NEWS Manager Practice
I AM very pleased to join the team at Practice Manager in a new role as co-editor with my colleague, Helen Ormiston. Helen and I joined the MDDUS in May 2013 as practice advisers to add to the expanding Medical Division. As former practice managers we are able to provide doctors and PMs with telephone and written advice on medico- legal matters and are pleased to expand our roles to include editorial duties. The plan is to alternate issues - starting with me on this current one. Over 24 million UK users
log on to Facebook each day, while one in four people (15 million) have Twitter accounts, so it’s hardly surprising there are implications regarding staff use of social media. On page 6 MDDUS employment law adviser Janice Sibbald offers advice on
establishing a practice policy. Back in the old days of NHS England (a few years ago) PCTs were effectively the landlords for GP premises but in April 2013 all of that changed. Solicitor Sam Hopkins offers a short guide to the current players on page 7. On page 8 MDDUS risk adviser Liz Price asks what emotions do you and your team experience at work. Promoting positive emotions could help reduce patient complaints. On page 10 Jim Killgore
meets an innovative practice team on the Wirral. In 2009 the Miriam Primary Care Group piloted a nurse-led minor injury and illness service which is now treating 50 to 60 patients a day. On page 12 I look at factors
to consider in removing an abu- sive patient from the practice list, and the case study on page 14 offers an example of how one practice dealt with the problem. Among the topics addressed in our Call Log on page 4 are stolen patient records, same-sex chaperones, parents refusing vaccines for children and manag- ing holiday closures.
Scott Obrzud Editor
NHS complaints process “too complex”
CONCERNS about poor NHS care often go unreported because of the complexity of the complaints system, according to a new survey. Patients and relatives find complaints procedures relating to GP
practices, hospitals and care homes “utterly bewildering”, leaving many unsure of how to proceed. The concerns have been raised by Healthwatch England which
identified 75 types of organisations south of the border with a role in complaints handling and support, from councils and CCGs at a local level to national regulators. The patients’ group commissioned a YouGov poll of 2,076 UK adults which found less than half of those who experienced poor care between 2010 and 2013 reported it. Just over two-fifths (43 per cent) said this was because they didn’t know how to complain or provide feedback while half (49 per cent) said it was because they lacked con- fidence that their complaint would be dealt with effectively or thought that it wouldn’t make any real difference. Of those who did pursue their complaint, 13 per cent entered a
formal complaints process. Healthwatch said this means the system is “failing to take any formal learning from almost nine out of 10 experi- ences of poor care.” They are calling for the complaints system to be simplified and for it to offer a more “joined-up” approach. Healthwatch England chair Anna Bradley said: “It’s no wonder the
public are left confused and frustrated. With so many organisations involved it’s difficult to know where to start, let alone having the strength and persistence to navigate the system on your own. “A key improvement would be a straightforward and independent
advocacy service to provide the support people need to make their voices heard.”
EDITORS: Scott Obrzud Helen Ormiston
ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Jim Killgore Joanne Curran
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CORRESPONDENCE: PM Editor MDDUS Mackintosh House 120 Blythswood Street Glasgow G2 4EA
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Practice Manager is published by The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, Registered in Scotland No 5093 at Mackintosh House, 120 Blythswood Street, Glasgow G2 4EA. The MDDUS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MDDUS are discretionary as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association.
New editors for Practice
Manager WE are pleased to welcome our two new co-editors at MDDUS Practice Manager. Scott Obrzud and Helen Ormiston are practice advisers at MDDUS and both former practice managers. They will be sharing duties as editor on alternate issues – with Scott leading off on this current one. Their joint expertise in medico-legal matters and risk will be very welcome. MDDUS would like to thank our previous editor Aileen Wilson for the time she devoted to PM in addition to managing a very busy practice group. We have benefited greatly from her experience “on the ground” and hope to continue to do so with articles in future issues.
SUMMER 2014 ISSUE 10
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