Somerset LMC weekly Update Friday 29th March 2019
Date sent: Friday 29 March 2019
All Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates can be found here
- "Safe as Houses" the latest blog from LMC Chairman Dr Nick Bray
- State-backed clinical negligence scheme for general practice (CNSGP)
- MPS
- EPaCCs
- The national flu immunisation programme 2019/20
- Locum Practice Agreement
- Think TB
- Somerset Retention and Destruction of Records Protocol
- Surprise Study
State-backed clinical negligence scheme for general practice (CNSGP): To ensure the widest possible coverage please read this important letter to all GPs from David Geddes, National Director of Primary Care Commissioning at NHSE, which contains important clarification about the CNSGP and run-off cover. This will be of particular importance to those who took advantage of the MDU’s reduced premiums last year and for those who may have been confused by the MPS’s recent letter about e.g. minor surgery which seemed not to readily distinguish between NHS and private minor operations.
Medical Protection Society-GPC DISCUSSIONS: Dr Mark Sanford-Wood reports the structure offered by the MPS falls into two categories. Professional Protection (GMC representation, complaints advice etc) and Claims Protection (cover for private work). Under Professional Protection the website asks if you do any of the “following higher risk activities” and the answer in many cases will be “yes.” This will add about £150 per year to the Professional Protection premium [because you may need more advice]. However when it comes to Claims Protection the question is subtly different and asks if you require MPS indemnity for any of the higher risk activities. Given that [the state-backed] CNSGP covers these as long as they are delivered for the NHS the answer in most cases should be no. This seems counter-intuitive to many and [they are] answering yes to this question has the effect of producing premiums often over £2,000. This question should be answered in the affirmative only if those activities will be carried out privately. For most...GPs the levels of private earning per doctor spread across all doctors in a practice will be considerably under £2,500 per year and the price range for both professional representation and private cover combined should be under £1,000 per year regardless of the MDO you join. It is only where GPs are doing significant amounts of private work requiring private indemnity outside of the CNSGP that costs should be significant.
EPaCCS: The new Electronic Palliative and Care Coordination System (EPaCCS) which is the first phase of the Somerset Integrated Digital e-Record (SIDeR) Programme, is going live on 1 April 2019. SIDeR aims to progressively modernise and integrate patient information and communication between providers throughout the county and it is starting by revising and updating the existing EPaCCS system further detail here which includes a practice implementation guide
The LMC agrees that this is an important first step in the essential but big job of integrating patient information and we hope practices will take part in this first initiative
The National Flu Immunisation Programme 2019/20: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England, and Public Health England (PHE) have published a flu letter providing information about which adults and children are eligible for vaccination in the national flu immunisation programme for 2019/20. A second letter will follow with information about frontline healthcare workers. It can be found here
Locum practice agreement The General Practitioners Committee has published the locum practice agreement which includes terms and conditions and a work schedule to form a legal contract that can be used by locum GPs and practices for locum engagements and minimise common disputes.
THINK TB: Dr Bayad Nozad Consultant in Public Health reminds us that half of all cases of pulmonary TB diagnosed in the South West in 2018 took over four months from first presentation to diagnosis. Late presentation results in disease that is harder to treat, as well as increasing the risk of transmission in the community which requires complex contact tracing exercises. He would particularly like to draw your attention to the changing demographic profile of TB patients. Although many patients with TB were born abroad, we are seeing more cases in the UK-born population. In particular patients with social risk factors, such as homelessness, drug misuse and previous imprisonment who tend to present later with more advanced infectious disease. Send people for CXRs and serial sputum samples if you suspect pulmonary TB. Please contact Health Protection on 0300 303 8162 for further advice.
Somerset Retention and Destruction of Records Protocol: Our thanks to Alison Foulkes and the County practice managers group for putting together this document which has now been checked and agreed with Adrian Poole at Porter Dodson and practices are free to use, this will also be available on the PSU area of the LMC website
The Surprise Study International research is being conducted on prognostication in palliative care centred on the “surprise question.” The Medical Director thinks that it looks interesting and that it would grace anyone’s Appraisal material. See this attachment and link to survey
Kind Regards
Jill
Jill Hellens
Executive Director
Somerset LMC
TEL: 01823 331428
Fax:01823 338561
General Practice in Somerset Great Place Great Potential
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