Government are to increase Cancer Awareness funding

The government announced this week that they are pledging £9 million in funding to raise awareness of cancer in the UK.

The campaigns due to begin in January 2011 are aimed at alerting people on the early signs of bowel, breast and lung cancer, which could save up to 10,000 lives a year.

Each year in the UK, more than 120,000 people are affected with bowel, breast and lung cancer, but survival rates can be increased if the diseases are caught in the early stages.

Estimates have shown that 10,000 lives could be saved in England each year if survival rates matched the best in Europe.

Health Minister Paul Burstow, said, “The £9m would be available from January for local campaigns aimed at encouraging people to visit their doctor if they have concerns.”

A total of 59 campaigns will focus on breast, bowel and lung cancer, or any combination of the three, depending on the region and target audience. Prior to the campaign launch, two pilot studies will be set up for bowel cancer to see if a national awareness campaign would be successful. To ensure the campaigns reach the desired target audience, local campaigns will use social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to get the message across. Previous successful local campaign initiatives such as a bus that made a coughing noise in Doncaster could be repeated elsewhere.

The coughing bus campaign that ran in Doncaster led to an increase in the number of people who visited their GP for an X-ray to detect lung cancer. The number of cases diagnosed in one month also rose by almost 60% (from 32 to 45) compared with the same month in the previous year. 

Early diagnosis of cancer can be critical as previous data shows with more than 90% of people with bowel cancer living at least five years if they are diagnosed in the early stage compared with 6.6% in the late stage.

Current statistics show that around one in 20 people will get cancer at some point in their life, with more than 38,000 new cases in the UK in 2007 and more than 16,000 deaths. 

Furthermore, approximately half of the people survive for five years and about 44% live at least 10 years following diagnosis. 

Each year around 46,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the UK, with more than 12,000 deaths. Some 82% of the sufferers will be alive after five years and 73% are alive after a decade.

Currently lung cancer affects around 40,000 people each year and kills more than 35,000. The five-year survival rates are 7% in men, 9% in women and dropping to around 5% a decade after diagnosis. 

Mr Burstow said, “The government’s aim was to saves lives and achieve cancer survival rates that were among the best in the world. In England we are lagging behind European countries when it comes to the common, but big killer cancers such as breast, bowel and lung. The NHS is spending at European levels, but still not delivering European cancer survival rates.” 

“We know that generally the earlier the cancer is diagnosed, the better the outlook. That’s why our campaign will help people to be more alert to the early signs and symptoms of cancer and encourage them to seek medical advice as soon as possible.”

Deborah Alsina, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK said, “Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer, yet it is highly treatable if diagnosed early. By increasing awareness of the disease and encouraging people to act on their symptoms, these regional and national campaigns have the potential to save thousands of lives.”

With the government’s promise to increase funding on cancer awareness, GPs and GP locums are likely to see more patients coming through their door for diagnosis. In terms of patient care, this can only be a good thing with early diagnosis leading to an increased survival rate in patients. Furthermore, as the government’s initiative is aimed at increasing diagnosis, it is essential to have medical professionals on board who can deliver to the government’s campaign.  

MPP Locums provides doctor recruitment - general and specialist locum doctor jobs, medical jobs for NHS Trusts throughout the UK. MPP Locums ensures that all doctors are vigorously checked before being placed in key roles. We provide quality staff to our clients and are regulated by the Care Quality Commission and the NHS Buying Solutions. MPP Locums is an approved supplier of locum jobs to the NHS under the National Locum contract starting 1st July 2008 for the next three years.

If you are seeking NHS doctor jobs, doctor jobs, locum doctor jobs, special registrar jobs, SHO jobs contact our registration team by telephone or register on line and be part of the fastest growing and largest specialist medical recruitment agency in the UK.

GPs and nurses should receive training on paediatrics

In a recent review carried out by Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, all GPs and nurses should receive training on the comprehensive care of children and young people “as a matter of urgency” it reported.

Findings from the report cite that the ‘mediocre’ state of NHS services for youngsters needs attention after years of neglect. 

Professor Sir Ian Kennedy said, “Paediatric training for GPS was falling away, adding that one GP told him, some doctors don’t even know how to hold a baby.”

