Swine flu – local update 3 July 2009
The situation with swine flu has now changed. As swine flu spreads and there is transmission within the community, it makes sense to move from intensive efforts to contain the virus to focusing efforts on treating the increasing number of people who have the disease.
Swine flu itself remains, in most cases, a relatively mild illness, similar to seasonal flu and many people will not need to seek medical help.
It has always been clear that, at some point, the NHS would need to change the way patients are diagnosed and treated across the UK. Clinical diagnosis of swine flu is now handled by GPs rather than relying on laboratory test results. It is important that people with flu-like symptoms do not go to their GP’s surgery or local hospital, so GPs will confirm diagnosis over the phone. The NHS has established a number of treatment support centres across Leicestershire and Rutland where patients can obtain antiviral drugs authorised by GPs.
However, it will remain a matter of clinical discretion to decide whether antiviral medicines should be prescribed in individual cases.
As the number of cases rises, patients will be diagnosed and dealt with by the National Pandemic Flu Service. This will take the pressure off GPs by allowing people to be diagnosed (either online or via a dedicated call centre service) and receive an authorisation number for collecting a course of antivirals.
What to do if you think you may have swine flu
You should remain vigilant and anyone who thinks they have swine flu should follow these simple steps:
1. Check your symptoms using the online symptom checker:
· visit www.nhs.uk
· call the swine flu information line on 0800 1 513 513
· contact NHS Direct (0845 46 47 or www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk)
· download the national flu information leaflet from our internet sites at: www.lcr.nhs.uk and www.lcrchs.nhs.uk
2. Call your GP if you feel you have symptoms of the virus. GPs will provide a clinical diagnosis over the phone.
3. If swine flu is diagnosed, GPs will provide patients with an authorisation voucher. The GP will either fax this form to the antiviral collection point or you can ask one of your flu friends to collect it for you. A flu friend can be a member of your family, a friend, a neighbour or a colleague. You should have a list of flu friends ready before you become ill. Agree among friends and family who will collect medicine on each others’ behalf. Also think about becoming a flu friend for neighbours or colleagues who live alone.
It is important that patients do not go to their GP practice or to a hospital as this may spread the virus to others and cause delays for patients who require more urgent medical care.
Immigration change will hurt NHS
May 18, 2009 by Webmaster · Leave a Comment
Patient safety could be put at risk because changes to immigration rules could force hundreds of junior doctors out of the NHS, a union warns.
The British Medical Association said reform of the tier one skilled migrant category was unfair on foreign medics.
The union said it meant doctors in the first two years of training would not be able to apply for the next stage.
The BMA added that this could lead to a shortage of doctors eventually, compromising safety in the process.
BMA chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum has now written to Health Secretary Alan Johnson urging him to intervene to protect the NHS workforce.
He wants the Department of Health to take up the issue with the Home Office immediately as the NHS is also facing difficulties over the forthcoming introduction of the European working directive for junior doctors.
From August, the scope of the directive will be extended to junior doctors, limiting their working week to 48 hours.
Dr Meldrum said: “The full implementation of the directive coupled with a situation in which a proportion of prospective trainees can no longer continue with their training due to ever-tightening immigration rules is likely to exacerbate rota gaps, putting patient safety at risk.
“The BMA is requesting that the Department of Health intervenes.”
Excluded
The change to immigration rules in March means that those applying for the tier one category, which in the heath service covers junior doctors who have completed the foundation stage of their training and want to move on to specialist training, need to have a master’s degree.
But a medical degree – despite being a five-year course – is only classed as a bachelor’s, meaning all foreign junior doctors from outside the EU will be excluded.
In his letter, Dr Meldrum pointed out that as well as affecting those doctors who have already started junior doctor training, the thousands of foreign medical students at university in the UK could also end up leaving.
He said workforce planning in the health service was counting on these students becoming NHS doctors over the next few years.
But a joint Home Office and Department of Health statement denied the changes would harm the health service.
It added: “Our Australian-style points based system means only those we need come here to work.
“It is also flexible so we can raise or lower the bar according to the needs of the labour market and the country as a whole.”
Story from BBC NEWS:
