www.mddus.com
RCGP MAJORITY OPPOSE ASSISTED DYING
THE Royal College of General Practitioners has reasserted its opposition to any change in the law on assisted dying following a comprehensive consultation of its members. Seventy seven per cent of the more than 1,700 RCGP members
responding to the consultation remain opposed to a change in the law to permit assisted dying. In addition, of the 28 RCGP bodies that took part in the consultation, 20 reported a majority view against a change in the law. Among the range of arguments against a change in legislation
DATA PROTECTION AMONG GPs GOOD BUT...
A REPORT on data protection at GP surgeries highlights good overall practice but also failings in some areas including incident reporting and disposal of records. In 2013/14 the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) carried out advisory visits to 24 GP surgeries in England and has issued a report on the findings. Most of the surgeries tended to have good data protection policies and awareness of key issues such as data security and patient confidentiality. But the report also highlighted areas needing improvement, including an appreciation of the need to report data breaches. Improvements were also suggested around faxing and the risks posed
by unrestricted internet access. Several surgeries allowed staff to access personal email addresses with the risk of data leakage, hacking and viruses.
BMJ AWARDS SHORTLIST REVEALED
THE nominees for the 2014 BMJ Awards have been announced. The prestigious awards recognise excellence and innovation in
patient care delivered by teams across the UK. Now in their sixth year, they are held in association with MDDUS. Teams will be judged across 13 categories including the Berwick
Patient Safety Team, Clinical Leadership Team, Innovation in Healthcare, and the BMJ Lifetime Achievement Award. MDDUS is also proud to sponsor the Primary Care Team award. Winners will be announced on May 8 at a gala ceremony in the Park Plaza Hotel, London. Find out more at:
http://thebmjawards.bmj.com/
FREE PLACES FOR GP TRAINEES AT RCGP CONFERENCE
UP to five free conference places are being offered to GP trainees for the 2014 RCGP conference. The places will be awarded as prizes in recognition of “original and
innovative work undertaken during GP specialty training.” The deadline for applications is July 31, 2014. The RCGP annual conference takes place in Liverpool from 2-4
October with the theme “Futureproof: resilience in practice”. There will be discussions on how to develop a strong, resilient general practice for the future that provides the best practice and outcomes for patients. The deadline for applying for a bursary to attend the conference is July 31, and earlybird discounts are available until June 23. Find out more at
www.rcgp.org.uk/annualconference
FRONTLINE staff in all social and healthcare services should be trained to recognise the signs of domestic violence and ask relevant questions to help people disclose such abuse. The recommendations are included in new NICE guidance. It calls
for information to be clearly displayed in waiting areas and other suitable places about the support on offer for those affected by domestic violence. Any enquiries made by frontline staff in regard to potential violence or abuse should be done so in private in a kind, sensitive manner and on a one-to-one basis in an environment where the person feels safe. The guidance also calls for specific training for health and social
care professionals in how to respond to domestic violence and abuse. Victim safety should be prioritised and regularly assessed to determine what type of service someone needs - immediately and in the longer term. Professor Mike Kelly, Director of the Centre for Public Health at NICE, said: “Domestic violence and abuse are far more common than people think. It can affect anyone - particularly women and children, but also men, regardless of age, geographical location, income, relationship type, family set-up or ethnic origin.”
was the contention that it would be detrimental to the doctor-patient relationship and would put the most vulnerable groups in society at risk. Respondents also felt that it would be impossible to implement without eliminating the possibility that patients may be in some way coerced into the decision to die. There was also the worry that a law in support of assisted dying
might shift the focus away from investing in palliative care and treatments for terminal illnesses, and that it might instigate a “slippery slope” whereby it would only be a matter of time before assisted dying was extended to those who could not consent due to reasons of incapacity and severe disability. In addition, some respondents thought that the possibility of a wrong decision being made was too high to take the risk.
NEW FOCUS ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16