NHS Reforms Update

As you will be aware, the Health Bill has now passed through the House of Commons and will progress to the House of Lords. The latest GPC/BMA update can be viewed here.

Guidance on Request for Disclosure of Data for Secondary Purposes

Practices often receive requests for patient data for secondary uses. These requests may come from researchers, from NHS managers who require the data for health service planning or from private companies providing risk stratification services, for example. This document provides guiding principles to assist practices in considering how to respond to these types of requests.

Primary HIV Infection: Knowledge Amongst Gay Men

We have been asked to draw to your attention the National AIDS Trust’s (NAT’s) new report ‘Primary HIV Infection: knowledge amongst gay men’, outlining the results of a recent survey of over 8,000 gay men. Early diagnosis of HIV is very important, both in terms of preventing onward transmission and in terms of maximising the long-term health of people once infected. However, 52% of people diagnosed with HIV last year were in fact diagnosed late, meaning greater risk both of onward transmission and harm to future health. Primary HIV infection is for many a key early opportunity to diagnose HIV infection before a long asymptomatic period. The survey revealed that over 60% of gay men incorrectly believe there are no symptoms of primary HIV infection. However, when experiencing the most common combination of symptoms: sore throat, fever and rash, the most popular choice of action for respondents would be to go to their GP. GPs present an excellent opportunity to diagnose more people early, so it is vital that GPs have sufficient knowledge to recognise the indicators of primary HIV infection and feel comfortable suggesting an HIV test.

BMA Law CCG Service

BMA Law has launched a new service for member GPs involved in CCGs. The package includes advice from BMA Law on six legal questions on any issue falling within the description of services set out in BMA Law’s Terms and Conditions and 15% off total fees on any one BMA Law service. Further information can be found on the BMA Law web pages (you will need to log in to the BMA website to view these pages).