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The serious implications of the case of Dr Bawa-Garba

A shockwave swept through the medical profession this week. The erasure from the medical register of Dr Bawa-Garba left many doctors thinking 'that could be me.....'. Dr Bawa-Garba was a junior doctor working in a busy paediatric department in Leicester in 2011. She was just back from a years maternity leave and thrown straight back into acute paediatric care with doctors missing on the rota, faulty hospital equipment and far too much work/too many patients to remain a safe doctor. Tragically, on that day a child died due to multiple failures and indeed the hospital itself admitted it had many areas it needed to improve on to prevent such an incident occurring again. Dr Bawa-Garba was subsequently convicted of manslaughter in a court of law and given a 2 year suspended sentence. It is said the court did not take into account the serious pressures Dr Bawa-Garba faced that day. Some time later she subsequently went through a process at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal
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General practice is on a cliff edge - and ACOs could tip it over

The latest acronym to hit the NHS is ACO – Accountable Care Organisations. You would be forgiven for sighing with disbelief at yet another change to the way the NHS operates. It wasn’t enough for the Conservative led coalition to push through the single biggest reorganisation of the NHS with the Health and Social Care Act 2012 – a change so big you could ‘ see it from space’ according to the then NHS chief executive David Nicholson. ACOs are the latest reorganisation by NHS England which Simon Stevens expects to “deliver fast-track improvements, such as fewer emergency hospitalisations and better care in people’s homes”. On the face of it that sounds like a good plan but the potential seismic shift in how the NHS runs under an ACO is frightening. ACOs will seek to bring together all organisations (providers and commissioners) offering health and social care under ‘one roof’ in a geographical area. Social care is now based on means testing so you have to pay if you have some
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Second-guessing your GPs referral

It has become apparent that some parts of the country will see the NHS intervening and looking at your GPs referral if you need to see a hospital doctor or other specialist service. This made me consider a few issues and the implications of this. The excellent OpenDemocracy published my thoughts and you can find them HERE .
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Why are GPs considering closing their patient lists

Below is an FAQ composed and supported by the people named at the end of the document. The document is to be used to explain the reason why GPs are considering such a significant move. GPs are reaching breaking point and we must make the government sit up, listen to the professionals and fund and support the NHS and general practice adequately. List closure FAQs We are aware that practices have started to receive their ballot papers from the BMA asking you to vote as to whether you are willing to consider collectively closing your list in response to the crisis in General Practice, in line with the motion that was passed at LMC conference in May which said: “That conference believes that the GP Forward View is failing to deliver the resources necessary to sustain general practice and demands that GPC ballot GPs as to whether they would be prepared to collectively close their lists in response to this crisis.” Many practices have approached us for more info
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