MedWorm: Royal College of Physicians

Who got that job? Roland Valori

BMA daily feed — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:10:00 +0100

BMA News interviews the Royal College of Physicians of London clinical director of accreditation (Source: BMA daily feed)

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A comparison of case-finding strategies in the UK for the management of hip fractures

Osteoporosis International — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:56:44 +0100

Conclusion Compared to the RCP strategy, the FRAX-based NOGG strategy uses BMD resources more efficiently with lower acquisition costs and lower costs per hip fracture averted. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticlePages 1-9DOI 10.1007/s00198-011-1864-yAuthors H. Johansson, Consulting Statisticians, Gothenburg, SwedenJ. A. Kanis, WHO Collaborating Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKA. Oden, Consulting Statisticians, Gothenburg, SwedenJ. Compston, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine and Addenbrooke’s NHS Trust, Cambridge, UKE. McCloskey, WHO Collaborating Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK Journal Osteoporosis InternationalOnli...

Benefits of joining the Royal College of Physicians (RCP)

Society for Endocrinology — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0100

New RCP foundation doctor membership benefits - For £4 per month, foundation doctor members receive career planning information covering 30 specialties, online clinical learning tools, discounts and a chance to be a part of the RCP. New RCP medical student membership - For £1 per month, medical students receive career planning information from doctors in 30 medical specialties represented by the RCP, clinical learning tools, discounts and a chance to be part of the RCP, with elective fund opportunities and opportunities to apply for event sponsorship. Visit the Join the RCP section of the RCP website for more information or visit the RCP training timeline. (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

Teenagers admit going too far sexually while drunk

the Mail online | Health — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:45:28 +0100

Excessive drinking is fuelling an epidemic of ‘risky sex’ among teenagers, according to a report by the Royal College of Physicians. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

Dementia care 'lacking' report finds

NHS News Feed — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0100

“Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients',” The Guardian has today reported. The newspaper says that the National Audit of Dementia has found that the care dementia patients receive is “impersonal” and that they “suffer boredom”. There are currently 750,000 people reported to have dementia in the UK, and it is estimated that there will be more than a million people with dementia in the UK by 2021. The report says that at any one time, up to a quarter of acute hospital beds are occupied by people over the age of 65 with dementia. The report says that people with dementia in hospital are more likely to belong to older age groups and more likely to need other mental and physical care. What is the basis for these current reports? The news stories have been pro...

GUM trainees and workforce planning

Sexually Transmitted Infections — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Workforce planning is an inexact science. Crucial information such as consultant retirement plans and the actions of trusts in developing new posts, refilling vacancies and reconfiguring services in the face of financial pressures are unknowns. ‘Liberating the NHS’1 is likely to result in far-reaching consequences for the genitourinary medicine (GUM) workforce. Pension changes may result in more immediate workforce implications. Other variables such as ‘community working’, new commissioning arrangements, development of other specialties and actions of devolved nations will take time to impact. From the Health Protection Agency's 2010 data the number of sexually transmitted infections diagnosed in UK GUM clinics is 30% higher than a decade ago and the total number of...

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Doctors call for ban on smoking in cars

NHS News Feed — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:08:00 +0100

“Doctors want to ban smoking in cars… even if you’re on your own,” the Daily Mail has reported. The Mail and most other newspapers and news broadcasters covered the call from the British Medical Association (BMA) for a government ban on drivers and passengers smoking in private vehicles. In a briefing paper from its board of science, the BMA argues that there is strong evidence that smoking in cars exposes non-smokers to high levels of secondhand smoke (SHS), with about 23 times more toxins than in a smoky bar. A blanket ban on smoking in cars, it argues, would protect vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, who often have no choice about taking a journey in a smoky vehicle. The BMA’s report also highlighted the risk of injury and death from road traffic accidents as ...

RCP medical student elective bursaries

Society for Endocrinology — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0100

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) are offering up to four grants of £500 each year to undergraduate medical students at UK universities, who will be undertaking a medical elective overseas. Applications must be made before the start of the project/elective period. Applicants must be RCP medical student members. To apply for a grant, fill in an application form at the link below, and return it to the RCP by 27 February 2012. RCP website (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

[Perspectives] Re-imagining disability

LANCET — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100

While the disabled people's movement has sometimes regarded science of and medicine as the enemy, exhibitions at the Royal College of Physicians and the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons suggest that health professionals are more open to dialogue, or even critique, than might be expected. (Source: LANCET)

Determining Specific Competencies for General Internal Medicine Residents (PGY 4 and PGY 5). What are they and are programs currently teaching them? A survey of practicing Canadian General Internists.

BMC Research Notes — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: This is the first study we are aware of to attempt to isolate the opinions of practicing Canadian General Internists as to the major competencies that should be mastered as a General Internist. We suggest that "generalism" in the context of GIM, does not mean a bit of knowledge about everything but that defined objectives for training in this 'newest' of Royal College subspecialties can be identified. This includes mastery of core areas such as perioperative care, risk reduction, and management of common, emergent and multiple internal medicine problems. The training gaps identified need to be addressed to ensure that General Internists continue to provide excellence in health care delivery. (Source: BMC Research Notes)

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Digest

Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100

AbstractNewsTreating personality disordersThe Department of Health has published its response to the consultation on a new pathway approach for the treatment and management of offenders with serious personality disorders (www.dh.gov.uk/health). It says ‘... it is clear ... that there is broad support for our plans and ... respondents agree that the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the NHS should work together to design and implement integrated pathways for managing and treating offenders with severe personality disorders, building on local and regional structures.’ The full response is available online.Coincidentally, NICE has been consulting on whether to update its 2009 clinical guideline (CG78) on borderline personality disorder. New clinical trial evidence about drug...

[Comment] Offline: 8 minutes

LANCET — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

When Iona Heath was chosen by Sir Richard Thompson, President of the Royal College of Physicians, to deliver the 2011 Harveian Oration, several senior Fellows of the College were outraged. A general practitioner giving the College's most prestigious lecture of the year? Impossible! They wrote to the College to express concern about the President's choice. Last week, their tribal parochialism was exposed as empty prejudice. Iona gave a splendid lecture. She was rewarded with warm and unusually sustained applause. (Source: LANCET)

NHS Choices assessment: Doctors call for change to alcohol advice

NeLM - News — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Source: NHS Choices Area: News NHS Choices has featured an assessment of media reports stating that people should have 3 alcohol-free days a week if they would like to avoid liver disease. The advice comes from a report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), which was submitted to MPs on the House of Commons' Science and Technology Committee. The advice was given to direct the government about its policy on recommended alcohol intake limits, rather than being aimed directly at the public. Please see link below for details. (Source: NeLM - News)

Doctors call for change to alcohol advice

NHS News Feed — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:03:00 +0100

Doctors have warned, “drinkers should have three alcohol-free days a week if they want to avoid the risk of liver disease,” the Daily Mail reported. It continued that the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said that the current guidance must be rewritten as it implies that drinking every day is fine. The new advice from the RCP is part of a submission to MPs on the House of Commons' Science and Technology Committee about current alcohol guidelines. This submission discusses their review of the evidence from 1995 as well as more recent research evidence and alcohol intake guidelines from other countries. The RCP concluded that the current wording of the UK guidelines appears to sanction daily or near daily drinking. It adds that the frequency of alcohol consumption is an important risk f...

Alcohol-Free Days Give Liver Time To Recover Say UK Doctors

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:00:00 +0100

UK doctors are recommending men and women who drink should have two or three alcohol-free days a week to give the liver time to recover. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) says the government guidelines should be amended as they imply daily drinking is safe. The RCP has been giving oral and written evidence this month to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee's inquiry into the evidence base for alcohol advice... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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'Avoid alcohol' three days a week

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:45:19 +0100

A night of drinking should be followed by two or three alcohol-free days, the Royal College of Physicians says. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

Trusts urged to follow NICE multiple sclerosis guidance

NeLM - News — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Source: NICE Area: News NHS Trusts are being urged to follow NICE recommendations to improve care for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), following the results of a national audit conducted by the Royal College of Physicians and the MS Trust. The audit found that there has been little or no improvement in care for MS patients in the last five years, and NICE guidelines for the management of patients with MS are no closer to being met today than when they were first launched in 2003. Audit findings include the following: . None of the six key recommendations made by NICE have been implemented widely or fully, such as ensuring that a rapid diagnosis is offered to all patients once they have experienced symptoms suggestive of MS, and making sure speci...

