NEWS DIGEST
information about current job status could be included in the online medical register under new proposals from the General Medical Council. A consultation has been launched into
plans to modernise the publicly-available register which has remained largely unchanged since it was created more than 150 years ago. The register currently lists every doctor who is licensed to practise in the UK and was searched nearly seven million times last year. It includes each doctor’s name, GMC reference number, gender, year of qualification, whether they are on the specialist register and their registration status. But the GMC believes the register says little about a doctor’s actual practice and often contains out-of-date information. They are consulting on ways to improve it while also safeguarding doctors’ privacy. They recommend moving to a “two tier”
approach, with tier 1 covering information that must be provided by law, including all the information currently on the register. Tier 2 would be additional information to be supplied and maintained voluntarily by the registrant. The GMC suggests this could include a registrant photo, languages spoken, higher qualifications, scope of practice and a link to the website of their place of work. The GMC said tier 2 data would provide “a much richer description of a doctor’s professional life than is currently possible”, but acknowledged that this approach could lead to inconsistency in the information available as doctors could choose not to provide it. This additional data would not be
routinely verified by the GMC before being published on the register, but sample audits would be carried out to check for accuracy. The consultation is open until early
October and can be found on the GMC website.
Dental neglect a problem in care homes MORE than half of older adults living in care homes have tooth decay
compared to 40 per cent of over-75s and 33 per cent of over-85s not in care homes, according to NICE. New NICE guidance is calling for dental health in residential care to be given the same priority as general medical care. It is estimated there are more than 400,000 adults living in UK care homes, 80 per cent of whom have some form of dementia. Older adults in care homes are more likely to have fewer natural teeth with resulting difficulty in eating and socialising without embarrassment. The new guidance recommends greater focus on improving and maintaining
day-to-day oral healthcare among residents and ensuring there is adequate access to dental services. All residents should have an oral health assessment as part of their personal care plan. Staff should be competent to perform routine daily mouth care for those who
may not be able to do this for themselves, including brushing natural teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day, daily oral care for full or partial dentures and daily use of mouth care products prescribed by dental clinicians. Professor Elizabeth Kay, Foundation Dean of Peninsula Dental School, Plymouth
University, said: “Everyone should be able to speak, smile and eat comfortably, but all too often this is jeopardised by poor oral health which can have a significant negative effect on a person’s wellbeing and quality of life. “Awareness of oral health needs to be raised within care homes and we want to see more staff given training about what they can do to help.” Access the guidance at
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng48
(IMGs) – those doctors who qualified outside the UK and EEA – are 41.4 per cent. ● NEW CAPACITY AND CONSENT TOOL A new interactive mental capacity decision-support tool has been
AUTUMN 2016
launched by the GMC. It can be used across the UK and includes a case study at each stage of the decision-making process to show how GMC guidance applies to the clinical situations doctors may face. Access at
www.gmc-org.uk.
● NO ADDRESSES ON GDC REGISTER Location details of dental professionals will be removed from the GDC register. The decision follows a public consultation which received responses from over 2,500 people.
The registration number will become the primary identifier sometime after October of this year on formal approval of the change. The full consultation response will be published shortly on the GMC website.
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