Sir Ian’s report said, “Many GPs have little or no experience of paediatrics as part of their professional training.”

“Given that the majority of their patients are adults, caring for children and young people is low on most GPs priorities.”

Sir Ian who was appointed by the previous government to carry out the review, “called for GP practices to be at the ‘hub’ of care for children. Surgeries should be placed in schools, children’s centres and other places where children have access.” 

He added, “Services for children could and should be a lot better in the NHS. When they are good, they are very, very good, but too often they are mediocre or they vary. This was true particularly for children with long-term needs, disabilities or mental health problems.” 

Sir Ian went on further to say, “Services were designed around the needs of buildings, organisations and professionals, ‘with children and parents coming a poor fourth’ and that GPs, nurses and workers attached to GP practices should receive training ‘to make up the gaps’ that exist.”

Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, said, “Sir Ian reminds us just how important the start of life is for children and young people’s future physical and mental development. In our new vision for the NHS, and in preparing for our public health White Paper later this year, we are determined to provide for children and young people as an essential and integral part of delivering better health outcomes.”

As the government continues to make changes within the NHS, while protecting front line staff – the NHS will continue to be scrutinised. In this present climate of change, it is essential to have medical professionals on board who can deliver to the changes ahead. 

MPP Locums provides doctor recruitment - general and specialist locum doctor jobs, medical jobs for NHS Trusts throughout the UK. MPP Locums ensures that all doctors are vigorously checked before being placed in key roles. We provide quality staff to our clients and are regulated by the Care Quality Commission and the NHS Buying Solutions. MPP Locums is an approved supplier of locum jobs to the NHS under the National Locum contract starting 1st July 2008 for the next three years.

If you are seeking NHS doctor jobs, doctor jobs, locum doctor jobs, special registrar jobs, SHO jobs contact our registration team by telephone or register on line and be part of the fastest growing and largest specialist medical recruitment agency in the UK.

More admin and less training for junior doctors

The British Medical Association warned that junior doctors are spending too much time on administrative duties and not enough time on training as red tape and EU legislation has cut the amount of hours junior doctors are allowed to work each week. 

In a report by the BMA, junior doctors working in their chosen specialty area for the first time, spend 14% of the their time on administrative duties and only 13% in formal clinical training. 

The findings from the BMA comes after figures released earlier this week showed almost one in four junior doctors drops out of NHS training in England after two years. 

The data, from the Medical Programme Board, which overseas training, showed 23% of 6,000 doctors did not apply for the next stage of training in 2009. While some leave the NHS, others take a gap year or work in other parts of the health service.

Unions blamed the high drop out rate of junior doctors on high workloads, but the government disputes this. 

The BMA findings have concerned senior doctors as European legislation has cut the amount working hours and increased the pressure on training time for junior doctors. The findings relate to 2009 when NHS Trusts were implementing EU legislation where junior doctors’ hours were reduced from 56 hours to 48 hours per week. 

Of the 435 doctors surveyed, who graduated in 2006, worked on average 52 hours per week.

For the latest BMA research, 430 trainees were asked how much time they spent on a range of activities. The findings showed that two-thirds (66%) of their time was spent on clinical duties, while 14% was spent on admin and 13% was spent on formal training in clinical settings. 

The BMA said, “It was difficult to say how much training students should be doing at this stage, because it varies according to speciality and the perception of the junior doctor. Some trainees may think performing clinical duties serves, as training while others may not. The study also revealed concerns about the quality of training.”

Some 15% of junior doctors in the study said they had been asked to do things that were beyond their capability at this stage. The figure jumped to 36% of doctors training in general practice. 

The range of administrative tasks junior doctors carried out included writing out blood test requests on paper and walking across the hospital to collect lists of patients due for surgery. 

Dr Shree Datta, chairman of the BMA’s Junior Doctor Committee said, “It is galling to find doctors spending more time filling forms than learning the skills they need to be the consultants and GPs of tomorrow.”

“It is especially worrying, at a time when junior doctors’ working hours have fallen, to see so much of their time taken up on paperwork. Trainees should, first and foremost, be clinicians who are learning their trade. For the benefit of our patients, employers need to look closely at the workload of junior doctors to ensure that their time is being used appropriately.”

