Top health stories
12.03.10                                                                                 How can you help the PA? Click here

Welcome to all of our new members and E-members

This week the issue of Summary Care Records was fiercely debated as the British Medical Association asked for the rollout to be stopped because of concerns about the level of public understanding and awareness, as well as concerns about how consent was being obtained and opt outs allowed.

The Health Select Committee held a special one off evidence session on foreign doctors in delivering out of hours care as the Patients Association analysed the latest results of the national GP patient survey and the results of Freedom of Information Act requests that revealed wide variations in spending and patient satisfaction.

The Health Select Committee is the subject for our Jargon Buster this week.

The Telegraph Newspaper have setup a rolling "health policy" page for the upcoming general election that readers might find helpful to make sure they are informed when casting their votes:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/party-policy/7157995/Health-Policy-General-Election-2010.html

 This week...

1.    BMA concerns over summary care record

2.    PA Release research findings as Health Select Committee hold out of hours hearing

3.    Local MP writes to police about Mid Staffordhshire hospital

4.    Patients not getting medicines they need

Jargon Buster: Health Select Committee

1. BMA concerns over summary care record

 
This week the British Medical Association wrote to the Department of Health asking them to halt the roll out of the summary care records intiative.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of Council at the BMA, says:

“The break-neck speed with which this programme is being implemented is of huge concern. Patients’ right to opt out is crucial, and it is extremely alarming that records are apparently being created without them being aware of it. If the process continues to be rushed, not only will the rights of patients be damaged, but the limited confidence of the public and the medical profession in NHS I.T. will be further eroded.”
 

 In response to the concerns raised Director of the Patients Association Katherine Murphy said "The health service should not put in place bureaucratic obstacles to patient choice because they are worried about what patients might choose to do.The BMAs concerns should be addressed immediately and we agree that every patient whose records are going to be uploaded should be sent an opt out form. There is a real danger that an intitiative that will benefit patients is going to turn into the usual complete mess. Many patients are rightly concerned about their confidentiality and consent and if there is even the slightest impression that this is being pushed through it will generate a feeling of mistrust. People who might otherwise have consented could end up opting out which would be the last thing everybody wants."

To read more about the concerns of the BMA click the link below:

http://web2.bma.org.uk/pressrel.nsf/wlu/SGOY-83DDX9?OpenDocument&vw=wfmms

The opt out form can be downloaded from the the following website, but the Patients Association would ask you to consider the potential benefits of taking part in the intiaitive before opting out:

http://www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/systemsandservices/scr/documents/optout.pdf

(The opt out form is on the last page)

  Back to the top

2. PA Releases research findings as Health Select Committee hold out of hours hearing

This week the Health Select Committee held a special evidence session on the issue of the use of overseas doctors in providing out-of-hours services.

The Health Minitister Mike O'Brien, the General Medical Council and the Royal College of GPs were also quizzed over the issue, along with the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly PCT that allowed Dr. Ubani on to their providers list.

The GMC asked for immeadiate changes to be made to allow them to check the eligibility of doctors wanting to practice in as GPs in the UK, which they cannot currently do if the doctor comes from the European Union. The Department of Health insisted this would not be possible without risking fines from the EU.

To watch the Health Select Committee hearing please click the link below:

http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=6087

The Patients Association also released information obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests and analysis of the unweighted results of the National GP Patient Survey quarters 1 and 2 2009/10 of over a million patients which highlighted wide variations in spending and reveals a league table of poor patient satisfaction with out of hours care.

  Back to the top 

3. Local MP writes to police over Mid Staffordshire hospital

The Birmingham Post reported this week that local MP David Kidney had written to Staffordshire police about whether or not the former Chief Executive at the Trust (centre of a Healthcare Commission report last March that described care standards as "appalling" and where up to 1200 patients may have died unecessarily) could be investigated for corporate manslaughter.

Julie Bailey, Cure the NHS spokeswoman, said: “A full police investigation is the only proper way to investigate what went on at Stafford Hospital and to get at the truth and the real number of deaths that would not have happened had the patients been treated elsewhere.”

PA Policy Director Kieran Mullan said "Somehow people involved in this case need to be held to account. They need to be put through a proper process of scrutiny, independent and with proper powers. The corporate manslaughter act would potentially allow for this but we continue to support Cure the NHS in calling for a full public inquiry."

