NEWS DIGEST


register or restore their registration with the GDC. The government’s consultation document published last year offered reassurance to UK clinicians, stating: “For graduates of UK universities, the fact that the registrar will be able to rely on the information supplied by applicants with their registration application should mean that a registrar should be able to be satisfied about the English language ability of UK-qualified applicants with no additional procedural burden.” The GDC consultation closes January 4,


2016 and can be accessed at www.gdc-uk.org


More urgent referrals linked to lower cancer mortality


GP PRACTICES with a low propensity to use urgent two-week referral pathways for patients with suspected cancer had higher mortality rates for the disease according to a study published in the BMJ. A research team lead by Professor Henrik Møller of King’s College London looked at the clinical records of 215, 284 patients with cancer who were diagnosed or first treated in England in 2009 and then followed up to 2013. In that period 91,620 deaths occurred – 51,606 (56 per cent) within the first year after diagnosis. Among key findings, a subgroup of 37 per cent of cancer patients registered with general practices with a low propensity to use urgent referral was identified, and these patients showed a seven per cent increased mortality rate compared with those from practices with higher rates of urgent referral. The association between use of the urgent referral pathway and mortality was consistent for the main types of cancer apart from breast cancer. The researchers concluded that: “For


practices that have a consistently low propensity to use the urgent referral pathway (for example, on measures and in consecutive years), the data suggests that an increased use could plausibly lead to lower mortality and higher survival of patients with cancer.”


endocarditis in cardiac patients undergoing dental and certain other interventional procedures, NICE has reaffirmed in updated guidance. Clinicians had questioned the advice first set out in a 2008 guideline. NICE assessed


AUTUMN 2015


Dental practices confused over data protection CONFUSION exists over when a dentist is required to register with the


Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in compliance with the Data Protection Act, according to a recent report. The ICO visited 21 dental practices across the UK and conducted an online survey


in order to understand the information risks and challenges that dentists face. It found there was confusion over data protection requirements, with some dentists registering with the ICO when it is not necessary and others not registering as required. The report (https://goo.gl/SieQq8) also found that dentists do not always have


written contracts with external suppliers containing appropriate clauses about information security, particularly with contractors supplying IT services to the practice. The ICO also discovered that some practices utilising new technologies, such as mobile and personal devices, were not appropriately controlling associated risks. There was a lack of clarity in some practices over retention policies (to determine


when records, both physical and electronic, should be destroyed). Retention periods were not always clear and not generally applied to electronic records. Investigators found that overall dentists are “not always engaged with sources of


best practice and new guidance in relation to information governance”. The report states: “Dentists operate within a number of different complex


structures, including individual practices, partnerships, expense-sharing arrangements, limited liability companies and dental corporates. This has led to some confusion about the circumstances in which a dentist is (or is not) a data controller, responsible under the DPA for patient data, and also for registration with the ICO.” It encourages practices to visit the ICO website (www.ico.org.uk) where there is a self-assessment tool and also specific dental practitioner FAQs.


latest research and carried out a review of its guideline and found “insufficient evidence” to warrant a change. It is recommending further research. www.nice.org. uk/guidance/cg64 ● QUARTER OF GP VISITS


AVOIDABLE A new report has found that over 27 per cent of GP appointments could potentially be avoided if there was more coordinated working between GPs and hospitals, greater utilisation of primary care staff, more effective


use of technology to streamline administrative burdens and wider system changes. The NHS Alliance and the Primary Care Foundation argue that the reduction of bureaucracy in general practice should be made a national priority.


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