CONTENTS FROM THE EDITOR
I AM delighted to join the Summons team in the role of editor with this Summer edition. As a
longstanding MDDUS member, I have enjoyed the information and ‘cautionary tales’ offered in Summons over the 26 years of its publication, and it is a great pleasure to become involved in its production. Jim Killgore will continue to hold the reins as managing editor, assisted by Joanne Curran as associate editor. The feedback we receive from members about Summons is
very positive, thanks to the expertise of the editorial team and our many contributors. It is important, however, that we remain open to change and new ideas, and we welcome any feedback or comments members may have on content. The magazine is for your benefit, and we are keen to hear from you if there is something that you would find helpful or interesting. The rising tide of complaints to the GMC is a matter of concern for doctors, and in an interview in this issue, Professor Terence Stephenson, GMC Chair of Council, acknowledges that it
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Cover image: ‘Lunan Bay’ Oonagh de Voy Oil on canvas, 1997
Oonagh de Voy graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone in 1995. She is drawn to the sea and seascapes like this one, originally created for Paintings in Hospitals,
feature widely in her work. She exhibits all over Scotland and is a contributor to community arts projects.
Art in Healthcare (formerly Paintings in Hospitals Scotland) works with hospitals and healthcare communities across Scotland to encourage patients, visitors and staff to enjoy and engage with the visual arts. For more information visit
www.artinhealthcare.
org.uk Scottish Charity No SC 036222.
is the greatest challenge faced by the organisation. The GMC aspiration to deal with relevant complaints only and adopt a ‘right-touch’ approach is discussed on page 10. All doctors are obliged to contribute to the recognition and
reporting of adverse events, and a new project, led by the RCOG, to establish a central repository of serious untoward event reports as a national learning resource is described on page 12. The treatment of testicular cancer is one of the most
remarkable advances in modern medicine in recent decades, with overall cure rates now at 95 per cent. This makes early detection particularly important, and Professor Krishna Sethia provides a helpful update on pitfalls in diagnosis and management at page 16. Burnout is a serious occupational hazard for health professionals and on page 18 we feature one dentist’s story. And to add to our regular features, Jim Killgore introduces a new book review section on page 22 which we hope you will find interesting.
Dr Barry Parker
“RIGHT-TOUCH” REGULATION
Q&A with GMC Chair of Council Professor Terence Stephenson
EACH BABY COUNTS An ambitious project to reduce avoidable injury and death in labour
ACCESS ALL AREAS What are the benefits and risks
of patient access to online medical records?
CLINICAL RISK REDUCTION: TESTICULAR CANCER
Professor Krishna Sethia explores some of the pitfalls in the diagnosis of testicular cancer
Editor:
Dr Barry Parker Managing Editor: Jim Killgore Associate editor: Joanne Curran
Editorial review: MEDICAL Dr Richard Brittain DENTAL Mr Aubrey Craig LEGAL
Simon Dinnick
Summons is published quarterly by The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, registered in Scotland No 5093 at Mackintosh House, 120 Blythswood Street, Glasgow G2 4EA. • Tel: 0845 270 2034 • Fax: 0141 228 1208
Email: General:
info@mddus.com • Membership services:
membership@mddus.com • Marketing:
marketing@mddus.com • Website:
www.mddus.com The MDDUS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MDDUS are discretionary as set out in the Articles of Association.
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in Summons are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland.
SUMMER 2015 3 18
SURVIVING THE SLOW BURN How can burnout affect
everyday practice? Here is one dentist’s story
REGULARS 4 Notice Board
6 News Digest 8 Risk: Doctors dealing with dental emergencies 9 Ethics: It’s all about… timing 20 Case studies: Missed appendicitis, Erroneous extraction, A momentary oversight 22 Addenda: Roman denture, Book review – Adventur
es in Human Being,
Crossword and Vignette – Chuni Lal Katial, GP and Britain’s first Asian mayor
Please address correspondence to:
Summons Editor MDDUS Mackintosh House 120 Blythswood Street Glasgow G2 4EA
jkillgore@mddus.com
Design and production: CMYK Design 07957 144 156
www.cmyk-design.co.uk
Printing and distribution: L&S Litho
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