National record content outlined by CfH
Information on mental health, sexual health and infections should be excluded from the initial summary record on the spine, Connecting for Health (CfH) clinical leads have recommended. The proposal is included in a major discussion document and marks a significant change in emphasis on plans for the NHS Care Record Service (NCRS). It follows continued and […]
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QOF publication due despite GP concerns
Publication of individual practice results for the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is likely to go ahead in England, Wales and Northern Ireland next month despite concerns from GP representatives. The results from three of the four countries in the UK are due to appear more than two months after Scotland became the first to […]
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Solving the maze
Gerry Yantis and Nikolai Segora from Capgemini argue for greater integration between IT programmes in primary care.
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Txtg cn help u quit cigs
Texting young smokers on their mobile phones using personalised messages, could potentially help them quit, according to research published this month. A randomised controlled trial conducted in New Zealand found 28% of young smokers in an ‘active’ texting group gave up smoking after six weeks of messaging compared with 13% in a control group that […]
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Doctors.net.uk helps put docs in the dock
Doctors.net.uk, the online medical network of UK doctors, has teamed up with Capita Health Solutions (CHS) to enable doctors to register as legal experts for a new medical evidence service. From this month CHS will provide Doctors.net.uk’s members with the opportunity to work in the medico-legal field. The doctors involved will deal directly with CHS […]
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N3 hits 6,000 installations milestone
More than 6000 GP surgeries are now connected to the NHS broadband, N3, NHS Connecting for Health has claimed; however, installation has not been without problems. In a written statement, an NHS CfH spokesman said: "As at 31 March 2005, there were 6036 commissioned sites which were supporting live traffic on that date. In addition, […]
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NICE backs computerised cognitive behaviour therapy
GPs across England are set to gain access to computerised cognitive behaviour therapy (CCBT) as an option for treating mild to moderate depression, following the latest recommendations from updated guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). In provisional guidance NICE has recommended three separate CCBT programmes – Beating the Blues, Cope and Overcoming […]
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Pathology links system said to be unsafe
The pathology links system is delivering inappropriately coded results in England which make it clinically unsafe because the codes used do not detail the result of the tests performed, a leading GP IT representative is warning. Dr Paul Cundy, a GP in Wimbledon and joint chairman of the GPC/RCGP IT committee, said the GPC has […]
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Irish GP software providers merge systems
The two largest primary healthcare software suppliers in Ireland have merged their systems, meaning that 60% of GPs – a total of 4000 – will be using software from the same company. Medicom Medical Solutions, the largest primary care software supplier in Ireland, has purchased the GP Clinical from Quantum Healthcare Informatics, who will now […]
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Pathfinder on the track of IT assets
A solution designed to help hospital and primary care trusts identify and maintain records of their technology assets has been launched by Stream Partners in partnership with BMC Software. The developers say that their Pathfinder solution means staff will no longer have to scour their IT environment manually to track all hardware, software and services […]
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