Review Body Research Articles

DH evidence to NHS Pay Review Body emphasises need for 1% cap.

Pay rises for NHS nurses in England should be capped at no more than 1% in 2016/17, the Department of Health argues.

Where's the Omelet? Bad King Deng and the Challenges of Biography and History

Stalinists legitimized their methods by saying “you can't make omelets without breaking eggs.” Others might ask, “you broke lots of eggs, but where are the omelets?” These three biographies of Deng Xiaoping are only the most recent of biographies of epoch-making Chinese leaders that assess the ratio of broken eggs to finished omelets. Reading them together with the body of reviews provokes questions about how biography as a genre can usefully address historical analysis and moral judgment. How much could a single leader transform China? Did Deng merely inherit institutions and decisive policies from earlier leaders or is China today somehow “Deng's China”? What can we learn about the problems from reviewers and critics?

Opportunities and Challenges in The Use of an External Interprofessional Reviewing Body in a Curricular Review Process in a Doctor of Physical Therapy Curriculum

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to describe the opportunities and challenges of a curricular review process in an entry-level doctor of physical therapy geriatric curriculum. The curricular review process utilized an external interprofessional reviewing body, in conjunction with an established internal curricular reviewing body, to determine inclusion of Essential Competencies in order to prepare students for best clinical practice in the care of the older adult. Method: The methodology of our curricular review process included both internal and external reviewing bodies but the intent of this article is to highlight how the review process was implemented including an external interprofessional reviewing body. The internal reviewing body involved two faculty members with expertise in geriatrics, the Program Curriculum Committee members, and the faculty members within the entry-level doctor of physical therapy program. The external reviewing body was comprised of the 2012-2014 members of the Faculty Development Collaborative Program in Geriatrics (FDCPG), a national interprofessional learning community representing multiple disciplines involved in the care of older adults. Results: The outcomes of including an external interprofessional reviewing body in the geriatric curricular review process were: the FDCPG justified the need for the review of the Essential Competencies, deemed their role as important in healthcare education, and reported a greater understanding of the role of physical therapists as part of an interprofessional healthcare team. The Program Curriculum Committee created a policy for consideration of other published competencies, including a recommendation for “other necessary consultation” based on our use of an external reviewing body, noting its value. The outcomes of the overall curricular review process included: 53/61 Essential Competencies were identified as already in the curriculum and the remaining 8/61 Essential Competencies were added. Conclusions and Recommendations: The addition of an external interprofessional reviewing body to an already established internal reviewing body within the geriatric curricular review process in an entry-level doctor of physical therapy program produced a curriculum that will hopefully prepare students for best clinical practice in the care of the older adult. This comprehensive curricular review process involved opportunities and challenges yet still can be used across multiple disciplines, across multiple curricular structures, and is in line with the current state of healthcare practice.

Gaining approvals for mental health research in the NHS

SummaryWhen embarking on mental health research it is often necessary to apply for approvals from one or more review bodies to ensure that the research is ethical and that the safety and well-being of participants are safeguarded. This can be complicated and time consuming, particularly to those unfamiliar with the process. In this article we describe the approvals commonly required for National Health Service-based research involving patients and endeavour to clearly explain what is involved at each stage. We then highlight some of the main considerations, including ethical aspects, which are particularly pertinent to conducting research in the field of mental health, and finish with general advice and considerations for future developments in the area.

Timeline of the junior doctors contract dispute

The outcome of the junior doctor contract negotiations could have a major impact on current medical students’ pay and working conditions. Below is a timeline of the major flashpoints, and an overview of the changes being proposed. October 2013 —Talks begin between NHS Employers and the BMA NHS Employers, acting on behalf of the government, and the BMA, the trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom, start discussing the terms of the new contract, with a view to implementing it by April 2015. October 2014 —BMA walks away from the negotiation table After a year of negotiations the BMA pulls out of talks citing concerns about patient safety, doctors’ welfare, and a lack of evidence underpinning the changes. Kitty Mohan, co-chair of the junior doctors’ committee at the time said the contract proposals lack a “fundamental grasp” of the way in which NHS staff work and that doctors are “upset and frustrated” with how their work was not being “valued, noticed and recognised.” November 2014 —DDRB steps in After the breakdown of talks, the government commissioned the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) to review the contract proposals. July 2015 —DDRB report published The DDRB report says that the current contract is no longer fit for purpose and is hindering the achievement of the NHS’s goals to improve patient care and outcomes, and is unaffordable in the current financial climate. The report includes several recommendations that upset junior doctors (box 1). NHS Employers in England agreed that the DDRB report should be the basis for finalising new contractual arrangements. NHS Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales all rejected the new contract and have decided not to enforce it. …