[Comment] Offline: Sisters and brothers

LANCET — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

The School of Medicine at Leeds University in England scored a tremendous first for the UK last week. It initiated a ceremony celebrating the professionalism of third-year medical students. In the US, the “white coat ceremony” is an important landmark in the life of a medical student. UK medical schools have never taken the professionalism of their students quite so seriously. The 2005 Royal College of Physicians report led by Baroness Julia Cumberlege—Doctors in Society—recommended that “medical schools consider introducing professional values early into the undergraduate medical course by means of a ceremony at which students would pledge their commitment to those values publicly”. (Source: LANCET)

Royal College of Physicians to support informatics event

Hospital IT Europe — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:13:00 +0100

Health + In4Matics 2012 event will take place in Birmingham, UK, in May (Source: Hospital IT Europe)

NHS 'should do more for woman doctors'

Scotsman.com News - Health of the NHS — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 23:17:30 +0100

The NHS should develop more flexible working patterns in response to the increasing number of female doctors, says the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health of the NHS)

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Early warning systems in the UK: variation in content and implementation strategy has implications for a NHS early warning system.

Clinical Medicine — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

This study reviewed clinical practice in London and Scotland against national guidelines. All hospitals responsible for acute medical admissions completed a telephone survey (n = 25 London; n = 23 Scotland). All used an early warning system at point of entry to care. Eleven different systems were used in London and five in Scotland. Forty per cent of London hospitals and 70% of Scottish hospitals incorporated the minimum data set recommended by NICE. Overall, Scotland was closer to achieving standardisation. If NEWS is implemented, consideration of the NHS QIS approach may support a more consistent response. PMID: 22034697 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Clinical Medicine)

Assessing Asthma Control in UK Primary Care: Use of routinely collected prospective observational consultation data to determine appropriateness of a variety of control assessment models.

BMC Family Practice — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: In the absence of a gold standard for assessing asthma control in primary care, the results indicate that the RCP-3Qs is an effective control assessment tool but, for maximum effect, the expanded scoring model should be used. (Source: BMC Family Practice)

Royal College of Physicians reports on better prescribing

NHS Networks — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

It refers to the need for healthcare professionals to use ‘patient terms’ and real life language and highlights that there is often uncertainty about what is available to the public in terms of life-changing therapeutic products and what modern medicine can offer. It recommends that GPs should be able to refer patients with medication problems to a pharmacist adviser who can also be used as a source of advice for both patients and GPs on medication related issues. Other practical recommendations in the report focus on more effective engagement, service improvement and improving research for the benefit of the public. (Source: NHS Networks)

Price of alcohol is 'obscenely low'

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:01:04 +0100

Heavy drinkers are being subsidised by ordinary shoppers in supermarkets, according to medical expertsThe price of alcohol is "obscenely low" and heavy drinkers are being subsidised by ordinary shoppers in supermarkets, according to medical experts. Speaking at the British Science Festival in Bradford on Tuesday, they called for more government action on the rising consumption of alcohol and its negative health consequences."A gram of cocaine in Yorkshire costs £40 [whereas] 40 grams of alcohol costs a pound if you buy white cider at £2 for a 2 litre bottle," said Robin Davidson, a clinical psychologist and chair of the newly launched charity, Alcohol Research UK. "The price of this drug is obscenely low."Ian Gilmore, consultant at Royal Liverpool Hospital and immediate past president of...

SfE endorsed event: Medical Dermatology, Endocrinology and Metabolic Medicine

Society for Endocrinology — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0100

The 7th Medical Dermatology Meeting, organised by the British Association of Dermatologists and the Royal College of Physicians and endorsed by the Society for Endocrinology, will take place at the RCP, London on 26 January 2012. The meeting will be of particular interest to dermatologists, endocrinologists and general internal physicians. Speakers include: Ian Coulson, Steve Franks, Fredrik Karpe, Pierre Bouloux and Edel O’Toole. Click on the link below to view the programme and registration form. Any queries should be directed to: conference@bad.org.uk. Further details (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

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New advances prompt genetics guidance update

Society for Endocrinology — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0100

A new report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), Royal College of Pathologists and British Society for Human Genetics explores the complex mix of legislation that applies to the use of genetic data and samples and sets out clear guidelines for healthcare professionals. The guidelines can be accessed via the link below. RCP press release (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

Guidelines for design of in-patient prescription charts

NeLM - News — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Source: Department of Health (DH) Area: News The Medical Director, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Pharmaceutical Officer have written to colleagues to announce new guidelines for the design of inpatient prescription charts. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges was commissioned in 2010 to work with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the Royal College of Nursing to produce these guidelines, which represent a consensus across the professional groups (please see the link below for details). The Royal College of Physicians are currently working to produce a standard chart and their recommendations will be published in due course. (Source: NeLM - News)

Digest

Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

AbstractNewsNICE guideline on ADHDConsultation on the NICE guideline on ADHD (CG72) has now ended. The scheduled review will consider new evidence on diagnosis, management and the organisation of care emerging since the guideline was published in 2008. New clinical trials confirm current recommendations for the treatment of children, NICE says, and support the use of methylphenidate as firstline therapy in adults followed by atomoxetine or dexamfetamine for patients who do not respond to or who are intolerant of six weeks' treatment with methylphenidate.NICE stroke recommendationsAbout half of patients with suspected stroke are initially managed in line with NICE's recommendations, according to an audit by the Royal College of Physicians (www.rcplondon.ac.uk). The College's Stroke Improvem...

“Intrinsic Roles” rather than “armour”: renaming the “non-medical expert roles” of the CanMEDS framework to match their intent

Advances in Health Sciences Education — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 05:49:14 +0100

Content Type Journal ArticleCategory CommentaryPages 1-3DOI 10.1007/s10459-011-9318-zAuthors Jonathan Sherbino, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Ottawa, CanadaJason R. Frank, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Ottawa, CanadaLeslie Flynn, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Ottawa, CanadaLinda Snell, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Ottawa, Canada Journal Advances in Health Sciences EducationOnline ISSN 1573-1677Print ISSN 1382-4996 (Source: Advances in Health Sciences Education)

Clinician investigator training in Canada: a review.

Clinical and Investigative Medicine — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:30:15 +0100

Conclusion: Since the progam's inception, the number of CIP in Canada has grown. CIP are recognized as important mechanisms for integrating clinical and research training during residency to produce highly qualified clinician investigators. PMID: 21810376 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Clinical and Investigative Medicine)

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British Thoracic Society survey of knowledge of healthcare professionals managing patients with acute hypercapnic exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring non-invasive ventilation

Thorax — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100

The use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in acute hypercapnic exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the subject of published guidance from the Royal College of Physicians, the British Thoracic Society (BTS) and the Intensive Care Society, as well as international consensus statements.1–3 Although these guidelines have been updated, data from the UK COPD audit detailing admissions to UK hospitals have shown that compliance with this guidance is less than satisfactory.4 In part, it has been suggested that the reason for poor implementation of the guidelines is lack of knowledge of indications, technical and practical aspects of delivering NIV by those healthcare professionals assessing, initiating and managing patients. We performed a BTS staff knowledge sur...

UK Fifth National Colorectal Cancer Consensus Meeting 2010

Clinical Oncology — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100

The fifth National Colorectal Cancer Consensus Meeting was held at the Royal College of Physicians in London on 2 December 2010. The audience included doctors (16.2%), nurses (33.8%), pharmacists (11.8%), cancer network representatives (4.4%), patients (11.8%) and other delegates (22.1%), following the pattern of previous years . (Source: Clinical Oncology)

[Correspondence] Regulation of herbal medicines

LANCET — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:36:12 +0100

David Holmes's World Report on herbal statutory regulation (April 30, p 1479) characterises the UK's Royal College of Physicians (RCP) as being opposed to the statutory regulation of herbal practitioners when, in fact, the RCP is divided about it. (Source: LANCET)

Prizes and awards for SfE members

Society for Endocrinology — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:00:00 +0100

We are delighted to announce: Professor Waljit Dhillo has been selected as the Royal College of Physicians’ Goulstonian Lecturer. He will give his lecture entitled The critical role of kisspeptin in human fertility on Monday 31 October 2011 at the Royal College of Physicians, London. Professor Bob Webb has been awarded the Marshall Medal. This is the premier award offered by the Society for Reproduction and Fertility. We would also like to congratulate Dr Paul Foster (University of Birmingham) for winning an award for 'blog of the month' from Understanding Animal Research for his blog ?The Ark Hive? (http://the-ark-hive.org/). (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

'August is always a nightmare': results of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Society of Acute Medicine August transition survey.

Clinical Medicine — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Vaughan L, McAlister G, Bell D Abstract An electronic survey was used to assess perceptions of the disruption caused by the August transition and explore support for possible solutions. In total, 763 responses from members and fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Society of Acute Medicine were received. The majority perceived the August transition to have a negative impact on patient care (93.1%), patient safety (90.4%) and training (57.8%) for a period of up to one month. In total 680/737 respondents wished to shift away from a single changeover day, with strong support for a staggered changeover by grade. Changes to consultant working practices were felt to be beneficial, especially the cancellation of outpatient clinics (75%) and the restricti...

