News Roundup
A digest of news reports and press comment specifically selected for practice managers
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News Headlines
Headlines w/c 13th May 2013
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GP commissioning of private services
Some people are receiving health services in England paid for by the NHS but provided by private companies, as GPs begin to buy services for their patients
Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccination of pregnant women
Continuation of the temporary programme for whooping cough vaccination for pregnant women. The programme will be continued to 2014
These factsheets have been produced to accompany the Care Bill which was introduced into Parliament on the 9th May 2013, and published on 10th May 2013
RCGP and the 111 service
The roll-out of the troubled NHS 111 service has led to a 'patchwork quilt' of services and the system is 'seriously flawed' in some areas, the RCGP has said
GPs launch federation
GPs based in locations across the UK have launched a national federation to help practices compete for contracts and cope with falling resources
QOF target for drug reviews?
GPs should be handed QOF targets to refer more patients for medicines use reviews at pharmacies to tackle non-adherence to treatments, researchers say
Further call for better nurse ratios
Senior nurses have issued what they say is an unprecedented warning about staffing levels on hospital wards in England
Carer depression screening
Carers should be routinely screened for signs of depression by their GP to ensure their health needs are not neglected, doctors' leaders say
Culture change needed in NHS Scotland
The NHS in Scotland must adopt a "radically different approach" to how it deals with medical mistakes, an expert warns
Implications for mental health
What the NHS Mandate means for mental health services and the people who use them. It also outlines key actions for NHS England and CCGs, addressing access and waiting times for mental health care and commissioning integrated support
GP Premises bills go up
Practices in England could be forced to close sites or lay off staff because of increases of up to £40,000 in annual service charges and rent hikes, GP leaders have warned.
MMR Flyer
The flyer for GPs to use describes the disease measles and gives advice on the MMR vaccination
Online medical records and the doctor/patient relationship
Surveys commissioned by MPS which asked patients and doctors' views on online medical records. Disparity between the services that patients expect they will receive through online access to their records and what doctors think is realistic in the immediate term is an issue.
Expand GP urgent care role
GPs could be handed an expanded role in urgent care under an NHS England support plan to tackle A&E waiting times.
Headlines w/c 6th May 2013
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CQC in financial checks for care homes
Large providers of care homes in England are to have their financial records regularly scrutinised in future to spot potential business problems.
Virgin Healthcare grows in prisons
Virgin Care has won a contract to manage comprehensive primary care services for prisoners at HMP Bullingdon, in a deal worth £6.6m to the private provider over three years.
New push to prevent GPES extractions
Well-known privacy campaigners have launched a new initiative to try and stop NHS England’s GP Extraction Service in its tracks.
111 reports serious incidents
The NHS says it has experienced seven "potentially serious" incidents in the first few weeks of its 111 urgent care helpline in England.
LMCs come out over contract changes
The BMA should take legal action through the European courts to overturn GMS contract changes imposed by the government, GP leaders will argue at this month's LMCs conference
Care Home closure policy reversal in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland health minister Edwin Poots has done a U-turn on the policy of closing residential care homes.
Junior doctor report raises quality of care concerns
More than one in four junior doctors feel they do not have the time to deliver the quality of care that patients deserve, according to a BMA survey.
PCT prescribing data to December 2012
The Health and Social Care Information Centre has published the latest PCT prescribing data.
Caldicott report recommends viewing audit trail
Information should be shared across health and social care when it is in patients’ best interests, but patients should be able to see an audit trail of everyone who has accessed their personal data.
CCG responsibility for LES, DES and OOH
New guidance sets out the arrangements for CCGs to manage LES for primary medical care that were commissioned by PCTs, and commission out-of-hours primary medical services for their area.
GP salaries latest blame for NHS value
A briefing by the Thatcherite Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) said an 'extraordinary increase' in GP salaries was partly to blame for declining value for money from the health service under the last government.
GP practice prescriptions survey
The information gathered from this survey will be used to help make informed decisions about future GP reporting
Avoid merger via groupings
The formation of healthcare groups may be an alternative to mergers aiming for the benefits of collaboration without the upheaval or loss of autonomy required by a merger.
NHS staff survey in Wales shows low levels of confidence
Only 52% of NHS staff in Wales would be happy with the standard of care provided by the health service if a friend or relative needed treatment, a survey shows
A survey of GPs practice managers and nurses reveals a lack of support for the recent NHS reforms
As well as polling participants on attitudes towards the changes the survey also asked about opinions on the quality of care and alternative therapies
CSU Report
This report interviews 18 CSU managing directors and includes budgets and lists of core CCG customers along with structures and strategies of the CSUs which together employ more than 7,000 staff.
