review will be published in early 2019. Public Health Minister,


Steve Brine said: “We know this is a huge problem in other countries like the United States – and we must absolutely make sure it doesn’t become one here. “While we are world- leading in offering free treatment for addiction, we cannot be complacent – that’s why I’ve asked PHE to conduct this review.”


Ban on lawyers targeting the NHS


LAW firms and “claims management” companies who encourage patients to sue the NHS will no longer be provided office or advertising space in NHS hospitals in England.


NHS England says it has taken this action


to protect patients, families, the NHS and taxpayers. It follows a consultation exercise and the new rules are being introduced through changes to the NHS Standard Contract.


Clinical negligence claims cost taxpayers


around £1.7 billion in 2016/17, with legal costs accounting for 36 per cent of the total bill. An NHS England spokesperson said:


“Money spent defending speculative legal claims is money hospitals can’t then spend on looking after patients. That’s why legal firms who pursue the NHS should not advertise in or operate from our hospitals.”


New dental college nearing reality


THE Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) (FGDP(UK)) is taking forward plans to form a new College of General Dentistry and pursue a Royal Charter. A transition board is working with the


current FGDP(UK) board, the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS Eng) and the Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS) of the RCS Eng with the goal of establishing the independent college within the next 12 months.


The new organisation aims to provide a collegiate home and new professional standing for general dental practitioners and all members of the general dental team. It will provide leadership and champion the further development of dentistry. Support for the formation of the proposed College of General Dentistry has been most


encouraging with a growing groundswell of enthusiasm to bring


dentistry into line with most other elements of healthcare by having a UK-wide College, which will hopefully justify Royal status.


Once the College of General Dentistry is


established, it is hoped that it will develop a number of faculties


and various groups and bodies may wish to become affiliated. The British Dental Writers and Editors Forum has indicated that it wishes to be affiliated with the new College and discussions are taking place with other possible affiliates. With many aspects of oral healthcare set to change and, with such change, the prospect of many new challenges, it is both timely and important for dentistry in the UK to have an autonomous, dedicated college. FGDP(UK) is encouraging members of the dental team wishing to play a part in creating history and contribute to the “beating heart” of the new college to join the Faculty now. Nairn Wilson is chair of the transition board of the proposed College of General Dentistry


A&E pressures not down to GP access


DIFFICULTY in accessing a GP does not lead to increased use of hospital accident and emergency services, according to new research. Factors such as multiple long-term conditions, smoking and being housebound were more significant in predicting A&E attendance. And the more frequently someone consults their GP, the more likely they are to visit A&E. The findings emerged in a study by Queen Mary University of London which was published in the British Journal of General Practice. Researchers analysed primary care demographic, consultation, diagnostic and clinical data and linked it with A&E attendance statistics for more than 800,000 patients in London. Increasing pressure on A&E resources is often linked to difficulties in accessing GP care. But the study concluded: “[T]he burden of multimorbidity is the strongest clinical predictor of ED attendance, which is independently associated with social deprivation. Low use of the GP surgery is associated with low attendance at ED. Unlike other studies, the authors found that adult patient experience of GP access, reported at practice level, did not predict use.”


q


IMPROVED LUNG CANCER SURVIVAL A new report has confirmed a further improvement in survival rates among lung cancer patients, with 37 per cent now living at least one year after diagnosis compared to a rate of 31 per cent in 2010. The National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA) 2017 annual report found that more cancers are being diagnosed at an earlier stage, with one in eight at the earliest stage.


q


INCREASE IN FEMALE TRAINEES The number of female doctors in training in the UK increased again last year, according to GMC statistics, although overall growth is slowing down. The proportion of female trainees rose by over six per cent in the past five years and women now make up 58 per cent of doctors in training. But there was a nine per cent overall reduction in the number of female trainees under 30 between 2012 and 2017. One possible explanation is female doctors taking career breaks and extending training.


q WARNING ON DRUG- NAME CONFUSION The MHRA is urging doctors to take particular care when prescribing or dispensing medicines that could be confused with others. It cites recent cases in which patients have received the wrong medicine due to confusion between similarly named or sounding brand or generic names. Examples include clobazam versus clonazepam and propranolol versus prednisolone. Clinicians are urged to report look-alike or sound-alike errors to the MHRA.


MDDUS INSIGHT / 7


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