News Update March 2009 – BTS launches follow up survey of TB services
In 2007 BTS undertook a national survey asking Consultants across the country to share their views and experience of TB care and management. The subsequent report proved vital in raising the national political profile of TB. BTS worked constructively with the All Party Parliamentary Group; and the results were discussed with the Department of Health, as well as being featured in both consumer and medical press. Two years on, we feel a repeat of the 2007 survey will provide an important insight into current TB services, and of course allow us to determine how the management of TB has altered over the last 2 years.
A global email has been sent to all our listed TB leads inviting them to complete the survey, which I trust is clear and straightforward. The questions can all be completed and returned electronically. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes, and can be accessed using the following link:
http://www.btssurveys.com/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=n2KIm82
A pdf of the survey is available to view here .
The survey will be open until Friday 20th March. If you are a TB lead but have not received the global email, please do follow the link to the survey and contribute your views and experience.
To enable useful comparison, the questions are, as far as possible, the same as those in the 2007 survey. We plan to work with the All Party Parliamentary Group again, and will link the results with other activities. These include a current survey of RCN members, and a repeat of the 2007 survey of PCTs.
Please do not hesitate to contact the BTS TB team if you have any queries about the survey – via email tb@brit-thoracic.org.uk
Many thanks for your help and I look forward to sharing with you the results of the survey later this year.
With best wishes
Dr Marc Lipman
Chair, BTS Tuberculosis Specialist Advisory Group.
NEWS UPDATE APRIL 2008 - TB Clinical Advice Network and MDT Project
The Department of Health has provided funds to the Society so that work can be undertaken to ensure that the TB Action Plan is implemented. We are currently undertaking a mapping exercise and recruiting pilot centres. See full details of this new project here.
On 26 March 2008, to mark World TB Day, BTS presented the results of a survey of PCTs which was done in collaboration with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Global TB. This report shows that PCTs are systematically failing to implement the Government’s TB Action Plan at a time when 70% of PCTs predict that the number of TB cases in their region is set to rise. The Report contains a number of recommendations for follow-up and action. There are three key areas where the APPG and BTS would like to see action as a matter of priority:
- There should be a properly-funded national TB awareness campaign, tailored to local circumstances, aimed at healthcare professionals as well as the general public.
- PCTs must ensure that there is a clearly identified individual within their organisation who is charged with developing strategies for service provision for TB and ensuring that provision of such services meets, at the minimum, the TB Guidelines for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
- PCTs should specifically identify and commission TB services, in accordance with the guidance set out in the DH Commissioning Toolkit.
Download the report here
Download the press release here
Link to BBC coverage of APPG/BTS survey here
2007 BTS Survey of Tuberculosis Leads
Details of the 2007 survey of TB leads are available to download:
BTS, TB Alert and BLF press release available here
2007 Survey summary available here
2007 Full Survey Information available here