NEWSURGENT action is required to maintain the quality of junior doctors' training after the introduction of new working rules, the British Medical Association (BMA) has warned.
As the NHS prepares to introduce restrictions on
working hours with the advent of the European working time directive in August, the BMA has cautioned that the situation could make it difficult for doctors to gain the experience they need.
Dr Andy Thornley, the chairman of the BMA's junior doctors' committee said: "Patients have a right to expect the consultants responsible for their safety to be confident and trained to the highest standards. The NHS has had 11 years to prepare for this. Now there are only 100 days to go, and there are real questions about how we can maintain current standards of training."
The organisation called for a change in the focus of care delivery, away from a reliance on junior doctors towards employment of more consultants.
&149 COMMUNITY nursing should be refocused and redefined to help address the mental health needs of children, according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland.
In evidence to the Scottish Parliament's health committee, which is conducting an inquiry into mental health services for young people, the RCN called for more investment and training for community nurses.
Commenting after the submission, Fiona Bonnar, a senior charge nurse working in mental health services for children and young people, said: "With 30 per cent of nurses working in the community set to retire in the next ten years, coupled with an increasing demand for community health services, there needs to be a plan of action to ensure that community nursing has a sustainable future.
"RCN Scotland is calling for community nursing to evolve into two fields: one focusing on children, young people and families, from pre-conception through to transfer to adult services; the other focusing on the needs of adults and older adults."
• THE RD Health consortium has been named NHS Grampian's planning and construction partner for the new £115 million emergency care centre at Foresterhill in Aberdeen.
Comprising Robertson Construction Group and Dawn Construction Group, the body has been formed to work in partnership with the NHS in Scotland as part of a new partner approach to publicly-funded construction work.
EVENTSTHE potential for health improvements to be brought about by telehealth and telecare will be showcased by the Scottish Centre for Telehealth (SCT) at an event at the Scottish Parliament tomorrow.
Held in conjunction with the Joint Improvement Team, the parliamentary reception will show how new technology can be used to support patient care.
For further information about the SCT, visit www.sct.scot.nhs.uk.
• THE future of genetics in everyday medicine is the subject of an all-day seminar being run by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh at its Queen St offices on Thursday.
With an examination of genetic disorders, treatment and the genetics of modern-day living, the event will also see the delivery of the Stanley Davidson Lecture by Professor Gert-Jan van Ommen of Leiden University Medical Centre, in the Netherlands.
For further information, visit
www.rcpe.ac.uk.
• A MASTERCLASS in oral and maxillofacial surgery will be presented by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh on 17 June and 16 July. The events will take place at the Royal College in Glasgow and further information is available at
www.rcpsg.ac.uk/Education/Events.
