Summer 2015 - Faculty of Medicine

Summer 2015
This autumn, Imperial College London will be hosting two primary care
conferences. The first conference, in September, will highlight
opportunities for working in primary care in NW London. The second
conference, in October, will highlight international examples of highquality primary care and public health research, teaching and training
with a focus on person-centred healthcare. You can find out more
about these conferences inside the newsletter. Our work continues to
be covered in the media and we are also developing our outreach work as shown by our
work at the Imperial Festival. Finally, we were all very pleased that our multi-professional
pilot educational programme that allowed medical students and student nurses to learn
together won an award from Health Education North-West London.
Professor Azeem Majeed
Penicillin Research Wins
Royal College of GPs
Paper of the Year Award
2015
In June, Dr Sonia Saxena’s
paper in the British Journal of
General Practice, reporting
inadequate penicillin dosing in
children, won the Royal
College of GPs Research Paper
of the Year Prize (Infections).
Congratulations to Dr Chris Millett on his promotion to Professor
as announced in June by the School of Public Health. This is welldeserved recognition for Chris’s excellent contribution to the
department and the School.
Chris is also a National Institute for Health
Research Professor of Public Health at
Imperial College London, a Senior
Research Fellow at the Public Health
Upcoming Key
Departmental Events
Foundation of India and a Fellow of the
UK Faculty of Public Health.
1st International Conference
of Primary Care and Public
Chris publishes on a variety of topics,
Health, 29-31 October, 2015
including tobacco control, active travel
GP Careers in the 21st Century
and obesity, health system performance
9 September 2015
and health inequalities. His health
See inside for more details
systems research includes analysis and
evaluation of health care policy in the
United Kingdom and internationally. This includes studies on the
Quality and Outcomes Framework, a major pay for performance programme, public reporting systems and
cardiovascular risk assessment programmes. His research includes a growing focus on evaluating strategies
to prevent and manage chronic (non-communicable) disease in middle income country settings, especially
India. His research on smoking and the benefits of exercise has been widely reported in the press.
WHO CC for Public Health
Training & Education
Dr Sondus
Hassounah
presented her
work entitled
‘The Right to
Health: The
challenge of
securing good
health in the
Arab States’ at
the 7th European
Public Health
Conference,
which took place
at the Scottish
Exhibition and
Conference Centre, Glasgow. It has recently been
published as a chapter in the book entitled ‘The Right
to Health: a multi-country study of law, policy and
practice’.
Global eHealth Unit
Dr Petra Wark presented the validation study design
of myfood24 (a new online 24h dietary assessment
took for the UK) at the pre-conference workshop
‘How useful are new technologies in dietary
assessment and weight management?’, which was
part of The International Society for Behavioural
Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) conference in
Edinburgh.
The first paper on myfood24 has been just published
in Nutrients and the validation study has enrolled its
final participants.
Undergraduate Education/UG
Primary Care Education
The Annual Teachers’ conference was held in June at
the Charing Cross campus. It was a day of celebration,
introspection and reflection with more than 130
guests. Dr Sonia Kumar and Professor Azeem Majeed
Dr Foster Unit
The Dr Foster Unit welcomes Dr Kate Honeyford, who
joins as a Research Associate. Kate is an applied
statistician and comes from the University of Leicester
where she worked on the factors associated with
variations in premature mortality between general
practices. Within the Unit, she will be looking at
patterns and determinants of outcomes in patients
hospitalised for heart failure and COPD, with a
particular focus on factors associated with
readmission and A&E attendance.
Recent papers include ‘The Global Comparators
project: international comparison of 30-day inhospital mortality by day of the week’, published in
BMJ Quality and Safety, which looks at the ‘weekend
effect’ internationally and was reported in Imperial
College News.
welcomed the group, then renowned GP Dr Clare
Gerada discussed the nature of primary care work in
today’s NHS, and reflected on how things have
changed since her father worked as a family GP.
Child Health Unit
The day also consisted of workshops providing
teaching skills updates, presentations from students
and yoga. At the student and teacher awards, Dr
Jenny Lebus collected a Lifetime Achievement Award
for 32 years of service.
The afternoon panel debate was hosted by Dr
Elizabeth Muir, Mr Martin Lupton and Year 5 medical
student, Hannah Wilson, where they looked at what
feedback means from many different perspectives.
Representing the Department, Sonia Kumar (Director
of Undergraduate Primary Care Education) and Dr Jo
Harris (Deputy Head of the School of Medicine)
presented a new pilot at the annual School of Public
Health Showcase. Entitled ‘Integrated Clinical
Assistantship’, it will start in Year 5 of the
Undergraduate MBBS course from July 2016. It
involves 24 students in Year 5 attending the same GP
practice, in pairs, once a week for a year.
