Somerset LMC Weekly Update Friday 16th April 2021
Date sent: Friday 16 April 2021
Sent to all Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates are available here
- "We will survive" the latest vlog from LMC Chairman Dr Karen Sylvester
- Free Covid-19 PPE extended to end of March 2022
- Vaccine Certificates (Passports)
- Regional SW Newsletter
- Improving GP Appointment Data
- Somerset Talking Therapies - eCorrespondence
- New Responsible Officer for SW GP's
- Non SHS primary care representative
- Optimising Document Workflow
- Independent and Supplementary Prescribing dates 2021-22 University of the West of England (UWE)
Free Covid-19 PPE extended to end of March 2022: After the announcement of free PPE provision until June the scheme will now be extended to next March as clinical experts expect usage will remain high throughout the next financial year. This will ensure that practices can continue to get rigorously tested, high quality PPE via current distribution channels.
Vaccine Certificates (Passports): The Government confirmed that a COVID-19 status certification system will be developed which could allow higher-risk settings to be opened more safely with more participants. Over the coming months they will consider three factors: vaccination, a recent negative test or natural immunity (a positive test within six months). There will be pilot events from mid-April which will check COVID status initially through testing alone but later pilots will probably use vaccination and acquired immunity as alternative proofs. GPC has insisted that this should have minimal impact on practices and HMG and NHS bodies have accepted this principle. We must avoid the expectation that evidence of vaccination or testing will be obtained by “getting a letter from your GP.”
Improving GP Appointment Data: NHSEI has published information aimed at improving the quality of GP appointment data so that what is published better represents real life. The LMC remains fed up that, despite being years ahead in clinical systems, GP activity data lags far behind hospitals, OOH and SWASFT. All these can produce “granular” details compared year on year while we still often end up saying that general practice is...er, “really busy.” This matters when funding is being decided. The PCN Investment & Impact Fund provides funding through an indicator to cover the mapping of slot types to the new set of national appointment categories by all practices within the PCN and should be a short, one-off exercise. Please note that this is applies from 1 April and should not require changes to wider processes or appointment books.
Somerset Talking Therapies - eCorrespondence: Talking Therapies all correspondence will be sent by electronic means (MESH) straight into EMIS Workflow from Monday 19 April 2021 onwards. Somerset NHS FT estimate the number of letters sent to GP Practices over an average year amounts to over 30,000, which is recognised to have a considerable impact on Surgery workflows. These volumes will be transferred to electronic equivalents, allowing EMIS to absorb the documents, as per SMART workflows.
New Responsible Officer for SW GP's: Dr Caroline Gamlin updates us on the new NHSEI Responsible Officer (RO) for Appraisal & Revalidation. “Due to retirement I am standing down as the RO for GPs in the South West. I have very much enjoyed my time working with you and for some this has been over eight years as my area of responsibility has expanded. We are fortunate to have an excellent GP workforce in the SW with a good engagement in appraisal. I appreciate that the last year has been exceedingly challenging but everyone has risen to the task; to maintain services and give high quality care to their patients.
I would like to introduce my successor, Dr Kheelna Bavalia, a GP by background, who will be your new RO. The team supporting appraisal, revalidation and performance remains the same:
- Dr Kheelna Bavalia, Medical Director & Responsible Officer
- Dr Liz Thomas, Deputy Medical Director
- Iona Neve, Head of Professional Standards & Performance
- Lynne Bradshaw, Appraisal & Revalidation manger
Thank you for your great support and engagement over the last few years and for your continued commitment to primary care in the SW.”
The LMC wishes Dr Gamblin a long, happy and healthy retirement and thanks her for the professional, humane and pragmatic attitude she brought to the role.
Non SHS primary care representative: Practices will be aware that Symphony Healthcare Services (SHS) was developed as a collaboration between Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and local General Practice as part of the Symphony Vanguard Programme during 2016. As the organisation grows, practices across Somerset may have an interest in what it does. SHS has appointed a non-SHS primary care representative as Director for Wider General Practice to sit on the SHS Board. Dr Ian Wyer, GP at Milborne Port Surgery and previous Vanguard Board member, currently holds this role and is interested to hear if you have any feedback, questions or suggestions regarding SHS Please e Mail ian.wyer@nhs.net
Optimising Document Workflow: Many practices have implemented Document flow successfully resulting in often a 70% reduction of paperwork reaching their GPs thereby saving a large amount of GP time.
We have organised four half day online training sessions with EPI for those practices who either did not attend the training in 2017-2019 or who wish to attend as a refresher to enable them to implement a safe and effective system of correspondence management. We must stress that for this to be a success in practice it is critical for a GP to attend with their practice manager (or appropriately senior managerial person) and a suitable administrator or key document handler. Dates available 22nd April (9.00-12.00), 6th May (13.00-16.00) and 27th May (9.00-12.00 & 13.00-16.00). Please book online here.
Independent and Supplementary Prescribing dates 2021-22 University of the West of England (UWE): UWE have issued the dates for their forthcoming Independent and Supplementary Prescribing Programmes.
The IP Programme will remain online and UWE have also added some optional dates across the South West where they will deliver individual / small group tutorials if Covid restrictions allow, and they will also invite new DPS / DPP practitioners to attend.
Applications: new forms are being developed and these should be available and will be circulated in the next 4 weeks, when you will then be able to apply.
For enquiries or more information regarding the programme, please contact: deborah2.moreno-chamorro@uwe.ac.uk or telephone 0117 3288591
Reminder: CCG funding is no longer available. Practices will need to self fund from the National CPD Funding (for Nurses and AHPs) allocated to PCNs. Somerset Training Hub will send information to practices regarding this years' allocations as soon as it becomes available.
Kind Regards
Jill
Jill Hellens
Executive Director
Somerset LMC
Crown Medical Centre, Venture Way, Taunton, TA2 8QY
Tel: (01823) 331 428
Fax: (01823) 338 561
www.somersetlmc.co.uk
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