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Discharge summary toolkit for patients will help GPs

HealthcareRepublic Pharmacist News — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:00:00 +0100

GPs will find it easier to provide effective care for patients discharged from hospital following the launch of a discharge summary toolkit, the Royal College of Physicians believes. (Source: HealthcareRepublic Pharmacist News)

Is the Mental Capacity Act reducing generalizable research in care homes?

Public Health — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100

The National Dementia Strategy in 2009 called for an increased coordinated research programme (Objective 16), while a collaborative report from the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Nursing and the British Geriatric Society called for more research in care homes. Currently in the UK, £11 is spent on research for each individual with dementia, compared with around £300 for each cancer patient. A European Charter has been launched recently to highlight the rights and importance of recruiting older people into research trials. (Source: Public Health)

[Editorial] UK neurological care: time to confront the crisis

Lancet Neurology — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:18:56 +0100

There are serious shortfalls in the local provision of adult neurological services in the UK, according to the results of a June 2011 report by the Royal College of Physicians and The Association of British Neurologists. In a country where neurological disorders account for at least 10% of acute admissions and 1 in 50 people is disabled by a neurological condition, this is an unacceptable situation. (Source: Lancet Neurology)

A national audit of pollen immunotherapy for children in the United Kingdom: patient selection and programme safety

Clinical and Experimental Allergy — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance Pollen SIT is available across England, though small numbers of children are being treated. Current national guidelines to exclude asthmatic children in SIT programmes are not being adhered to by most specialist paediatric allergy centres. SCIT and SLIT has been well tolerated. Review of patient selection criteria is needed and may allow greater use of this therapeutic option in appropriate clinical settings. (Source: Clinical and Experimental Allergy)

New guidance on the transfer of medicine information

NeLM - News — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Source: Department of Health (DH) Area: News The Royal Pharmaceutical Society, in association with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the Royal College of GPs, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Physicians and the Department of Health has issued best practice guidance aimed at helping organisations develop their systems and processes for managing information and supply of medicines across the different care settings. The development the best practice guidance "Keeping patients safe when they transfer between care providers - getting the medicines right" contains advice on the following (taken directly from source): . High level good practice principles for all healthcare professionals involved in the sending and receiving of information about medicine...

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William Ian McDonald: 1933-2006

Brain — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

The life and achievements are described of (William) Ian McDonald, BMedSc MBChB PhD FRACP FRCP FRCOpth FMedSci: neurologist, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (1966–98); physician, Moorfields Eye Hospital (1969–96); professor of neurology, Institute of Neurology and Institute of Ophthalmology, University of London (1974–98); Editor of Brain (1991–97); Harveian Librarian, Royal College of Physicians of London (1996–2004); born Wellington, New Zealand, 15 April 1933; died London, 13 December 2006. At his death, Ian McDonald left 33 box files of largely unsorted material relating to his private and professional life. The archive has not been catalogued but this biographical account of his life and work draws on the material contained therein. Where...

Thousands Of Patients Miss Out On Stroke Prevention Surgery, UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:00:00 +0100

A new report suggests that despite countless initiatives and high profile public awareness campaigns, more than half of NHS patients with symptoms of stroke or mini stroke are failing to get fast access to life-saving, stroke prevention surgery. The UK Carotid Endarterectomy Audit, produced by the Royal College of Physicians and The Vascular Society, shows that a lack of public and professional awareness about the need for quick treatment, combined with badly designed hospital services, is resulting in hundreds of preventable strokes... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Trusts missing NICE guidelines on stroke treatment

HSJ — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:01:00 +0100

“Considerable variation” exists in the time taken to provide stroke prevention surgery, data from the Royal College of Physicians and the Vascular Society has shown. (Source: HSJ)

Access to stroke prevention surgery varies widely in UK

BMJ Online First — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Some patients who need carotid endarterectomy undergo it within two days of symptoms, while others wait almost two months, an audit by the Royal College of Physicians and the Vascular Society has... (Source: BMJ Online First)

John Hughlings Jackson and the clinico-anatomical correlation method

Cortex — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

On the 7th October 1911, at the age of 76, died in London the neurologist whose reputation has since grown to the honorific title of the ‘father of English neurology’ (). John Hughlings Jackson () had been a well respected figure during his lifetime, as attested by the series of invitations he received to deliver some of the most prestigious lectures to the Royal College of Physicians and the Hunterian Society. These included the Goulstonian (1869), Croonian (1884) and Lumleian (1890) lectures and the Hunterian Oration (1872). His achievements were remarkable for his time. Along with John Charles Bucknill, James Crichton-Browne, and David Ferrier, he founded the prestigious journal Brain and was among the first to draw attention to disorders of higher cognitive functions associated wit...

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RCP Samuel Leonard Simpson fellowships in endocrinology

Society for Endocrinology — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:00:00 +0100

Applications are invited for the Royal College of Physicians Samuel Leonard Simpson fellowships in endocrinology. These travelling fellowships enable endocrinologists to learn new techniques and acquire new experiences, ideas and stimulation through international travel and exchange of ideas. In doing so they will honour the name of Dr Samuel Leonard Simpson, a pioneer of British endocrinology. The fellowships are open to suitably qualified endocrinologists. The deadline for applications is 1 September 2011. For more information please follow the link below. Further details (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

VIDEO: Professionals back NHS revisions

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:53:18 +0100

NHS Confederation's Mike Farrar and Richard Thompson from the Royal College of Physicians claimed changes in government plans for the NHS in England have met some of their fears. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

Four Ministers To Address Public Health Policy Consultation Day In The Royal College Of Physicians, On Monday 13th June 2011, Ireland

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 09:00:00 +0100

A major new initiative, aimed at improving our general standard of health, is being launched today, Monday 13th of June by four government ministers with a consultation day with public health professionals, relevant departments and agencies, academics, community and voluntary organisations and others taking place in the Royal College of Physicians, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. There will be a live webcast of the morning session and this can be accessed via the link - see here... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Medical Training Under Threat From Proposed Immigration Changes, UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:00:00 +0100

VSO and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) are concerned that the government's proposed changes to immigration laws announced today, will have a significant impact on a training initiative that increases the quality of medical healthcare in the developing world and has significant benefits for the NHS. The two organisations warn that the highly effective two year Medical Training Initiative (MTI) that trains about 200 doctors a year from the developing world will be put at risk if the government adopts its proposal to cut the duration of Tier 5 visas for temporary workers to just one year... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Local adult neurology services for the next decade

NHS Networks — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Report from the Royal College of Physicians and the Association of British Neurologists on local adult neurology services (Source: NHS Networks)

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Neurology care 'patchy and inefficient'

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:03:38 +0100

NHS failing to provide adequate support for 10 million Britons who have neurological conditions, warn expertsThe NHS is failing to provide proper care for up to 10 million Britons who have a neurological condition such as migraine, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease, physicians warn in a report.Too many patients requiring specialist attention do not get to see a neurologist, while badly organised services may mean that some people's treatment is less than ideal, it is claimed.The criticisms are contained in a study by the Royal College of Physicians, which represents hospital doctors, and the Association of British Neurologists. It highlights how patients need different types of services: as an acute admission to hospital, as an inpatient, and for long-term care. "These are currentl...

Neurology services not meeting patients' needs

Multiple Sclerosis Trust — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

A new report from the Royal College of Physicians and the Association of British Neurologists says that services for people with neurological conditions are poorly organised and do not meet people's needs. (Source: Multiple Sclerosis Trust)

Involve specialists in commissioning, urges Royal College of Physicians

BMJ Online First — Tue, 31 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Hospital specialists and public health doctors must be appointed to commissioning consortium boards and have a key role in decisions made about patient care and service planning at both national and... (Source: BMJ Online First)

A history of Guy’s, King’s and St. Thomas’ hospitals from 1649 to 2009: 360 Years of innovation in science and surgery

International Journal of Surgery — Sun, 29 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Abstract: Much has been achieved in the scientific and surgical fields over the last 360 years. Some institutions have contributed disproportionately to these advances. The medical schools and hospitals of Guy’s (est. 1721), King’s (est. 1840) and St. Thomas’ (est. 1173) seem to provide a focus and a catalyst for much innovation and creativity dating back to 1608. This review sets to provide an overview of the major contributors to surgical advances at these institutions over the last 360 years and what factors affected unique to these institutions contributed to the climate of discovery. It is based on a lecture given to the Osler Club of London (est. 1928) at the Royal College of Physicians in London on 4 November 2010. It is the author’s premise that the people and the discoveri...

