Recruitment campaign must be backed by action, says BMA
A campaign to encourage junior doctors to live and work in Scotland must be backed by real action to make jobs more attractive, the BMA has warned. The Scottish Government campaign, #juniordocscot, includes short films following trainee doctors working in Scotland, and aims to highlight positive aspects of training, working and living north of the border. It will run until 9 March, which is the deadline for trainees across the UK to apply for specialty training places. Scotland’s chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood, pictured, who features in the campaign’s main video, says Scotland offers great career op...
Source: BMA News - February 10, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

Fight on for a fair contract
A second wave of industrial action started today following mass demonstrations by thousands of junior doctors over their contracts on Saturday. Junior doctors in England will provide emergency care only for 24 hours from 8am, similar to last month’s action. It follows protests in London and Bristol, in which doctors and the public marched in solidarity against Government plans for a new contract. In a message to junior doctors ahead of this week’s industrial action, BMA junior doctors committee chair Johann Malawana said: ‘Last weekend, thousands of us took to the streets of London and Bristol to show th...
Source: BMA News - February 9, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

BMA Q and A: water poverty and the post-2015 development agenda
  BMA international committee chair Terry John answers your questions The BMA has been a member of End Water Poverty (EWP) since 2007. What are the aims of the campaign? End Water Poverty is a global coalition that is calling for action to end the crisis in water and sanitation. In 2016, more than 650 million people still don’t have clean, safe water and 2.3 billion people don’t have access to adequate sanitation — in fact, more people have mobile phones than have access to a safe toilet. As a result, more than 500,000 children die every year from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitat...
Source: BMA News - February 9, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

Conflict zone: all in the line of duty
  Warnings about the humanitarian crisis in Syria by a British surgeon went unheeded until millions fled and thousands died. However, the destruction, horror and danger did not prevent his bid to save lives. Tammy Lovell reports When humanitarian disasters hit, doctors and medical staff are often first on the scene before the media and the eyes of the world cast their glare. These people may be regarded by the public as heroes, but many of them see it as no more than their duty as medics to help the sick and injured. One such doctor is London consultant surgeon David Nott, who has been volunteering in conflict zones ...
Source: BMA News - February 9, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

Junior doctors march on Downing Street
Thousands of junior doctors marched in London and Bristol at the weekend to voice their frustration with the Government's approach to a new contract for trainees. Junior and senior doctors, other health professionals and the public took to the streets on Saturday to call for the Government to drop its plans to impose a new junior contract. Despite recent weeks of negotiation with the BMA, ministers are still refusing to recognise Saturday working as unsocial hours. The demonstration took place four days before junior doctors are set to take part in 24 hours of industrial action on Wednesday during which they will only prov...
Source: BMA News - February 8, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

Lansley reforms marginalised, says report
  The Health and Social Care Act’s reforms have been steadily diminished from future planning in the NHS, according to a new report. A King’s Fund study into the state of governance and strategy in the NHS in 2016/17 concludes that key aspects of the HSCA (Health and Social Care Act), such as competition and local autonomy for health providers, have been marginalised. The report, What the Planning Guidance Means for the NHS 2016/17 and Beyond, states that control of the health service is instead becoming increasingly centralised, adding that the continued squeeze on funding means the NHS faces a ‘wat...
Source: BMA News - February 5, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

Off the record: out of hours under pressure
  The increasingly severe pressures facing OOH (out-of-hours) GP services in Northern Ireland were laid bare during the festive period. On numerous occasions over the Christmas and New Year period, just one GP was left covering the ‘red eye’ shifts for the whole of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, which serves a population of some 300,000 in a largely rural area — as a result of chronic shortages of GPs. Callers with serious acute health issues, such as those requiring palliative care, are being caught up in a backlog of calls, with less urgent patients having to wait up to 12 hours at time...
Source: BMA News - February 5, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

BMA appoints member-focused director
  BMA Cymru Wales has appointed Rachel Podolak as its new national director. Ms Podolak will join BMA Wales from the GMC, where she is currently responsible for setting the strategic direction for the GMC’s work in Wales. She first joined the BMA 10 years ago, initially as part of the BMA’s graduate scheme, and went on to hold posts in the junior doctors and consultant committees. Commenting on her appointment, Ms Podolak said she was delighted to take on the 'challenging and exciting new role'. She said: 'Wales has been leading the way on a number of health and social care issues which BMA Cymru Wales has...
Source: BMA News - February 4, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

