News in brief
BMJ 2010; 340 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c1957 (Published 14 April 2010) Cite this as: BMJ 2010;340:c1957
Rise in GMC cases
The number of fitness to practise cases dealt with by the General Medical Council has risen significantly in the past year, with 52 referrals to the fitness to practise panel in February 2010 alone—the highest number in one month for several years. “This is well beyond that which we had anticipated,” said chief executive Niall Dickson. “Most of it is coming from the NHS and other public bodies rather than individual patients, and while we can speculate about why this is happening, the reality is that we cannot be sure.”
Primary care commissioning the “slow train to Calcutta”
Primary care commissioning has been the “slow train to Calcutta,” Michael Dixon, chairman of the NHS Alliance, has said. Continuous reorganisation of primary care trusts, the introduction of a national fixed tariff, and continuing bias towards the acute provider all deny primary care commissioners sufficient autonomy to do their job. “What we need is to give primary care commissioners a proper chance, and the power, which they have largely not had so far,” he said.
Fit note caution
When filling in the new fit note that has replaced the sickness note, general practitioners need to be careful that they are not drawn into making comments they are not qualified to make, the BMA has warned. Since the introduction of the fit note on 6 April, GPs can decide whether their patients are capable of some form of work. For example, if a patient has back pain, the doctor can say that the patient should temporarily avoid elements of his or her normal job. It will be down to the employer to be flexible enough to accommodate the patient.