Headlines w/c 29th April 2013
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No major NHS funding increases under Labour
"massive increases" in spending on the NHS "won't be available" if Labour wins the next election. Healthcare would always be a priority but no pledge to spend more overall than the coalition government.
Vaccination clinics busy in South Wales
More than 1,800 people have attended drop-in MMR clinics at four hospitals in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, as the death of man linked to the measles outbreak is investigated.
Warning that measles in London is a matter of time
LMCs have warned GPs in London to prepare for the 'inevitable' arrival of the measles outbreak in the capital and warned it could kill hundreds.
Misadventure verdict in Northern Ireland death case
The jury in the inquest into a woman who died in hospital in Ireland four days after suffering a miscarriage has given a verdict of medical misadventure
Patients in Scotland save £13m in car parking charges
Patients and NHS staff have saved some £13m since hospital car parking charges were abolished more than four years ago, the Scottish Government says
Nurse training review provokes controversy
One year working as an HCA not a good idea
Cameron supports nurse training plans
Prime Minister David Cameron has defended plans to get trainee nurses to first work as healthcare assistants to improve patient care
BMA launch practice workload campaign
The BMA is launching a public awareness campaign in England to champion general practice and warn patients that GP contract reforms will drive up waiting times for appointments
GMC guide for patients
The guide explains how patients can help to create a partnership with their doctor, based on the standards the GMC set for doctors Good Medical Practice
CQC publish their strategy for the next few years
The strategy document outlines changes to inspection and regulation to promote safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care, and to encourage improvements
Scotland’s biggest care home group bought for £22m
Mears has bought a Scottish provider of home nursing services for £22.5m in a demonstration of increasing private sector involvement in the NHS
Cost recovery of premises costs transferring from PCTs
Funding arrangements for the cost of properties transferring from PCTs. Occupiers not currently absorbing full costs may be required to do so after 2014.
Government training initiative for the NHS to identify human trafficking victims
More victims of human trafficking will be identified with new training and advice launched today. The new tools are designed to make it easier for NHS staff to spot and give help to people who have been illegally trafficked and are available to healthcare workers across the country
GPC remind GPs that QOF is still an option
GPs should ignore new QOF targets that do not make good business sense and help patients
Welsh GPs annoyed at cross-border limitations
About 10% of doctors in the Forest of Dean are retiring early in protest over policy changes, a former GP has said. There is “a lot of anger” over Welsh government changes to stop its GPs referring patients to hospitals in England
Headlines w/c 22nd April 2013
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No major NHS funding increases under Labour
"massive increases" in spending on the NHS "won't be available" if Labour wins the next election. Healthcare would always be a priority but no pledge to spend more overall than the coalition government.
Vaccination clinics busy in South Wales
More than 1,800 people have attended drop-in MMR clinics at four hospitals in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, as the death of man linked to the measles outbreak is investigated.
Warning that measles in London is a matter of time
LMCs have warned GPs in London to prepare for the 'inevitable' arrival of the measles outbreak in the capital and warned it could kill hundreds.
Misadventure verdict in Ireland death case
The jury in the inquest into a woman who died in hospital in Ireland four days after suffering a miscarriage has given a verdict of medical misadventure
Patients in Scotland save £13m in car parking charges
Patients and NHS staff have saved some £13m since hospital car parking charges were abolished more than four years ago, the Scottish Government says
Nurse training review provokes controversy
One year working as an HCA not a good idea
Cameron supports nurse training plans
Prime Minister David Cameron has defended plans to get trainee nurses to first work as healthcare assistants to improve patient care.
BMA launch practice workload campaign
The BMA is launching a public awareness campaign in England to champion general practice and warn patients that GP contract reforms will drive up waiting times for appointments
GMC guide for patients
The guide explains how patients can help to create a partnership with their doctor, based on the standards the GMC set for doctors Good Medical Practice
CQC publish their strategy for the next few years
The strategy document outlines changes to inspection and regulation to promote safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care, and to encourage improvements
Scotland’s biggest care home group bought for £22m
Mears has bought a Scottish provider of home nursing services for £22.5m in a demonstration of increasing private sector involvement in the NHS
Cost recovery of premises costs transferring from PCTs
Funding arrangements for the cost of properties transferring from PCTs. Occupiers not currently absorbing full costs may be required to do so after 2014.
