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Welcome News


GP TRAINEE NUMBERS SET TO RISE


THE number of GP trainees starting in August 2013 is expected to increase to almost 3,000, according to Department of Health estimates. Between 2,869 and 2,953


Welcome to your


AS any new GP will know, the amount of paperwork that we have to deal with is ever more increasing. It can be a real challenge to strike a balance between meeting our administrative demands and providing good patient care. On page 4, I look at the red tape I have to deal with in a typical day and hope that government promises to cut bureaucracy are fulfi lled. An issue that sparked much


debate was the introduction of fi t notes. Two years on, MDDUS editor Jim Killgore looks at the current state of play and future plans on page 7. Trainee GPs will spend a lot of time thinking about the MRCGP exam so on page 5 GP and author Dr Milan Mehta off ers some advice on workplace based assessments (WPBAs). Dealing with a patient death is never easy and on page 6 MDDUS medical adviser Dr Barry Parker explains what to expect if you


are called before a coroner’s inquest. Ski patrol doctor and GP Dr


Mike Langran talks to Adam Campbell on page 10 about his unpredictable role at the UK’s only general practice to treat large numbers of skiers and snowboarders in the Scottish mountains. A similarly exciting career path is explored on page 8 where we look at what is involved in becoming a GP with a special interest in urgent and emergency care. All doctors should treat


patients equally, but do you make assumptions about a patient’s sexuality that infl uence the care you provide? Find out on page 12. And our case study on page 14 looks at how the misdiagnosis of a child with an itchy rash had damaging consequences.


• Dr Peter Livingstone Editor


NEW PRESCRIBING GUIDANCE FROM GMC


DOCTORS face tighter rules on self-prescribing and a ban on prescribing performance-enhancing drugs to athletes under new guidance issued by the General Medical Council.


EDITOR: Dr Peter Livingstone


ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Joanne Curran


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Good practice in prescribing and managing medicines and devices strengthens and broadens current advice to include medical devices and gives key updates on the use of unlicensed medicines.


Under the updated rules, doctors are told they “must not” prescribe


for themselves or their families unless it is an emergency where lives or health are at serious risk. Doctors who do prescribe in this way must make a clear record of it and tell their own or the patient’s GP (unless they object). The guidance forbids practitioners from prescribing performance- enhancing drugs or treatments to athletes. Any doctor who suspects an athlete’s performance is “improperly enhanced” is urged to “raise concerns in the public interest”. The GMC also maintains its stance that licensed medicines should usually be prescribed “in accordance with the terms of their licence” but allows medicines to be prescribed outside their licence “when it is necessary to do so to meet the specifi c needs of the patient.” The updated advice, which came into eff ect in February 2013,


incorporates a ban on the remote prescribing of injectable cosmetics such as Botox that came into eff ect last July. It also reminds doctors they must report any adverse incidents involving drugs or medical devices such as X-ray and other imaging equipment, pacemakers, artifi cial joints and anaesthetic equipment.


trainees are likely to begin training this summer, an increase on the 2012 fi gure of 2,689 and a step towards meeting the government’s ambitious target of 3,250 trainees a year by 2015. Figures showed the number of trainees fell in 2011 to 2,677 from 2,743 in 2010 and 2,695 in 2009.


PHOTOS: PAUL GRAHAM


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