Monday 9 September 2013

GMC to check doctors' English skills

GMC to check doctors' English skills The General Medical Council is to be given new powers to check the English-language skills of all doctors working in the UK, under government proposals. BBC News

Warning over mentally ill in cells

Warning over mentally ill in cells One of Britain's most senior police officers says mentally ill people should not be held in cells when mental health services are unable to help them. BBC News

Revalidation for nurses and midwives

Revalidation for nurses and midwives To drive up public safety and confidence in the people providing their healthcare, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has committed to develop and implement a system of revalidation for nurses and midwives. NHS Employers

Find out more about the plans and options on the NMC website

Deputy chief medical officers appointed

Deputy chief medical officers appointed The deputy chief medical officers for England are now in post at the Department of Health.
Professor David Walker, formerly regional director of public health for the Midlands and the east of England and an executive director in the NHS for the past 12 years, began work earlier this year.
Professor John Watson, head of respiratory diseases at Public Health England’s Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control, was appointed last week and will begin work in October.
Both are holders of a number of academic appointments. They will support the work of chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, to improve the health of the nation. NHS Networks

Misleading claims of 'cure for Down's syndrome'

Misleading claims of 'cure for Down's syndrome' The Mail Online suggests there could be a “cure” for Down’s syndrome, saying that scientists have “discovered a way to reverse the learning difficulties caused by the condition”.
It is not apparent from this headline that the research in question was carried out in mice, not people with Down’s syndrome.

Government clampdown on short-term contracts for doctors

Government clampdown on short-term contracts for doctors Warning that use of contracts to avoid VAT on locum fees is seen as tax avoidance. OnMedica

Million more elderly outside care system than before financial crash

Million more elderly outside care system than before financial crash The full impact of rationing of elderly care is exposed in new figures showing that the number of older people outside the system has surged by more than one million since the onset of the financial crisis.The Daily Telegraph

Accident waiting to happen: A&E departments ‘on the brink of crisis’

Accident waiting to happen: A&E departments ‘on the brink of crisis’

Accident and Emergency departments are understaffed, overworked, and could be brought to breaking point this winter by little more than a prolonged period of cold, a series of surveys have revealed. The Independent

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Doctors and nurses say they feel ‘bullied and under pressure’

Doctors and nurses say they feel ‘bullied and under pressure’

A quarter of doctors and surgeons and one in three nurses in the NHS have been bullied or put under excessive pressure over the last  two years, a new report says today. The Independent

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