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Other news
Patients say regular checks will
increase their confidence in doctors
More than two out of three patients say they
will have more confidence in their doctor once revalidation is
introduced, according to a survey commissioned by the GMC. The poll
of more than 2000 UK residents found that the vast majority of
patients reported a high level of confidence with 86% saying they
were confident in the doctor’s skills and knowledge, although more
than one in ten (14%) said they did not have confidence in the last
doctor they saw. The poll suggests that the revalidation process
should provide further assurance to patients - more than 70% of
those who were not confident in their last doctor agreed
revalidation would increase their confidence.
The GMC is keen to hear the views of
individual
patients, carers, doctors, employers and other
healthcare professionals as well as members of the public. The
consultation runs from 1 March 2010 to 4 June 2010. The GMC has
produced a podcast to
help explain revalidation to doctors and patients.
ACCEA committee
recruitment
The Advisory Committee on
Clinical Excellence Awards (ACCEA) is looking to recruit
members to the main committee and the regional sub-committees.
Group wants change in
dementia care services
Alzheimer's Scotland has called for an
overhaul in the way that support is provided for people with the
condition. The new report,
Let’s get personal – personalisation and dementia,
backs sufferers and their families getting more control over direct
payments from social work departments to organise more personalised
support plans.
GPs claim NHS efficiency
savings are hitting frontline care
Cuts to frontline NHS services are
occurring as part of the Department of Health's drive to find £20
billion of efficiency savings, according to a
poll by Pulse magazine. More than half (55%) of 370 GPs
questioned said cutbacks to services were happening in their local
area and another 33% said they were planned. Among services being
affected are psychiatry, blood testing and end-of-life care. The
survey also found many doctors are worried about the shift of some
services from hospitals into the community.
Another investigation by Pulse recently
found 86% of health trusts planned to achieve savings by closing
hospital services and moving more services into the community.
Guide to put recovery at
the centre of mental health services
Implementing Recovery: A methodology for
organisational change helps mental health services to
measure how well placed they are to support the people who use them
to build the lives they want. It sets out the three stages a
service needs to reach on ten key challenges to become fully
focused on recovery. It allows mental health services, their users
and their commissioners to judge how well they are doing in meeting
each of the ten challenges.
NHS set challenge to
improve quality of depression and anxiety services
Depression Alliance has launched a new guide,
Daring to Implement: Case
studies to inspire commissioning of services for depression and
anxiety. The guide has been produced for all those working
in depression and anxiety in the NHS, and details eight examples of
excellence in services for depression from across the country.
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans ‘more
prone to alcohol abuse’
British forces who have served in Iraq and
Afghanistan are more likely to have serious alcohol problems than
other troops, according to a major new
study. The research, funded by the Ministry of Defence, showed
tours in Iraq and Afghanistan did not raise the risk of post
traumatic stress disorder, but troops sent there were more than a
fifth (22%) more likely to have alcohol problems which risked their
health.
Recession takes its toll on
workers
The recession has taken its toll on the
mental wellbeing of workers according to Mind.
A recent survey
has shown that the recession has had a devastating effect, with 1
in 10 workers who took part saying they had sought support from
their doctors and 7% having started taking antidepressants for
problems directly caused by the pressures of recession on their
workplace. The findings, which launched Mind's campaign Taking Care
of Business, coincided with new Government statistics showing the
biggest rise in antidepressant prescriptions ever, with a record
39.1 million issued in 2009, up from 35.9 million in 2008.
Young carers ‘bullied and
stressed’
Research from The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and the
Children's Society suggests that young carers feel bullied,
stressed and misunderstood at school. Almost 7 in 10 (68.5%)
of six to 18-year-olds who care for a sick or disabled family
member say they have been bullied at school. More than a third
(37.9%) say they worry about the person they care for during
lessons while almost a quarter (23%) say they are stressed in
class.
Royal Society: ‘Brain Waves’
project
A major investigation into the impact of
brain research has been launched by the Royal Society. The
"Brain Waves"
project will carry out a series of wide-ranging reviews
on new developments in neuroscience and their implications. A group
of experts led by Professor Colin Blakemore will look at areas of
research that may lead to ways of enhancing memory, intelligence
and mental health. The scientists will also address concerns about
the "militarisation" of neuroscience and the development of
biological weapons which affect the brain.
Rare royal and religious
documents on display
A collection of rare documents, books and artefacts from English
history, including medical reports on the mental health of
George III, have gone on display to the public. Documents in the
exhibition, marking the 400th anniversary of the foundation of
Lambeth Palace Library, include an 1811 report on the
condition of George III in which his doctors note him "even more
turbulent than usual so as very soon to require the Restraint to be
imposed". Treasures of Lambeth Palace Library, 400th Anniversary
Exhibition 1610-2010, Lambeth Palace Great Hall in London.
From 17 May - 23 July.
Health and Social Care
Awards 2010: Apply Now!
The Health and
Social Care Awards are open to anyone working in health and/or
social care in England, and give teams the opportunity to highlight
and celebrate innovation and excellence in their respective fields.
The six national categories this year are centred around the four
core principals of QIPP (Quality, Innovation, Productivity and
Prevention). Applications close 18 June 2010.
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