A GP has set up a specialist group for like-minded doctors with an interest in occupational health .

Clinical lead for the Leicestershire Fit for Work Service Dr Rob Hampton set up the group because there was no such body of its kind in the UK - despite many GPs being interested in this particular field.

Dr Hampton hopes to organise a meeting at this autumn`s Royal College of General Practitioners meeting after 71 GPs joined within a few days of the group being founded.

He said: "GP special interest groups have contributed to the development of achievable standards in many areas, such as in asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, that have contributed to better outcomes in primary care."

Dr Hampton turned to the founders of other specialist GP groups for advice before launching his own. He added that the group was for "frontline primary care doctors, primarily GPs, who have an interest in developing the health and wellbeing of the working age population within the context of primary care".

Copyright Press Association 2012

England`s primary care services are among the most advanced users of healthcare IT systems in the world, according to research.

More than 90% of primary care clinicians in England enter patient notes on to a computer system during or after consultations, found Accenture`s survey of 3,700 physicians and 160 health leaders from a number of countries. This is a higher level than countries such as the US, Canada, Germany, Singapore and Spain.

However, secondary care services, or specialty care, may be lagging behind primary care and could undermine integrated care delivery, the report said.

Jim Burke, leader of Accenture`s healthcare business in the UK and Ireland, said: "Although the use of healthcare IT functionality is widespread across England there is a notable disparity between care settings.

"Clearly more needs to be done in secondary care in order to develop greater connectivity across the English healthcare system."

The report, Connected Health: The Drive to Integrated Healthcare Delivery, considered factors such as e-referrals, e-ordering, e-prescribing, communications with other clinicians and electronic entry of patient notes.

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Hull City Council has employed eight new occupational health therapists in a bid to cut waiting times.

The council will look to recruit three more full-time health therapists later in the year to bring the total number added to its team to 11 by June, it confirmed. The recruitment drive began after it lost a number of experienced staff through early retirement last year.

The occupational therapy jobs are being funded by extra money from the NHS and the council, according to Councillor Rilba Jones, who is the portfolio holder for health and equalities at Hull City Council.

Ms Jones said: "We`ve struggled to recruit people with this qualification needed to be a qualified health therapist."

A further seven assistants who help people to live independently after also now employed by the council, Ms Jones said.

The waiting list to be assessed by an occupational health therapist currently stands at 34 weeks, unless the clients are at crisis point.

Copyright Press Association 2012

A London university has launched new courses in a bid to boost the knowledge and skills of healthcare support workers.

The move from Middlesex University comes in the wake of a Government call for an increase in the number of NHS support staff taking qualifications, something which is likely to affect the working life of those in nursing jobs.

The university has launched two courses aimed at boosting ethical and legal knowledge among healthcare support workers and assistant practitioners as well boosting their range of skills.

The new part-time courses have been developed with assistance from London NHS trusts in a bid to see more staff achieve higher qualifications.

Students will have the option of studying for one or two years, with those staying on for a second having the opportunity to upgrade their certificate in higher education to a diploma in higher education.

Middlesex Nursing lecturers Kate Brown and Carol Lincoln said: "Many healthcare workers want to progress their careers and have aspirations to become assistant practitioners and nurses, and this will help them on their way."

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