New guidelines have been issued to simplify the Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration process for GPs.

The document is designed to help those in GP jobs establish whether they are compliant with the CQC`s essential standards.

GPs had previously complained that CQC registration was lengthy and complex.

The BMA`s General Practitioners Committee (GPC) said the new guidance would help to make the task less burdensome.

The committee has been working with the CQC for 12 months in a bid to improve the registration process and ensure that compliance is monitored in a "proportionate" manner.

A toolkit was launched last year to help with registration. Since then, changes have been made to the process, which are incorporated into the new guidelines.

GPC chairman Dr Laurence Buckman said: "We`ve produced this guidance to help GPs and practice managers through the process, trying to make it as straightforward as possible, however we believe all practices should already be able to fulfil and demonstrate the essential standards through the work they currently do."

Copyright Press Association 2012

Workers in GP jobs have been called on to provide better support to people with hearing disabilities.

The appeal comes after new findings suggest that patients who use sign language without an interpreter`s help sometimes struggle to communicate with their doctor.

Data showed that two in five British Sign Language (BSL) users said they feel confused after visiting their GP because of poor interpretation, while more than two in three were not given an interpreter`s help despite stating they needed one when they booked an appointment.

As a result a group of organisations, which includes the charity Action on Hearing Loss, have issued a call to those in GP jobs to improve the services available for deaf patients. They have also urged providers of healthcare to employ those who are only qualified sign language interpreters to act as a support for people with hearing loss.

"It`s essential that there is clear communication between patients and health professionals, so that medical information is conveyed without any confusion," said Jackie Ballard, chief executive of Action on Hearing Loss.

"We want standards in communication for people with a hearing loss to be improved and meet the legal requirements of the Equality Act 2010."

Copyright Press Association 2012

Breast cancer treatments could be revolutionised by a new study that divided types of the disease into 10 categories.

Those in nursing jobs may be able to treat the condition differently in the future, following the results of the Cancer Research UK study which looked at the genetic make-up of 2,000 tumours.

The charity`s scientists suggested that breast cancer could be viewed as 10 separate diseases, instead of just the one illness. They believe that breast cancer could become an umbrella term for a variety of conditions.

More targeted treatments for the disease could be created following the publication of the findings. And it is thought that the discovery of new breast cancer genes might also shed light on defects which lead to the formation of cancer.

Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK`s chief executive, said: "This is a landmark study that really changes the way we think about breast cancer - no longer as one disease but actually as 10 quite distinct diseases, dependent on which genes are really switched on and which ones aren`t for an individual woman."

The journal Nature published the findings.

Copyright Press Association 2012

The fact that thousands of hospital patients are being discharged in the middle of the night is putting GPs under strain, according to the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).

The warning comes after a study revealed 239,233 patients were discharged between 11pm and 6am in 2011/12. Of the 170 English hospital trusts asked by The Times, 100 responded.

But the RCGP warns the move is making GP jobs harder, as patients discharged in the middle of the night require a GP home visit the next day.

"GPs are heaving under the workload," said RCGP chairwoman Dr Clare Gerada.

"The number of patients GPs are seeing has increased, activity has more or less doubled and we are seeing increasingly complex cases and the points of access has increased."

The figures account for 3.5% of all hospital discharges, and include A&E admissions only if they have been admitted to a ward.

Copyright Press Association 2012