“Junior doctors should always have the appropriate training to carry out the task demanded of them. They should not be placed in a position where they are expected to work beyond the level of training they have received. If we don’t train junior doctors properly we risk jeopardising the high standards of medical expertise that our patients deserve.”

A Department of Health spokesman said, “Junior doctors spend too much time dealing with administrative tasks. We will release front-line NHS staff from unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy, so that they get maximum time with patients. Working with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, we have also made it a priority to try and renegotiate the European Working Time Directive, which will help give doctors the flexibility required to improve training.”

“We support recommendations made by Sir John Temple’s review, Time for Training and continue to work with Medical Education England to ensure the highest possible standards and supervision are achieved.”

Andrew Lansley, Health Secretary said, “Junior doctors should not be constrained by EU rules on working hours.” 

With EU legislation affecting the number of hours junior doctors can work each week, concerns within the medical profession will continue as administrative duties increase over training. As the government continues to reform the NHS, as well as discuss with the EU an opt-out for British junior doctors so they can undertake the training they need, MPP Locums is well placed to meet these reforms and changes within the NHS. 

MPP Locums provides general and specialist locum doctor jobs for NHS Trusts throughout the UK. MPP Locums ensures that all doctors are vigorously checked before being placed in key roles. We provide quality staff to our clients and are regulated by the Care Quality Commission and the NHS Buying Solutions. MPP Locums is an approved supplier of locum jobs to the NHS under the National Locum contract starting 1st July 2008 for the next three years.

If you are seeking NHS doctor jobs, doctor jobs, locum doctor jobs contact our registration team by telephone or register on line and be part of the fastest growing and largest specialist medical recruitment agency in the UK.

Patients can't get through to GPs

In a recent survey, millions of patients across the UK are unable to reach a GP because they are met with an engaged tone when calling their local surgery.

Researched suggested that every month more than six million patients who called a doctor between 8am and 10am were unable to get through. It also highlighted, that 93% of calls to doctors’ surgeries, which used normal landlines, go unanswered because the number is busy.

However, doctors’ surgeries that used a dedicated phone system to answer calls as opposed to normal landlines – the number of patients getting through first time increased to more than 98%. The callers found it more than twice as easy to get hold of a doctor and three times as easy to get test results over the phone. 

Network Europe Group (NEG), a telephone service provider, that conducted the survey, is now urging the Government to adopt a standardised system so that patients are able to make appointments, or pick up their test results when they need to. Dean Rayment, Managing Director of NEG, said, “We are genuinely shocked by the findings of our research. We think the Government will be equally shocked. But doctors should remain free to decide on the system that works best for their patients”.

The use of automated phone systems has raised questions in the past as callers were charged over the national call charge to contact their GPs. However, recent legislation has ended this practice with patients now being charged only the cost of a local call. 

The Department of Health stressed, “GPs should have the freedom to provide services as they see fit”.

A spokesman said: "The NHS White Paper published earlier this summer set out plans to give everyone the right to choose the GP that best meets their needs and we are removing ineffective top-down political targets that get in the way of GPs responding to people's needs. Instead of the Government telling GPs what patients want, we want patients to tell their GP themselves what they want and then give GPs the freedom to provide services and be accountable for the results they achieve. We also intend to roll out one single number 111 for all urgent care needs by 2013."

With the government’s drive to improve patient care and access to GPs, the need to look at ways of improving patient care will continue. As the NHS continues to reform and implement changes to improve services, MPP Locums is well placed to meet the future demands of the NHS. 

MPP Locums ensures that all doctors are vigorously checked before being placed in key roles. MPP Locums provides general and specialist locum doctor jobs for NHS Trusts throughout the UK. We provide quality staff to our clients and are regulated by the Care Quality Commission and the NHS Buying Solutions. MPP Locums is an approved supplier of locum jobs to the NHS under the National Locum contract starting 1st July 2008 for the next three years.

If you are seeking NHS doctor jobs, doctor jobs, locum doctor jobs contact our registration team by telephone or register on line and be part of the fastest growing and largest specialist medical recruitment agency in the UK.