Digest News


NHS facing “year-round crisis”


EMERGENCY care services in England are suffering a “year-round crisis” with key indicators demonstrating that the summer of 2018 delivered worse levels of care to patients than five out of eight recent winters, according to BMA analysis. Working with NHS data the BMA found that in the three summer months of 2018 (July to September), 125,215 patients were left waiting on a trolley for more than four hours after the decision to admit, a figure that was greater than every winter (defined as January to March) between 2011 and 2015. The BMA also found that in comparing winter 2011 with winter 2018 (January to March) compliance with the four-hour waiting target to be seen, admitted or discharged from A&E reduced from 96.6 per cent to 85.0 per cent, and total trolley waits of longer than four hours saw a seven- fold increase. Total emergency admissions increased by 19 per cent. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA Council Chair, said: “These figures lay bare the long-term underfunding of emergency care services in England that have experienced years of declining budgets and staff shortages at a time when patient demand has rocketed.”


Using Google Translate in consultations


USING Google Translate in medical consultations risks introducing communication errors that could lead to litigation. A recent BMJ report from researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that doctors were using Google Translate to overcome language barriers in patient consultations - partly driven by difficulties in using services provided by the NHS. Responding to the findings, MDDUS medical adviser Dr Naeem Nazem commented: “We would recommend extreme caution in using, and relying on, computer translation in everyday clinical practice. “In usual clinical practice, the risks of using computer translations, in the presence of validated alternatives, is likely to increase the risks to patient safety and leave doctors vulnerable to criticism and, potentially, regulatory action or litigation in the event of an adverse outcome.” Dr Nazem points out that Google Translate


would fail to meet standards issued by NHS England on the requirements for, and use of, interpreters and translators in primary care. “It has not been validated for use in


6 / MDDUS INSIGHT / Q4 2018


Oral cancer on the rise with unawareness high


OVER 8,300 new cases of oral cancer are now diagnosed in UK adults each year, representing a 49 per cent increase over the last decade, according to a new report by the Oral Health Foundation. The UK’s first State of Mouth Cancer Report also highlights that less than half of UK adults can identify common potential warning signs, including long-lasting mouth ulcers (42 per cent), red or white patches (31 per cent) and unusual lumps (47 per cent). More than four in five (82 per cent) adults are unsure how to check for mouth cancer. Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter OBE, said: “We have published this report to highlight the need for greater awareness of mouth cancer. It is extremely concerning to see the lack of basic knowledge about the disease, especially as it continues to affect more people every year.”


medical consultations, and the risk of error is significant.” He acknowledges that there may be situations (e.g. some emergencies) when online translation could be useful but adds that in such circumstances the treating clinician must be able to justify their actions.


Reduced antibiotic prescribing by dentists


DENTAL practices in England dispensed nearly a quarter fewer prescriptions for antibiotics in 2017 compared to 2013, according to figures published by the English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance (ESPAUR). Antibiotic prescribing in primary care settings overall declined by 13.2 per cent over the period, with a 23.9 per cent drop in dental prescribing. Dental practice contributed to 8.2 per cent of antibiotic prescription items in primary care in 2017. The need to preserve the potency of


existing antibiotics was underlined recently in a report by MPs which estimated that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could kill up to 10 million per year by 2050. BDA President Susie Sanderson commented: “It is gratifying that statistics back up the fact that dentists are playing


their part in reducing antibiotic prescribing. However, the existential threat from AMR is so great that none of us can rest on our laurels.”


Cost of bullying put at £2.28 billion


BULLYING and harassment in the NHS in England costs the UK taxpayer an estimated £2.28 billion per year according to a new study. Research published in the journal


Public Money and Management (tinyurl. com/ydgrg2a7) calculated the likely costs by utilising a range of data sources related to sickness absence, employee turnover, diminished productivity, sickness “presenteeism” and employment relations. Sickness absence as a result of bullying


and harassment was found to cost the NHS £483.66m per year in lost wages, with an additional cost of £302.2m in paying overtime and agency staff. The largest estimated cost was £604m due to ‘presenteeism’, which puts a price on the loss in performance of staff who come into work unwell owing to stress or other problems.


These combined with other estimated


costs for staff turnover, lost productivity and the impact of bullying on industrial relations,


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