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News from other organisations and
the NHS
Health and Life Sciences Group agrees new
clinical trials transparency principles
The Ethical Standards in Health and Life
Sciences Group, of which the RCPsych is a member, has published a
new series of
Clinical Trial Transparency Principles and
Facts. This is the first time that leading healthcare
professional bodies and senior representatives of the
pharmaceutical industry have agreed to a joint approach on this
issue. This is an important step forward in the on-going move
across the entire research community to drive best practice in
clinical research reporting.
How can we create dementia friendly
communities? Have your say
The Alzheimer’s Society and the Department
of Health would like to hear your views on creating dementia
friendly communities. You can comment until 31 July and these will
inform the work of the
dementia friendly communities champion group.
Discrimination against mental illness
in the NHS
How mental health loses out in the NHS by the Mental
Health Policy Group, convened by Professor Lord Layard of the LSE
Centre for Economic Performance, concludes that the under-treatment
of people with crippling mental illnesses is the most glaring case
of health inequality in our country. Read the
President’s response.
GMC launches new tribunal service for UK
doctors
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal
Service is a new impartial adjudication function for doctors.
Based in Manchester, the MPTS is part of the GMC but operationally
separate from the regulator’s complaint handling, investigation and
case presentation. It will take over all fitness to practise cases
relating to registered doctors from the GMC.
Health/social care services must
adapt to meet older people’s care needs
The College is one of 13 organisations to
help develop The Silver Book, a set of quality
standards for the emergency care of older people. It recommends
ways emergency admissions can be reduced and the experience of
those admitted improved. It considers all the clinical contacts
which a patient might have during an emergency and suggests minimum
standards and responses for each service. A core focus is the
skills and competencies needed by healthcare staff.
British Medical Association: Sixth report
of the BMA cohort study
This report of 2006
medical graduates provides information on the work and
experiences of doctors who have completed general practice
specialty training and cohort doctors undertaking hospital
specialty training. It provides insights into their interest in
medicine, career choice and future career progress.
MPs conclude that NHS workforce plans
are unclear and lack crucial
detail
Government plans to reform education,
training and workforce planning in the NHS are unclear and lack
crucial detail, says the
Health Select Committee. Plans to reform handling of the
£5billion annual training budget are welcome in principle, but
without greater clarity and detail, coupled with a greater sense of
urgency about their implementation, the success of new arrangements
is at risk. The
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges welcomed the report.
Department of Health
NICE: first medicines and
prescribing app
NICE has launched its first medicines and prescribing app for
use on Smart phones. The app is called
NICE BNF and has been developed to provide easy access to the
latest up-to-date prescribing information from the BNF. The app is
available free to health and care professionals in England and can
be downloaded via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
National
Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with
Mental Illness:call for new research topics
The National Confidential
Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide’s call
for research topics will identify new themed projects to be
carried out between 2013 and 2015, to complement its core work. The
deadline for submission is 28 September 2012. If you wish to
suggest a topic please complete and submit a
topic proposal form.
ACCEA:
2012 Clinical Excellence Awards
ACCEA has issued guidance
and supporting material for the 2012 Clinical
Excellence Awards round. The online application process will be
open from 28 May until 17 August 2012.
Professor Sir Neil Douglas,
Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said: "We are
pleased that the Government has agreed to open the Clinical
Excellence Awards round for 2012. The scheme is a robust and
transparent process for recognising and rewarding clinical
excellence of doctors at local and national level. This encourages
high quality care and innovation at local level, but also helps
ensure that at a national level the country remains a competitive
centre of medical excellence. We now look forward to the
publication of the independent DDRB report so we can engage in
discussions on a sustainable future for the scheme."
MoD -
Army launches phase two of mental health awareness campaign
The Army has launched
phase two of its 'Don't Bottle It Up' campaign which focuses on
reducing the stigma surrounding mental health. Phase two was
launched with a new page on the Army website offering help and
advice to soldiers and family members.
Homeless
Link and St Mungo’s publish report on hospitals and the
homeless
The report
indicates that more than 70% of homeless people are being
discharged from hospital back onto the streets, damaging their
health. It found that NHS staff can improve health outcomes for
homeless people and save the NHS money by ensuring all patients
have somewhere appropriate to stay when they are discharged from
hospital.
Charity
criticises GPs over detained torture survivors
GPs working in Britain's Immigration Removal
Centres (IRCs) have come under criticism from Medical Justice for
failing to protect survivors of torture from being detained for
long periods. In a detailed report of 50 cases, The Second Torture
found systematic failings on the part of GPs working in IRCs to
properly examine patients, document tell-tale scars and other signs
of torture, or call for the release of torture survivors, even
though these are part and parcel of the official Detention Centre
Rules 2001.
Mental Health Alliance: New health and
social care system must protect rights of people detained under
Mental Health Act
The Mental Health Act 2007: a review of its implementation
examines key issues in the operation of the Mental Health Act five
years on. It finds that while there have been some improvements in
the treatment of people detained under the Act, there remain major
concerns about the use of compulsory powers and the availability of
advocacy and support for the most vulnerable people.
The World Federation for Mental
Health: The Great Push for Mental Health
The WFMH set up its programme The Great Push for Mental
Health in 2009. The WFMH now is embarking on a survey of around
500 organisations from 104 countries in order to inform the WHO of
the views of civil society. The WHO has indicated it would be
pleased to receive this, but they need the results by the end of
June 2012. Following that, the WFMH will be sending out a further
round of questions as a two part Delphi exercise with the help of
the Collaborating Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's
College London to try to achieve a consensus. The latter they
intend to incorporate in the “People's Charter for Mental Health"
which will also be presented to WHO as a reference guide to the
views and requirements of civil society.
European
Medicines Agency launches website for suspected side-effect
reports
The European Medicines Agency has begun publishing suspected
side-effect reports for medicines authorised in the European
Economic Area on a new public website. The
information published relates to approximately 650 medicines and
active substances authorised through the centralised procedure,
which is managed by the Agency.
World Psychiatric Association 2013
Bucharest Congress
Facilitating Mental Health, Primary Care &
Public Health Integration, For Southeast Europe and Eurasia:
Romania, 10-13 April 2013. The Congress will focus on
practical applications of primary care, mental health and public
health integration by identifying national and regional challenges,
stimulating collaborations, creative integrative solutions, and
sharing evidence of best practices and lessons learned to
strengthen and modernize health systems.
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