North of England

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North of England Faculty Newsletter
The Future Direction of General Practice A
roadmap
The New North of England Faculty Board
January 2008
Faculty Officers
The RCGP have worked with key stakeholders,
including patients, developing a document
spelling out a way forward for improving patient
care. The RCGP have launched the new publication
The Future Direction of General Practice A
roadmap. This provides a blueprint for the
Future of the NHS, providing a clear way forward
of using the mast potential of primary care and
considers important issues, for example Health
inequalities, the primary secondary care
interface, urgent care and quality standards.
Provost Dr Paul Creighton Chairman
Dr Malcolm Thomas Hon Secretary
Currently Vacant Hon Treasurer Dr Dinah
Roy Council Rep - Currently Vacant
Education Advisor Dr Iain Lawther Dr Valerie
Taylor Dr Ahmet Fuat Dr John Bookless Dr John
Leigh Dr Manjit Suchdev Dr Iain Goff Dr Ashley
Liston Dr Elizabeth Kendrick Dr Rodger
Thornham Dr Niamh Telford Dr Louise Robinson Dr
Janet Welsh Dr Neetika Dang Monday 0815am to
1645pm Wednesday 0815am to 1645pm Friday 0815
am to 1645pm Address North of England
Faculty The Surgery Oxford Road Spennymoor DL1
6 6YQ Telephone [phone] Email
cbartram_at_rcgp.org.uk
Faculty Board Members
This publication is available from the RCGP
Website.
Inside this issue
nMRCGP 2 Faculty Events 3/4 College
Events 5 iMAP 6 Curriculum
Guide/ Retired Members 7 Annual Primary
Care Conference /AGM 8
Faculty Hours
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North of England Faculty Newsletter 2. nMRCGP
North of England nMRCGP Course
Accreditation Number 08/03-17 AKT/CSA
Venue Sunderland Stadium of Light, Sunderland,
SR5 1SU. Date Monday 3rd, Tuesday 4th and
Wednesday 5th March 2008. Time 0845am
1730pm - Lunch and breaks included. Course
fees Please note Priority will be given to
Final Year (Aug 2008) Northern Deanery/North of
England RCGP AiTS. Other applications will be
contacted regarding space. Course tutor Dr Alan
McCubbin Programme
Please contact the North of England Faculty
Office to request an application form.
Miss Clare Bartram
Telephone Number 01388 817518
The Surgery
Email cbartram_at_rcgp.org.uk Oxford
Road Visit us at
http//www.rcgp.org.uk/default.aspx?page1052
Spennymoor
Or RCGP Homepage North of England
DL16 6YQ
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North of England Faculty Newsletter 3. Faculty
Events
Increase your Effectiveness (and reduce your
risk) A one-day consultation skills
workshop Thursday 13th March 2008 at Collingwood
College, Durham. (Also available on October 15th
2008- Please contact Faculty Office) Suitable
for - Established or in training doctors, nurses
and allied clinical professionals who wish to
extend their own consultation skills. Prices
are 130 for RCGP members - 150 for
non-members Tea and coffee will be supplied and
a hot buffet lunch served. Please return the
enclosed leaflet with payment. Dr Malcolm
Thomas will be Facilitating this event. First
come first served basis. Refunds will incur a 10
fee. No refund if cancelled 14 days or less.
This course is always well
attended, therefore we advise you book early!
Time Management
This workshop was previously ran on 10th October
2007 and was fully subscribed. This is an evening
even to be held on 02nd April 2008. A hot buffet
will be provided from 1800pm with a start time
of 1830 finishing at 2130PM. This course will
be held in the Tees dale Suite at Collingwood
College, Durham. A half-day workshop that will
allow participants to Learn about principles
of time management Improve their work-life
balance Identify their roles in life and set
practical personal goals Recognise how they can
be more efficient Reduce procrastination Identify
what they can delegate and how to Spot what they
can dump! Price Members 80.00 Non-Members
100.00
Can YOU afford to miss these courses? Forward
your form to the Faculty office straight away to
guarantee your place!