This relationship with the practice will allow them to
have continuity over the course of the year with the
same tutor, team, learning setting, patients and
disease processes. Imperial College is currently
working with Harvard University to finalise the details
of the pilot before its commencement next year.
In a follow up to the March launch of the programme
grant PROMISE (Paediatric Research in Obesity Multimodal Intervention and Service Evaluation), the Child
Health Unit, in conjunction with UCL Institute of Child
Health and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine, hosted a national symposium examining
the findings of the PROMISE programme and what
they mean for UK actions on child and adolescent
obesity. Researchers, policy makers, practitioners and
young people will present and share their views
during the event.
The symposium also examined the implications of
PROMISE findings for public health and policy, for
clinical practice, and for the research community as
the UK steps up its response to the obesity epidemic.
Dr Richard Ma was interviewed on LBC Radio’s
Nick Ferrari Show where he made four key points
on the changes in licence for new emergency
contraception EllaOne(r) to be supplied to under
16s by pharmacists:
•
•
•
•
This change is a broader strategy to
reduce unintended and unplanned
pregnancies, as well as abortions, in under
18s.
Good access to routine and emergency
contraception is still needed.
He wants to move away from using the
term ‘morning after pill’ as this sends out
the wrong message. EllaOne can be used
up to 5 days after unprotected sex.
Young people should not be demonised
for taking responsibility for their own
sexual health.
Imperial College London and the International College of Person-Centred
Medicine are pleased to announce the 1st International Conference of Primary
Care and Public Health to celebrate Primary Care and Public Health Achievements.
Baroness Ilora Finlay, Baroness Sheila Hollins and Sir Al Aynsley Green are
amongst the world and UK leaders in Primary Care and Public Health who will be
leading the conference.
The five central themes are: Primary Care in the 21st Century, Ageing and Ageism,
Children and Adolescents, Integrated Care, and Public Health in Primary Care.
Discussions will cut across the four major disciplines of education, training,
research and clinical practice.
Who are the organisers?
The Department of Primary Care & Public Health (PCPH) at Imperial College London (ICL) is
part of the Imperial School of Public Health’s Faculty of Medicine. The core mission of
PCPH is to achieve better health through strengthening the primary care science base. This
is done by training the next generation of NHS general practitioners, primary care
professionals and public health specialists. They will become the next generation of health
leaders, influencing policy and programmes worldwide. Imperial College London is the
joint-second best university in the world. PCPH has established itself as a leading academic
primary care and public health department combining local, national and international
research with teaching and training programmes. Its research in public health, health
service and primary care is ranked top in the UK.
The International College of Person-centred Medicine is a not-for-profit educational,
research, and advocacy organisation emerging from the Geneva Conferences on Personcentred Medicine. Since 2008 its aim is to promote and articulate science and humanism
in medicine and health care, refocusing these components on the whole person.
Who should attend?
This three-day conference will give general practitioners, researchers, health leaders,
policy makers, and managers an outstanding platform to share their innovative work. The
conference is not restricted to the theoretical and will include aspects of how to improve
practice, apply evidence to decision-making, and above all, sharing our successes. Leading
international figures from clinical practice, public health, academia, health leadership and
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will join us in this unique celebration of
achievements. They will share their experiences of innovation, how to achieve change,
and making a difference to people’s lives. The joint conference will celebrate primary care
achievements and highlight the virtue of patient-centred medicine. Do not miss this
opportunity!
Visit the Conference Website
Registration
Submit Abstracts
(Deadline 11 August)
SPOTLIGHT ON…
Clockwise from far left;
Shamini Gnani, Sylvia Westrup,
Ricky Banarsee, Ela Augustyniak &
Austen El-Aosta.
WeLReN CiC (West London Primary Care Research Network Community
Interest Company) is a medical research infrastructure organisation based in
North West London. The CiC was formally established in 2012 to co-ordinate,
promote and support research activity in both primary and social care, and to
develop primary care and public health capacity through medical education
and training. The CiC is an active social enterprise with roots and a
framework stemming from WeLReN (West London Research Network), which
was set up in 1998.
WeLReN CiC is a practice-based research
network (PBRN) bringing together GPs,
public health professionals, practice
nurses, community and allied health
practitioners together with academic
general practices and researchers in longterm, fruitful and enduring collaborations.
Its principle aim is to facilitate the conduct
of impactful research that matters to
practitioners affecting a positive
difference in the delivery of primary care.
WelReN operates via a virtual alliance
with over 300 GP practices in West
London, with plans to become a pan
London outfit offering services to a wide
mix of stakeholders.
