www.mddus.com NEW CHILD PROTECTION


GUIDANCE NEW guidance to help doctors protect children from abuse has been issued by the GMC. Protecting children


and young people: the responsibilities of all doctors is aimed at supporting doctors dealing with a wide range of complex child protection issues. GMC chief


executive Niall Dickson said: “Doctors must raise their concerns if they believe a child or young person may be at risk of abuse or neglect – whether or not the child is their patient. They also need to know who to contact for advice if they do have any concerns. “Doctors who make child protection decisions based on the guidance will be able to justify their actions if a complaint is made against them - provided their conclusions are honestly held and have been pursued through the appropriate channels.” The guidance has been developed following concerns that some


recent high-profi le cases were deterring some doctors both from working in this area and from raising child protection concerns. It states: “Taking action will be justifi ed, even if it turns out that the


child or young person is not at risk of, or suff ering, abuse or neglect, as long as the concerns are honestly held and reasonable, and the doctor takes action through appropriate channels.” The full guidance came into eff ect on 3 September, 2012 and can be


accessed at www.tinyurl.com/86e3b5z .  SEE PAGE 12 OF THIS ISSUE FOR MORE ON THE NEW GUIDANCE


ONLY ONE IN 10 NEW GPs


GET PARTNERSHIP ONLY one in 10 newly qualifi ed GPs secured a partnership post last year, according to a new BMA study. Just nine of the 91 new GPs taking part in the BMA’s cohort study


of medical graduates were in a partnership post as of August 2011, when they had received their certifi cate of completion of training (CCT).


The BMA has been following a group of 431 trainees since they


graduated from medical school in 2006. Most GPs in the cohort were working as a salaried GP (34 per cent) or a locum (22 per cent) after qualifying. However, two-thirds (66 per cent) of the cohort doctors working in general practice wanted ultimately to work as a GP principal. Ten per cent of the cohort in their third and fi nal year of GP


training said that it had been diffi cult or very diffi cult to secure a post after qualifying while a quarter had yet to fi nd a job at the time of the survey and a further fi fth said getting a job had been very easy. Just under half (42 per cent) agreed that GP training should be


extended beyond three years, in line with the RCGP’s plans for a four year programme. The doctors who completed GP training last August were largely


satisfi ed with the way the training programme had prepared them for their CCT and for qualifi ed practice.


LOCUM GP


HANDBOOK A GUIDE for locum GPs has been published by the BMA. The Locum GPs Handbook is available to BMA members online


with print copies available from October 2012. It off ers advice on starting out as a locum, setting up your business and establishing a contract for services with providers. Find out more at: www.bma.org.uk/sessionalGPs


DON’T DISCRIMINATE BY SEXUALITY


HOSPITAL PRESCRIBING


MODEL COULD HELP GPs IMPROVEMENTS in prescribing that cut mortality at a UK hospital by more than 16 per cent could be applied in general practice, according to a leading GP. A prescribing quality improvement programme that aimed to reduce


errors in care delivery was introduced at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. An evaluation led by Dr Jamie Coleman found the scheme had been successful even though many of the errors avoided were minor.


Under the programme a series of measures were implemented including the recording of missed doses of antibiotics, advanced decision support for prescribers, ward-based dashboards and meetings to discuss care omissions. This led to a 16.2 per cent drop in mortality across the trust. Dr James Kingsland, a GP and the Department of Health’s clinical


commissioning network lead for England, told GP magazine the programme could be eff ective in general practice. He said: “There are a whole range of issues to do with quality of


prescribing in primary care. There’s a whole range of discussions we can have around polypharmacy, antibiotic prescribing and antipsychotics.” Read the study at www.tinyurl.com/prscrb


DOCTORS are reminded of their duty to treat all patients equally, regardless of their sexuality. The Gay and Bisexual Men’s Health Survey, from charity


Stonewall, showed that one third of gay and bisexual men who have accessed healthcare services in the last year have had a negative experience related to their sexuality. Discrimination included false assumptions being made about a


patient’s lifestyle based on their sexuality, failure to off er certain services or refer appropriately, and mishandling of next-of-kin issues in same sex partnerships.


MDDUS medical adviser Dr Barry Parker said: “LGB (lesbian/gay/


bisexual) patients have the same needs as heterosexual patients, but there are also specifi c diff erences. These are not confi ned to the area of sexual health, but may include mental health issues arising as a result of the particular social stresses these patients face. LGB patients should be able to talk openly with their doctor about these issues.” Practices should have clear policies on discrimination and


confi dentiality that are communicated to patients by way of posters or in practice leafl ets.


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