Make All Doctors A Part Of Commissioning, Says Royal College Of Physicians , UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 27 May 2011 09:00:00 +0100

In its response to the Future Forum as part of the government's listening exercise on the Health and Social Care Bill 2011, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) says that: - Hospital specialists, and not just GPs, should be appointed to consortium boards and be a central part of all commissioning decisions to make sure patients receive integrated care. Consortia should be renamed Community Commissioning Boards to reflect this broader involvement. GPs should reciprocally sit on the boards of Foundation Trusts... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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Lack Of National Software For Care Records Makes Implementing National Record Standards Even More Important Says RCP, UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 23 May 2011 08:00:00 +0100

Responding to the recent National Audit Office report on the delivery of detailed care records, the directors of the Royal College of Physicians' (RCP) Health Informatics Unit (HIU) agree that the delivery of a central system for care records is not achievable. Instead, Professors John Williams and Iain Carpenter say that the way forward is to implement national standards for the structure and content of care records from a clinical perspective... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

National Osteoporosis Society Issues Comment On RCP Audit Findings On Fracture Preventative Care

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 17 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

An audit carried out by the Royal College of Physicians' has revealed that too many NHS Trusts are failing to prevent recurrent falls and fractures. The audit, commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP), also found that many patients who could benefit from treatment to prevent broken bones are missing out... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

RCP report: National audit of falls and bone health in older people - 2011

NeLM - News — Tue, 17 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Source: Royal College of Physicians Area: News The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) was commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) to perform a National Audit of Falls and Bone Health in Older People - three year programme of work. The RCP has now published a report containing detailed information about falls and bone health services and the delivery of care for people that have fallen and had a fragility fracture. According to the audit, there is unacceptable variation in the quality of NHS services for care and prevention of falls and fractures. In many areas, there is a major gap between what NHS organisations state what they provide, in terms of commissioning, protocols or structure; and what clinical audit reveals in terms of actual care provide...

RCP Comment On 'The Health Impacts Of Cold Homes And Fuel Poverty', UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 13 May 2011 09:00:00 +0100

This report, with its powerful evidence of the harm cold housing does to health should be the catalyst for strong government action to help people insulate and heat their homes, particularly to protect children and older people... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

BVA Teams Up With BSAVA For London Congress, UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 11 May 2011 09:00:00 +0100

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is delighted to announce that this year's annual Congress, under the theme 'Vets in a changing world', will be delivered in association with the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA). The Congress will be held at the Royal College of Physicians, London on 22-24 September. As part of an ongoing initiative to provide world-class CPD to BVA and BSAVA members BSAVA will deliver a scientific programme covering feline medicine, gastroenterology medicine and surgery, and cardiorespiratory medicine... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Leslie Collier obituary

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 09 May 2011 17:39:21 +0100

Virologist who played a critical role in eliminating smallpoxProfessor Leslie Collier, who has died aged 90, was a virologist and bacteriologist who played a key role in eradicating smallpox. He worked out a way of freeze-drying smallpox vaccine so that it could be carried into remote areas in high temperatures. He also made the crucial link between trachoma, affecting 84 million people worldwide, of whom about 8 million are visually impaired, and the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia. His work changed the method of treatment for patients with trachoma, saving eyesight and many lives.The world was at the mercy of the smallpox virus when Leslie began his research at the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine, then in Chelsea, London, in 1948. In the early 1950s, an estimated 50m cases...

Prevalence of, and factors influencing, binge drinking in young adult university under‐graduate students

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:11:53 +0100

Conclusions: Increased alcohol awareness is needed within university students. Student attitudes towards alcohol, university culture's influence and alcohol promotions targeting students, are key factors requiring action. The high prevalence of binge drinking provides evidence that these students are at risk of short and long term alcohol related health problems, and nutritional deficiencies.References: Drink Aware (2009) Students [online] available from <http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/alcohol‐and‐you/students> [Accessed on 15 January 2010].Gill, J. (2002) Reported levels of alcohol consumption and binge drinking within the UK undergraduate student population over the last 25 years. Alcohol & Alcoholism3, 109–120.Office for National Statistics (2007) Health Related Behav...

Foreword: Allergen Immunotherapy

Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 15:42:41 +0100

This year is the 100th anniversary of the first scientific publication on allergen immunotherapy. Leonard Noon, the father of allergen immunotherapy, called it “prophylactic inoculation against hay fever.” In his pioneering article, he acknowledged that Dunbar in Hamburg, Germany, through his animal experiments, provided the initial scientific understanding for sensitivity to pollens. Alexandre Besredka in Paris was the first to successfully perform allergen hyposensitization in animals. The foregoing scientific works formed the foundation for “prophylactic inoculation” against hay fever. However, the concept of prophylactic inoculation, ie, vaccination, was introduced to the Western medicine more than 100 years earlier in 1798 by Edward Jenner. Therefore, it is likely that Leonard...

Research fellow, National Clinical Guideline Centre

Society for Endocrinology — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0100

This is an exciting opportunity to join the National Clinical Guideline Centre (NCGC), a multi-disciplinary health services research team funded by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). We have been asked to expand our work programme, and are seeking to recruit a Research Fellow. If you have related experience and a desire to make a difference in improving healthcare delivery and the quality of patient care, we would be delighted to hear from you. The NCGC produces evidence-based clinical practice guidelines on behalf of NICE, we also contribute to the Quality Standards Programme, specialising in guidance for acute and chronic conditions across a wide and varied range of clinical topics. The NCGC is a vibrant, dedicated and enthusiastic team with a staff curren...

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[Comment] Offline: The wisdom of small rooms

LANCET — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 18:38:02 +0100

For any scientific institution, is scientific excellence enough to command respect and authority?Fred Binka put it bluntly: “We need help.” He was speaking at the Royal College of Physicians last week in London. The meeting was about how to build institutions through equitable partnerships in global health. Fred is the Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Ghana. Given that those of us in relatively rich institutions have access to extensive resources for education and research, why are we not sharing those assets more widely? No clear answer was provided. (Source: LANCET)

SfE launches new patient information leaflet on adrenal insufficiency

Society for Endocrinology — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0100

The Society for Endocrinology has produced a new patient information leaflet on adrenal insufficiency. This leaflet provides an introduction to the causes and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency and the tests used to diagnose this condition. It is endorsed by the Addison’s Disease Self-Help Group, the European Society of Endocrinology, the Pituitary Foundation and the Royal College of Physicians. A pdf copy is available via the link below. If you would like any hard copies of the leaflet, please email public@endocrinology.org. Adrenal insufficiency leaflet (pdf) (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

Congratulations

Society for Endocrinology — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0100

We are delighted to announce that Professor Steve O’Rahilly, Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge was selected to give the Royal College of Physicians prestigious Croonian Lecture earlier this year. Details can be found on the RCP website at the link below. We love to hear from members who are recipients of national or international awards. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you or any of your colleagues are awarded any prizes. RCP website (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

Working the night shift: evidence-based practice?

Emergency Medicine Journal — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100

The emergency department is a 24 h environment and shift work has been a fact of life for junior emergency department doctors for decades. The European Working Time Directive, rising numbers of patients and the desirability of more senior medical cover overnight means that a junior doctor wishing to specialise in emergency medicine (EM) faces the prospect of nearly a decade of full-shift working. There is a wealth of evidence regarding best practice for working night shifts, mainly from non-medical environments such as industry, NASA, aviation and the forces. In 2006 The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) published ‘Working the night shift; preparation, survival and recovery’,1 offering guidance to doctors working a full-shift pattern based on the available evidence. Workin...

NHS trusts failing to tackle staff obesity

NHS Networks — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Just 15 per cent of NHS trusts have a policy or plan to help tackle staff obesity, a report by the Royal College of Physicians and the Faculty of Occupational Medicine has revealed. (Source: NHS Networks)

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Scottish conference considers issues of ageing with HIV

Terrence Higgins Trust — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:45:26 +0100

On Tuesday 19th April, two Scottish HIV charities are to host a free conference in Edinburgh for over-50s living with HIV and those with a professional interest in the issue. The aim of the conference, a joint venture between Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland (THT Scotland) and Waverley Care, is to address and discuss challenges facing over-50s living with HIV, who are the fastest growing demographic of people with the condition in the UK. Over 1,000 people currently living with HIV in Scotland are over 50.The Positive Ageing Conference will take place at the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh from 9.30am – 4.00pm. This event is part of the Positive Scotland initiative, a project delivered by THT Scotland and Waverley Care and funded by the Big Lottery Fund, with a focus on helping peo...

SfE launches new pituitary apoplexy guidelines

Society for Endocrinology — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0100

The Society for Endocrinology has launched its new guidelines on the management of pituitary apoplexy. These guidelines are endorsed by the Pituitary Foundation, the Royal College of Physicians and British Society of Neurological Surgeons and have been published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology. Clinical Endocrinology paper Press release (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

Trusts failing to implement guidance on improving their staff's health

NeLM - News — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Source: BMJ Area: News According to a report by the British Medical Journal, an audit conducted by the Royal College of Physicians and the Faculty of Occupational Medicine has found that only 15% of NHS trusts have a policy or plan in place to tackle obesity among their staff, and only a third provide weight management programmes. The audit, which involved 282 NHS Trusts in England, looked at how trusts had responded to six sets of guidance from NICE on health in the workplace. It found wide variation in how far these guidelines had been implemented: the median score on implementing 39 standards was 60%, but ranged from 30-98%. The least progress had been made on tackling obesity and physical activity, and the best had been made on the guidance on smoking cessation,...