The uniqueness of WeLReN CiC is its
operating framework. WeLReN CiC is
collocated at the Imperial College
Department of Primary Care and Public
Health (its academic base) and Northwest
London Hospital NHS Trust (its clinical
base in an NHS setting). WeLReN also has
links spanning across other local academic
institutions including London Dental
Schools, Kings College, LSBU, New Bucks
University and University of West London,
and international links involving the Open
University (Mauritius), the University of
Mauritius and the University of Cape
Town. The Network delivers an extensive
portfolio of clinical research, medical
education and training programmes,
service evaluations and bespoke clinical
audits by working collaboratively with a
wide mix of stakeholders including
healthcare professionals public health
officials, social care and academics to
develop ideas of common interests. It also
has collaborative links with various
pharmaceutical companies (including
CROs), conglomerates and industry
sponsors in the UK, the Ukraine, Australia
and SADC (South Africa Democratic
Countries).
Following the Conference on Primary Care
and Public Health organised by WeLReN in
Mauritius in 2008; the first Masters in
Public Health programme was launched
with the collaboration of the University of
Mauritius. The programme has been
successfully running for two consecutive
years, with positive reviews and acclaim
from students, the Ministry of Health and
Ministry of Education in Mauritius and
external examiners.
WeLReN CiC necessarily incorporates a
large number of partners and team
members stationed across various
institutions. The core team is led by Dr
Ricky Banarsee (WeLReN Director)
coordinating various functions including
Public Health (Dr Shamini Gnani), quality
assurance and governance (Dr Sylvia
Westrup), stakeholder engagement (Dr
Austen El-Osta), research management
(Dr Shilpi Mehra & Mrs Valentine DunnToroosian) and higher administration
functions (Ms Ela Augustyniak). WeLReN is
currently recruiting five frontline clinicians
to join the team.
WeLReN is in the process of developing a
series of Primary Care Commercial Hubs
across North West London. This will allow
commercial CROs and pharmaceutical
companies to engage with GP practices
and potentially eligible patients via
WeLReN to fast track recruitment of
patients into clinical trials and other well
designed studies.
WeLReN CiC offers consultancy,
education, research, service evaluation
and quality assurance functions.
In its next phase of development, WeLReN
will be working with the Open University
of Mauritius to develop an on-line MPH
course. The new MPH course is being
designed to link up to a course in Family
Practice and an MBA (Health).
Through its network of research active
GPs and clinicians, WeLReN works in close
collaboration with the World Health
Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre
for Public Health Education and Training
to support clinical placements for
international fellows and international
delegations with various professional
interests. Further info on the work of
WeLReN CIC can be found on their
website.
Photo by Thomas Angus
The Imperial Festival returned for a fourth year, 9-10 May 2015. What started
as a modest pilot project in 2012 to explore how Imperial College London
might share its research with more people in new ways, has now evolved
into a large-scale weekend event
which is a prominent fixture in the
College’s calendar. Thousands of
visitors attended Imperial’s South
Kensington campus to enjoy the
interactive demonstrations,
workshops, tours, talks and
performances on offer.
The Department participated in its first
festival, holding two interactive stalls in
the Research Zone, along with a live
consultation session in the Workshop
Tent. Staff from the Undergraduate
Teaching Unit gave visitors insight into
the NHS, with a focus on the work of
Photos by Thomas Angus
GPs and other primary care staff, as well
as advice on healthy eating and healthy
living. The eye-catching stalls were
designed to appeal to both children and
adults.
At the healthy eating stall,
children were encouraged to
draw what they thought
constituted a healthy meal.
Parents received guidance
about portion sizes and how
much fruit and veg should
constitute a meal (it should be
half!). People were also asked
to guess how many spoons of
sugar were in a bottle of
orange juice and a can
of coke – the results
were quite surprising!
The GP Skills stall had a
Nasogastric model
which demonstrated
the procedure used to
insert a feeding tube
into the stomach
through the nose.
Members of the public
practiced feeding the tube
in through the nose with the model
mimicking the swallowing action needed
to induce the tube further down into the
stomach. As is noted in the video, it’s
Photos by Thomas Angus
not as easy as it seems!
There was also a model
arm with which the public
could practice cannulation,
and were able to draw (fake) blood from
it. This proved to be very popular with
both children and adults!
There was also a live
consultation session with
GPs and actors from the
department
demonstrating a clinical
skills session to give the
public insight into the
thinking of a GP and
shows a small part of the
decision making process.
Audience members
were invited to
participate in
guessing what the
GP might be
thinking or might do
next.
Overall, the event
was a huge success
and helped by the
early May sunshine, the
department’s stalls and workshop
proved very popular with the public.
Plans for next year are already
underway.
