UK Update

Satisfied patients in GP patient survey

The most important factors in patients’ satisfaction with their local surgery are being given enough time with a GP and feeling that their problems are taken seriously

Overall satisfaction with GP surgeries in the UK is high at 91%, according to research from the GP Patient Survey. Conducted by Ipsos MORI for the Department of Health, the survey found that the most important factors in patients’ satisfaction with their local surgery are being given enough time with a GP and feeling that their problems are taken seriously.

Over two million patients responded, of whom 84% reported being able to get an appointment with a GP in 48 hours if they needed to; while 77% of people who wanted an appointment with a particular GP (even if it meant waiting longer) reported they could do so.

Areas judged to need improvement include expanding telephone access to surgeries and making it easier for patients to book appointments in advance. Health Minister Mike O’Brien said: “Patient feedback is essential in making sure the NHS is meeting the needs of patients. We also need to listen and act on what patients say.”

The Department of Health has published a Provider Guide on Access and Responsiveness, giving practices practical advice on how to deliver the services their patients need, developed in partnership with the Royal College of GPs and the BMA. Read more

GMC launches doctors’ licence

The introduction of a licence is the first step towards a new system called revalidation

In addition to GMC registration as a doctor needed to undertake any form of medical practice in the UK, from 16 November 2009, all doctors will need a licence to practise medicine in the UK. This includes, but is not limited to, writing prescriptions, holding a post as a doctor in the NHS and signing death and cremation certificates.

In all, 225,000 doctors were asked whether they wanted a licence to practise – almost 50% responded, with the majority choosing to take a licence. Doctors who are academics or researchers will not need a licence.

The licensing campaign is supported by BMA chair Dr Hamish Meldrum, British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) president Dr Ramesh Mehta and Dr Frances Elliot, chief executive of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland.

GMC chair Professor Peter Rubin said: “The introduction of a licence is the first step towards a new system called revalidation, the process through which doctors will be asked periodically to demonstrate that they are up to date and fit to practise in the job they do.”

The GMC guide, Revalidation: Information for Doctors and Frequently Asked Questions, aims to answer doctors’ queries about revalidation. Read more

GMC reviews research guidance

The GMC has launched a public consultation on new guidance that doctors must follow when filming or making audio recordings of patients and undertaking research. Draft guidance has been updated to address changes to the law about involving people in research, the removal, storage and use of human tissue in research, and to mirror revised GMC guidance on consent and confidentiality.

Good Practice in Research looks at research design, probity, non-discrimination and how to comply with the principles relevant to research as set out in Good Medical Practice (2006).

Consent to Research provides guidance and will update the existing Research: the Role and Responsibility of Doctors (2002).

Making and Using Audio and Visual Recordings of Patients looks at issues of confidentiality and consent, including clinical photographs for assessment or research, and case studies for use in teaching.

The consultation closes on 25 September 2009. Read more

60,000 child safety alerts a year

A report published by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has revealed that over 60,000 children were exposed to medical errors last year. The Review of Patient Safety for Children and Young People findings were based on voluntary reporting from NHS staff involved in the care of children from October 2007 to September 2008. The report found that around 10,000 of these safety alerts related to medication errors – where a child was given an incorrect dose – or where medication had not been administered at all.

The NPSA states 33 children and 39 babies under one year old who had been given the wrong dose of medicine died during this period. While the report is inconclusive as to whether these errors directly caused the deaths, it admitted that the errors could have been avoided. The NPSA believes that if drug companies began to manufacture medications in child doses as well as adult doses, fewer errors would be made.

The NPSA’s medical director, Dr Kevin Cleary, said: “We are urging all trusts and healthcare providers to follow our recommendations and use the tools described within the report.” Read more