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Welcome News


STATE-BACKED


INDEMNITY UPDATE GPs in England can expect further details in May on state-backed indemnity plans for general practice, according to an update by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the BMA. The statement confirms that Government has “started work with GPs


Welcome to your


FROM confusion over similar- sounding names and illegible handwriting to selecting the wrong item from dropdown menus, there are many risk areas in prescribing. My article on page 12 offers advice on avoiding the most common pitfalls. It is an essential part of GP


consultations, but safety netting should not just be a means of passing diagnostic uncertainty onto the patient. Risk adviser Alan Frame gives a practical overview on page 7. Recent media reports of a


patient who was kept alive by doctors against her wishes highlighted how advance care planning can go wrong. On page 6 medical and risk adviser Dr Gail Gilmartin takes a closer look at this difficult issue. Stress is not uncommon in


general practice, but there are ways to make it work for you. GP and trainer Aman Arora talks goal-setting and meditation on


COVER PHOTOGRAPH: DR JON REES


page 5. GPs have to make dozens of decisions every day, but are you making the right ones? Dr Allan Gaw lists his top 10 tips for good decision-making on page 4. He has cycled around an


African island three times, pedalled his way from London to Paris and had a close encounter with a pop star - all in aid of charity. On page 10 GP Jon Rees talks about his work with the HIPZ project providing vital healthcare in Zanzibar. Pursuing an interest in sport


and exercise medicine offers GPs the chance to combine two passions. Find out more in our career article on page 8. Our case study on page 14


highlights an alleged delayed diagnosis of DVT in the case of a patient presenting with a swollen leg.


• Dr Susan Gibson-Smith Editor


and their representatives to develop a more stable and more affordable indemnity scheme for general practice. This will require significant complex work before it can be implemented, including further work with GP representatives and other parties to develop our plans. “We expect to announce further details of the scheme in May 2018, with the scheme going live from April 2019.” A survey of GPs and other healthcare professionals working in


general practice will be conducted to “draw on an informed and up-to-date view of the GP indemnity market as we design the scheme”. The DHSC is urging GPs in the meantime to continue to ensure they


have appropriate indemnity cover in line with GMC requirements to enable them to practise. MDDUS is working with Government and all other interested parties including the BMA and RCGP to ensure the interests of our members are fully represented in ongoing negotiations over indemnity.


PHARMACIST FIRST EDITOR: Dr Susan Gibson-Smith


MANAGING EDITOR: Joanne Curran


ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Jim Killgore


DESIGN: Connect Communications connectmedia.cc


PRINT: 21 Colour 21colour.co.uk


CORRESPONDENCE: GPst Editor MDDUS Mackintosh House 120 Blythswood Street Glasgow G2 4EA


t: e: 0333 043 4444 jcurran@mddus.com w: www.mddus.com


FOR MINOR ILLNESSES A NEW health campaign from NHS England is urging patients to contact local pharmacists first for clinical advice and treatment for minor health concerns. The Stay Well campaign aims


to increase public trust in community pharmacy teams and encourage people to use pharmacies rather than visit GPs as the first port of call for minor illnesses. The campaign focuses on three key symptoms: sore throats, coughs/colds and tummy problems.


All pharmacies, GP and dental


GPst is published by The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, Registered in Scotland No 5093 at Mackintosh House, 120 Blythswood Street, Glasgow G2 4EA. The MDDUS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MDDUS are discretionary as set out in the Articles of Association. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in GPst are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland.


surgeries will receive a campaign toolkit including posters, information cards and briefing sheets along with other resources. National pharmacy organisations have also compiled a one-stop


resources hub, with clinical resources to help in the management of minor illnesses and identify red flag symptoms. Pharmacy teams are being encouraged to use the hub and share it with colleagues. RCGP chair Professor Helen


Stokes-Lampard said patients should seek advice from a pharmacist “where appropriate”, before making a GP appointment. But she added: “[I]n an


emergency or situation where genuinely unsure, patients should always seek expert medical assistance, particularly if parents see potentially serious symptoms in their child such as a very high temperature that doesn’t respond to simple measures, features of dehydration or lethargy.”


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