Photo by John Cairns
Congratulations to
Ms Lizzie Cecil for
the wide media
(broadsheet,
tabloid and TV)
coverage she
achieved with her Annals of Family
Medicine paper reporting on primary
care sensitive hospital admissions in
children. The Royal College of GPs
and Paediatrics and Child Health
responded by issuing statements--as
did the British Medical Association
(GP Committee). The Department of
Health’s statement ascribed the problems to Labour policies.
“Since 2004 there has been a substantial increase in
pressure on the NHS from rising patient demand,
falling resources and staff shortages that have
particularly affected general practice”
“Any increase is down to
hospital doctors taking a more
cautious approach to admitting
children for overnight
observation, a response to
pressure to meet the A&E fourhour target.”
Dr Maureen Baker, Chair, Royal College of
GPs
The Times
Richard Vautrey, Deputy Chair GP committee
"The 2004 GP contract broke the personal link
between doctor and patient, piled on red tape and
put huge pressure on A&Es.
By 2020 we'll ensure everyone can see a family
doctor seven days a week, empowering hardworking GPs as the cornerstone of the NHS”
Department of Health spokesman
Imperial Press Release Pulse RCPG
Western Morning News
Daily Mail Telegraph
In April, Professor Chris Millet discussed the results of his study on alternative
providers of GP services on BBC Radio 4. The study, published in the Journal of the
Royal Society of
Medicine, found that
alternative providers
of primary care in
the NHS, including
private sector
companies, do not
perform as well as
traditional GP
practices. Alternative
providers have been contracted to offer primary care in the NHS since 2004 under
reforms designed to increase competition.
These providers performed worse than traditional GP practices on 15 out of 17 indicators after
adjusting for the characteristics of the practices and the populations they serve. The study looked at a
range of performance indicators from the Health and Social Care Information Centre and the national
GP Patient Survey. These included access measures such as how easily patients can get
appointments, clinical measures such as how well they manage patients’ blood pressure, and
efficiency measures. Among the differences between types of practices, alternative providers had
worse results for patients’ diabetes control, higher hospital admission rates for chronic conditions,
and lower overall patient satisfaction.
Dr Saxena on Radio 4 Women’s Hour
Children born since the 1980s are up to three times more likely
than older generations to be overweight or obese, and a fifth of
boys and quarter of girls born after 1990 are obese by the time
they are 10. That’s according to new research announced this by
University College London. What can you do as a parent if your
child is overweight? At what point do you decide their weight is a
problem? And how should it best be tackled? Dr Sonia Saxena, GP
and Associate Professor at Imperial College London, has conducted
a 5 year research project on childhood obesity for the National
Institute of Health Research. She joined the Women’s Hour team,
to discuss this.
Listen to the podcast
Masters of Public Health Educational Trip to Geneva
In June, 39 students from the MPH travelled to Geneva for an educational
visit organised by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education
and Training.
For three days students attended
talks at the WHO, MSF, UNHCR, the
UN and Global Fund. They learnt
about the work of international
health organisations and attended
talks on health systems and
innovation, the global observatory
on health R&D, evidence-informed
policy, health system financing and
the global burden of NCDs. They
had the opportunity to meet public
health experts such as Dr Najeeb al
Shorbaji and Nicola Magrini.
Students were extremely pleased
with the trip and they returned to
London with an unforgettable
experience, advice about their
future careers, and connections
with key public health leaders.
Systematic Literature Review Course
Departmental PhD students and fellows attended a one-day course on systematic reviews
given by Dr Holger Kunz. Through highly interactive and practical sessions, they learnt why
systematic literature reviews are so important in Public Health, how to develop a research
question and a protocol, and the steps in conducting a systematic review – from literature
search to selection of studies, quality appraisal, data extraction, meta-analysis and textual
synthesis.
Ebola Presentation at the Chevening Conference
Dr Haitham Shoman, an MPH student supported by WHO CC, prepared a poster and
presented an overview on the Ebola outbreak at the Chevening Conference on Diplomacy
in the 21st Century which took place at Durham University in April.
At the conference Dr Shoman
presented, ‘What is the link
between Ebola outbreaks
and Health Systems?’.
His subject drew a great deal
of interest and questions
from delegates and
presenters. His summer
dissertation project,
supervised by Professor
Salman Rawaf, centres on finding links, noting the roots of the problem, assessing the
information available and reaching conclusions on how to mitigate outbreaks.
PCPH Afternoon Away
On 20 May, the Department held its first Away Day in nearly seven
years. Gathering at the prestigious Queen’s Club and hosted by Dr
Sonia Kumar, Dr Sonia Saxena and Prof Chris Millett, the afternoon
proved to be a resounding success as the activities revolved around the
theme ‘Working Better Together’.
