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#GPnews: GP MP urges ‘realism’ over GP workforce

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One in seven GPs plan to leave or reduce hours, finds DH-backed study

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15:45 Health select committee chair Dr Sarah Wollaston, a former GP, has taken to Twitter to urge the Government to be realistic about GP numbers when setting out its policies, ranging from Sunday appointments to GPs in A&E.

14:00 NHS Pensions has said it will accept incorrect forms that were submitted after it did not upload updated ones on its website, following the increase to employer contributions from the beginning of the month.

A spokesperson said: ‘GP Locum A and B forms were updated following the announcement of the administration levy and were emailed to PCSE, the BMA, several Locum Chambers and the National Association of Sessional GPs on 4 April.

‘A special edition newsletter was also issued on 24 March to explain the increase to the employer contribution rate.

‘NHS Pensions recognise the importance of having the forms available so we have now made them available on our website.

‘If anyone has, as a result, submitted the old form this will still be accepted by NHS Pensions but the correct employer contribution of 14.38% must be paid with effect from 1 April 2017.’

Access the correct forms here

12:20 Also in the Telegraph, NHS trusts are to trial ‘tracking apps’ with patients at high risk of suicide.

With patient consent, the app will allow medics to track high-risk ‘key words’ in text messages, and changes in behaviour such as late night phone calls.

The paper says that this comes as part of an NHS England announcement for £35m to be invested in digital technology aimed at improving mental health preventing suicide.

Other digital interventions to be tried include online consultations for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, on smartphones and computers, says the report.

09:45 The trend of so-called ‘clean eating’, which often replaces dairy products with supposedly healthier alternatives, is putting followers at risk of developing osteoporosis, it has been warned.

The charity for bone health, the National Osteoporosis Society, said its research showed that four in 10 young people have tried such diets, claiming this was a ‘ticking timebomb’ for the future.

It said its research group, which was between 18-24 years of age, were not aware their bones were still developing, reports the Telegraph.

Professor Susan Lanham-New, clinical advisor to the National Osteoporosis Society and professor of nutrition at the University of Surrey, said: ‘Diet in early adulthood is so important because by the time we get into our late twenties it is too late to reverse the damage caused by poor diet and nutrient deficiencies and the opportunity to build strong bones has passed.’

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