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North of England Faculty Newsletter 4. Faculty
Events
TWO HALF DAY SEMINARS
ENHANCE YOUR TELEPHONE CONSULTATIONS
COMMUNICATING ABOUT RISK WITH PATIENTS
A half-day seminar (3 hours) that ..Explores the
key evidence using presentation facilitated
group discussion Uses a skills framework for
improving consultationsEngages learners in
practical exercises to improve their
skillsAllows doctors of all grades, nurses and
other clinical staff to work togetherMoves
quicklyRehearses the best buy skills that
increase effectiveness and reduce medico-legal
and clinical risk
Communicating about Risk with Patients Clinical
care is risky. Untreated illness carries risk,
treatments carry risk and screening procedures
bring risks. For a patient to know if a
treatment, procedure or screening test is
worthwhile, they need to understand these risks,
as well as having a clear idea of the chances of
benefiting from the intervention in the first
place.The precise communication of risk, in
terms that patients can understand, is not an
easy task. We balance brief presentation, focused
discussion, group work and skills rehearsal
supported by a referenced workbook and moving
briskly to retain learner engagement.
Participants will leave with their skills
enhanced and with a new tool to use in these
conversations with their patients.
Enhance Your Telephone Consultations Recent
studies show that around 20 of daytime primary
care contacts with patients are on the telephone.
This figure is rising, affecting us all.
Hospitals are using the telephone more to reach
out to patients and heavy and increasing use is
made of the telephone for emergency care.
DATE Tuesday 17TH June 2008 AT Collingwood
College Durham. Enhance Your Telephone
Consultations 0930-1230 Lunch 1230
1330 Communication about Risk with Patients
1330-1630
AiTs We are offering half price North of England
Faculty Courses to help, encourage and support
you! Please note we will not pay for other
courses, college or otherwise. Please note this
does not apply to the nMRCGP course.
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North of England Faculty Newsletter 5. College
Events
Sex in the Surgery Doing it Better, Making it
Safer, Taking it Further The Royal College of
General Practitioners Sex Drugs and HIV Task
Group Invites you to the 4th National Conference
on Sexual Health and Contraception in General
Practice Friday 1st February 2008 Venue
Burlington Hotel, Birmingham RCGP
member/non-member 140/170 Doing it better -
How can General Practice improve its delivery and
quality of sexual health services in
England? Making it safer Addressing areas of
clinical governance how can we meet the
highest standards and improve our quality of
care? Taking it further - How can we integrate
the strategic voice of Primary Care into
service delivery whilst also providing
appropriate education and CPD? The Conference is
designed for General Practitioners, Practice
Nurses and other health professionals who wish
to improve sexual health services in General
Practice. Our primary target audience is
professionals in General Practice, but others
working in Sexual/reproductive health are also
welcome. For more information please contact
kosborn_at_rcgp.org.uk
RCGP Postgraduate Training Board Position
The RCGP Postgraduate Training Board is concerned
with all aspects of specialist training for
general practice, assessment of trainees and
certification of GPs. Members of the Board are
drawn from the College and from relevant external
organisations. The PTB currently has a vacancy
for an RCGP appointed member to join the Board.
The appointment will be for a period of 3 years.
Applications are invited from members and fellows
of the College. Closing date for applications
7th January 2008 - RCGP Postgraduate Training
Board Vacancy for Board member - Further
information may be obtained by contacting Kate
Tunnicliffe, the PTB Administrator Tel 01925
242167 Email ktunnicliffe_at_rcgp.org.uk
www.rcgp.org.uk
nMRCGP for Trainers Late registration places
available, For more details Terri Myers
tmyers_at_rcgp.org.uk 020 7344 3065 or 0207 344 3124
 Delegate rate 150 Organised by the RCGP,
this one day course is specifically designed for
trainers to help you to help your registrars get
through the nMRCGP 8th February 2008 Venue
Poole Court, Grey Towers Court, Nunthorpe,
Middlesbrough, TS7 0PN
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North of England Faculty Newsletter 6. iMAP
iMAP iMAP is an interim route to membership for
established GPs who are registered on the
performers list and have been eligible for
independent practice for 5years plus. This was
launched at the beginning of September 2007 and
will be available for a limited period of time
until July 2007. A PDF version of the handbook
is available to down load from the RCGOP website.
The handbook contains all the information
necessary to start work on iMAP, including A
comprehensive description of all criteria.
