NEWS DIGEST


GPs fear workload risks patient safety MORE than 80 per cent of GPs worry about missing a serious 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 saying 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. The College has launched a campaign with the National


Association for Patient Participation (NAPP) called Put patients first: Back general practice calling on all four health departments of the UK to raise GP funding to 11 per cent of the NHS budget by 2017.


RCGP spokeswoman Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard said: “The fact


that more than 80 per cent of GPs worry that they will miss something serious in a patient, due to their high workloads, is a damning indictment of the impact of the deepening funding crisis in general practice.” The BMA’s General Practice Committee has also launched a


new campaign – Your GP Cares – highlighting some of the pressing issues currently facing general practice. More information is available at bma.org.uk/YourGPcares


reliever inhalers. The report is calling for improvements so that both patients and healthcare professionals are better able to recognise the signs of deterioration in asthma and act quickly when faced with a potentially fatal asthma attack. Dr Kevin Stewart, clinical director of the Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit (CEEU) at the RCP, said: “It’s time to end our complacency about asthma, which can, and does, kill. There are important messages in this report for clinicians, for patients and their families and for policy-makers.”


GDC standards on the go THE GDC has developed a new mobile


website dedicated to its Standards for the Dental Team. Dentist can access the new site via mobile


INCREASED CROHN’S DISEASE ADMISSIONS Cases of Crohn’s disease among young people leading to hospital admission have soared in England and Wales in recent years. The Health and Social Care Information Centre says last year 19,405 16 to 29-year-olds


SUMMER 2014


phone or tablet and it includes not only the Standards but also the interactive Focus on Standards content which is currently available on the main GDC site. Recent user testing found that 93 per cent


of GDC registrants found that navigation around the site easy and 89 per cent believe they would use it to read up on particular standards or guidance for future reference. To access the mobile site go to http:// standards.gdc-uk.org


Major trauma hubs for Scotland PATIENTS with serious injuries in


Scotland are to be treated in specialist trauma units being established at four hospitals, according to plans announced by the Scottish Government. The units will be located at the Royal


were admitted for treatment in England – up from 4,937 in 2003/4. Experts believe junk food and too many antibiotics could be reasons for the increased cases.


MAJOR STUDY LINKS TOOTH LOSS WITH CVD Swedish


Infirmary of Edinburgh, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, and the new Southern General Hospital in Glasgow and will be operational from 2016, offering lifesaving treatment to around 1,200 patients per year. Local hospitals will continue to care for people with less serious injuries, such as fractures and minor head injuries, and may still deal with a very small number of major trauma cases, particularly where patients are unable to reach a major trauma unit within a reasonable time period. Health Secretary Alex Neil said: “This


network of specialist centres will ensure that patients can be taken directly to the most appropriate place for treatment, and reduce any delay in receiving the treatment they need.”


researchers reporting on a study of more than 15,000 patients from 39 countries have confirmed a link between periodontal disorders (such as tooth loss and gingivitis) and increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Lower prevalence


of tooth loss was associated with reduced CVD risk factors including lower cholesterol levels, systolic blood pressure and smaller waist circumference. More information at http://tinyurl.com/pp5osmh


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