News in brief
BMJ 2009; 339 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b4377 (Published 28 October 2009) Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4377
Home visits cause complaints
The most common reason for complaints against a general practitioner (GP) about home visits is the alleged refusal to visit, according to the Medical Defence Union. More than half of the 100 new complaints about home visits that the union dealt with in 2008 related to allegations of failure to visit, it says in new guidelines on how best to handle such visits. Other allegations included the “attitude” or “rudeness” of the doctor who visited, failure to examine the patient adequately, and delay in visiting.
General Medical Council online
The General Medical Council has revamped its website, offering an online version of its magazine for doctors, GMCtoday. The updated website also provides better access to the standards and ethics guidance and a much improved search facility that allows people to access Fitness to Practise Panel and Interim Order Panel decisions about doctors.
Lawyer takes on GP inquiry
Sir Ian Kennedy, former chairman of the Healthcare Commission, is to take over as chair of the King’s Fund 18 month inquiry into the quality of general practice in England. He replaces the fund’s chief executive, Niall Dickson, who is stepping down from the role to become chief executive of the General Medical Council in January 2010. The inquiry, originally launched in April 2009, will collect and examine evidence on the quality of care and services provided by GPs, including patients’ access to care, the quality of diagnosis and referral, and the care of patients with long term conditions.