NHS Trusts Failing To Tackle Obesity, UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:00:00 +0100

A new report published today by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Faculty of Occupational Medicine has revealed that only 15% of NHS trusts have a policy or plan to help combat staff obesity. The findings come from the first national audit within the NHS of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) public health guidance for the workplace... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

RCP Welcomes Proposed International Actions On Non-Communicable Disease, UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 09:00:00 +0100

The Royal College of Physicians welcomes the new proposed international priorities to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which will be put forward by The Lancet NCD Action Group and the NCD Alliance in The Lancet, 6 April 2011... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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RCP Statement On Health Select Committee 'Commissioning: Further Issues' Report, UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:00:00 +0100

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) welcomes the Health Select Committee's report, Commissioning: Further Issues. We hope the government will adopt the recommendations, which we believe will improve the Health and Social Care Bill. The RCP also recommends that the Bill includes a provision to guarantee a local comprehensive health service. The Health Committee's Commissioning report endorses a number of the recommendations the RCP made in our written evidence submission... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Royal College of Physicians SAS workforce survey

Society for Endocrinology — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 12:00:00 +0100

The Royal College of Physicians annually collects data on consultants and registrars about their jobs and career plans to help in develop the best workforce for patient care. SAS doctors are key to this workforce but our data on the work you and your colleagues do is limited. Such workforce data is vital in the current changing NHS. We would therefore be extremely grateful if you could take the time to fill in the linked questionnaire to help us better understand your post, work issues and career aspirations. SAS workforce survey (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

Controlling quality in CME/CPD by measuring and illuminating bias

Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

DiscussionThe analysis from this study suggests that the tool can be used as a part of a multistage process to introduce quality control mechanisms to help raise standards for CME/CPD. It is imperative to develop a cost‐effective standardized training protocol that can be implemented at all sites to maximize the reliability of the tool. (Source: Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions)

Early warnings? Please include the ED in your ViEWS

Resuscitation — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Six months ago Prytherch et al. presented the ViEWS system and demonstrated its excellent performance in predicting short-term mortality in MAU patients. In his accompanying editorial Subbe made an elegant argument for the standardisation of hospital Early Warning Scores across the UK, supporting the Royal College of Physicians recommendation of 2007 that physiological assessment should be used at all stages of the acute care pathway. (Source: Resuscitation)

Survey of MS services across England and Wales

Multiple Sclerosis Trust — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

We are sorry that some people may have had problems accessing the survey, particularly over the last two weekends. The Royal College of Physicians assures us that the problems with their website have now been rectified. Your input is really important to us and we would be really grateful if you could spare the time to try again. (Source: Multiple Sclerosis Trust)

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New CKS Topic: Delirium

NeLM - Guidelines — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Source: Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS) Area: Evidence > Guidelines The Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS) service has published a new topic covering the diagnosis and management of delirium in primary care, based on the NICE clinical guideline and national guidelines published by the Royal College of Physicians and British Geriatric Society. The target audience is healthcare professionals working within the NHS in England, and providing first contact or primary health care. (Source: NeLM - Guidelines)

Winner of RCP Croonian Lecture 2011

Society for Endocrinology — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:00:00 +0100

We are delighted to announce that Professor Steve O’Rahilly, Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge is to give the Royal College of Physicians prestigious Croonian Lecture this year. Details can be found at the link below. RCP Croonian Lecture 2011 (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

Winner of the RCP Croonian Lecture 2011

Society for Endocrinology — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:00:00 +0100

We are delighted to announce that Professor Steve O’Rahilly, Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, is to give the Royal College of Physicians' prestigious Croonian Lecture this year. Details can be found at the link below. RCP Croonian Lecture 2011 (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

Survey of MS services, we need your help

Multiple Sclerosis Trust — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

The MS Trust survey of MS services in England and Wales in partnership with the Royal College of Physicians is now LIVE! (Source: Multiple Sclerosis Trust)

Jerry Morris memorial conference

Public Health — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Jerry Morris, as readers of this journal will know, had a profound influence on post war public health. His work on exercise is well known and his research with the social statistician Richard Titmuss, helped develop social medicine ideas and bring research to bear on them. From the 1962 Royal College of Physicians first report on smoking to the 1970 Black Report on inequalities in health, Jerry was a member of key post war public health committees. His concept of the community physician lay behind the reorientation of public health and its relocation from local government to NHS in the 1970s. He was a key player in the foundation of the Faculty of Community Medicine and was an adviser to Labour governments in the 1960s and 70s. (Source: Public Health)

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National training scheme for the use of radioiodine in benign thyroid disease

Society for Endocrinology — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:00:00 +0100

Tuesday 14th June 2011, 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, Birmingham This one day course represents an essential component of the new national training scheme aiming to allow application for ARSAC certification for iodine-131 administration for the treatment of benign thyroid disease. This training programme will be appropriate for established thyroid specialists and SpRs nearing CCT. The full programme will be recognised for CPD accreditation, and has been approved by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Radiologists. For more information on the course and to obtain a registration form please contact Mrs Helen Flood, RCP West Midlands Regional Office, Birmingham Research Park, Institute of Research & Development, Vincent Drive, Birmingham, B15 2SQ. Tel: 0121 414 7020, Fax: 01...

NHS Not Routinely Testing For Killer Disease, UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:00:00 +0100

100,000 people in the UK are at risk from an undiagnosed heart condition called familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), says the Royal College of Physicians. FH is an inherited condition causing high levels of LDL cholesterol, which causes early heart disease. Roughly half of men with FH, if untreated, will have developed heart disease by the age of 55 years, and roughly one third of women by the age of 60. Crucially, half of their first degree relatives (brothers, sisters and children) will be similarly affected but are often unaware of the condition... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Stroke Mood Screening on an inpatient stroke unit.

British Journal of Nursing — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

This article describes the development and evaluation of a mood screening pathway on a hospital-based stroke unit. The pathway is evaluated against the criteria of the national stroke guidelines, particularly the National Stroke Sentinel Audit (Royal College of Physicians, 2008a). The outcome reveals that the Stroke Mood Screening pathway meets the target of assessing every patient in 88.9% of cases. This places the performance of this procedure within the top quarter of stroke units in the UK. The Stroke Mood Screening pathway enabled the rehabilitation team to identify mood disturbances very early following patients' admission to the unit. Good communication pathways between rehabilitation staff and easy referral routes to neuropsychology made rapid and efficient responses to emerging mo...

Development of sports and exercise medicine in Ireland and future challenges

British Journal of Sports Medicine — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Lecture 25 The Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine was set up in September 2001 and is a joint Faculty of the Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The Medical Council gave the Speciality, Specialist recognition in May 2004 and to date there are 25 doctors on the Register of Medical Specialists in the Division of Sports and Exercise Medicine. The Faculty has developed a curriculum for Higher Specialist Training; this is a 4-year training programme which includes a number of core specialities that trainees must complete (ie, A&E, Cardiology/Resp Medicine, etc). All trainees will have completed a BST programme and should have completed some Postgraduate course such as an MSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine (SEM). Our curriculum is very similar to FSEM ...

Kendall Ho to give 2011 Whitmore Presidential Lecture

Baylor College of Medicine News — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Dr. Kendall Ho, associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine, will be the speaker at Baylor College of Medicine's 2011 John E. Whitmore Presidential Lecture. Ho's lecture, “eHealth and Telemedicine: Opportunities for Global Collaboration," will be held Wednesday, Jan. 19, at noon in BCM's Cullen Auditorium. Ho is the founding director of the eHealth Strategy Office at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine. He is also the executive director of the Technology Enabled Knowledge Translation Investigative Centre interdisciplinary research team in British Columbia and is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's Professional Development Committee. His research interests are in technology...

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Why we should learn to love the meteorite

Guardian Unlimited Science — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:01:00 +0100

Geologist Ted Nield tells us why we should stop worrying and learn to love the meteorite. Ted's new book Incoming is out now. In our show and tell section, we dive into the secret world of leatherback turtles, discuss a chemist's worry that backstreet drug-makers are using his cutting-edge research to dangerous ends, and why women's tears dampen sexual desire in men. If you want to check out how tearful you are, here is a link to that film (The Champ, 1979) we mention at the end of the programme. We put our walking boots on and dodge the traffic as we take a tour of some of the most famous roads in medicine, a historical walk around London's Harley Street organised by the Royal College of Physicians. WARNING: contains strong language.Subscribe for free via iTunes to ensure every episode ge...