Government training initiative for the NHS to identify human trafficking victims
More victims of human trafficking will be identified with new training and advice launched today. The new tools are designed to make it easier for NHS staff to spot and give help to people who have been illegally trafficked and are available to healthcare workers across the country
GPC remind GPs that QOF is still an option
GPs should ignore new QOF targets that do not make good business sense and help patients
Welsh GPs annoyed at cross-border limitations
About 10% of doctors in the Forest of Dean are retiring early in protest over policy changes, a former GP has said. There is “a lot of anger” over Welsh government changes to stop its GPs referring patients to hospitals in England
Headlines w/c 15th April 2013
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Leeds heart surgery controversy
The government's ex-national director for heart disease says he would not want his daughter treated at Leeds General Infirmary's child cardiac unit
Leeds heart surgery enquiry call
Pudsey MP calls for enquiry into decision to halt surgery
BMA take anti-reform action
The BMA is preparing a public information campaign to help GPs inform patients about the dangers of the Government’s NHS reforms
Scotland rise in organ donation outstrips UK average
latest figures show that Scotland has achieved a 74.1 per cent increase in organ donors.
Stafford criminal investigation
A criminal investigation into the death of a diabetic woman at Stafford Hospital in 2007 has been launched, the Health and Safety Executive has said
Stafford to go into administration
The trust which runs Stafford Hospital is to be put into administration by the health regulator Monitor
Charging for NHS services
demand for the services of the NHS was likely to rise rapidly in the years ahead, and that it would rise faster than the health budget itself
Northern Ireland call for a simple version of QOF
The call comes in a motion due to be voted on at the Northern Ireland LMCs conference this weekend, says the QOF had ‘delivered success in supporting raised clinical standards’, but increasingly promoted a ‘tick-box culture’ and should be revised
Government midwife number denial
Nick Clegg has denied the government is "deceiving" the public over measures to address the shortage of midwives in the NHS in England
Expensive hospital thefts in Wales
Wales' seven health boards were asked for a list of stolen property during the last five years under a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by BBC Wales
Anon data may still identify some patients
Patients with rare diseases may be able to be identified despite data extracted from GP records being anonymised before it is shared in the health service, NHS England has admitted
NHS 111 rollout investigation
MPs will investigate the troubled rollout of NHS 111 in a forthcoming parliamentary review into emergency services by the House of Commons Health Committee
Welsh MMR jab deficit contribution to resurgence
40,000 children across Wales are without any jabs, and a further 30,000 have had only an incomplete course.
Changing the allocation of NHS funding
The paper explores how the health resource allocation process and the formula on which it is based have changed over time, and how it will work from April 2013
Migrants taking advantage of the NHS
The PM has accused some migrants of “taking advantage” of the NHS.
Headlines w/c 8th April 2013
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DH gives exclusive insight into CSC deal
The man in charge of the Department of Health’s interim deal with CSC says it wants to normalise the health IT market and expects no more than 20 trusts to take Lorenzo under the new agreement.
Hospitals must shrink or shut, doctors warn
GPs' leader Dr Michael Dixon says half of services should be moved closer to patients' homes.
Lewisham confirms Cerner deployment
Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust will deploy Cerner’s electronic patient record system across its hospital and community health services.
'Postcode lottery' for GP IT
GPs are at risk of a “postcode lottery” of IT support that will affect practice performance and ultimately patient care, a negotiator for the BMA’s GP Committee warns.
Lloyd George records go electronic
Eighty-five GP practices are deploying a new electronic Lloyd George records service. The fully managed service digitises, archives and hosts Lloyd George patient records.
Call for doctors to help widen access to medical careers
Doctors should work together to make a career in medicine more socially inclusive and have this work formally recognised by the GMC, the conference agreed.
Interviews could aid foundation programme improvement
Interviews should be investigated as a way of improving the foundation programme application process, medical students agreed.
Debate reignites over NHS access to cancer drugs
The controversy over access to cancer drugs on the NHS has resurfaced following the creation of a new streamlined unit in charge of funding them.
Bald men 'more likely to have heart problems'
Men who go bald may be more likely to have heart problems than others with a full head of hair, researchers say.
GPs bring forward their retirement plans in looming crisis for profession
Almost half of GPs have brought forward their retirement plans compared with five years ago, as worsening morale and rising workload takes its toll on the profession.
GPs advised to cut drawings over next few months
GPs have been advised to cut their drawings now amid an uncertain few months as the QOF changes bed in and they decide what income they can ‘win back’ from the new directed enhanced services.
Only 13% of public believe Jeremy Hunt is doing a good job
Less than a fifth of the public believe the Government’s health reforms will improve the NHS and only 13% believe the health secretary is doing a good job.
GP duty of candour undermined by 'inappropriate' gagging clauses in CCG constitutions
Hundreds of GP practices are blocked from voicing concerns over NHS care in their area under their CCG constitutions, despite the Government’s declarations that ‘gagging’ clauses are now unacceptable in the health service after the Francis Inquiry.