A systematic review of the methodologies used in research related to adult drug and alcohol rehabilitation in therapeutic communities published 2000-2013

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to summarize research conducted in long-term residential rehabilitation centers, including therapeutic communities (TCs), in order to further clarify the effectiveness of this treatment approach and to evaluate the quality of TC research conducted in the period 2000-2013. Design/methodology/approach – The composite search engine UQ database Summon were used to find articles with “Therapeutic Community” as title words, and the search was limited to adult participants, peer-reviewed articles, published between January 2000 and June 2013 in the English language. The review was conducted using Cochrane Collaboration methods and reported under the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses guidelines. Findings – In total, 25 studies met inclusion criteria for the review and represented data from n=5,923 participants in the USA, Australia, Spain, England, and Belgium. Evidence supports the TC approach for a diverse range of individuals who misuse a range of substances. Several studies reported a relationship between retention and outcomes however dropout from treatment is a widespread issue. A paucity of research using multiple time points precludes any firm conclusions regarding the optimal length of treatment in a TC. There is a lack of research on the interplay between individual and community-level factors on client well-being, retention, and longer term outcomes. Research limitations/implications – This review highlights the need for TC research that includes multiple time points and follow-up assessments, and measures of change in theoretically meaningful constructs alongside standard measures of demographics, substance use, and psychiatric symptoms. Practical implications – The reporting format of TC research should be better standardized in order to create a better basis for research comparison. More standardized reporting would also allow for effect size analysis, and create a more efficacious evidence base. Originality/value – This updates the systematic review body of research.

New contract may adversely affect trainees’ finances, says RCGP

Maureen Baker, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, has said that she was “very concerned” about GP trainees being financially disadvantaged by the new junior doctor contract. Speaking at the college’s annual conference in Glasgow on Thursday 1 October, Baker said, “I have been very concerned about the possibility of GP trainees being financially disadvantaged as part of the ongoing discussions about the junior doctors’ contract.” Her comments, which received a round of applause from the audience, referred to a recommendation made by the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ …

Antidepressant or antidepressant plus placebo effect?

Antidepressant or antidepressant plus placebo effect?

1% of consultants have opted out of elective weekend working

One in every 100 consultants has actively opted out of non-emergency weekend working or used a clause in their contract to avoid non-emergency out of hours work, figures obtained by BMJ Careers show. The topic of consultants working out of hours and at weekends has been a central part of contract negotiations between the BMA and NHS Employers. The Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration’s report on the contract, published in July, said that the clause in the 2003 consultant contract that allowed doctors to opt out of non-emergency out of hours work should be removed.1 To find out how many doctors were using this clause, BMJ Careers sent freedom of information requests to all 155 acute hospital trusts in England. Responses were received from 86 trusts employing 20 644 consultants. Six trusts in total said that they employed consultants who had actively opted out of …

A Critical Analysis of Namibia’s Public Procurement Supplier Remedies Regulatory Framework: Introducing the Standstill Period

In public procurement, review bodies have generally been prohibited from interfering with concluded contracts. This is particularly so as time is of the essence in the procurement process and any disruptions delay the implementation of government contracts. Delays are undesirable as they lead to the inflation of costs, which at the end of the day government has to incur. The procuring process involves the high expenditure of public funds and requires it to be used in a manner that ensures that public money is not wasted. The disruption that comes with supplier remedies therefore has to be regulated to ensure it remains minimal while affording suppliers with the right to justice. It is for this reason that the standstill period was created in the European Union (EU) to set a time limit within which unsuccessful suppliers who feel that the correct procedures were not followed can lodge their complaints before the contract is concluded. Once the time period has lapsed, contracts awarded can then be concluded between the government and the successful supplier. Challenges to the concluded contract are prohibited after this. The implementation of the contract awarded is, in other words, allowed to run smoothly with no interruptions. At present, Namibia has no standstill period in place. Section 16 (2) of the Tender Board of Namibia Act 16 of 1996, allows for the contract awarded to be concluded immediately after notification to the successful supplier. This concluded contract can thus be challenged by unsuccessful suppliers who feel aggrieved and as a result disrupt the implementation of contracts awarded. Furthermore, Namibia has no administrative supplier remedies in place and judicial review, which involves court interference, is the only supplier remedies available to suppliers. Judicial review is however not suitable as it leads to high legal fees and delays which have a negative impact on the procurement process as a whole. Following the introduction of the standstill period in the EU, it has been adopted by some African countries. This paper looks at whether the standstill period should be introduced in Namibia, together with a specific procurement review structure as can be found in the procurement systems of other jurisdictions. Furthermore, the paper will look at how such a standstill period will work, should it be introduced, in order to reduce procurement court cases as they are clearly not ideal.

