NEWS DIGEST


that where a serious crime has been committed, the police are informed and can instigate an appropriate multi-agency response to protect girls and bring perpetrators to justice.”


Prescribing errors in primary care


Mandatory FGM reporting DOCTORS and dentists in England


and Wales are now required to report cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) in girls under age 18. This new “mandatory duty” (introduced


in the Serious Crime Act 2015) means that from 31 October, regulated health and social care professionals and teachers in England and Wales must report “visually confirmed or verbally disclosed” cases of FGM in girls under 18 to the police. The Home Office has published guidance which sets out the legal requirements (https//tiny.url.com/ocjsvda) and the process to follow for making reports. It also details what action may be taken for failure to comply with the duty. A range of resources (http://tinyurl.


com/na64h4p) are also available to help ensure that healthcare staff are equipped and confident to deal with cases of FGM. These include quick guidance for professionals, a poster for NHS organisations to publicise the duty to their staff, training slides and a leaflet for staff to give to patients to explain the new duty. Minister for Preventing Abuse and


Exploitation Karen Bradley said: “The duty is an important step forward in tackling this practice, and we believe that it will make sure professionals have the confidence to confront FGM. “There is clear evidence that existing


systems are not yielding appropriate referrals to the police. We need to ensure


● LONDON TB RATES Some London boroughs have tuberculosis rates as high as 113 per 100,000, topping levels in countries such as Rwanda, Iraq and Guatemala. These figures are published in a new report by the London


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A BMJ study of nearly one million UK patients has found that around one in 20 triggered indicators for unsafe prescribing in general practice and over double that number triggered indicators for inadequate monitoring. Researchers from the University of Manchester studied the health records of 949,552 adult patients in 526 general practices who were potentially at risk of prescribing or monitoring errors. They focused on prescriptions of anticoagulants, anti-platelets, NSAIDs, beta-blockers, glitazones, metformin, digoxin, antipsychotics, combined hormonal contraceptives and oestrogens. The study also considered potentially inadequate monitoring by blood test of patients with repeat prescriptions of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and loop diuretics, amiodarone, methotrexate, lithium or warfarin. They found that 5.26 per cent of patients


triggered at least one prescribing indicator and 11.8 per cent triggered at least one monitoring indicator. The prevalence of different types of potentially hazardous prescribing ranged from almost zero to 10.2 per cent, and for inadequate monitoring the range was 10.4 to 41.9 per cent. Older patients and those prescribed multiple repeat medications had significantly higher risks of triggering a prescribing indicator, whereas younger patients with fewer repeat prescriptions had a significantly higher risk of triggering a monitoring indicator. High variation was found between practices for some indicators. The researchers make the point that


safety indicators show prescribing patterns that can increase the risk of harm to the patient and should generally be avoided but there will “always be exceptions where the indicator is clinically justified”.


Assembly Health Committee which also found significant ignorance on how TB is spread and disease symptoms. It calls for better public information and more outreach work in the city. Access at http:// goo.gl/UN1aww


Other studies have found that adverse


drug events account for around seven per cent of hospital admissions in the UK with half of these judged to be preventable. A 2012 study found that one in 20 prescription items was associated with a clinically important error and one in 550 was associated with a serious error.


Consultation on language checks for dentists


A CONSULTATION has been launched on a draft policy to introduce English language checks for dentists who want to work in the UK. The government unveiled plans late last


year to extend language testing to include clinicians from EU countries. Previous laws only allowed checks on those from outside the European Economic Area (EEA). The new powers mean the General Dental Council can now ask for evidence of a dental professional’s language skills prior to registration. It can do this if there are concerns that the dentist does not have sufficient knowledge of English. Would-be registrants who are unable to


provide evidence of their abilities will be asked to take an English language test. The GDC has launched a consultation to


gather views on the type of information that will be accepted as evidence of language skills and whether the guidelines should be applied to all applicants, including those who have trained and qualified from within the EEA and those who have trained outside the EEA. It is thought the new powers will come


into effect in March 2016. They must be enforced “proportionately” and so will apply to all dental professionals wishing to


● NEW ORAL CANCER TOOLKIT AN online toolkit designed to help dentists and GPs spot the signs of oral cancer has been launched by Cancer Research UK. The launch coincides with new statistics that show oral cancer is now the tenth


most common cancer in men and fifteenth most common in women. Access at http://goo.gl/oEuQf4 ● PROPHYLAXIS FOR INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS Antibiotics should not routinely be prescribed to prevent infective


SUMMONS


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