No need for rheumatoid factor testing, GPs told
GPs do not need to use rheumatoid factor testing as all patients with rheumatoid arthritis are able to be identified on the basis of clinical features alone, claim specialists.
Headlines w/c 1st April 2013
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NHS reorganisation finally takes effect
The biggest changes to the NHS in two decades came into effect on Monday and are likely to have a major impact on the future shape of NHS IT.
Shaken NHS faces uncertain future
The latest round of NHS reforms, which took effect on Monday, have been greeted with unease and concern about what they could mean for the future of the health service.
What power will GPs really have in the new NHS?
As CCGs finally take the reins of the NHS, Jaimie Kaffash looks at whether the Government’s reforms have really put decision-making in GPs’ hands.
Ten top tips to prepare for your CQC inspection
Richard Banyard, director of CQCassist, helps GPs prepare for CQC inspections and each one explains a suggested ‘action plan’ of a practical activity you can do for tips you find helpful.
GPs warned to protect cash-flow as local area teams face 'huge problems'
GPs have been warned to make contingency plans to protect their cash-flow this month, as LMC leaders warned many of the local area teams that have assumed responsibility for GP contracts this week face ‘huge problems’ and a lack of capacity to carry out their job effectively.
Northern Irish GPs clinch last-minute contract deal
GPs in Northern Ireland have secured a negotiated contract deal to receive a 1.5% pay increase, with a final agreement struck just days before 1 April.
DH orders wide-ranging review into opening up GP services to competition
The Department of Health has ordered the NHS finance and competition regulator to launch a review into whether GPs are ‘operating in the best interest of patients’ and concerns about ‘a lack of choice’ of practices for patients.
GP motivational chats 'fail to improve patient lifestyles'
GPs trained in motivational techniques are no better at getting their patients to adopt healthier habits, compared with those who have not, claim UK researchers.
DDRB reviews of GP pay 'to continue'
GPs are likely to continue having annual independent assessments of their funding, after NHS England said that it ‘anticipates’ taking into account recommendations from the doctors’ pay review body when recommending contract funding increases from April.
2013 QOF: What’s worth doing and what’s not
As the QOF undergoes its most radical overhaul since it was established, Dr Gavin Jamie summarises the ‘must-do’ and ‘should-do’ indicators in this year’s framework – and the ones where workload is likely to outweigh pay.
Practices hit with £850 fee for CQC registration
GP practices in England will have to pay up to £850 to register with the CQC this year and those with several premises face thousands of pounds of charges, the regulator has revealed.
CCGs face urgent admissions challenge as huge variations revealed
Rates of emergency hospital admissions vary more than eight-fold across CCGs in England, new figures show, showing the scale of the challenge facing some GP commissioners.
Headlines w/c 25th March 2013
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General Practice Staff
The Information Centre has published figures for the general practice workforce including GPs by type and practice staff in England.
Survey shows most GPs have given placebos
Most family doctors have given a placebo to at least one of their patients, survey findings suggest.
Injured veterans report
This report is the outcome of a conference which brought together veterans with those responsible for commissioning and provision of their health and care services
NHS Pension Scheme
The government response to the consultation on draft NHS pension scheme regulations
Prime Minister debates on health and benefit tourism
David Cameron’s pledge to “control” immigrants’ access to public services was mired in controversy today with the government struggling to explain his plans
180 beds set to close in Northern Ireland
According to the BBC 180 hospital beds are to close in a major reform of the health service in Northern Ireland
Paid bereavement leave proposal
Should employees be entitled to paid bereavement leave?
New reports focus on the new NHS
4 key aspects of the NHS reforms have been looked at: CCGs, health and wellbeing boards, economic regulation and providers.
Cumbria health chief still on full pay after a year
Boss stepped down as chief executive of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust in February 2012.
NHS Remote monitoring actually costs more
Remotely monitoring patients with long-term conditions is less cost effective than usual care, a UK trial suggests.
Out of hours GP system confidence fallen
Patients in England do not feel safe relying on GP out-of-hours care and are struggling to get access to doctors during normal hours, a leading patient group is warning
NHS priorities called into question
..many of the tensions between staff arise when targets around the lists are enforced against a doctor or nurse's better clinical judgement...
Worcester NHS reorganisation set to cost £35m
Campaigners opposed to the downgrading of the Alexandra Hospital say a £35m budget for reorganising NHS services in Worcestershire is "ridiculous"
Is April really the start of a new NHS?
Ever since the NHS was created it has been dominated by two services - hospitals and GP care.
Is 111 safe?
Doctors are questioning the safety of a new non-emergency NHS telephone advice line launching in England
Issued by First Practice Management
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