Head of Department, Professor Azeem Majeed,
warmly welcomed attendees and the afternoon
began with a showcase of PCPH projects
highlighting collaborative efforts within the
department. Serenaded with the tune ‘Dizzy Miss
Lizzy’, Lizzie Cecil presented her project ‘Do children
end up in hospital when primary care is
withdrawn?’ which is receiving widespread media
coverage.
A chance to meet colleagues, old and new
Elena Barquero and Gillian Williams were
next up to the tune of ‘Elena’, by Bacilos, and
discussed the success they are having with
the Year 3 CEPN inter professional pilot, one
year on.
Lizzie Cecil
Finally, with ‘Hello Dolly’ inviting her up, Doli
Aina highlighted the many accomplishments
of the department as reported in the
eMagazine.
After a break, there was a session where
small groups discussed specific ways the
department can work and collaborate better
in future. Suggestions from each group were
fed back at an overall plenary session.
Several key points surfaced:
Gillian Williams
Elena Barquero
Doli Aina
 The need to have photos and names
of staff readily available with areas of
interest and expertise noted on an
interactive electronic organogram.
 A revamp of the departmental
seminar series to include
departmental networking time.
 Lists of active research projects and a
request for more department away
days!
Sonia Kumar closed the day by thanking
everyone for their participation and a drinks
reception was held on the terrace. It was a
lovely end to an upbeat, productive day that
built on the strengths of the department as it
continues to strive to be its best.
Many thanks go to Pirkko Carmack for
providing the logistical support and ensuring
a smooth-running afternoon. Thanks also to
the presenters for being good musical sports
and the hosts for making the day such a
success.
Showcasing Our Work
Gillian Williams, Elena Barquero and Mydhili Chellappah
Award for Imperial College London Team
The Imperial College Community Based Interprofessional Learning Team from the
Department of Primary Care and Public Health were highly commended in the
Innovation in Interprofessional Learning in Primary and Community Care category
at the Annual Health Education North West London awards.
This innovative project explores the benefits
of community based inter-professional
learning with a cohort of 41 third year medical
and nursing students. The students
implemented newly acquired Health Coaching
skills (after attending a health coaching
course) when visiting selected ‘high risk for
admission’ patients in West London over a
four month period.
health care community. Inter-professional
learning is a new concept at imperial College
London and the challenges of bringing
medical students from Imperial College and
nursing students from Buckinghamshire New
University together. Providing them with skills
around Health Coaching and Practices, and
arranging for them to see patients in the
community was ambitious.
The sessions provided students with an
opportunity to practise listening and talking to
patients, develop a better understanding of
patients who have complex health needs; and
become a valued, active member of the
The early results from the evaluation of the
programme have been very positive, with the
students gaining insight into the benefits of
inter-professional learning.
The Sir Brian Jarman Prize Winner Announced
The Department awards the Sir Brian Jarman prize annually for the best research project carried
out by an Academic Primary Care F2 doctor.
This year the prize goes to Dr Francesca Conway whose project involved performing a cross-sectional
analysis in a cohort in India, comparing active travel to motorised travel and the effect on
cardiovascular health outcomes, including BMI and obesity, blood pressure, diabetes and
cholesterol. Many congratulations on achieving this distinction.
The London Innovation Awards Winner
Bushra Siddiqi, a PhD candidate within the department supervised by
Professor Paul Aylin, received first place for her research,
presentation and poster in the prestigious London Innovation
Awards (LIS), in the ‘Policy Making for the Big Data Era’ conference
held in June at the University of Cambridge.
There she showcased her research entitled ‘Using Process Mining
Techniques to Visualise the Patients' Journey for Prostate Cancer
Pathways of Care’ and was judged by distinguished delegates from top
international universities as well as UK and EU government bodies,
non-profit organisations and private businesses. Participants
represented various universities across the UK and the awards were
not only a competition, but a celebration of excellence in research and
innovative ideas. We congratulate Bushra on her outstanding
achievement.
Professor Azeem Majeed gave a
lecture on diabetes, ‘Achieving
diabetes management targets in
primary care – impact on
mortality and hospital
admissions’, at the RCGP City
Health Conference in May.
“Diabetes is becoming
increasingly common across the
world because of lifestyle
changes such as more sedentary
lifestyles and an increased
intake of high-calorie foods
(such as refined carbohydrates).
Prevention is clearly the best
option but once diabetes
becomes established, it is
important that doctors and
patients work towards meeting
key management targets for
glucose, blood pressure and
cholesterol control”.
Dr Sondus Hassounah, delivered
a presentation at the Urology
Department afternoon
educational seminar showcasing
the work the WHO CC
undertakes. The presentation
provided a brief overview of
how the WHO CC was
established and highlighted
some of the projects the centre
has been involved in since its
designation by the WHO, with
the support of the British
Government, in 2007. The
request to deliver this session
stemmed from the urology
department’s interest in global
health work and keenness to
expose their faculty, staff and
students to the broad
application of public health and
health system strengthening in a
global context.