Scottish government will not impose contract changes on junior doctors

The Scottish government has said that it will not impose a new contract on junior doctors in Scotland. Scotland’s health secretary, Shona Robison, said that the government would instead maintain the current “new deal” contract for junior doctors. The news came after the UK BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee announced that it would not re-enter negotiations with NHS Employers over a new contract for trainees.1 In a report published on 16 July the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) made recommendations …

Removing GP training supplement would be disaster, says BMA

Plans to remove the GP trainee supplement would be a disaster at a time when the specialty is facing a retention and recruitment crisis, the BMA has warned. In its report on the junior doctor and consultant contracts published last month, the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) recommended that the GP trainee supplement be removed.1 It said that GP trainees …

Junior doctors are angry and frustrated by contract proposals, says BMA

Junior doctors have been left angry and frustrated by proposals for a new contract, the BMA has said. Kitty Mohan, co-chair of the BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee, told BMJ Careers that the proposals, which include an extension of standard working hours and “flexible pay premiums,” had made junior doctors very upset. “They feel devalued, they feel frustrated, and they feel like they’re not being listened to,” she said. “I’ve been involved with the BMA since 2003, and we are seeing levels of frustration, disappointment, and anger that I can’t really remember ever seeing [before],” Mohan added. Last month the Review Body on Doctors’ …

A Snapshot in Time: The Changing Systemic Role of the Australian Commonwealth Ombudsman 1

AbstractThe role of the Australian Commonwealth Ombudsman has changed. This change has occurred through operational decision-making rather than through legislative reform. Similarly to many classical ombudsman institutions the Commonwealth Ombudsman has two traditional roles – proactive system fixer and reactive individual complaint handler. Since the office was introduced in Australian in the 1970s. the emphasis placed upon systemic reform has increased. This change is noteworthy as it is generally assumed that these dual roles are related in that improvements produced by one role will impact upon the other. Here it is most often implied in public law literature, that the correction by an ombudsman of a systemic administrative deficiency through its systemic function will reduce numbers of individual complaints. Using empirical data based upon a ‘snapshot in time’ study of the Australian Commonwealth Ombudsman this article argues that this traditional assumptions as to the relationship between the two roles is flawed. The findings of the study presented in this article will impact upon the operation of the ombudsman institution and provide insight into ways in which the role and performance of such a growing international integrity review body may be strengthened.

Effectiveness of moxibustion for allergic rhinitis: protocol for a systematic review

IntroductionThe objective of this review is to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of moxibustion for treating allergic rhinitis (AR).Methods and analysisThe following databases will be searched from their inception to January...

Pay rise will not stop doctors leaving armed forces, BMA warns

A pay rise of 1% will not be enough to stop doctors from leaving the armed forces, the BMA has warned. After a recommendation from the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body, staff received a 1% pay rise on 1 April.1 Brendan McKeating, chair of the BMA’s …

Unions put the financial pressures facing nurses in the spotlight.

NHS employers should contribute to the Nursing and Midwifery Council registration fee as nurses continue to feel the pinch, the union Unite plans to tell the NHS Pay Review Body.

Rise in GP funding will not tackle long term under-resourcing, BMA says

The rise in GP funding for 2015-16 will not help with the long term problem of under-resourcing or the wider issues facing the primary care workforce, the BMA has warned. Last week the government accepted the recommendation of the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) to increase GPs’ pay by 1% for 2015-16. …

Bodies in Balance: The Art of Tibetan Medicine, TheresiaHofer, ed., Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2014, 360 pp.

Medical Anthropology QuarterlyVolume 29, Issue 3 p. b11-b13 BOOK REVIEW Bodies in Balance: The Art of Tibetan Medicine, Theresia Hofer, ed., Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2014, 360 pp. Sara Lewis, Sara Lewis University of OregonSearch for more papers by this author Sara Lewis, Sara Lewis University of OregonSearch for more papers by this author First published: 12 March 2015 https://doi.org/10.1111/maq.12200AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume29, Issue3September 2015Pages b11-b13 RelatedInformation

BMA says it is willing to continue consultant contract negotiations

The BMA has said that it would be willing to resume negotiations with the government on the contract for consultants. Negotiations on the contract for consultants in England and Northern Ireland were referred to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) in October 2014 after talks between the BMA and NHS Employers stalled.1 Speaking to BMJ Careers, Paul Flynn, chairman of the BMA’s Consultants Committee, said that the BMA was willing to continue negotiations …