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Welcome News


NEW MDDUS RISK BLOG SITE


A NEW website featuring blogs on a range of risk topics has been launched by the Risk Management Team at MDDUS. New blogs will be posted on a monthly basis, written by our highly


experienced risk advisers. Aimed at doctors, dentists and practice managers, the blogs will be based on real cases and risk analysis of cause of loss in claims across different areas of practice. They are designed to alert members to these risks and allow the sharing of good practice across our membership to improve patient safety. We will also regularly feature guest bloggers who will highlight


Welcome to your


MANY of you will be in your final year right now, focusing on passing your exams. But in just six months’ time you will have to decide where to take your career next. I chose to work as a GP locum and on page 4 I look at some of the job’s pros and cons. There has been much


publicity of late about alleged racial bias in the MRCGP exam. We take a closer look at the facts of the matter on page 5. Training to be a doctor can be challenging enough without being subject to bullying or undermining behaviour. Our article on page 7 offers some advice for trainees. Even the best doctors can


make mistakes or find themselves in professional difficulties. Sometimes the best approach is a simple apology – but what is the best way to say sorry? MDDUS medical adviser Dr Susan


Gibson-Smith offers advice on page 12. More serious medical mistakes might prompt patients to pursue court action. MDDUS case assistant Rebecca Rymer looks at what it takes to establish clinical negligence on page 6. Keepie-uppies aren’t usually


in a GP’s skill set – but Dr Jane Simpson isn’t like most doctors. She tells GPST about her passion for football and medicine in our profile on page 10. There are a growing number


of opportunities for GPs to develop a special interest in the field of sexual and reproductive health. Find out more in our career article on page 8. And finally, our case study on page 14 looks at how leg pain in an obese patient progressed to gangrene.


• Dr Peter Livingstone Editor


current risk areas within their own area of practice. Recent topics include: • How risky are your clinical record workflow systems? • Telephone consultations – where are your risks? • How risky are DNAs? Access the full range of blogs at http://riskblog.mddus.com


CONSULTATION ASKS IF FEAR OF BEING SUED STIFLES INNOVATION


DOCTORS are being asked if they avoid using pioneering treatments because they are afraid of being sued. A consultation has been launched by the Department of Health on the


proposed new Medical Innovation Bill 2014 which aims to encourage doctors to innovate in medical practice. Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “We want to make sure doctors are


EDITOR: Dr Peter Livingstone


ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Joanne Curran Jim Killgore


DESIGN:


CMYK Design www.cmyk-design.co.uk


PRINT: Creative Print Group www.creativeprintgroup.co.uk


CORRESPONDENCE: GPst Editor MDDUS Mackintosh House 120 Blythswood Street Glasgow G2 4EA


t: e: 0845 270 2034 jcurran@mddus.com w: www.mddus.com


GPst is published by The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, Registered in Scotland No 5093 at Mackintosh House, 120 Blythswood Street, Glasgow G2 4EA. The MDDUS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MDDUS are discretionary as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association.


not held back if they want to use pioneering treatments to offer a lifeline to dying patients. Innovation has always been at the heart of the NHS and is essential for improving treatments and finding new cures.” The Bill, which applies in England and Wales, seeks to encourage


“responsible medical innovation and help prevent irresponsible innovation”. It states: “It is not negligent for a doctor to depart from the existing range


of accepted medical treatments for a condition… if the decision to do so is taken responsibly.” A responsible decision is defined as one based on the doctor’s opinion


that there are “plausible reasons why the proposed treatment might be effective”. Doctors would be expected to make decisions based on a process that is


accountable, transparent and allows full consideration by the doctor of all relevant matters, the Bill adds. They should consider the likely consequences of carrying out – or not carrying out – the proposed treatment, and take into account the opinions of both the patient and colleagues. It clearly states, however, that: “Nothing in this section permits a doctor


to provide treatment without consent that is otherwise required by law, or to carry out treatment for the purposes of research or for any purpose other than the patient’s best interests.” The consultation runs until April 25 on the DoH website.


PHOTOS: PAUL GRAHAM


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