NEWS DIGEST
GMC whistleblowers helpline launched A CONFIDENTIAL helpline for doctors to raise concerns about patient safety has been launched by the General Medical Council. The new service allows doctors to contact the regulator directly
for advice on a range of issues and is a means of raising serious patient safety concerns for those who feel unable to do so at a local level. An online decision aid has also been launched on the GMC’s website to support whistleblowers. The initiatives are part of the GMC’s commitment to create a more open and transparent working culture where all staff feel able
to speak out. They follow the publication earlier this year of new GMC guidance Raising and acting on concerns about patient safety. The new guidance underlines the duty of all doctors to put patients’ interests first and act to protect them at all times, adding that this “overrides personal and professional loyalties”. The helpline (0161 923 6399) will be manned by specially trained advisers who will act on information about individual doctors or organisations that can be investigated by the regulator. Callers may also be directed to other organisations such as the Care Quality Commission. GMC chief executive Niall Dickson said: “Being a good doctor is more than simply being a good clinician. It requires a commitment to improve the quality of services and a willingness to speak up when things are not right – this is not always easy, but it is at the heart of medical professionalism.” The GMC services follow the launch earlier this
year of a free government-funded whistleblowing helpline (08000 724 725) and of a national charter, Speaking Up, to protect NHS whistleblowers.
unintentional error to avoid any possible confusion or ambiguity. Martin Fallowfield, chair of the BDA’s
Principal Executive Committee, said: “Fraud by dental professionals is very rare, but where it does occur it takes money away from where it is most needed: front-line patient care. The BDA is pleased to re-affirm the profession’s support for the work of NHS Scotland’s counter fraud activities.”
Doctors misjudge patient preferences
DOCTORS frequently misjudge patients’ preferences regarding treatment, according to research from the US and Wales.
The gap between what patients think about treatment options and doctors’ perceptions of patients’ priorities is often considerable, researchers found. They say this so-called “preference misdiagnosis” is a common problem that is damaging patients as well as increasing healthcare costs. The analysis, published on
bmj.com,
found that in one study only seven per cent of breast cancer patients rated keeping their breast as a top priority. In contrast, doctors thought the majority of their patients (71 per cent) would rate this as the most important factor when deciding on treatment. And although doctors thought that living as long as possible would be the top priority for 96 per cent of breast cancer sufferers
considering chemotherapy, the figure was actually only 56 per cent. The authors found evidence that once
patients are properly informed about the risks and benefits of treatments, they often make different decisions about treatment. For example, when men are told of the risks of sexual dysfunction following surgery for benign prostate disease, 40 per cent fewer said they preferred surgery. The report argues that doctors cannot
recommend the right treatment without understanding how the patient values the “trade-offs”, but adds that preference misdiagnosis generally goes unnoticed. The authors highlight the fact that a patient’s treatment preference is “just an opinion based on what the patient knows at that moment” and may change as they learn more information. They recommend seeking out “patient decision support tools” to assist in the process. The authors conclude: “Evidence from trials shows that engaged patients consume less healthcare. More work is needed to understand the magnitude of this potential benefit, but it is tantalising to consider that budget challenged health systems around the world could simultaneously give patients what they want and cut costs.” You can read the study at
www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e6572
pregnancy in under-16s can consult a new resource produced by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). Pregnancy checking is required before surgical or radiological procedures but can be problematic in patients
WINTER 2013
below the age of consent. The new guidance document supports a consistent approach and includes templates for local production of materials and scripts. Go to
www.tinyurl.com/ayrk9ag ● DENTAL CPD REMINDER
Fewer than eight months remain until nearly 40,000 dental care professionals (DCPs) will reach the end of their first five-year CPD cycle. DCPs must have completed 150 hours of CPD by 31 July and have declared those hours by 28
August or risk losing their GDC registration. So far 4,425 DCPs (11 per cent) have logged no hours. The GDC is urging employers to remind DCPs of the coming deadline. More information can be found at
www.gdc-uk.org
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