Friday 27 January
Trade Press
- Pulse reports that according to the GMC, GPs should explain to patients consequences of refusing to share information. This is also picked up by GP Online.
- A Pulse survey of 644 GP partners found that 46% said they had a pay decrease between April and October.
Front Pages
- The Times front page says that patients will be denied hip replacements by NHS cuts (paywalled). This is also covered by the Daily Mail and also in a number of health pages.
- The Daily Telegraph reports that human-pig hybrids offer transplant hope. This is also covered by The Times and also in a number of health pages.
National Press
- The Guardian carries London GP Ann Robinson’s blog on GPs being allowed to charge their own patients for private work.
- The BBC writes that child health in the UK is falling behind that of many other European countries, a major report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
- BBC Question time which aired yesterday, 26 January 2017, discussed GP rights on charging patients for private work. You will find it at 39:26.
Social Media
- The rationing of hip and knee replacements by a CCG is getting a lot of attention on Twitter.
- The GMC’s comments on GPs advising patients on the benefits of data sharing is also trending on Twitter.
Thursday 26 January
Trade Press
- GP Online reports that the NHS GP Health Service, which will help support GPs in crisis, fears being flooded with calls when it opens its doors on Monday.
- GP Online also carries an article explaining how the NHS GP Health Service will work.
- GP Online writes that the GMC will start work to merge the GP and specialist registers and put GPs on an equal footing with consultants if a change in legislation goes ahead.
- Pulse has a blog by Manchester GP Dr Karim Adab who says that the GP-to-do-everything is the road to madness.
- An out of London story from Pulse says that partners at a small GP surgery in Warwickshire are having to sell medical equipment to cover the costs of closing their successful practice.
- Another out of London story from Pulse – The GPC in Northern Ireland will start collecting resignations from GP practices next week following an historic vote. This is also covered by GP Online.
Front Pages
- There is nothing health related on the front pages today.
National Press
- The Times follows up on yesterday’s story on Oxfordshire LMC’s proposal to create a mechanism for GPs to charge their own patients for private work, saying support is growing, quoting Dean Eggitt of Doncaster LMC and Uzma Ahmad of Walsall LMC (paywalled).
- The Metro carries an article entitled ‘How to talk to your GP about your mental health’.
Social Media
- The attempts of the GMC to put GPs on par with other specialities is causing a number of tweets both from those supporting the move and those offended that there should be a need.
- The NHS talks with councils in the North East of England to invest millions in GP premises are also creating a flutter on Twitter.
Wednesday 25 January
Trade Press
- Pulse reports that health secretary Jeremy Hunt has defend Theresa May’s outburst against GPs saying she was speaking out of ‘frustration’ with GP leaders reneging on commitments to seven day access.
- Pulse report that the £2.3m has been spent on consultation fees for the North Central London STP, picking up on the BMJ News report from earlier this week.
- GP Online reports on the latest data published by NHS Digital that shows the full-time equivalent GP workforce dropped by almost 100 doctors over the past year, in a blow to government plans to recruit and retain an extra 5,000 GPs by 2020.
- GP Online says that a YouGov survey of over 2,000 British adults indicates that patients are more likely to make complaints about GPs due to poor bedside manner and bad attitude than for misdiagnosing them.
- HSJ writes that confidential NHS patient information is being shared with the Home Office to help the government trace suspected illegal immigrants. NHS Digital – which describes itself as a “safe haven” for patient data – is handing over personal information to the Home Office as part of a new memorandum of understanding between the two bodies and the Department of Health (paywalled, similar article appears in the Independent).
- Pulse writes that according to consultants PwC, half the public would be willing to pay an additional ‘NHS tariff’ through national insurance to support the health service, with only a quarter opposing the idea.
- An out of London story of interest from Pulse says the GPC in Northern Ireland is today set to vote on whether to collect resignations from GPs, which could see GPs leaving the NHS and charging patients for their care.
Front Pages
- The Times front page reports that GPs are drawing up plans for patient charging.
National Press
- The Guardian picks up on the front page news in The Times (yesterday’s news from Pulse) that patients could face paying their family doctors for out-of-hours appointments and minor procedures that fall outside the surgery’s contracted NHS work, under new plans being proposed by some LMCs. This is also carried by a number of other papers.
- The Independent reports that the Home Office has obtained the personal data of thousands of NHS patients as part of a Government crackdown on illegal immigration
- Channel 4 news ran a report saying that the Government is set to spend £20m recruiting doctors from the EU to work as GPs in England.
Social Media
- Jeremy Hunt’s comments in support of Theresa May are causing a flurry of Tweets.
- The nationals have picked up on the trade story about GPs doing private work and this has reinvigorated the amount of Tweets on this subject.
Tuesday 24 January
Our News
- Londonwide LMCs are quoted in the GP Online article ‘GPs face extra workload as last community dental clinic in London closed’.
Trade Press
- Pulse reports that GP leaders in England are pushing ahead with plans to develop new structures that will enable GPs to carry out more private work in a bid to increase GP funding.
- Pulse has an out of London story of interest saying a large social prescribing scheme in the South West has saved the NHS money by reducing GP and hospital workload by over a fifth.
- Pulse writes that failures in communication and poor behaviour are the main driver for complaints against GPs, a new survey has found.
- GP Online reports that GPs are continuing to face blocks on routine referrals as the number of NHS hospitals declaring the highest possible level of alert more than quadrupled in the second week of 2017.
- GP Online writes that GPs will not be forced into seven-day opening despite PM’s comments.
Front Pages
- The Daily Mail front page continues the panic on food and cancer saying that baby food and biscuits are now to blame.
- The Daily Express reports on the new arthritis ‘smart’ patch.
National Press
- There is nothing GP related on the health pages of the national press today.
Social Media
- Our story on GP Online about dentistry is trending on twitter.
- The possibility of GPs doing more private work is also causing a stir.
Monday 23 January
Trade Press
- According to a Pulse poll of over 1000 GPs, two thirds would still go into general practice if they had their time over again.
- An out of London story from Pulse says that practices in Greater Peterborough piloting seven-day working have been set targets to ensure at least 60% of their appointments are used, and those falling short are being asked to submit plans on how they will boost demand.
- HSJ writes that at least 37 CCGs may force patients with ongoing care needs to accept residential care home placements due to restrictions to NHS Continuing Healthcare funding. More than 13,000 people could be affected by the policies. Despite concerns they may breach the human right to respect a person’s family life, three CCGs are confident that their policies are legal (paywalled).
- Pulse reports that according to the University of Oxford researchers GP workload ‘unsustainable’ and should be managed by reducing bureaucracy in the short-term while capacity issues are being resolved.
Front Pages
- The Daily Telegraph front page reports on the row over crispy roast potato cancer advice. This is also front page news in the Sun and The Times and in the health pages of a number of papers.
National Press
- The Observer writes that the NHS has been accused of letting down patients in pain by shutting London’s last community-based A&E-style service for people needing emergency dental treatment.
- Lord Owen a former doctor and health minister in the Wilson government has written a blog for The Times entitled ‘Halt the march towards a US healthcare system’ (paywalled).
- The Independent says that medical mistakes at GPs’ surgeries and pharmacies ‘led to 12 child deaths in nine years’.
- There’s a personal piece in the Metro on what it’s like to talk to your GP about your mental health.
Social Media
- Toast and roast potatoes are getting a grilling on Twitter today.
- Theresa May’s comments on 7/7 working are still causing a flutter.