    Back to the top 

4. Patients not getting medicines they need

The National Patient Safety Agency has reported this week that thousands of patients are failing to get the medicines they need while in hospital. The report confirms this is a problem in every hospital in England and Wales and it has written to each of them about it to take urgent action.
 
The Agency reports that among the cases reported to them from September 2006 to June 2009, they received reports of 27 deaths, 68 cases of severe harm, including permanent disability, as well as another 21,000 less serious cases where drugs had not been given or had been given too late. However these figures are an underestimate, they say, because reporting is voluntary. In one report, where a patient died from an infection, a doctor had ordered antibiotics to be given immediately but this was not done. The nurse in charge said she had been "too busy to listen".
 
The NPSA has taken the following action:
·         ordered all hospitals and community centres to review their practices and
·         carry out regular audits to monitor the issues
·         advised hospitals to draw up a list of essential medicines to be given on time and
·         introduce a system to inform staff
 
A Department of Health spokeswoman said patient safety was a "top priority".
"We expect all NHS organisations to have rigorous checks and reporting procedures in place to ensure that the services they provide are as safe as possible for all patients."
 
Katherine Murphy, Director, said “The NHS must not be allowed to ignore such a basic part of their essential care to patients. These figures are bad enough but to know that they are also an underestimate reinforces the need for the NPSA to make sure their urgent advice is heeded.”

  Back to the top

Jargon Buster: Health Select Committee

Select Committees are a vital part of holding the government of the day to account. They can exert a power over the executive that may not occur elsewhere including the power to send for "people, papers and records". This means that where a witness is unwilling to give evidence, the Committee can order them to attend (or produce papers or records) which is why television and other media reports often include snippets of evidence to them.
 
Since 1979, they have been investigating policies, organisations or specific concerns in a variety of ways – calling witnesses to give evidence to inquiries or one-off hearings, and through external visits – with each Select Committee shadowing a government department. They derive their name from the fact that MPs serving on the committees are “selected” on a party political balance that reflects the House of Commons itself. Once selected on that basis they are supposed to work impartially but there has been criticism of a lack of rigour in some cases.
 
The Patients Association naturally pays special attention to the workings of the Health Select Committee which this week examined the use of overseas doctors in providing out of hours services (see the story above). It has also conducted Inquiries into a wide variety of health subjects including commissioning, and the role of individual health ministers as well as patient safety, including Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust, and dentistry on which the Patients Association submitted evidence based on our Helpline calls and research. This is an important part of the way we “listen to patients and speak up for change”.
 
The membership of the Committee is:
 
Rt Hon Kevin Barron (Chairman) Rother Valley Labour
Charlotte Atkins Staffordshire Moorlands Labour
Mr Peter Bone Wellingborough Conservative
Jim Dowd Lewisham West Labour
Sandra Gidley Romsey Liberal Democrat
Stephen Hesford Wirral West Labour
Dr Doug Naysmith Bristol North West Labour/Co-op
Mr Lee Scott Ilford North Conservative
Dr Howard Stoate Dartford Labour
Mr Robert Syms Poole Conservative
Dr Richard Taylor Wyre Forest Independent
 
Is your Member of Parliament a member of this Select Committee?
 
http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/health_committee.cfm
 
See also the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology:
http://www.parliament.uk/hlscience/
 
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS STRUCTURE APPLIES ONLY TO HEALTH IN ENGLAND. FOLLOWING DEVOLUTION, HEALTH IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE GOVERNMENTS IN SCOTLAND, WALES AND NORTHERN IRELAND, WHERE SIMILAR COMMITTEES ARE IN PLACE.
 
In each case committee proceedings are open to the public.

    Back to the top

How can you help?

The Patients Association is only able to work hard speaking up for patients with the support of our members. Our free E-membership is incredibly important as it allows us to keep you informed about our work and campaigns.  Your continued support is crucial for us to be able to continue our work.  

Please forward this email to your friends, family and colleagues and encourage them to join as a free E-member at http://www.patients-association.org.uk/Join-Us.  

Full membership and donations provide direct support for our work. If you also wish to become a full member for only £10 a year you can now sign-up online at http://patients-association.org.uk/Membership-Subscription or email mailbox@patients-association.com for details. You can make a donation here http://www.patients-association.org.uk/Support-the-PA

You can also show us your support by leaving your comments on our new Twitter page:  

http://twitter.com/PatientsAssoc

 Back to the top

 If you have been forwarded this email and would like to receive your own copy in future sign up for free as a Patients Association E-Member on the website:

www.patients-association.com/Join-Us