Bid to stop doctor gagging orders

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26 January 2012 Last updated at 00:00 GMT Whistle-blowing in the NHS has received a lot of attention in recent years Doctors are being told they can no longer sign contracts that contain gagging orders, in new guidance issued by the medical regulator.

The General Medical Council advice states medics should not enter contracts or deals that seek to stop them raising concerns about poor care.

The guidance also makes clear that doctors have a duty to act if they believe care is being compromised.

It is the latest in a series of attempts to encourage whistle-blowing.

Evidence has been emerging in recent years of trusts restricting the ability of staff to raise the alarm about bad practices.

Nurse Margaret Haywood was struck off in 2009 after filming examples of neglect at Brighton's Royal Sussex Hospital for a BBC Panorama programme. She has since been reinstated.

'Unacceptable'

This followed the controversy over Stafford Hospital which inspectors criticised for appalling standards of emergency care after "patients needlessly died".

Subsequent reports picked up on the lack of whistle-blowing over the years.

Ministers have produced their own policies encouraging whistle-blowing and a helpline was launched at the start of this year for staff with concerns.

The GMC guidance, which will come into effect on 12 March, is being sent to all 240,000 doctors on the medical register in the UK.

It also includes advice about when doctors should raise concerns and how to tackle any barriers that they may face.

GMC chief executive Niall Dickson said: "These clauses are totally unacceptable.

"Doctors who sign such contracts are breaking their professional obligations and are putting patients and their careers at risk."

Source BBC

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NHS orders 2m extra flu vaccines

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22 September 2011 Last updated at 14:52 GMT By James Gallagher Health reporter, BBC News Extra flu shots have been order to prepare for flu season An extra two million flu vaccines have been ordered and an emergency "shot-pile" is being set up as health officials prepare for the flu season.

Last year there were reports of local shortages with older jabs being used to fill the shortfall.

The Chief Medical Officer for England, Prof Dame Sally Davies, said the contingency supply would be used to "smooth things out".

Pregnant women and other at risk groups are all recommended to take the jab.

Last year, 14.7 million shots were ordered. For this winter 16.7 million have been ordered and 400,000 will be kept in reserve.

For the second year running there will be no advertising campaign in England to raise awareness, unlike in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Prof Davies questioned the usefulness of adverts, saying people "listen to trusted sources, not government".

She is instead relying on health workers, charities and pharmacies to target those at risk.

Bags of medicine from the pharmacist will carry messages encouraging people to have the jab as "patients in at risk groups are taking medicines," she said.

Last winter more than 600 people in the UK died as a direct result of catching flu.

Continue reading the main story Over 65sPregnant womenHealth workers

Patients with:

Chronic respiratory diseases including asthmaChronic heart diseaseChronic kidney diseaseChronic liver diseaseChronic neurological diseases including Parkinson'sDiabetesWeakened immune systems including patients with HIV/Aids or undergoing cancer treatmentThe vaccine itself, based on advice from the World Health Organization, will again protect against swine flu (H1N1) as well as the H3N2 and Flu B strains.

These are the same three viruses as last winter, but the government's director of immunisation, Prof David Salisbury, warned patients they would be gambling if they were not immunised again this year.

"You actually need it just as much as last year," he said.

He warned there was no evidence that last year's shot would still offer protection and that "it's playing high risk stakes thinking you're protected".

Prof Davies again criticised healthcare workers who did not get vaccinated, saying they were "selfish" for not protecting their patients.

Last year 35% were vaccinated, up from 26% the year before.

Prof Salisbury said there had been renewed attempts to "persuade, influence and cajole employees", but there also needed to be improvements within hospitals to make it easier for staff to get vaccinated.

He said that at Birmingham Children's Hospital Foundation NHS Trust, 95% of front-line staff had had the seasonal flu jab, but that figure was as low as 10% in other areas.

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