New guidance on death certification in Scotland
NEW national guidance for doctors on the completion of a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) has been released by the Scottish Government.
“Shocking” medical errors revealed in new report
A BRAIN-damaged baby and failings in cancer diagnoses are among the “shocking” cases dealt with by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman in England this year.
Not texting
...Mrs G complains that the attending GP did not provide adequate treatment for her daughter and showed a lack of regard for her concerns, at one point in the consultation reaching for her smartphone to text someone...
Jobs shortage confirmed for 2015
THE foundation programme beginning in August 2015 is oversubscribed for the fifth year in a row, it has been announced.
Juniors’ contract talks stall
NEGOTIATIONS between the BMA and the government over junior doctors’ contracts have broken down.
Tougher test for overseas doctors coming to UK
OVERSEAS doctors who want to practise in the UK are to face more robust tests, the General Medical Council has announced.
Risk reduction: monitoring of chronic diseases
Regular readers of our risk blogs will be aware by now that missed or delayed diagnoses are associated with a large proportion of medical negligence claims in general practice, as evidenced in the analysis of MDDUS case files.
GDC faces judicial review as ARF decision approaches
THE British Dental Association has initiated judicial review proceedings against the GDC for "failing to provide clear evidence" to justify a proposed 64 per cent rise in its Annual Retention Fee (ARF).
Reducing risk - making yourself available (in more ways than one)
Working on November’s video module – Human factor risks: team communication – had me reflecting on what being available and accessible to the healthcare team actually means for a clinician. Availability and accessibility can be fairly complex issues and a lack of clinician accessibility can influence risk.
Early diagnosis difficult in lung cancer
NEARLY one in three UK lung cancer patients dies within three months of diagnosis despite having consulted numerous times with GPs prediagnosis, according to research published in the journal Thorax.