Guidelines on how to complete the work for the
portfolio and What each criteria will be
assessed on. Study days are available on the
following dates London 25 Jan 2008 Contact
 imap_at_rcgp.org.uk  Manchester 15 Feb
2008  Contact apenney_at_rcgp.org.uk  Glasgow  1
3 March 2008 Contact stephanie.slade_at_nhs.net
A laugh a day keeps the doctor away!
I had just completed my examination of a
cheerful 35 year old lady who had a mild
prolapse, when she floored me with the remark '
My husband says it is a judgment on me - all my
best bits are falling to pieces!
I was examining and making the expected admiring
noises about a newly arrived baby when, as most
people do, asked what he was to be called. The
mother replied ' Oh, his name is Brian, but we
spell it with a 'y' because it sounds better!
Contributed by Dr Peter Burke, taken from Thames
Valley Faculty Newsletter, Microscope Issue 21
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North of England Faculty Newsletter 7. Curriculum
Guide/Retired Members
The Condensed Curriculum Guide
The Royal College of General Practitioners have
launched The Condensed Curriculum Guide. The
official guide to the new RCGP Curriculum and
nMRCGP. A must-read for anyone learning or
teaching the new Curriculum and preparing for the
nMRCGP, invaluable to trainees, trainers and
educators, VTS programme directors.   Full
details can be found at the Online Bookstore or
020 7581 3232 ext 211.
This invaluable book makes the curriculum
accessible by condensing it into its core
educational material, providing practical
guidance on how to learn and teach. It explains
how to successfully complete the new MRGGP,
providing essential information on how the new
assessments work and practical advice on how
candidates can best prepare and summarises each
of the 32 curriculum statements and identifies
the key knowledge and skills required for each
area of general practice, It provides a
comprehensive checklist for those learning or
teaching the GP curriculum.
RETIRED MEMBERS GROUP The group is
still very active, even if this is more
intellectually than physically. The meeting
planned for September, unfortunately did not
occur. The event was planned, but the
communication and organisational e-mails seemed
to disappear into the ether and by the time
modern technology redeemed itself, it was too
late to hold the meeting. However, the next
function will be arranged for the late
Spring. One difficulty is that the retired
members list from central college is grossly
inaccurate. Sadly, many deceased members are
still included and this problem is not easy to
solve to avoid embarrassing communications.
Also, younger recently retired members cannot
be easily identified. It is noted that
here is an invitation for older doctors to
serve on the Faculty Board. After ten years of
retirement (I retired early!!) I am still
curious about general practice, but the modern
set-up seems to bear little resemblance to the
organisation in which I worked. Is this an
improvement or a deterioration? Im sure the
views of older and retired General Practitioners
would be interesting and welcome to the Board.

Peter Moran
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North of England Faculty Newsletter 8. Annual
Primary Care Conference
RCGP Annual National Primary Care Conference
2nd 4th October 2008
Please note this conference date in your
diary! Bournemouth International Centre Dates
for 2008 Announced - The 2008 Annual Conference
is being held at the Bournemouth International
Centre from Thursday 2 to Saturday 4 October
2008. The website is currently being updated to
feature more details of this event, including
information about booking delegate places, travel
and accommodation. If you would like to be
notified as soon as the site is updated, please
sign up for our e-mail update service. RCGP
Annual National Primary Care Conference 4th
6th October 2007 The RCGP were delighted with the
response to last years conference with over 700
delegates visiting the conference over the three
days. Faculties were also thanked for their input
at the event. This year we plan to have an even
better exhibition.
Annual General Meeting
Congratulations to Hannah Godfrey she was
presented with a certificate and cheque for
150.00 for winning the Provosts prize at the
2007 Annual General Meeting for the North of
England Faculty. Both Hannah's parents are
General Practitioners, she is in her third year
at Newcastle University and has started her main
clinical training gaining more hands on
experience. The AGM was held at Lumley Castle,
with beautiful surroundings and a delightful meal
the event was a huge success. Our guest speaker
Professor Ray Tallis provided an overall thought
provoking and factual lecture and our thanks for
his company! Already we are thinking of where to
hold the 2008 AGM and hope that you can join us.
We have had several discussions at the Faculty
Board meetings with reference to who this years
guest speaker should be and hope that you can
attend. The next Faculty Board meeting is
Monday 25th February 2008 _at_ Marriott Hotel Metro
Centre 1900- a hot buffet is served. If you
would like to attend this event please contact
the Faculty Office.