NEWS


Manager Practice


Do you make use of video


surveillance in your practice? On page 6 we look at the ICO’s revised CCTV code of practice and changes to consider in addition to requirements from the GDPR. On page 7 Liz Symon offers a quick primer on practice disciplinary procedures. Senior risk adviser Liz Price


provides some tips (page 8) on ensuring your practice has effective and robust call and recall systems in place. What can you do when a patient in need of review “blanks” all contact? On page 10 Jim Killgore


EVERYONE appreciates a good story – or almost everyone. Here at MDDUS we often find that some of the most effective learning points come out of “scary stories” based on real cases – the admin blip leading to a prescription error, the “buried” test result, the patient in rapid decline not scheduled for a home visit. No wonder then that our own fictional medical surgery in Bleak Practice has proved so enduringly popular, with disaster after disaster played out on a video screen. In this issue (page 12) Joanne


Curran visits the set of the latest instalment of Bleak Practice (now in post-production) and learns more about the genesis of this ingenious learning tool and how it’s put together.


COVER PHOTOGRAPH: LATITUDE PHOTOGRAPHY


profiles a rural Somerset medical practice at the heart of an NHS England vanguard programme working to dissolve the “traditional divide” between primary care, community services and hospitals. The Millbrook Surgery is part of the Symphony Programme, named Primary Care Team of the Year at the BMJ Awards back in May. A summary of some recent


advice calls to MDDUS can be found in our Call log on pages 4-5, and the case study in this issue (page 14) concerns an admin error resulting in a clinical negligence case involving the death of an elderly patient. Our Diary on page 15 offers the usual dose of absurdity with an added sprinkle of irony.


 Helen Ormiston Editor


HARASSMENT WIDESPREAD


A REPORT has been published by the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) calling on the government to take action in relation to sexual harassment in the workplace. It claims that sexual harassment at work is still widespread and


that the government, regulators and employers are failing in their responsibility to tackle the issue. A BBC survey last year found that 40 per cent of women and 18 per cent of men have experienced some form of sexual harassment in the workplace. The report states that, while there is widespread knowledge about


workplace sexual harassment, employers should have greater and clearer responsibilities for protecting workers and greater awareness about the extent of the issue in their organisation.


PRACTICE PHARMACISTS


PROVE BENEFIT A STUDY has found that specialist clinical pharmacists working with 16 urban practices halved GP time spent on key prescribing activities. In the research published in


EDITORS: Scott Obrzud Helen Ormiston


MANAGING EDITOR: Jim Killgore


ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Joanne Curran


DESIGN: Connect Communications www.connectmedia.cc


PRINT: 21 Colour www.21colour.co.uk


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


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


the British Journal of General Practice, GPs working in the Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership in Scotland recorded the time spent dealing with special requests, immediate discharges, outpatient requests and other prescribing issues for two weeks. This data was then compared to that from two equivalent periods in which specialist clinical pharmacists performed key prescribing activities to release GP time.


The researchers found


that the time spent by GPs on key prescribing activities was reduced by 51 per cent, which equated to 4.9 hours per week per practice. Not only did this free up GP capacity but the practices also reported improvements in patient safety, positive effects on staff morale and reductions in stress. The researchers concluded: “Specialist clinical pharmacists are safe and effective in supporting GPs and practices with key prescribing activities in order to directly free GP capacity. “However, further work is


required to assess the impact of such service developments.”


NEW RISK TRAINING


COMING SOON MDDUS’ Training and CPD team will soon be announcing a range of new webinars and training events focusing on key risks in medical and dental practice management. Topics include GDPR/data protection, complaints handling, managing conflict and social media. Signing up couldn’t be easier as most of our events offer online


booking. To find out more and to suggest a topic you would like to feature


Practice Manager 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 Practice Manager are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland.


in a training event, email risk@mddus.com You can also browse the Training & CPD section of www.mddus.com


AUTUMN 2018  ISSUE 19


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