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Tougher rules for out-of-hours doctor services

By Channel 4 News

Updated on 04 February 2010

The out-of-hours GP system needs improving with more training for foreign staff, a report is expected say, ahead of an inquest verdict into the death of a patient treated by a German doctor.

Doctor (Getty)

Today's study is likely to criticise the way some primary care trusts (PCTs) organise out-of-hours services.

The government-ordered review will also call for overseas doctors to prove they are competent in English.

They will also be expected to demonstrate they have the necessary clinical skills and knowledge to work for the NHS in England.

The government is expected to accept all 24 recommendations in the report and will tell primary care trusts (PCTs) they must implement them as a matter of urgency.

The publication of the report coincides with the end of the inquest into the death of 70-year-old David Gray.

Mr Gray died in 2008 after being treated by a German doctor working his first out-of-hours shift in Britain.

He was given 10 times the normal dose of diamorphine by Dr Daniel Ubani, who admitted being exhausted and only having a few hours' sleep before beginning work in Cambridgeshire.

The report is expected to point to poor contract management and a lack of systems to monitor the performance of GPs and private companies.

It is also expected to say there is inadequate integration with the rest of the urgent care system, such as with A&E.

The government will tell PCTs that if they refuse to admit a GP to their list of approved workers they must notify the General Medical Council to avoid another PCT unknowingly hiring the same doctor.

The government has said it intends to create stronger national minimum standards for out-of-hours care and for GPs to be involved in creating a model of care locally. This includes asking GPs how they think services should be commissioned.

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