compensation and litigation led to a total estimated figure of £2.28 billion. However, this excludes other costs which are difficult to predict, such as the impact on staff who witness bullying behaviour and reputational costs to the NHS as a “good employer”. BMA representative body chair Anthea
Mowat, who is leading a campaign to end bullying and harassment, said the figures showed the NHS could not afford not to take action. “We already know that many doctors are counting the personal cost of bullying and harassment at work. It’s not only harmful to staff, it’s damaging to patient care, as countless inquiries have found.”
Addressing violence against NHS staff
MORE than 15 per cent of NHS employees in England have experienced violence from patients, their relatives or the public in the last 12 months – the highest figure for five years – according to the most recent NHS staff survey. These figures are cited in an announcement
by Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock of the “first ever” NHS violence reduction strategy. The strategy involves the NHS working with the police and Crown Prosecution
Service to help victims give evidence and get prosecutions in the quickest and most efficient way. It will empower the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to scrutinise violence as part of its inspection regime and identify trusts that need further support. Staff will also be offered improved training to deal with violence, including circumstances involving patients with dementia or mental illness, and also prompt mental health support for NHS employees who have been victims of violence.
The new plans follow the Assaults on
Emergency Workers (Offences) Act, which was recently brought into law and will see the maximum prison sentence for assaulting an emergency worker double from six months to a year. Matt Hancock said: “We will not shy away
from the issue – we want to empower staff and give them greater confidence to report violence, knowing that they will see meaningful action from trusts and a consistent prosecution approach from the judicial system.”
Consent suffers under pressure
HEAVY workloads among doctors are impacting the consent process and undermining the doctor-patient relationship, according to the GMC. This warning comes as the regulator launches a consultation on draft updated consent guidance which aims to take account of feedback from the profession on the need for assistance in working more effectively with patients to make decisions about their care. Professor Colin Melville, the GMC’s Director of Education and a former consultant in intensive care medicine, said: “In the 10 years since we first published guidance on consent much has changed. Patients have more access to medical information outside the consulting room and rightfully expect to discuss options with their doctors before important decisions are made about their care. Health services and staff are more stretched and it is important that the guidance reflects the extra pressures doctors are facing.” Medical ethicist Professor Deborah
Bowman is chairing an expert group advising the GMC on the consent guidance. She commented: “Consent and the ways in which people approach it will, inevitably, vary, but the constant remains the commitment on the part of professional and patient to collaborate. “We want to hear from patients and doctors during the consultation to know about their experiences and priorities in seeking or providing consent.” The draft guidance is available on the GMC
website and the consultation is open until 23 January 2019. A final version of the updated guidance will be published next year.
q “WRITE DIRECTLY TO PATIENTS” HOSPITAL doctors are being urged to avoid medical jargon and write outpatient clinic letters directly to patients rather than to GPs, and to use plain English. New guidance from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges states that switching the focus in this way should mean less time spent interpreting correspondence for patients, leading to better compliance. It recommends using easier terminology (e.g. write ‘kidney’ instead of ‘renal’) and explaining the meaning of technical terms or acronyms. Access at
tinyurl.com/ y8cucgxd
q
PENICILLIN ALLERGY HEALTHCARE staff should double check reported allergies to penicillin, says NICE. Evidence suggests around 10 per cent of the UK population has a penicillin allergy documented in their clinical notes but only around five per cent have a “true” allergy. Those with a suspected allergy are more likely to be given broad- spectrum antibiotics with increased risk of developing MRSA and C difficile infections. It can also contribute to antimicrobial resistance. Access the guidance at
tinyurl.com/y7xxddtt
q
HERBAL AND SUPPLEMENT USE A STUDY of adults over age 65 found that 34 per cent were taking herbal medicinal products or dietary supplements concurrently with prescription medicines and 33 per cent were at risk of potential adverse drug interactions. Access the study at
tinyurl.com/ y95esnue
MDDUS INSIGHT / 7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24