Extra foundation programme places welcomed
  An extra 15 training places have been created for newly qualified doctors in Northern Ireland. The BMA has welcomed the move, which it hopes will help address workload and retention issues in the nation. Health minister Simon Hamilton today announced the additional places for 2016-17, boosting the total number of foundation programme places to 267 — a rise of six per cent on last year’s figure of 252. It follows an announcement last week of an extra 20 GP training posts, bringing the annual number to 85, increasing numbers by a third. It followed sustained BMA lobbying. Commenting on the increase in fo...
Source: BMA News - February 4, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

Zika virus guidelines issued to GPs
  Guidelines on the health implications of the Zika virus and the risks posed by travel have been issued to GPs across the UK. The BMA, along with Public Health England and the Royal College of GPs, has drawn up information on the mosquito-borne disease prevalent across South America and the Caribbean. The guidance aims to enable doctors to discuss the subject and advise patients on transmission and exposure risks to the virus, which has been linked to birth defects following infections in pregnant women. The virus generally causes only mild illness and is asymptomatic in 80 per cent of cases; there is no vaccine or c...
Source: BMA News - February 4, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

Call to highlight drinking-while-pregnant risks
  Government and society need to do more to address attitudes to alcohol and drinking during pregnancy in light of the impact on unborn children. The BMA has updated a 2007 report, Alcohol and Pregnancy: Preventing and Managing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. The association is urging all UK Governments to do more to highlight the risks of drinking during pregnancy, which can result in anything from mild cognitive impairment to significant developmental disorders associated with FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome). Revised guidelines published in January by the UK chief medical officers advise men and women to drink no mor...
Source: BMA News - February 4, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

Care standards remain with health secretary
  Ultimate responsibility for devolved healthcare services will remain with the health secretary, new laws will ensure. The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, which last month gained Royal assent, enables local authorities to take control of services such as health. However, following concerns raised by the BMA and others on the potential for the new law to dilute or remove accountability from the state, amendments were made in Lords. BMA council chair Mark Porter (pictured) said that he welcomed the legislation’s ruling that key responsibilities for standards of care remained with the health secre...
Source: BMA News - February 3, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

Warning of ‘retrograde step’ on public health
  Proposed changes to the organisation charged with looking after public health in Wales have been branded a 'retrograde step' by BMA Cymru Wales. The Welsh Government wants to relax the criteria for recruiting potential board members of Public Health Wales. It wants to allow academics from non-public health backgrounds to apply for the role of university non-executive director. Further changes also mean that applicants no longer need to be nominated for the role or come from a Welsh university. Doctors leaders in Wales are unhappy at the proposed move. The Welsh Government has said the proposed changes would mean an...
Source: BMA News - February 3, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

BMA offers solution to GP crisis
  The BMA has launched an ‘urgent prescription for general practice’, which aims to provide practices with support at a time of crisis. The initiative aims to expose the challenges of unprecedented patient demand and workload in general practice in England and Wales, and what the Government needs to do to address these issues. It will also provide practical support and advice for practices on how to deal with these challenges. The Urgent Prescription for General Practice was launched this week alongside research that shows 91.9 per cent (2,607 respondents) of GPs in England believe there has been an incre...
Source: BMA News - February 2, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news

Jersey doctors in line for 4 per cent pay rise
  Consultants and SAS doctors in Jersey are to receive a 4 per cent pay rise following BMA negotiations that averted industrial action. A total of 120 doctors on the island will benefit from the consolidated pay increase, which will also kick-start local discussions on a three-year pay deal from 2017. Local talks will come as a result of the deal ending the link with the DDRB (Doctors and Dentists Review Body), which makes recommendations to Government on UK doctors’ pay. Doctors should see the pay award, which represents 1 per cent consolidated from 1 April 2015 and a further 3 per cent from 1 January this yea...
Source: BMA News - February 2, 2016 Category: UK Health Source Type: news