Somerset LMC Weekly Update Friday 15th October 2021
Date sent: Friday 15 October 2021
Sent to all Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates are available here
- Somerset LMC’s response to Friday’s DHSC & NHSEI “rescue package” sent to Somerset MPs
- NHSEI Our plan for improving access for patients and supporting general practice
- Heart Failure Referrals
- GP Pay Transparency - NHSEI Guidance
- Daily Mail Story On Wednesday About Infection Prevention & Control
- EMIS Problems
- Parathyroid Hormose (PTH) Sample Type
- IGPM Practice Manager Survey 2021
- Job Vacancies
- Top Tips....
- COVID-19 Immunosuppressed Patients
- CQRS Local
- SNOMED code extraction issue on CQRS
NHSE&I OUR PLAN FOR IMPROVING ACCESS FOR PATIENTS AND SUPPORTING GENERAL PRACTICE: Read an excellent response from the IGPM here.
HEART FAILURE REFERRALS: We have been asked to remind colleagues to include a current BNP result when referring for possible or proven heart failure please. This will allow the trust to prioritize those with a very high BNP (>2000) into the most urgent slots for clinic and ECHO imaging. All nonurgent cardiology investigations and reviews were halted in March 2020. The hiatus coincided with SFT losing most of its echo sonography team. A recovery plan is in place and new recruits are being trained so your cooperation will be helpful in getting things back on track.
GP PAY TRANSPARENCY – NHSEI GUIDANCE: The statutory instrument to amend the GMS and PMS Regulations affecting pay transparency has been laid before Parliament and came in on 1 October 2021. NHSEI has published guidance on how the regulation will work in practice, which is available here. GPC has raised concerns about the change compelling GPs to publicly declare NHS earnings above £150,000 especially in the current climate of threat, aggression and even violence. It believes this will be damaging to morale and counterproductive to the recruitment and retention of GPs. If this is insisted upon it will have been imposed on the profession in breach of the original agreement the GPC given the absence of similar requirements across all providers of primary care services.
DAILY MAIL STORY ON WEDNESDAY ABOUT INFECTION PREVENTION & CONTROL: We gather very few Somerset GPs’ breakfast tables have the Daily Mail propped up against the marmalade these days and so colleagues may have missed the following balanced and subtle headline: “GPs are free from Covid rules: Sajid Javid will tear up social distancing in surgeries to finally give thousands more patients face-to-face appointments with their doctor.” (The online edition backed this with an up-to-date illustration of a man in a white coat.) Richard Vautrey responded, “Jenny Harries and the new Health Security Agency have been asked by DHSC to review the infection protection and control guidance. The BMA has fed in to this as the guidance is NHSwide. We’ve not yet seen the outcome but are expecting it imminently. However whatever it says it is guidance and it remains up to practices to determine what they actually do. As soon as we know more we’ll share it with you.”
EMIS PROBLEMS: You may remember earlier in the year Graham Riley, CCG Digital Projects Lead, reported on the national performance problems with EMIS. Graham is now attending regular NHSX meetings and wants examples of ongoing issues you may be having. Please include CAS number with brief details and send to the team email somccg.digitalteam@nhs.net
PARATHYROID HORMONE (PTH) SAMPLE TYPE: The Biochemistry lab will shortly be changing the sample type for Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) from a gold top tube (SST) to a purple top tube (EDTA). This is because PTH is much more stable in purple top tubes. At room temperature PTH is only stable for 3 hours in gold top tubes and for 24 hours in purple top tubes. This change will reduce the number of rejected tests due to delay in samples reaching the lab, and reduce the risk of incorrect results being released due to PTH instability. Calcium and albumin will still require a gold top tube.
IGPM PRACTICE MANAGER SURVEY 2021: General Practice is under huge pressures, not just from the tsunami of pent up patient demand, but also because of the added pressure from both broadcast, paper and social media. As managers in general practice we are often at the sharp end supporting teams, dealing with patients and generally running around trying to make it all work.
To try and understand how this affects managers across the country, the IGPM would like to hear from you and we’re asking for your help in responding to this short survey which aims to gauge how managers are feeling at the moment. The survey should only take a few minutes to complete and the results will help focus conversations with national NHS bodies across the country. The survey ??? ?? ????????? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ? ?????????? ???? ?? ??????? ???????? and will be open ????? ???? ??????? ????. IGPM Practice Manager Survey 2021 (surveymonkey.co.uk)
Top Tips....
Can be found here. New items this week are:
- COVID-19 Immunosuppressed Patients
- CQRS Local
- SNOMED code extraction issue on CQRS
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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