meet the target. The second notes that the gap in male and female
life expectancy at birth has increased, and that the target will
not be met if the current trend continues. The third reports that
cancer and circulatory disease mortality gaps have declined – the
former has already met its 2010 target and the second is on track
to do so.
Health Inequality Progress Reports
(DH Website)
NHS Priorities for
2008/2009
The NHS Operating Framework for
2008/2009 has also been published by the DH, setting out specific
business and financial arrangements during this period. It
describes the framework within which the NHS will plan and assess
its performance; and lists the policies that support its
transformation (including world class commissioning; engaging with
staff, patients and public; and delivering choice). It outlines
PCTs’ responsibilities in relation to the 18-week referral to
treatment; GP access; procurement of GP-led health centres; patient
satisfaction and choice; IT systems; and GP remuneration.
The NHS in England: the operating framework for
2008/2009 (DH Publication)
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Wales
Announcements
Life Expectancy and Teenage
Pregnancy Statistics
The Statistical Directorate for the
Welsh Assembly Government has issued two sets of data this week.
The first states that life expectancy at birth, for males and
females, was lower than England but higher than Scotland. The
second reveals that conception rates for girls aged 16 and under
decreased every year between 1999 and 2004 and increased slightly
in those aged 13-15 in 2005.
Life Expectancy, 2004-2006
(Statistics for Wales Publication)
Teenage Conceptions, 2005 (Statistics
for Wales Publication)
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Scotland
Announcements
Measures to Improve Mental
Health
Shona Robison, the Minister for
Public Health, has announced details of developments to improve
mental health services in the country. Measures include:
- A new target to diagnose dementia
at an early stage (to be achieved by March 2011)
- The establishment of a Mental
Health Collaborative (to work across the NHS, driving changes
around two of the current targets for mental health - prescribing
antidepressants and reducing the number of people readmitted in
acute psychiatric units)
- The launch of guidance to support
people with substance misuse and mental health problems – where
Primary Health Care Teams will have a central role in
identification, care co-ordination and treatment
Mental Health is Top Priority (Scottish
Government Press Release)
Mental Health in Scotland: closing the gaps - making a
difference (Scottish Government Guidance)
Lower Mortality Rates for
Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke and Cancer
Findings from an Audit Scotland
report show that the NHS is making good progress against many of
its key targets and has improved its financial performance. Longer
life expectancy and lower mortality rates are reported for key
diseases including coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer. While
public health issues (drug misuse, alcohol-related problems and
obesity) and health inequalities are said to be worsening.
Overview of Scotland’s Health and NHS Performance,
2006/2007 (Audit Scotland Publication)
Parliamentary News
Patients at Heart of New
Health Strategy
The Scottish Government has
launched an action plan to improve the health of its population,
especially in disadvantaged communities, and offer better access to
care. It sets out a programme of action and has pledged to:
- Reform the GP contract to meet the
needs of all citizens – ensuring it adequately reflects the
additional needs of practices in disadvantaged communities
- Implement a programme to improve
the patient experience - focusing on inpatient care, GP surgeries
and long term conditions
- Improve access to primary care -
working with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee of the
BMA, the RCGP, NHS Boards and individual GP practices to achieve
this goal
Better Health, Better Care: action plan
(Scottish Government Publication)
Amendments to GP Contract
Regulations
Two Statutory Instruments relating
to the GP contract have been approved by the Scottish Parliament
and came into force on 30 November 2007. They introduce changes to
the GMS and PMS regulations and include amendments to the reference
on fees and allowances; and note that a provider/contractor who
employs a GP Registrar must offer the terms and conditions
contained in any directions given by the Scottish Ministers to NHS
Education for Scotland.
NHS (GMS Contracts) (Scotland) Amendment (No.3)
Regulations 2007 (Statutory Instrument, Number
501)
NHS (PMS Section 17C Agreements) (Scotland) Amendment
(No.3) Regulations 2007 (Statutory Instrument,
Number 502)
Protection for GPs Working
in Emergency Situations
Regulations were laid before the Scottish Parliament this week,
extending the Emergency Workers Act to cover GPs, nurses and
midwives working in the community (currently the Act only covers
health professionals working in a hospital). The changes now make
it a statutory offence to assault, obstruct or hinder emergency
workers and those assisting them (including GPs) when they are
responding to emergency situations.
Emergency Workers Act Extended (Scottish
Government Press Release)
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Northern Ireland
Announcements
No annoucements this week
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