Royal College of Physicians Graham Bull Prize in Clinical Science 2011

Society for Endocrinology — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:00:00 +0100

This award was established in 1988 in honour of the late Sir Graham Bull, who was the first Director of the Clinical Research Centre at Northwick Park. A trust for the Graham Bull Prize was set up to provide money for young researchers under the age of 45 years who feel that they have made a major contribution to clinical science. The prize as designed by the Trust is specifically for an application and not for nomination of individuals. The work can cover a wide range of expertise, such as molecular and cellular biology, imaging technology, psychiatry or health sciences. The award is open to both clinical and basic scientists, who must apply for their own work to be considered. The sum of £1,000 is offered on a competitive basis each year. The closing date for applications is 31 Mar...

Royal College of Physicians Travelling Bursaries in Endocrinology and Diabetes Mellitus

Society for Endocrinology — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:00:00 +0100

Applications are invited from trainees in endocrinology and diabetes mellitus for these RCP travelling bursaries. The bursaries will be awarded to trainees wishing to attend any conference on endocrinology and diabetes mellitus organised by the Royal College of Physicians and may cover conference registration fees, standard/economy class travel and accommodation if necessary. The awards will be made throughout the year, funds permitting. For more information please visit the RCP Fellowships, Lectureships and prizes page. (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

The 21st century doctor.

British Journal of Hospital Medicine — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Shepherd S Will the 21st century doctor be any different from the 20th century doctor, or different from doctors from centuries past? Do doctors need to be different? Do patients want different? The Royal College of Physicians, alone and with partners, has set out recently to throw light on these questions, concluding rather confusingly that in some circumstances 'yes' doctors do need to change; and in others 'no' - some aspects of being a doctor are immutable and we alter them at our peril. PMID: 21240108 [PubMed - in process] (Source: British Journal of Hospital Medicine)

New approaches to preventing poison-related deaths

The Poison Review — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 04:54:10 +0100

3.5 out of 5 stars Toxicology from across the pond. Hoffman RS. J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2010;40:152-8. Abstract This review, originally presented to the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, discusses recent approaches to minimizing poison-related fatalities in developed urban settings. The author covers: - Providing rescue naloxone doses to opioid users and their families - Using exogenous plasma cholinesterase or vaccines to protect against cocaine toxicity - Adjusting the standard 21-hour IV N-acetylcysteine regimen in specific scenarios involving acetaminophen poisoning; and - Using intravenous fat emulsion (lipid rescue) therapy for severe toxicity from toxins such as bupivacaine, verapamil, and cyclic antidepressants Nothing new here, but a good overview of recent innovations...

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Risk management in dermatology: an analysis of data available from several British‐based reporting systems

British Journal of Dermatology — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Several of the reported adverse events concern systemic failures. Recommendations for risk reduction include the following points: better systems for drug monitoring (including regularity of attendance, provision of sufficient follow‐up appointments, acting on results and adequacy of pregnancy prevention programmes); staff training and record keeping for phototherapy; acting on skin cancer multidisciplinary team meeting outcomes (including provision of sufficient follow‐up appointments); and adequate training of staff in dermatological surgery including cryotherapy. Regular monitoring of the occurrence of such reports is needed to ensure safe practice and to identify early areas of new risk. (Source: British Journal of Dermatology)

Risk management in dermatology: an analysis of data available from several British-based reporting systems.

The British Journal of Dermatology — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Several of the reported adverse events concern systemic failures. Recommendations for risk reduction include the following points: better systems for drug monitoring (including regularity of attendance, provision of sufficient follow-up appointments, acting on results and adequacy of pregnancy prevention programmes); staff training and record keeping for phototherapy; acting on skin cancer multidisciplinary team meeting outcomes (including provision of sufficient follow-up appointments); and adequate training of staff in dermatological surgery including cryotherapy. Regular monitoring of the occurrence of such reports is needed to ensure safe practice and to identify early areas of new risk. PMID: 21143464 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The British Journal ...

NHS Employers Responds To The Royal College Of Physicians' Statement On The Care Of Medical Patients Outside Normal Working Hours, UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 12:00:00 +0100

Responding to the Royal College of Physicians' statement on the care of medical patients outside normal working hours, Dean Royles, director of NHS Employers, said: "We support the Royal College of Physicians' call for appropriate consultant presence in hospitals in the evening and during weekends and believe that a change to the way consultants work would be of significant benefit to both patient care and the supervision and training of junior doctors. "Patients are entitled to the best care and should have access to highly skilled senior doctors regardless of the time of day... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Out-of-hours care 'falling short'

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:02:29 +0100

Too few consultants on duty at weekends and in the evenings means junior doctors have to care for too many patients, according to the Royal College of Physicians. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

Consultant physicians for the future: report from a working party of the Royal College of Physicians and the medical specialties.

Clinical Medicine — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Goddard AF Workforce planning in medicine is at best an inexact science and at worst a dark art. Over the past year it has become clear that several forces influencing the consultant physician workforce are coming into play at the same time. Many of these forces cannot be easily controlled, but their effects are predictable and thus can be prepared for. Recommendations are made as to how the issues raised should be addressed. PMID: 21413475 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Clinical Medicine)

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Management of primary rectal cancer by surgeons in Atlantic Canada: results of a regional survey.

Canadian Journal of Surgery — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:06:50 +0100

Conclusion: We found significant variation in the management of rectal cancer depending on surgeon-specific variables. The implications of these differences on the outcomes of patients with rectal cancer are unknown. PMID: 21092432 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Canadian Journal of Surgery)

Evaluation of Resident Attitudes and Self-Reported Competencies in Health Advocacy

BMC Medical Education — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Medical residents endorsed the role of health advocate and reported proficiency in determining the medical and bio-psychosocial determinants of individuals and communities. Few residents, however, were actively involved in health advocacy beyond an individual level during residency due to multiple barriers. Further studies should address these barriers to advocacy and identify the reasons for the discordance we found between advocacy endorsement and lack of engagement. (Source: BMC Medical Education)

Thomas Linacre at the University of Padua

Journal of Medical Biography — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Bo (meaning ‘ox’ in the Venetian dialect) is the historic seat of the University of Padua, founded in 1222. A full-length portrait of Thomas Linacre stands in its prestigious Sala dei Quaranta (Hall of the Forty), so called because of the portraits of forty great foreign scholars of the University, painted by Giacomo dal Forno in 1942. Thomas Linacre came to Italy in 1485, following an embassy by Henry VII to the Vatican. Linacre visited Bologna, Florence, Rome, Venice, Vicenza and Padua, where he took his degree in medicine in 1496 with great distinction. During his stay in Italy he met illustrious humanists and physicians, including Poliziano, Hermolaus Barbarus and Aldus Manutius Romanus, and Nicolaus Leonicenus who further stimulated him to the translation of classic wo...

The Croonian lectures of 1917: a McGill pathologist confronts the biologists of England

Journal of Medical Biography — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

John George Adami (1862–1926) qualified in medicine at Manchester and in 1892 was appointed professor of pathology at McGill University. At the invitation of the Royal College of Physicians (in London) he delivered the Croonian Lectures in 1917. He chose the title ‘Adaptation and disease; the contribution of medical research to the study of evolution’. Adami believed that medical work had brought to light important facts about heredity that had not been communicated adequately to biological scientists. He used the lectures to describe this work, placing particular emphasis on his contention that acquired characters are inherited. At this time the medical audience at Adami's lectures would have been generally sympathetic to the idea that acquired characters can be inherite...

Alberta's distracted driving bill won't work: doctor

CTV Health — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 11:52:14 +0100

The president of Canada's Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons says Alberta's plan to crack down on distracted motorists will bring even more road carnage because it still allows drivers to talk on hands-free devices. (Source: CTV Health)

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Neuropathology in Canada: the first one hundred years.

The Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We describe the evolution of neuropathology in Canada, beginning with William Osler who began working in Montréal in 1874 and finishing with the major period of expansion in the 1970s. Organized services began in the 1930s, in Montréal with the neurosurgeons Wilder Penfield and William Cone, and in Toronto with Eric Linell and Mary Tom, who both began their careers as neuroanatomists. Jerzy Olszewski and Gordon Mathieson, who trained in Montréal and Toronto, drove the creation of the Canadian Association of Neuropathologists in 1960. Training guided by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada was formalized in 1965, with the first certifying examination in 1968 and the subsequent creation of formal structured training programs. The number of neuropathologists in Canada inc...