In June, Dr Petra Wark
presented a session at the
European Congress of
Epidemiology 2015 ‘Healthy
Living’ in Maastricht, the
Netherlands entitled ‘mHealth in
epidemiological research and
public health interventions:
endless possibilities, yet needs
for validation’.
Professor Salman Rawaf,
Director of Who Collaborating
Centre for Public Health
Education and Training gave a
presentation at the conference
organised by the Royal College
of General Practitioners. The
presentation, ‘A family physician
for every person in the world:
why we are failing globally’,
stressed that the WHO World
Health Report, ‘Primary care –
now more than ever’, in 2008,
re-focused the attention on the
need of developing and
strengthening primary care
around the world. The talk also
addressed the question why
countries are reluctant or
unable to develop their health
system through primary care,
where every citizen has access
to fully trained doctors who take
care of health and healthcare
needs.
Imperial Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) in
collaboration with Health Education North West London
(HENWL) and Hammersmith & Fulham GP Federation are
inviting all members of the GP specialty to a free, full-day
conference event on Wednesday, 9 September 2015, to
promote careers in General Practice.
Dave Guttridge – The Photographic Unit
OPPORTUNITIES AND
CAREER PATHWAYS
IN PRIMARY CARE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
SPECIALISATION IN
DIABETES,
OPHTHALMOLOGY AND
ACUTE COMMUNITY CARE
LEARN MORE ABOUT
TEACHING, RESEARCH
AND CLINICAL
LEADERSHIP ROLES
CONTACT:
MONA EL-KHATIB
IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
THE REYNOLDS BUILDING
ST DUNSTAN’S ROAD
LONDON W6 8RP
PROGRAMME AND EVENT
DETAILS
REGISTER IN ADVANCE
9 September 2015
Health Education North West London
Hammersmith & Fulham GP
Federation
Coverage of the NHS Health Check programme in
England: national evaluation
A recent article from researchers within the
Department examined coverage of the NHS Health
Check programme in England. The article was
published in the journal Preventive Medicine. The
group found that coverage of the programme was low
in the first four years and there was a wide variation
in coverage between general practices.
There was an increase in statin prescribing but only
about one in three people who attended for a Health
Check and who were found to have a cardiovascular
risk score (20% or more 10-year risk of cardiovascular
disease) were prescribed a statin.
appointment within 48 hours. This target was far from
being achieved under the last Labour government,
with only 81 per cent of patients able to see a GP
within two weekdays in 2009-10. As well as recruiting
5,000 extra GPs, the Conservatives promised that if
re-elected, patients in England would be able to see a
GP between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week. This
policy has been piloted in 14 per cent of GP practices,
but results of an independent evaluation are yet to be
published.
The paper concludes that unless coverage of the NHS
Health Check programme improved and uptake of
statins in high-risk groups increased, the programme
would not deliver its predicted benefits in reducing
morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease.
The BMJ article discusses the aims of the parties'
pledges and looks at the evidence for how effective
they would be. The largest increase in the GP
workforce over any previous five-year period was
5,414, from 2004 to 2009. Last year, a GP Taskforce
report identified major recruitment and retention
problems that need to be tackled to increase GP
numbers, including a shortage of GP training posts.
The article was covered by a number of media outlets
including the Daily Mail and Pulse.
The article concludes with five points of action for
policy and research:
Why election pledges from politicians on NHS
primary care need careful examination
The likely effects of the Conservatives' and Labour's
pledges to improve access to primary care are
unclear. Both main parties have promised large
increases in the number of GPs and significant
improvements in access to appointments. In an article
published in the British Medical Journal, Thomas
Cowling, Dr Matthew Harris and Professor Azeem
Majeed say the pledges are unlikely to be achieved
within a single parliamentary term.
The Labour Party have pledged to recruit 8,000 new
GPs and plan to reintroduce their guarantee of an
• Evaluate the existing pilot scheme of extended
general practice opening hours
• Make more data on the work done in primary care
routinely available
• Discuss the mix of staff in general practice
• Evaluate new types of appointment (e.g. phone and
online)
• Give due consideration to increases in demand for
general practice when designing policies
The article received widespread coverage in media
outlets such as the Independent, Sky News, Daily Mail
and Newsweek.
Patients’ online access to their electronic health
records and linked online services
medication errors and facilitating increased use of
preventive services.
Online access to medical records by patients has the
potential to promote patient-centred care and
improve patient satisfaction. Online services may also
offer patients greater convenience although concerns
The findings from this review are important for health
systems and professionals. Although online access
may be achievable, there remain challenges about
clinicians’ adoption of systems because of workload
and workflow concerns. The business model for
primary care may also need to change to enable more
effective utilisation of information technology in
everyday practice.
