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Manager Practice





CONSENT FORM BEEN SIGNED RECENTLY? THE OLDER THE CONSENT IS, THE LESS VALID IT BECOMES


HAS THE PATIENT ”


ACCURACY OF INFORMATION Accurate completion of requests for patient reports and forms is essential. Several recent claims for negligence have arisen due to a loss of earnings or a delay in pay-outs on insurance claims – many relating to doctors making errors on insurance reports and DVLA forms and reports. The latter are likely to attract claims where the patient requires a current /appropriate driving licence to carry out their job; a large proportion of these are linked to HGV reports and solely relate to a doctor ticking the wrong box on a form. When completing forms, doctors should


ensure that they read each statement carefully. Some questions can move from negative to positive wordings which may be confusing, particularly if the doctor is under time pressure. Some patient systems are able to produce editable template information for inclusion in patient reports. This can be helpful; however, the quality of information extracted is directly proportionate to the quality and consistency of input information. Where information is automatically extracted, it is important to review this from two angles. Firstly, what has been missed and, secondly, what has been included that is excessive, irrelevant or outside the scope of the request. A further area of risk is overreliance on a


and accurately. The doctor may be more aware of the patient’s attitudes around sensitive information, the disclosure of which falls within the scope of the consent provided. In some cases, the patient may have wished the doctor to restrict the extent of information provided. It is also important to note any special need


to expedite the request. This may affect who can complete the report as a doctor may be on leave, or may not have current capacity to comply within the required timescale.


AUDIT TRAIL AND MONITORING In order to avoid complaints and claims associated with delays in complying with requests, it is essential to maintain an administrative log of each patient report.


Useful information to record might include: • date of request and related patient •


company or person(s) requesting the report


• nature of the report requested and whether the practice can/should comply


• whether appropriate consent is included • whether the patient is allowed/has requested to review the report before submission


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• a record of the agreed fee for completion and who is liable to pay this (advice on fees is available from the BMA)


• • •


the urgency of the report and required completion date


which doctor has been allocated the report


agreement from the allocated doctor (it may be that – after discussion with the patient – completion of the report may not be in their best interests or the doctor may not feel equipped to provide the required information)


• expected date of completion. Practice managers should have knowledge


of each doctor’s workload and capacity in relation to completion of patient reports. It can be helpful to agree an informal standard for timescales. This can help the administrative team deal with any enquiries on completion dates and ensure that consistent failures to meet timescales are addressed – or indeed that the timescales for completion should be reviewed. It may be helpful to diarise a reminder for the doctor, with their prior agreement, so that the agreed deadline for completion is not passed.


previously completed patient report. Whilst it may be tempting to use existing information as a starting point – or indeed the core section of a new report – this strategy can lead to the perpetuation of a previously missed error. Doctors should stick to facts rather than personal opinion when completing reports and if the requested information is outside their sphere of knowledge or competence, the doctor should state this where relevant, or even advise that another party may be better qualified to supply the information required. Doctors withholding any patient information in a report should include a statement to this effect: for example information which may be harmful to the patient or a third party.


COMPLETING THE PROCESS Any expected delay in the completion of a report should be communicated proactively to the person(s) requesting it. This can help to manage expectations and prevent complaints. Patient requests to review a report


before it is sent should be facilitated where appropriate. A patient who does not agree with information included within a report has the right to ask for it to be amended – or for a statement of their objections to be included with the report. The patient also has the right to ask for the report not to be released and this should be communicated promptly to the company or person(s) requesting the report. And it goes without saying that when sending out patient reports ensure the mode of transfer is secure – be it paper or digital.


Liz Price is a senior risk adviser at MDDUS


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