Manager Practice


Video modules on assertiveness and data security


MDDUS members can now access new video modules on the importance of assertiveness skills in effective risk management, and also tips on enhancing data security in your practice. Assertiveness is a key skill in communication and


a lack of assertiveness can contribute to adverse incidents. The video – Human factor risks: assertiveness – explores what it means to be assertive and provides some practical examples and familiar scenarios to illustrate the theory. Data security breaches in general practice are


not as uncommon as you might think and can lead to unwelcome scrutiny by the Information Commissioner. Our new Data Security video module explores some common issues, along with possible measures that can be put in place to keep patient information secure and ensure that it is processed in a safe manner. MDDUS doctors and dentists can access the video


eLearning module in the Risk Management section of mddus.com using their surname and membership number. Practice managers should contact risk@mddus.com to receive a unique access code.


Flexible working requests now for all


EMPLOYEES who have worked in an organisation for more than 26 weeks now have the right to request flex- ible working following the introduction of the Children and Families Act. This aspect of the bill came into effect on June 30


and was a right that was previously only made available to those with childcare or caring responsibilities. It is now being extended to all employees as an option to enhance good work-life balance. Surveys suggest that having flexibility in the workplace is regarded by many employees as a greater benefit than pay and can be a useful retention tool. Rather than set specific timescales, the new code


states that an employer has an obligation to consider requests in a reasonable manner and meetings should take place as soon as possible. Of course, not all applications will be successful and practices may not be in a position to grant all requests. MDDUS employment law advisers have provided


guidance on the new scheme which can be found in HR and Employment Law section of mddus.com.


Practices urged to link up


MEDICAL practices need to evolve into “super GP practices” or networks that can pool resources and draw in specialist expertise from other professionals like pharmacists, geriatricians and psychiatrists. This is one of the findings of a


report by the Nuffield Trust entitled Is General Practice in Crisis? which draws on analysis of the latest data on GP services and the results of a separate survey of over 100 influential health and social care leaders. The report points out that the number of one-doctor GP practices has halved in seven years, from 1,717 in 2006 to 891 in 2013, whilst the number of practices with 10 or more doctors has grown by over 75 per cent. Over three quarters (77 per cent) of the health and social care leaders surveyed believe that small GP practices are no longer fit for purpose. The briefing also shows that


reported funding for general practice has fallen by almost £300m in a single year to 2013/14 and its authors argue that general practices will need extra resources and support to link up and find new ways of meeting the different needs of their patients. Mark Dayan, lead author and Nuffield Trust Policy Officer said: “Many GPs are already joining up to build successful networks with other healthcare professionals in their area. This doesn’t mean that the familiarity of local practices will be lost or that GPs will vanish from rural areas. Working in bigger, better-organised groups can carry the important neighbourhood presence that many GP surgeries have through tough times. But it will need politicians to give GPs time and support as they make the switch to scaled-up general practice fit for the future.” Access the report at http://tinyurl.


com/m445698 MDDUS recruits new practice adviser as membership grows


MDDUS has recruited a new practice adviser in our Glasgow office, as membership continues to grow throughout the UK. Jill Thomson – former practice manager


at the Tranent Medical Practice – joins the medico-legal team, bringing the number of new MDDUS staff recruited since the beginning of last year to 27. MDDUS has enjoyed more than a decade of undiminished growth with a 75 per cent increase in active


WWW.MDDUS.COM


membership since the year 2000. Figures from the company’s 2013 annual


report reveal that 58 per cent of MDDUS members are now based outside of Scotland, while our GP market share in the rest of the UK has increased from seven per cent in 2000 to 22 per cent in 2014. Membership also increased among private


physicians, hospital doctors and general dental practitioners. As of July 1 2014, total


membership stood at 38,634, a rise of 9.8 per cent over the previous year, with this number estimated to exceed 40,000 by the end of 2014. MDDUS Chief Executive Professor Gordon Dickson said: “Increased membership brings with it an inevitable increase in cases and we have expanded our team of advisers to ensure we continue to offer members the very best service.”


03


GPs still prescribing unnecessary antibiotics


A SURVEY of over 1,000 GPs has found that 70 per cent have prescribed antibiotics when unsure if an infection is bacterial or viral. It also found that 90 per cent of GPs feel pressured by patients to prescribe


antibiotics and 45 per cent say that they have prescribed them for a suspected viral infection even when they knew it would not treat the condition. The survey was conducted on behalf of the Longitude Prize, run by the


innovation charity Nesta. In June the public voted for antibiotics to be the focus of the £10 million prize, the remit being “to create a cost-effective, accurate, rapid and easy-to-use test for bacterial infections that will help health professionals worldwide to administer the right antibiotics at the right time”. Last year over 50 million antibacterial items were dispensed in the community in the UK and antimicrobial resistance poses a “catastrophic threat” to health in the coming decades. Read more in our Risk blog at http://tinyurl.com/l483pch


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