http://www.hospitaldr.co.uk/blogs Hospital Dr - For a second opinion Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:40:22 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en It’s not only the GMC that makes spelling mistakes. Mike has dropped Hospital Dr a line about a soldier he once had to anaesthetise for reduction of a fractured ankle. The solider fractured his ankle climbing over a wall as he attempted to escape the camp. He was at the ... http://www.hospitaldr.co.uk/blogs/messy-business/the-things-they-say-no-time-to-be-sheepish What do our political parties stand for when it comes to healthcare policy? With an election looming, most probably on 6 May, it’s time to examine their political promises. The following is a summary of a useful cross comparison on the King’s Fund website. Conservatives Much Conservative policy is a continuation of ... http://www.hospitaldr.co.uk/blogs/features/political-parties-healthcare-proposals-at-a-glance The Office of Fair Trading has been asked to investigate the government’s policy that NHS organisations should be the 'preferred provider' of care. The policy was announced by health secretary Andy Burnham in September to the dismay of private providers.   The request to the competition watchdog has been made by shadow ... http://www.hospitaldr.co.uk/blogs/our-news/health-secretarys-preferred-provider-rule-faces-more-challenge The pay of NHS consultants is to be frozen for 2010/2011, the Prime Minister has announced. In a speech in the City, Gordon Brown stressed the importance of senior public sector staff showing leadership on pay restraint. Senior members of the civil service, military, judiciary and health service will all ... http://www.hospitaldr.co.uk/blogs/our-news/government-announces-pay-freeze-for-consultants-from-april So, it's official. Consultants will get no pay rise this year, along with many senior public sector roles. MPs, however, will get a 1.5% uplift. Enough said. http://www.hospitaldr.co.uk/blogs/dr-blogs/pay-deal-mps-15-consultants-nil The BMA has written to the government calling for a suspension of the programme to upload summaries of patients’ medical records in England to a national database. In December, the Department of Health announced that the roll-out of the summary care record (SCR) would be accelerated, and doctors have raised concerns ... http://www.hospitaldr.co.uk/blogs/our-news/roll-out-of-electronic-patient-records-should-be-suspended Patients or family members who attack doctors will be more likely to be prosecuted in future. Guidance issued by the Crown Prosecution Service has been broadened to include violence against “a health or social welfare professional” as a trigger for prosecution. The code gives guidance to prosecutors on the principles to be ... http://www.hospitaldr.co.uk/blogs/our-news/more-patients-to-be-prosecuted-for-staff-attacks There are solid grounds for targeting doctors and dentists who have not declared all their income, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Speaking in London last week at a roundtable discussion about HMRC's Tax Health Plan (THP), permanent secretary for tax Dave Hartnett said: "A common feature of all our ... http://www.hospitaldr.co.uk/blogs/web-news/doctors-pose-serious-tax-risk-says-hmrc The GMC has launched a consultation on revalidation and is seeking the profession’s feedback to help them shape the final process. The consultation asks 20 questions covering: 1. How revalidation will work, including the roles of responsible officers (RO) and doctors in non-mainstream roles? 2. How it will affect doctors and employers in terms ... http://www.hospitaldr.co.uk/blogs/features/revalidation-it%e2%80%99s-time-to-express-your-opinions-to-the-gmc A new study, by think tank Civitas, has questioned the achievements of NHS reforms in introducing competition and driving performance. NHS ‘internal’ or ‘quasi’ market policies in England have aimed to promote competition among providers in the hope of replicating the benefits markets have been known to bring about in the ... http://www.hospitaldr.co.uk/blogs/features/what-has-been-the-impact-of-the-market-in-the-nhs