Life as a junior doctor isn’t car "crash" TV

I was intrigued to hear about a new TV series, “Crash” which started on BBC1 last night, focussing on the lives of junior doctors, who’re just embarking on their medical careers and it is good to see this area of the medical profession being given such a prominent platform. I was curious though to find out how true to life it might actually try to be. However, as it’s been a while since I was a junior myself, this might be better coming from Dr David Samuel, chairman of the BMA’s Welsh Junior Doctors committee. So here’s his take on the show...

A hard-hitting, fast paced drama, which portrays the challenges and sometimes adverse conditions facing a junior doctor. The actors created a realistic portrayal of the nervous tension that flow through the veins of every new doctor, as well as giving some insight into some of the non-clinical issues facing hospitals across the country. Although some of the behaviours were not in keeping with good practice, the interactions between staff and patients were realistic - the use of dialect to communicate appropriately puts the more realistic dramas to shame where clinical jargon fills the ears of confused patients.

The only shame was that one of the show's stars was lost so early on but even this scene was skilfully executed.

I look forward to the next episode to see more flashbacks of my own year as an F1!

Calling time on alcohol promotion

The BMA has launched a new report today looking at the effects of drinks promotions, particularly amongst young people.

We’re calling for a total ban on alcohol advertising, including sports events and music festival sponsorship as well as promotional deals like happy hours, two-for-one purchases and ladies’ free entry nights.

“Under the Influence”, also renews the call for other tough measures such as a minimum price on alcoholic drinks and for them to be taxed higher than the rate of inflation.

Over the centuries, alcohol has become established as the country’s favourite drug. But the reality is that young people are drinking more because the whole population is drinking more and we now see pro-alcohol messaging, marketing and behaviour everywhere. In treating the issues around drink, we need to look beyond just young people and at society as a whole.

According to the World Health Organisation, alcohol is the leading risk factor for premature death and disability in developed countries, after tobacco and blood pressure. It’s related to over 60 medical conditions, costs the NHS millions of pounds every year and is also linked to crime and domestic abuse.

Alcohol consumption in the UK has increased rapidly in recent years. Household expenditure on all alcoholic drinks increased by 81 per cent between 1992 and 2006. At the same, never before has it been so heavily promoted.

The drinks industry spends £800 million a year in promoting alcohol in the UK. So it’s little wonder that we see it everywhere – on TV, in magazines, on billboards, as part of music festival or football sponsorship deals, on internet pop-ups and social networking sites. Given that teens often don’t like the taste of alcohol, new products like alcopops and toffee vodka are developed and promoted because they have greater appeal to young people.

The BMA is not calling for a ban on alcohol. As doctors, our focus is to ensure that individuals drink sensibly, so they don’t put their health and lives in danger.

There was a time when it was regarded the norm to see cigarette adverts and people smoking on buses, trains, airplanes and in restaurants. When the BMA initially called for a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places, there was a general outcry about it. But I doubt most people would want to return to the days of smoky pubs now. There has been a cultural change for the better and this now needs to happen with alcohol.

As this report points out, it would seem that brand development and stakeholder marketing by the alcohol industry, including partnership working and industry funded health education, have served the needs of the alcohol industry, not public health.

We have a perverse situation where the alcohol industry is advising our governments about alcohol reduction policies. As with tobacco, putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop – or at least putting him on a par with the farmer – is a dangerous idea. Politicians showed courage before by not bowing to the tobacco industry, they need to do the same now and make tough decisions that will not please alcohol companies.

Key recommendations from the report include:

• There should be a ban on all alcohol marketing and promotion
• UK governments should establish minimum price levels for the sale of alcoholic products
• Tax increases on alcohol should be set above the rate of inflation and be linked to the alcoholic strength of products
• A reduction in licensing hours for on- and off-licensed premises should be introduced

Read the report in full - “Under the Influence – the damaging effect of alcohol marketing on young people”

New award to honour GPs and Consultants in Wales

Just to highlight to our members - a new initiative by Cardiff University - to honour Wales’ best medical supervisor or trainer.

The Wales Deanery Best Educational Supervisor and Trainer (BEST) Awards 2009 have been launched by the University’s School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education. They have been set up to honour GPs and Consultants who have shown excellence in the role of Educational Supervisor of Postgraduate Medicine in Wales.

Any Welsh doctor in training has until mid September to nominate who they think are some of the best medical educational supervisors in Wales. They can nominate Welsh GPs or Consultants, who they believe have performed outstandingly either primary care or secondary care.

Such awards are a great idea, illustrating how medical educational supervisors and trainers play a vital role in delivering high quality training programmes for doctors entering the profession and encouraging more trainees to look to Wales to work and live.

More information about the awards is available from Cardiff University.

Schools in Wales have a key part to play in our obesity battle

This campaign to get schools more involved in improving our health and fitness and in turn, hopefully helping to tackle obesity, really is a great idea.

Currently schools in Wales are perhaps something of an on under-used resource, with many closing their doors after 4pm on school days, not to mention being out of bounds on weekends and during school holidays.

One of the key factors stopping people from using leisure centres, particularly in more rural areas, is the cost and being able to access them. So it makes sense to utilise schools which are on the doorstep for most families. And with funding from the Welsh Assembly Government and the Sports Council for Wales, costs to the public are substantially reduced, or entry fees wavered completely.

This seems like a win-win situation to me. You have schools becoming the focal point of community activity, at the heart of where people live, being used in the evening and at weekends, meaning they’re less likely to be the targets of vandals and break-ins. As the same time they are providing a place for young people to go, occupying their time, so they don’t have to hang around on street corners. Plus, there is the added benefit that it encourages us all to get out of the house and get active. And this has never been more necessary, with more and more statistics these days to remind us how we’re piling on the pounds.

I really hope more schools in Wales now take the opportunity to open for longer and help to play a part in stemming what is fast becoming an obesity epidemic in the UK.

Vale of Glamorgan Council sees sunbeds sense

Congratulations to the Vale of Glamorgan Council on making the right decision and removing the five sunbeds it operates in leisure centres across the county.

We have recently criticised the council for dragging its feet over the enforcement of a recommendation to remove the sunbeds, so it’s great that the Council Executive has finally seen sense and resolved to get rid of them.

The Vale Council was the last Local Authority in South Wales to operate sunbeds.

It should never have had sunbeds on its premises. The fact that an attractive £15,000 profit was made annually for the council might go some way to explain the delay in removing them.

This decision is an extremely important one in terms of promoting local public health and wellbeing and it also helps to spread the message about the dangers of sunbeds and UV exposure. A message which both Flintshire and Wrexham – who are the only local authorities left in Wales still to operate sunbeds in their leisure centres – would do well to listen to.

The BMA will continue to call for these two remaining Local Authorities in North Wales to remove the sunbeds they run. They should be leading on health protection; operating sunbeds is simply reckless and irresponsible.

Leisure centres should be places of health, recreation and well-being, not places which provide facilities that are so damaging to a person’s health. Just one session a month will double the average individual's annual dose of UV radiation and this has been proven to greatly increase the risk of cancer, skin and eye problems in later life.

The view of the BMA has always been that there is no such thing as a safe tan (unless it comes out of a bottle). When a tan fades the damage to your skin remains. We want to see tighter regulation of the sunbed industry and a ban on coin-operated, unmanned salons. When we give evidence to the National Assembly’s Health Committee later this month that’s exactly what we’ll be calling for.