MPractice


Agree levels of disclosure before emailing


PRACTICES should have consent and agree levels of disclosure before emailing or texting patients.


The use of email may now be part


of everyday work, but MDDUS Joint Head of Medical Division Dr Anthea Martin believes practices should not become complacent and must consider consent and confidentiality issues when send- ing patient data electronically. “Not all patients wish to receive emails or texts from their medical or dental practice,” says Dr Martin. “It is therefore important that only those patients who agree to communicate electronically receive information via email or text.”


MDDUS has dealt with calls from members concerned over what information is appropriate to share with patients via email. “To avoid any potential breach of confidentiality, it is beneficial to agree levels of disclosure,” says Dr Martin. “Does a patient want to be contacted via email or text for vaccinations, appoint-


ments reminders or repeat prescriptions, or for more personal matters such as test results?” Dr Martin points out that there are still risks of confidentiality breaches even with something as straightforward as rescheduling a patient’s appointment. It is important to consider who might have access to an email account or mobile phone other than the patient. “Personal circumstances and relationships within families are all different and you should not presume to know what people might want to keep private.” Healthcare professionals should familiarise themselves with policies and


procedures issued by their employer or contracting body in regard to protect- ing patients’ privacy. They must also be mindful of the Data Protection Act 1998 which requires information to be fairly and lawfully processed. “Doctors who fail to protect patient information risk incurring a fine from the


Information Commissioner’s Office,” says Dr Martin. “Furthermore, failure to ad- equately secure electronic medical records could result in a GMC hearing or even criminal charges.”


MDDUS launches online video modules to mitigate risk


FIVE new online video modules have been launched by the Risk Management Team at MDDUS, offering advice and guidance on some common medico-legal risk areas in general practice. These resources are among the first to go live as part of a new online risk management service at MDDUS being developed to help doctors, dentists and their wider healthcare teams manage and mitigate business and clinical risk. The new service is exclusive to MDDUS members and builds upon our long history of helping doctors, dentists, practice managers and their teams improve the quality of processes, people and patient service. Each video is led by one of our experienced MDDUS risk advisers and is accompa-


nied by a relevant risk checklist to help teams work towards building a safer prac- tice. Topics include maintaining the integrity of your prescribing record, managing confidentiality in a practice setting, managing test results and process mapping. MDDUS Risk Management can provide members with CPD verification for all of our risk video modules. More modules will be available soon along with podcasts and other resources on a variety of risk management topics. To access the videos go to the Risk Management section of mddus.com. You can also check out our new Risk Management blog page at http://riskblog.mddus.com


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Two-thirds of PMs have considered quitting


A RECENT survey by Medeconomics has found that 67 per cent of practice managers have contemplated leaving their job due to stress brought on by increased workloads. In the survey of 216 UK practice managers, 95.7 per cent


reported increased workload complexity and rising inten- sity (94.8 per cent), with greater stress (90 per cent) and hours worked (79 per cent). The survey also found that 64 per cent had considered moving out of general practice and 42 per cent leaving the NHS altogether. Another 35.3 per cent contemplated either retiring or reducing their hours. Dr Kailash Chand, deputy chairman of the BMA, said:


“Practice managers are working harder than ever before to meet the needs of the practice. We are seeing a morale dip to a level that I cannot remember in my 35 years as a GP. “This could lead to a serious workforce crisis. The cause


is that practice managers along with GPs are facing an unprecedented combination of rising patient demand, unnecessary targets and duplication of paper work for vari- ous quangos like the CQC.” Source: GP Online


GPs fear workload risks patient safety


MORE than 80 per cent of GPs worry about missing a seri- ous condition in a patient because of their heavy workload, a new survey has revealed. The vast majority of GP respondents – 91 per cent – also


believe general practice does not have sufficient resources to deliver high quality patient care. The views emerged in a poll by ComRes commissioned


by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). When asked to what extent they were concerned about missing a serious illness because of workload, 29 per cent of GPs said they worried a great deal, and more than half (55 per cent) worried a fair amount. Nearly all of the 251 GPs surveyed (96 per cent) said


they found their job stressful with the same amount say- ing that morale has decreased in the past five years. Most predicted big changes to come with 70 per cent


believing that the provision of general practice as we know it today will not exist in 10 years’ time. The RCGP has raised concerns about GP funding,


highlighting figures showing 90 per cent of NHS patient contacts take place within general practice, yet it only receives 8.39 per cent of the NHS budget.


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