in brief

Primary care trusts will have a legal duty from April to provide annual appraisal schemes for GPs, health secretary Alan Milburn has announced.

Appraisal will be by a fellow GP, who will be trained for the role.The British Medical Association says the scheme will take GPs away from direct patient care and must be properly funded so appropriate cover can be provided.

The government needs to start thinking about the physical health of people with mental illnesses, says the National Schizophrenia Fellowship. It has published a report which shows that 92 per cent of people on anti-psychotic drugs suffered side-effects, from weight gain and muscle tremors to heart problems and sexual dysfunction.

www. nsf. org. uk/information/ research

The Scottish Executive this week allocated£400,000 to 16 local projects designed to protect NHS staff from violent and abusive patients.The money will be spent on personal attack alarms, safety training and research.The Executive has also commissioned a report by trade unions and NHS professionals looking into sanctions for persistent troublemakers.

GP representatives from the British Medical Association are hosting a series of roadshows to explain the proposed new GP contract to their colleagues.This will include recognition for complex work, additional investment in practice infrastructure, and a career structure offering scope for personal development.The full proposed contract will be sent to individual GPs in April.

www. bma. org. uk

Sixty-two cases of measles have been confirmed this year, the Public Health Laboratory Service said this week.This compares with a total of 69 for all of 2001.

The PHLS says the latest increase is due to localised outbreaks in south London and County Durham.