Setting more ambitious targets for general practices
may not improve quality of care
Pay for performance programmes are being adopted
in a growing number of countries as a quality
improvement tool. In 2004, the United Kingdom
introduced the Quality and Outcomes Framework
(QOF) which primarily aimed to improve the
management of common chronic conditions, such as
diabetes and stroke, in primary care. The Department
of Health in England is now considering allowing more
flexibility in local pay for performance schemes, such
as the introduction of higher payments for meeting
tougher performance targets.
remain about privacy and confidentiality. However,
online access and services may also prove to be an
additional burden for healthcare providers who are
already under considerable workload pressures.
In a study published in the British Journal of General
Practice, Professor Azeem Majeed and colleagues
from other UK universities assessed the impact of
providing patients with access to their general
practice electronic health records (EHR) and other
EHR-linked online services on the provision, quality,
and safety of health care. They carried out a
systematic review that focused on all studies about
online record access and transactional services in
primary care.
They identified 176 studies and found patients
reported improved satisfaction with online access and
services compared with standard provision, improved
self-care, and better communication and engagement
with clinicians. Safety improvements were often
patient-led; for example, through identifying
Research carried out by a team from the Department
of Public Health and Primary Care, led by Professor
Chris Millett suggests that such local pay for
performance schemes can improve target
achievement by general practices, but have no
significant impact on the overall quality of clinical
care.
The study looked at the impact of a local pay for
performance programme (QOF+), which rewarded
financially more ambitious quality targets (‘stretch
targets’) than those used nationally in the Quality and
Outcomes Framework (QOF) was examined. The
research focused on targets for intermediate
outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease and
diabetes and also analysed patient-level data on
exception reporting.
The study was funded by the NIHR and the NW
London Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health
Research and Care (CLAHRC) and published in the
journal PLoS One.
PCPH have had the pleasure of meeting…
Jabir ibn Hayyan Medical University in Najaf, Iraq
In April, Professor Salman Rawaf, Director of WHO Collaborating Centre for Public
Health Education and Training, visited Professor Ali Mahmood Al-Shimmeri, the
President of Jabir ibn Hayyan Medical University in Iraq.
The aim of the visit was to discuss
Imperial College’s role in reviewing
and upgrading the curriculum of
Jabir Ibn Hayyan’s Faculty of
Medicine. The faculty was
established in 2013 and includes
Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and
Nursing, in addition to a large
university hospital. Jabir ibn Hayyan
Medical University is one of the first
specialized Universities in Najaf,
Iraq and Professor Rawaf pledged his support to help ensure quality education is offered.
First WHO Ministerial Conference on Global Action Against Dementia
In March, WHO hosted its first Ministerial Conference on Global Action
Against Dementia. Ministers from around the world, as well as experts from
the research, clinical and NGO communities, came together in Geneva for the
first time to discuss the global problems posed by dementia.
The aim of the conference was to raise awareness of the socio-economic
burden created by dementia, and to highlight that this burden can be
reduced if the world collectively commits to placing dementia high on the
global public health agenda.
The conference was supported by the Department of Health of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Public Health students from East Carolina University
In June, thirty-two American Public Health
students from East Carolina University came to
learn more about the NHS and Public Health in
the UK. The group was led by J. Don Chaney,
Associate Professor and Chair in the
Department of Health Education and
Promotion, and Professor Karen Vail-Smith.
They were given presentations by the team
from the WHO Collaborating Centre on the
work of the Centre; Professor Azeem Majeed
talked to the students about the work of the
Department and the difference in roles of a GP
in the UK in to the role of a US doctor. Dr
Austen El-Osta presented the NHS from its
conception to present day and Dr Alex Chen
engaged the group with a very passionate
presentation on the organ trafficking problem
in Asia.
The group enjoyed the visit so much, it is
planned to be a regular, yearly event.
The India Office of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
In March, the Department hosted a visit from
representatives of the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation's India Office (BMGF India). A
range of topics were discussed, including the
education of medical students and the training
of doctors to support the delivery of high-
quality evidence-based medicine. Discussions
also took place on how inter-professional
working could be supported to strengthen
health systems, making health care more
accessible, and improving health outcomes
and public health.
The ICL team of the Research Design Service (RDS) London hold free drop-in clinics in
West London. The RDS supports research teams to develop and submit high quality
applied health and social care grant applications to National Institute for Health
Research (NIHR) and other national peer-reviewed funding programmes. If you are
planning to submit an application to get health and social care research funding, or
you would just like to find out more about RDS London, feel free to come along to a
drop-in clinic for an informal chat.
Visit one of our regular West London drop-in clinics on the second Tuesday of the month. Advice is
free of charge and no booking is necessary. RDS is funded by the NIHR.