[Comment] Offline: Doing a Blakemore

LANCET — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:07:14 +0100

The great thing about already having your knighthood—as new President Richard Thompson proved in his after-dinner speech at the Royal College of Physicians' Harveian Oration last week—is that you don't have to care what anyone thinks of you. Being hugged by — — was like having three rounds of chemotherapy. The government had better watch out if it was contemplating privatisation of the NHS. (Source: LANCET)

Royal College of Physicians replies

BMJ Online First — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(No abstract is available for this citation) (Source: BMJ Online First)

Evidence for antidepressant of choice for depression in Parkinson's disease

NeLM - Mental Health — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This report reviews the current evidence for different antidepressants when used in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), including guidelines outlining recommendations for the management of depression in this population. A limited search of the literature was conducted. Two systematic reviews and meta-analyses, two systematic reviews and four RCTs were identified and the results of these are summarised. In addition the search identified three guidelines addressing the pharmacological management of depression in PD, issued by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) and the Movement Disorder Society-European Section (MDS-ES) (joint task force) and The Royal College of Physicians (UK). The aut...

Royal College of Physicians replies

BMJ Online First — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100

(No abstract is available for this citation) (Source: BMJ Online First)

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HEFCE: Student interests are paramount in new funding arrangements

MEDEV News — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:11:35 +0100

The interests of students must be paramount in the new funding arrangements for higher education, according to Sir Alan Langlands, Chief Executive of HEFCE.Sir Alan told vice-chancellors at HEFCE's annual conference today (21 October) that the introduction of higher tuition fees would place much more of the burden of funding higher education on graduates and their families.Speaking at the Royal College of Physicians, Sir Alan said the reform of higher education funding and student finance that will follow the recently published Browne review should not lead anyone to think that students were only valued for what universities could get out of them, or what they might earn in the future.According to Sir Alan:'There is more to higher education than that. It must be fair and accessible, with n...

Terrence Higgins Trust Joins Conference Dedicated To Improving The Sexual Health Of Gay Men In Scotland

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0100

Terrence Higgins Trust joins conference dedicated to improving the sexual health of gay men in Scotland

Terrence Higgins Trust — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 10:58:09 +0100

Shona Robison MSP, Minister for Public Health, will officially open Gaycon, the only conference of its kind dedicated to the sexual health of gay men in Scotland on 20-21 October at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh. Representatives from Terrence Higgins Trust will be joining the conference, which will identify key priorities for future sexual health work for gay men in Scotland at a time when this group continues to be disproportionately affected by HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.Following the launch of the HIV Action Plan in February last year, Gaycon will feature a range of talks, workshops and interactive sessions on key issues including the rise in syphilis diagnoses, stigma and discrimination and HIV prosecutions. Keynote addresses will be given by Peter Ta...

Anorexia guidance for hospital nurses

Nursing Times Breaking News — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0100

Guidance designed to try and reduce the number of avoidable patient deaths from severe anorexia nervosa in general medical wards has been published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Physicians. (Source: Nursing Times Breaking News)

Physical activity firmly on the agenda for public health

University of Bristol news — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 09:48:01 +0100

Professor of Exercise and Health Sciences Ken Fox has received a Fellowship by Distinction (FFPH) of the Faculty of Public Health of the Royal College of Physicians. This is the first award of its kind to a specialist in physical activity. (Source: University of Bristol news)

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Reducing The Number Of Deaths In Patients With Anorexia Nervosa

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 11:00:00 +0100

New guidelines published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) hope to reduce the number of avoidable deaths of patients with severe anorexia nervosa on general medical units. The guidelines are aimed at all medical, nursing and dietetic staff working in hospitals to which a patient with severe anorexia nervosa could be admitted... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

College to lobby for inclusion of secondary care in consortia

HSJ — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:00:00 +0100

The government must formally acknowledge the vital role consultants can play in commissioning, the Royal College of Physicians has said in its white paper response. (Source: HSJ)

UK Centre for Intelligent Design claims it will focus on science, not religion

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:55:49 +0100

The newly opened Centre for Intelligent Design aims to start a debate in the UK that's not about religion but about evidenceIn 2006 Elanor Taylor wrote that it was time for the UK to wage war on intelligent design, saying that while it and creationism used to be regarded like line dancing and SUVs – "peculiarly American phenomena" – they were now taking root in British life. The last few years have led to more debate about creationism and intelligent design, especially their classroom presence, due in part to Darwin's bicentenary celebrations and the continued, sometimes acrimonious, discussion about the relationship between science and religion. Creationism in this country has its cheerleaders in museums, schools and zoos, but what of intelligent design? In Glasgow, a new institution ...

Newly opened UK Centre for Intelligent Design claims it will focus on science, not religion

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:55:49 +0100

Royal College of Physicians medical record keeping standards audit.

Clinical Medicine — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Tucker J PMID: 21117398 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Clinical Medicine)

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New UK guidelines highlight role of testosterone in sexual disorders

NeLM - News — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Source: Maturitas Area: News New guidelines for the assessment of testosterone deficiency in both men and women have been developed by the British Society for Sexual Medicine in collaboration with a number of other organisations, including the British Menopause Society, the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Pathologists, and the Society for Endocrinology. The guidelines look at the following topics: 1) Women . Physiology, laboratory measurements . Classification and epidemiology of sexual problems . Risk factors (hormonal and non-hormonal) . Assessment of female sexual problems . Treatment (including testosterone [oral, parenteral], tibolone, dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA], transdermal gels) . Safety of ...

RCP publishes National Audit of Continence Care

NeLM - News — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Source: RCP Area: News The Royal College of Physicians' Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit (CEEU) has published the findings of an audit into continence care which surveyed the care given to 18,253 people across 135 NHS Acute Trusts, 26 Mental Healthcare Trusts, 86 Primary Care Trusts, and 122 care homes. The audit found that "people with incontinence are faced with a life sentence of suffering, due to poorly organised NHS services and disjointed care for patients and carers." The findings highlight the need for further work to be done to achieve an acceptable standard of care for the many thousands of individuals with incontinence by developing commissioning frameworks, training health professionals with regard to national evidence based guidelines and empowering patie...

Teale Essay Prize for Trainees

Society for Endocrinology — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:00:00 +0100

The Trainees Committee of the Royal College of Physicians of London invites submissions annually for the Teale Essay Prize for Trainees. The prize-winner receives a cheque for £200 and the winning entry may be published by the Royal College of Physicians of London. Entrants should be trainees in one of the 30 specialties of the College (not necessarily MRCP) at the time of writing, and the essay must not have been previously published. For further details and an application form, contact: Trust Funds Administrator (Tel: 020-30751564; Email: trustfunds@rcplondon.ac.uk) or follow the link below. The judges' decision will be announced in April 2011. RCP Fellowships, Lectureships and prizes (Source: Society for Endocrinology)

Evaluation of Syracuse Healthy Start’s Program for Abnormal Flora Management to Reduce Preterm Birth Among Pregnant Women

Maternal and Child Health Journal — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:00:59 +0100

Conclusion: Screening, treatment, and rescreening for BV/abnormal flora between the first prenatal visit and 22 weeks gestation showed promise in reducing preterm births and deserves further study. Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s10995-010-0661-0Authors Emilia H. Koumans, Division of STD Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE MS E-02, Atlanta, GA 30333, USASandra D. Lane, Departments of Health and Wellness, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY USARichard Aubry, Center for Maternal and Child Health and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY USAKathleen DeMott, The Royal College of Physicians, London, UKNoah Webster, Syracuse Healthy Start/Case Western University, Cleveland, OH USABrooke A....

RCP Statement On The CfWI's Recommendations For Medical Specialty Training 2011, UK

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0100

The Royal College of Physicians is in broad agreement with the recommendations made in this, the first, Centre for Workforce Intelligence (CfWI) report on the future of specialty training. Given the short timescale CfWI has had to gather the data and the clear acceptance of the limitations of this data in the report, it is nontheless a big step in the right direction for medical workforce planning in England. In particular it supports the key recommendations made by Sir John Temple in his report on the effects of the European Working Time Directive on medical training in this country... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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[Correspondence] Changing doctors in changing times

LANCET — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

I was particularly interested to read Richard Horton's comments on “The Royal College of Revolution” (May 22, p 1766), since I was the medical student representative on the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) report Future physician: changing doctors in changing times. (Source: LANCET)

RCP of Edinburgh calls for standardised prescriptions to improve patient safety

NeLM - News — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Source: BBC Health Area: News According to a report by BBC Health, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) have called on the Scottish government to bring in new rules to standardise the system for prescriptions, to reduce errors and improve hospital patient safety. This follows research showing that 10% of trainee doctors and 6% of consultants made prescribing mistakes during one week. The RCPE said the problem lay in the varied systems used to prescribe. The RCPE president has called for a national prescribing chart similar to that introduced in Wales in 2004, working towards a UK-wide prescribing chart for use across the whole of the NHS. They say that this could support the implementation of nationally-agreed programmes, for example veno...

