Lyrica – drugs – tablets – pregablin – online
1. Pregabalin and gabapentin set to become controlled drugs
Gabapentinoids look set to become controlled drugs, after a spike in the number of related deaths and series of studies warning about the adverse effects of the medication.
London ambulance credit Lee Bailey flickr – online
2. Red Cross deployed to cope with NHS ‘humanitarian crisis’
The British Red Cross says it has deployed staff to help in hospital and provided transport for discharged patients due to a ‘humanitarian crisis’ in the NHS.
training trainer practice PPL
3. GP training cuts necessary to allow HEE to ‘develop physician associates’
Cuts to the health education budget, which have led to training programmes for GPs and trainees being scaled back, were a trade-off to allow the development of physician associates, training bosses have said.
Richmond House – DH – Department of Health – online
4. GP shortages down to practices ‘not delivering’, says new health minister
An MP appointed as a health minister vows to make sure GP practices ‘take responsibility’ for having appropriate staffing for patient demand as ‘they get the money to do so’. The Conservative MP for Thurrock, Jackie Doyle-Price was made parliamentary under-secretary of state for health in June.
COPD – asthma – spacer – respiratory – online
5. GPs set to take half a million COPD patients off steroid inhalers
GPs are being urged to review all their patients with COPD who are taking inhaled steroids in light of new treatment guidelines, with UK experts estimating that as many as half a million patients who are currently prescribed the inhalers should be taken off them.
university – graduate
6. Medicine degrees offered through clearing ‘for first time ever’
A London university says it going to be offering medical course places via ‘clearing’ in a first for any medical school, which junior doctor leaders say is a ‘sad indictment’ of the NHS.
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7. State-backed indemnity scheme to cover ‘all GPs for all NHS work’
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt announces a ‘state-backed’ indemnity scheme will be open to all GPs, including locum GPs, for NHS work.
2123 legal law gavel book
8. Coroner writes to NHS after investigation ‘lost sight GP was a human being’
A coroner expresses ‘concern’ around investigations of GPs with mental health issues, following the death by suicide of a Midlands GP. Dr Wendy Potts died by suicide in November 2015. She had been subject to investigations – though not by the GMC – following complaints from a patient about her blog on battling bipolar disorder.
emergency admissions square PPL
9. Revealed: NHS’s plans to bar patients from attending A&E without a referral
NHS England considers pilots to stop walk-in patients attending A&E departments, requiring them to be referred by a GP or NHS 111. Dr Helen Thomas, national medical advisor for integrated urgent care at NHS England, said it ‘may well pilot’ a ‘talk before you walk’ scheme.
Money – coins – cash – online
10. NHS to spend £15m on training 1,000 GP physician associates by 2020
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s commitment to recruit 1,000 physician associates to work in general practice set to cost more than £15m. Graduates will each receive £9,000 in annual course fees for the two-year postgraduate course and £6,000 as a maintenance bursary.
