Wart-charming on the NHS?

At the beginning of term, a booth would be set up in the school gym. Stripped to the waist and hunched with cold and embarrassment, we stood waiting for our turn to enter the booth so that the games mistress could watch us bend forward to touch our toes. Then she inspected the soles of our feet. I don’t know if she ever picked up an incipient scoliosis, but each summer verrucas condemned several girls to sitting by the swimming pool while the rest of us practised our breast stroke.

Musical medics

Twelve years ago James Gilchrist MRCP found himself at a career crossroads: he was on a prestigious medical rotation and he had a diary full of semi-professional singing engagements. He told me how he had gone to discuss his future with his consultant. “To my surprise, this eminent physician told me he himself had always regretted not having followed his own non-medical dream. He put it to me that I might come to the end of a medical career still wondering ‘What if?’ ” James left the rotation early to try his luck, intending to look for a new medical job if it didn’t work out.

NASGP December January Newsletter out now

This is our 56th edition, where Linda describes how participating in the RCGP’s iMAP has allowed her career portfolio to blossom; Judith’s becoming increasingly concerned about all the baby-boomers driving amok; Ron thinks Sessional GPs should join the MPU; Sara reminds us why we need to communicate effectively; Sonja may be able to help you if you’re a slow consultor, plus some great clinical nuggets from GP Update and our usual roundup of groups from across the UK.

National insurance for sessional GPs can get very complicated.

A salaried GP, who is an NHS pension scheme member, will pay Class 1 contributions at the contracted out rate – 9.4% (and the employer will also pay a contribution). If the employment is not pensioned, then the rate increases to 11%. In both cases the contribution rate on the slice of income over £844 per week reduces to 1%.

Isolation remains a major issue for UK sessional GPs

The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund (RMBF) today announced the launch of its national research into sessional General Practitioners (GPs) in the UK. This research was commissioned as part of the charity’s Development Fund Sessional GP Project, looking into issues faced by sessional GPs on a national scale. The research is a mixed methods study (focus groups, online surveys, literature review) conducted by the Medical Education Research Group at Durham University and includes figures on the number, location and types of sessional GPs currently working in the UK.

Tell a friend about NASGP and you could win an iPad

To celebrate a great year at the NASGP, and with Christmas very much in mind, and of course to encourage more members to join, we’re offering a free iPad* to:

• either one lucky member joining for a full year by direct debit between 26th November 2010 and the 21st Dec 2010,
• or to any existing member who has introduced a new member to the NASGP during that period.

The new member must enter the referring member’s NASGP membership number into the online membership application form, and the referring member’s membership number can be entered by as many members as are encouraged to join.

On the 22nd December we’ll pick one very lucky entry out of the hat and put in an urgent request to Father Christmas** to send them an iPad in time for Christmas.

Please forward this email on to any Sessional GPs who you may know who may be interested in joining the NASGP, and they can enter your membership number*** when they join here www.nasgp.org.uk/join.

And of course, any new member can have more that just one bite at the cherry by both joining and then recommending others to join too!

* It’ll be the 16GB wireless model, unless you want to pay the extra.
** Contrary to popular belief, he only delivers to the UK and will be coming from the Amazon, not Lapland.
*** Don’t worry about identity theft – we don’t use membership numbers to cross-reference any personal data.