Red meat is bad for you again! ( SuperBug)

Phil V said:
hich is totally bizarre, as the cold is a virus, and obviously antibiotics don't touch virus'
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I guess they can "justify" it by saying they are prescribed for "any" secondary infection.
It doesn't make it right though

Phil V said:
Oddly on this morning's news; doctors who prescribe more antibiotics get better patient satisfaction scores
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I heard that on the radio and thought WTF at the time!
 
Used to go to the meat wholesaler when I was in catering, the dealer would say its a lovely piece of meat, it's had all it's needles :eek:
 
Phil V said:
Oddly on this morning's news; doctors who prescribe more antibiotics get better patient satisfaction scores, and those scores make a difference to their pay. So overprescribing antibiotics improves their salaries :mad:
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GP practices control their own salaries, and over-prescription harms their practice income.
 
Keith W said:
A quick edit by @viv1969 All aboard!! :D
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You have a trained eye there Keith :D

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viv1969 said:
The way statins are prescribed these days for folk who don't remotely require them.
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That reminds me, I need to take my Simvastatin soon. I pop one every night before bed, seems we produce less Cholesterol of a night, so tablet works best at night time :)
 
Phil V said:
Is this just made up then?

Genuine question
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Honestly, it is not. Older generations in particular are used to being prescribed drugs for things like cold or flu, so naturally if they are not given the medicines they think they are not treated [correctly]. Apparently some GPs now prescribe vitamins or simply placebos (glucose tablets, etc) to mitigate such reactions.... and it works.
 
viv1969 said:
The way statins are prescribed these days for folk who don't remotely require them.
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Our surgery (as in the one we both attend) is odd in that they don't really like prescribing either antibiotics or statins unless necessary. They're the same with steroids. When they DO prescribe antibiotics, they tend to be targeted ones rather than the broad spectrum ones referenced in Daguirdas's link. They do though, like most surgeries, get patients who insist on being given antibiotics as a kind of magic bullet...
 
Phil V said:
Is this just made up then?

Genuine question
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I will need to ask my colleague about the impact of the satisfaction score on GP pay (he's a GP practice manager and sits on the board of the CCG). But a couple of weeks ago I was discussing prescribing with him. The CCGs get awarded a budget based on the size of the population adjusted to allow for a variety of factors (deprivation, population density, etc.) and this is a fixed £/person amount. So the more healthy people not using services the more is left to spend on the sick people. When a GP prescribes a drug the pharmacy charges the CCG for the cost of the drug when they dispense it. Over-prescribing medication has a detrimental hit on the budget CCG and therefore practice budgets.

One of the problems is that High Street pharmacies are effectively a closed shop, the existing pharmacies get to raise objections if a new one wants to open. Established pharmacies (including a large business beginning with a letter towards the start of the alphabet) make a lot of money from this trade and are able to set the price of the drugs they dispense. A couple of CCGs I am aware of have already set-up their own pharmacies (after fighting the objections from the established pharmacies in their areas) and are seeing savings of 5-20% on the cost of prescribed medicines because they've been able to establish trade discounts directly with the wholesalers.
 
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I have noticed a drop in the price of a joint of Beef in a lot of shops, is it over produce for the Xmas or the recent health scare ? Oh well I am going to enjoy my joint this Xmas regardless :)
 
jonbeeza said:
I have noticed a drop in the price of a joint of Beef in a lot of shops, is it over produce for the Xmas or the recent health scare ?
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Ongoing supermarket price war. Tesco are still feeling the pinch from the continental discounters. Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons all have their own troubles. If they can get you in to buy the joint they'll make their money on the other bits you'll buy when you're in.
 
Alastair said:
Ongoing supermarket price war. Tesco are still feeling the pinch from the continental discounters. Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons all have their own troubles. If they can get you in to buy the joint they'll make their money on the other bits you'll buy when you're in.
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One of their loss leaders :)
 
jonbeeza said:
One of their loss leaders :)
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Someone will be at a loss, but it won't be the supermarket. "Special offers" are always pushed back onto the supplier :(
 
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