www.mddus.com


REDUCE YOUR RISK WITH MDDUS PODCASTS


LEARN about key risk areas like complaints handling and negligence claims by downloading the MDDUS Risk Bites podcasts. Each 20-minute episode offers a fascinating


insight into the different ways two practices handle the case of a 51-year-old patient diagnosed with breast cancer. The series also highlights the latest advice and guidance to help you reduce your risk in daily practice. Find the podcasts in the Resources section


of mddus.com. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST STATEMENT


FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS DOCTORS should refuse “all but the most trivial gifts” from patients, according to a joint statement on conflicts of interest. Healthcare professionals are advised not to accept a gift if it could be interpreted as an attempt


to gain preferential treatment or would contravene their professional code of practice. They are also expected to be open about any conflicts of interest and formally declare them as early as possible. They should put the interests of patients ahead of their own interests, or those of any colleague, business, organisation, relative or friend. The guidance comes in a joint statement signed by nine regulators including the General


Medical Council, the General Dental Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. It says: “Conflicts can arise in situations where someone’s judgement may be influenced, or


perceived to be influenced, by a personal, financial or other interest.” The statement is intended to support the standards or code for each profession and any additional guidance they may have. These professional standards, codes and additional guidance, it explains, should be the over-riding consideration for professionals.


FIT NOTES FOR MENTAL HEALTH


SUPPORT TO HELP MORE DOCTORS


BECOME GPs HOSPITAL doctors and overseas GPs wanting to work in general practice in England will be given extra support under new plans from Health Education England. Doctors from other specialties who are


interested in transferring to general practice would be offered training targeted to their specific requirements, taking into account their previous experience and training. They could then have their training shortened after a 12-month performance review. Non-EU overseas GPs will also be offered an


easier path. Those who have been identified by the General Medical Council as requiring additional training in order to meet UK competences will no longer be required to enrol as a GP trainee in order to access training. The proposals – designed to boost GP numbers – are among a raft of measures set out by HEE in their consultation outcome report Targeted GP training proposal including changes to extensions to training. Other proposals include enabling the


re-entry to training for those who failed to successfully complete one part (out of three) of the MRCGP qualification within the time permitted. It is also proposed to allow extensions to GP training for some trainees. The RCGP estimates that around 250


doctors could be eligible for targeted GP training under HEE’s proposals. Chair Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard added: “Compared to the thousands more GPs we need in the workforce, this is a modest number and it is important that we do not generate false hope for these ‘targeted’ candidates, as these proposed new measures would not guarantee their success.”


MOST COMMON MENTAL health and behavioural conditions were the most common “known” reasons for fit notes being issued by GPs in England between December 2014 and March 2017, according to new figures from NHS Digital. Such conditions accounted for 31 per cent


of all fit notes where the diagnosis was known, and around one in five were issued for a period of absence of more than 12 weeks. Data on more than 12 million fit notes issued by GPs over a 28-month period was


analysed, of which around 5.8 million had a known diagnosis. Around 1.1 million fit notes relating to


musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders were issued over the period – making this the second most common category. The number of fit notes written for anxiety


and stress related conditions increased by 14 per cent between 2015/16 and 2016/17, and January 2017 saw the highest number of fit notes issue in one month (556,000).


INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT DRIVE


FOR GPs EXPANDED HUNDREDS more GPs are to be recruited from abroad as NHS England steps up its campaign to boost workforce numbers. A revised target to hire 600 overseas GPs has been set for 2017/18 and for a total of at least 2,000 by 2020/21. That compares to the initial target of just 500 doctors by 2020/21. NHS England is calling on recruitment firms to join a framework to support the programme and has published a tender on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). The move is part of measures to fulfil the pledge in the General Practice Forward View


report to recruit 5,000 more GPs and 5,000 more medical professionals into general practice by 2020.


NHS England said any doctors recruited


would be expected to meet “the highest standards of practice”, including being able to speak good English. Support would be given to ensure this as well as help to relocate their families.


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