Stroke patients need better community care

HealthcareRepublic Independent Nurse News — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:05:00 +0100

Poor rehabilitation services are undermining improvements elsewhere in stroke care, according to new report produced by the Royal College of Physicians. (Source: HealthcareRepublic Independent Nurse News)

Stroke drugs could save 1,800 more a year

Telegraph Health — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:46:17 +0100

Up to 1,800 more people a year could be spared the debilitating consequences of a stroke if a clot-busting drug procedure was more widely available, according to a key report published today (THUR). (Source: Telegraph Health)

Blanket drugs ban not working, claims former RCP leader

Management in Practice — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:00:07 +0100

The government should consider decriminalising drugs, according to former president of the Royal College of Physicians, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore (Source: Management in Practice)

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War on drugs: Bring out the peace pipe | Editorial

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:05:19 +0100

Sir Ian Gilmore is a distinguished physician. Nicholas Green is a leading barrister. Pillars of society, they share a radical opinion: they believe drugs should be decriminalised – not from any dogmatic position but from their own experience in medicine and the law.Sir Ian, a liver specialist and the outgoing president of the Royal College of Physicians, told the BBC yesterday that current policy aggravated the harms associated with drug abuse and cited approvingly a BMJ article by Stephen Rolles of the pro-legalisation organisation Transform. In June Mr Green suggested that if the government was serious about cutting the prison population it should consider decriminalising individual drug use.When the UN first sounded the alarm about the global drugs trade in 1961, it warned of the thre...

War on drugs: Bring out the peace pipe

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:05:19 +0100

Response To Comments About Decriminalisation Of Illicit Substances Made By Former President Of The RCP, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0100

The RCP has responded to comments about decriminalisation of illicit substances made by the former president of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), Professor Sir Ian Gilmore. 'The findings of the RCP's joint report with the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2000 Drugs, dilemmas and choices show that there are no easy answers to the problem of drug misuse in our society... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Top doctor urges drugs law review

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:45:08 +0100

Decriminalising drug use could cut crime and improve health, the outgoing Royal College of Physicians president says. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

[Leading Edge] Time is brain for carotid endarterectomy

Lancet Neurology — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Carotid endarterectomy is the gold standard surgical intervention for stroke prevention in patients with symptomatic internal carotid stenosis. Early intervention is crucial for a good outcome. However, according to a recent UK audit from the Vascular Society and the Royal College of Physicians, two-thirds of patients face an unacceptable delay. Although there are examples of timely service provision from centres of excellence in the UK and elsewhere, it is thought that many countries are struggling to reduce the time to carotid surgery. However, few national data are available, and this country-wide audit is an important first step towards guiding improvements in services. (Source: Lancet Neurology)

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2010 Summer Scientific Meeting of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland

Irish Journal of Medical Science — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:46:28 +0100

Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s11845-010-0517-z Journal Irish Journal of Medical ScienceOnline ISSN 1863-4362Print ISSN 0021-1265 (Source: Irish Journal of Medical Science)

Peter Lowe: a father figure of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

British Journal of Hospital Medicine — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Ellis H This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Peter Lowe, one of the most colourful figures of early Scottish surgery and one of the founders of what was eventually to become the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Much of Lowe's life remains something of a mystery and the subject of some conjecture. He was born in or around 1550, probably somewhere in the west of Scotland. Lowe referred to himself as an 'Arellian': did this mean related to the family name of Errol or to the University of Orleans, where he studied? However, he also called himself a 'Scottishman'. In about 1566, Lowe travelled to France and there he spent some 30?years, serving as a surgeon in both the French and Spanish armies, the latter during campaigns in Flanders. He certai...

Why Are UK Stroke Patients Still Not Getting Prompt Treatment?

Health News from Medical News Today — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0100

The Lancet this week featured an Editorial discussing a recent report from the UK Vascular Society and Royal College of Physicians showing that the waiting time for vascular surgery after symptoms of stroke or transient ischemic attack is far too long. Guidelines set by the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) suggest no more than a 14 day wait between symptoms and operation. The 2007 National Stroke Strategy is targeting for there to be a 48 hour wait by 2017... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

[Editorial] Delays in UK stroke prevention

LANCET — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Patients in the UK are waiting too long for vascular surgery after symptoms of stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA), according to an audit from the Vascular Society and the Royal College of Physicians. In some patients with carotid stenosis, carotid endarterectomy after TIA substantially reduces risk of further stroke. The protective effect is greatest immediately after symptoms occur, but an audit of 7000 procedures done between Jan 1, 2008, and Sept 30, 2009, has shown that patients in the UK are waiting a median 28 days for surgery. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines recommend no longer than a 14-day delay between symptoms and operation, and the 2007 National Stroke Strategy set a target of 48 h, to be achieved by 2017. The recent data show that only ...

Anti-smoking review is cancelled

Telegraph Health — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:58:50 +0100

Smoking will not now be banned in parks and cars, after a health minister said the coalition had decided to cancel a planned review of the legislation. (Source: Telegraph Health)

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Protocol for a national audit on self-reported confidence levels, training requirements and current practice among trainee doctors in the UK: The Trainees Own Perception of Delivery of Care in Diabetes (TOPDOC) Study

BMC Medical Education — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

DiscussionIt is anticipated that the results of this national study will clarify confidence levels and current practice among trainee doctors in the provision of care for people with diabetes. The responses will inform efforts to enhance postgraduate training in diabetes, potentially improving the quality of care for people with diabetes. (Source: BMC Medical Education)

[Correspondence] Changing over time

LANCET — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100

We welcome Richard Horton's support (May 22, p 1766) for our document on medical leadership, Future Physicians: Changing Doctors in Changing Times, which the Royal College of Physicians published. However, rather than ascribing to us the title of “College of Revolution”, may we suggest that, after nearly 500 years, an attribution more appropriate to our long role in setting standards in medical practice might be “College of Evolution”? (Source: LANCET)

Liaison psychiatry services in south England [Original papers]

Psychiatric Bulletin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:01:07 +0100

Aims and method To investigate liaison psychiatry services across 38 acute trusts in the south of England. We used a telephone survey and compared the results to service structure and function as recommended by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Results Approximately two-thirds of trusts surveyed had a dedicated liaison service and this was not significantly related to hospital size. Most liaison teams were understaffed in all disciplines and only a third had a full-time consultant. Services for specialist patient groups were generally well provided for; 37% of teams had been created in the past 5 years and 33% were planning to increase their staffing levels in future. Clinical implications Liaison services in the south of England are simil...

'Allergy services still not meeting the unmet need': Joint report of RCP and RCPath Working Party (June 2010)

NeLM - News — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

This report from a joint working party of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath), supported by the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) provides an update on changes to allergy service provision following the 2007 report of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee's inquiry into allergy. The report stresses that services like allergy, which have been chronically under-resourced and under-supplied in the UK compared with the rest of Europe, are especially vulnerable and must be protected in this current economic climate. It recommends that further actions are needed from the Department of Health, PCTs, local health boards, strategic health authority commissioners, providers of allergy services, and patien...

Obituary: David Harvey

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:41:39 +0100

He pioneered training in neonatal medicineDavid Harvey, who has died aged 73 of a chest infection, having suffered for many years from Parkinson's disease, was a leading figure in paediatrics and neonatal medicine, and, above all, an advocate for mothers and babies.From 1970 until 2002, he was consultant in neonatal medicine at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea hospital, in west London. He was appointed at a time of rapid medical advances, particularly in respiratory support, that were at last making the survival of sick and preterm newborn babies a reality. Before this, very few babies born more than eight weeks prematurely survived, and those who did were at great risk of neurological impairment. Pharmacological therapies were limited, as were technologies for newborn ventilation and intrave...

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Knighthood for alcohol campaigner

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 23:40:08 +0100

The head of the Royal College of Physicians, who has campaigned for measures to tackle alcohol misuse, has been knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

Knighthood for alcohol expert

BBC News | Health | UK Edition — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 23:40:08 +0100

The head of the Royal College of Physicians os among those knighted in the Queen's Birthday list. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)

UK Fourth National Colorectal Cancer Consensus Meeting 2009

Clinical Oncology — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Healthcare professionals and patient groups took part in the 4th UK Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Consensus Meeting, held on 3 November 2009 at the Royal College of Physicians in London, to discuss important clinical questions, such as the use of molecular prognostic markers, and a range of difficult ethical issues, including clinical futility, the role of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), commissioning, funding and access to treatment. (Source: Clinical Oncology)

RCP Joint Specialty Committee for Endocrinology and Diabetes

Society for Endocrinology — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100

The Joint Specialty Committee brings together representatives from the Society for Endocrinology, Association of British Clinical Diabetologists and Diabetes UK and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) to share information and facilitate collaboration. Topics include service issues such as acute and in-hospital care, developments in the NHS such as the Quality Innovation Productivity and Prevention agenda, and workforce issues. There is a vacancy for a College representative who would serve a tenure of up to four years. As the chairmanship rotates, usually every two years, between the societies and the RCP, one of the college nominees may to have the important role of chairing the committee for some time during their tenure. The committee meets twice a year, usually in April/May and Octo...