Bulletin 12.10.2010

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Bulletin 12.10.2010

Patients with Dental Problems

Patients with dental problems requesting a GP appointment because they have been unable to procure a dentist to treat them, seem to be on the increase. Doctors do not treat dental problems, however, treatment can be given for the pain. Having contacted all the PCTs, should a patient attend your surgery, apparently unable to find a dentist to treat them, please give them the contact number shown below:

To find the nearest dental practice taking on NHS patients in the Tees area, visit www.tees.nhs.uk or call the dental helpline on 0345 045 0620, or Text: 07700 380000.

If you need a dentist in an emergency, call 0845 603 3131. You will be given the next available emergency appointment at a dentist somewhere in Teesside.

You may wish to use this poster.

Hep B for Employment /University Related Matters

Unfortunately NHS regulations prohibit a GP practice in contract with the PCT from providing occupational health related Hep B vaccine on a private basis when funded by the patient. You may wish to provide your patients with a version of this template letter the LMC has developed. You will also wish to ensure a proper risk assessment has been carried out in such circumstances, and the LMC’s current advice is that this should normally be provided by an occupational health service provided by the person’s employer. Hep B must, of course, be provided when this is part of a treatment programme for an individual following an incident such as a human bite.

Performers List Responsibilities

There are a number of commitments doctors entered into when joining the Performers List. These include keeping the NEFHSA informed of home addresses and where you are working; informing the PCT of any criminal charges, convictions or cautions but not fixed penalty notices; informing it of any investigation of your conduct by the GMC any other professional body or another employer. Please ensure you notify Sue McGann at NEFHSA, 01325 553 071 or NEFHSA, The Old Exchange, Barnard Street, Darlington, DL3 7DR, of any change to your contact details. This is particularly important for locum GPs who may working in a number of practices.

MDO

Ensure your GMC/MDO subscriptions are up to date and that the organisations know your current address. Inadvertent slippages are often avoided by having Direct Debits rather than waiting for a reminder. GPs may wish to review subscriptions periodically and ascertain from their MDO, the services available to them in case of need to ensure it still provides appropriate and satisfactory services to meet their requirements.

Requests for Letters and Certification

Policy set out by the Cabinet Office in 2002 addressed reducing the unnecessary red tape and bureaucratic burdens placed on GPs such as reducing the levels of paperwork GPs have to contend with to ensure as much time as possible is used for patient care. This includes removing the need to provide certification of sickness when a student misses exams, certification for short-term sickness for employers and various letters from public bodies to confirm residency etc. There may be some instances when it is appropriate to respond to these requests e.g. clinical or child protection issues, but the majority can be politely refused. Please seek advice fro the LMC if you are unsure as to whether refusal is appropriate

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