For years patients and General Practitioners (GPs) have lamented the pressures of too many patients fighting over finite appointments with rising waiting times and possible missed opportunities for an individuals’ health needs to be met. Into this mess enter Babylon Health with their ‘GP at Hand’ mobile service application. Allowing patients to have appointments without leaving the comfort of their own home. Decreasing pressure on GP services and giving patients what they want, when they want it. So why are GPs so against what seems like a win-win situation? Who are Babylon Health? A health innovation company using mobile apps to allow patients to have access to a GP 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These consultations occur over a video platform so patients do not have to attend in person. The app also has a ‘symptoms checker’ which can be used to help direct patients based upon the information they input into the app. It is important to state GPs are a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week service and has been for many years but this point seems to be lost on the general public and one of the selling points of Babylon. How […]

Doctors from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are not given enough support by managers, which explains why they suffer from a disproportionately high referral rate to the General Medical Council (GMC). A study was recently conducted by Cranfield University and Middlesex University, commissioned by the GMC, which looked into the referral process to fitness to practise procedures. The Fair to Refer? report found BAME physicians are more than twice as likely to be referred as white doctors, resulting in them having a higher chance of being investigated, and subsequently, given a warning or sanction. The research, conducted by Dr Doyin Atewologun, reader in gender, inclusion and leadership at Cranfield University, together with Roger Kline, research fellow at Middlesex University Business School, discovered why more BAME doctors were called for referral than white colleagues. The most common reasons were the lack of induction or support in transitioning to new social, cultural and professional environments for BAME doctors. They were also not often given “effective, honest or timely feedback” on their practises, stemmed out of the fact that many managers from different ethnic groups try to avoid awkward conversations. It also found some doctors in isolated roles have a lack […]

The NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) has set out its priority areas for action, based on the current fraud risks facing the health service, with fraud in relation to GP contractors and capitation fees one of the main areas for concern. The organisation is now set to work alongside colleagues in NHS primary care to help increase confidence in its assessment of the losses to fraud where this is concerned, forming a basis for fraud prevention activity. It will also be focusing its attention on pharmaceutical contractor fraud, working with the NHS Business Services Authority to find areas of loss to fraud and identify potential problems with contractors that provide community pharmacy services. Another key area being prioritised is procurement and commissioning fraud, with fraud risk vulnerabilities set to be measured in this area in order to develop updated prevention guidance. The aim is to work in a collaborative fashion with colleagues throughout the health service to deliver work that will result in a measurable reduction in this kind of fraud. Improving fraud outcomes across the NHS is also a priority, with a drive to increase the number of sanctions imposed because of local counter fraud activity, as well as […]

Doctor Issues Warning On Drug Shortages The government needs to take action on drug shortages, or risk patients suffering harm or even dying, one doctor has warned. Writing for the Guardian, Zara Aziz, a GP partner in inner-city Bristol, explained that drug shortages are not only bad news for patients, but are also wasting doctors’ time. She revealed that she has to identify and prescribe alternatives when a patient’s regular medication is out of stock. In some cases, this requires additional consultations. She noted that in Bristol the most common shortages are currently for EpiPen, certain tablets that are used to treat high blood pressure, some contraceptives and hormone-replacement therapies, and even a formulation of morphine that’s used in palliative care. “This poses safety issues as patients risk running out of medication, suffering adverse reactions or not taking medicines properly for fear of running out,” she asserted. Another consequence is that it adds to the stress many patients undergo. Dr Aziz pointed out that 60 per cent of hospital pharmacists in the UK are currently reporting drug shortages, with a number of factors exacerbating the problem. They include the fact that the manufacturers of some generic drugs are targeting more […]