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Welcome News


CALL TO REWARD TOP TRAINEES


Welcome to your


IT’S fair to say that we probably all know someone who drinks alcohol. And while research shows moderate drinking could be good for you, the same cannot be said for heavier consumption. Alcohol abuse costs the NHS £3.5 billion a year – but what is the impact on general practice? As a GP, I offer my perspective on page 4. All GP trainees will have to sit


the MRCGP’s Applied Knowledge Test – a three-hour exam consisting of 200 questions. But fear not, GP and author Dr Chirag Mehta offers some practical tips on how to prepare on page 5. No doctor would welcome being called to give evidence in court, especially if it involved a patient death. But there’s a chance that doctors practising in Scotland could be called before a fatal accident inquiry at some point in their career. On page 6, MDDUS adviser Dr Barry Parker sheds some light on what these hearings involve and how to prepare for one.


As the number of people in the UK with the condition soars, what better time to consider a career as a GP with a special interest in diabetes? Our careers article on page 8 looks at the increasingly important role played by primary care in tackling this growing issue. On page 10, we look at what


life is like for a GP who works in prisons in our interview with Dr Iain Brew, medical officer at HMP Leeds. And on page 12 MDDUS medical adviser Dr Susan Gibson-Smith addresses the challenging area of child abuse, with a look at what the GMC’s new child protection guidelines mean for GPs. Finally, our case study on


page 14 looks at the case of a young patient who suffered acute renal failure due to a missed diagnosis of diabetes.


• Dr Peter Livingstone Editor


GPs SHOULD BE WARNED


ABOUT VIOLENT PATIENTS A GROUP of GPs is leading calls for doctors to be informed if patients have a history of violence. The move follows an incident in


EDITOR: Dr Peter Livingstone


ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Joanne Curran


MEDICAL CONTENT EDITOR: Dr Susan Gibson-Smith


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Manchester where a practice reportedly registered a new patient and agreed to a home visit without being told he had previously stabbed a GP. The man had recently been released from a violent patients unit. An article in GP reported that


Manchester LMC is in discussions with NHS Manchester to ensure GPs are notified if a patient has a history of violence. Current rules do not require PCTs to tell practices of a patient’s past if they are deemed to no longer pose a threat.


Manchester LMC chairman Dr John Hughes said an electronic flag should be placed on the record of any patient with a history of violence. The BMA’s GPC chairman Dr Laurence Buckman, who has himself been assaulted and threatened by patients, said that rules must be followed to ensure those released from violent patient units no longer pose a threat. But he added: “If they are assessed and they are deemed no longer a threat, then GPs shouldn’t be told. If a conviction is spent, it is spent.”


GP trainees who score high marks in MRCGP exams should be recognised with official awards. Dr Robin While, chairman of the


GP school at the Severn Deanery, believes deaneries should do more to reward excellence. A change in the exam format means high scoring candidates can no longer be recognised with a “distinction”. As a result, Dr While helped set up an annual awards scheme within the deanery last year to officially honour high achievers. It’s believed to be the only one of its kind in the UK. He told GP: “We realised two


years ago that many of our trainees achieve way more than the completion of MRCGP during their training. They work in deprived areas or countries, for example. “Recognising this, and because the MRCGP withdrew the


outstanding achievement award, the awards were a way to enable people who are outstanding to enhance their record and CV and get a job in an increasingly tough environment.” The Severn Deanery awards scheme uses a judging panel of GP educationalists and lay people to score trainees who have been nominated for an award. Nominees then complete a questionnaire about their achievements and make a presentation at an awards ceremony held at the end of the academic year. Dr While believes other deaneries should follow suit and set up their own awards programme. He added: “It is something we think should be rolled out to other deaneries. Not as a national competition, but within each.”


PHOTOS: PAUL GRAHAM


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