Next drop-in clinic
11 August 2015, from 1.00 pm to 3.00pm
Seminar Room
3rd Floor, Reynolds Building
St. Dunstans Road
London, W6 8RP
Please note, as there are no booked appointments you may have to wait to get seen by an adviser,
please be patient and we will try to see you as soon as possible. To make the most of your time with
an adviser be prepared to give them a brief overview of your study, outlining the areas in which you
are having difficulties and where you would like support and feedback.
If you cannot make the next drop-in clinic, you can still get advice by filling out our online support
request form and an adviser will provide you with initial feedback within two weeks.
Each issue we feature a member of the PCPH Admin team—those
key, behind-the-scenes-people who keep the department running.
What is your role within the department and when did you join?
I am the Personal Assistant to the Associate Director of the Directorate of Public Health and Primary Care who is now Professor
Azeem Majeed. This is a partnership between the College and Imperial College Healthcare Trust. I also work closely with Dr John
O`Donoghue, Deputy Director of the Global eHealth Unit, which is my College and departmental role. I have been working at Imperial
since January 2013.
What does your job involve?
Our directorate is a tiny one within ICHT (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust). However, there is a lot going on behind the scenes
which is where I come in. I`m responsible for providing secretarial and administrative services for the directorate, including assisting
with consultants’ revalidation paperwork.
On the College side, I`m involved with the GeHU`s activities (Global eHealth Unit) mainly carrying out administrative tasks. I also
organised a fundraising event for the Malawi Research Centre which was a real challenge, but I learnt a lot and liaised with many
different stakeholders.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I like challenges and this role is definitely full of them, especially when working for the Trust-- I feel like Sherlock Holmes most of the
time! I learn something new every day. I spent a couple of years in the further education sector, and then decided to widen my
horizon and try something new with Imperial College, who I have always wanted to work for. I’ve never regretted it.
Tell us about yourself and your outside interests
Hungarian Goulash
I`m originally from Budapest, Hungary and an economist by profession. I came
to the UK in 2001 and was working as an au-pair to supplement my
scholarship in Holland. I started working for Westminster City Council in
January 2005. I was a volunteer befriender for 3 years and have had the
A demizson
pleasure of meeting some extraordinary people. My first befriendee was the
then 95-year old Anna Eva Lydia Catherine Wing, MBE who played Lou Beale
in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. I also completed an NCFE in digital photography. My photography focuses on folkart and food.
Goulash is world famous--most people think it`s a stew, but it`s actually a very thick soup. A demizson is a wicker wine bottle covered
by bulrush. It holds 5-10 litres of wine—just enough for a good night out! Other passions include travel and languages. I love
exploring different cultures and their cuisine and I hope this is reflected in my photography. I`ve had the opportunity to visit many
countries, although there`s still a lot on my bucket list.
New School of Public Health
Website Coming Soon
The redevelopment
of the School
of Public
Health
website is
well under way. Elisa Pardoe,
our Digital Media Officer,
who is also responsible for
the SPH Newsletter, is
working closely with web
editors within the
department regarding the
transition to the new
website. Watch this space for
further developments.
Journal Club – Save the date!
Thursday, 10 September
2pm. Contact Lizzie Cecil for
further details.
Support Staff Party
ProjectPal Imperial
The annual Support Staff
Village Fete took place on
28th July on the Queen’s
Lawn at South Kensington to
thank support staff for their
contribution to the success of
the College. This wellattended event is always very
popular with staff and there’s
plenty of food, fun and music
on offer.
Following on from the
Departmental Away
Afternoon and how Imperial
students could join research
projects, staff are encouraged
to submit details of available
projects to ProjectPal
Imperial using the link below.
Students looking for a project
can then make contact.
We are on Twitter
Dr John O’Donoghue
has set up a
department Twitter
account @Imperial_PCPH
Check out the latest
tweets on our website.
Autumn Seminar Series
returns 9 September.
Anthony Laverty and Tom
Hone are the series
organisers.
Alternatively, a search
engine, such as Google, can
be used by typing in
‘ProjectPal Imperial’.
Ship Ahoy!
The School of Public Health’s
Athena SWAN Family Friendly
Event took place at the HMS
Belfast this year. This annual
event is a favourite summer
holiday activity, providing the
opportunity for networking,
that all staff and their families
can enjoy.
We welcome feedback on the newsletter
and are taking submissions for future
issues. Email your news, events,
achievements and stories to us.
First and second mates Leo and Frankie,
sons of Dr Neil Browning, enjoy their
day out.
PCPH eMagazine Team
Javier Gallego
Sherry Morris
Copyright © 2015
Department of Primary Care & Public Health,
Imperial College London