Somerset LMC Weekly Update Friday 19th November 2021
Date sent: Friday 19 November 2021
Sent to all Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates are available here
- Dr Farah Jameel Elected Chair of BMA GP Committee
- Pay Declaration Delayed
- Covid Vaccination & Care Homes
- UK Health Security Agency (previously PHE) Flu Vaccine Update
- Jeremy Hunt to Lead (Another) Review of the Partnership Model
- C the Signs Referral Forms
- Primary Care & the Digital Weight Management Programme in the South West
- Primary Care Apprentices
- Somerset New to Practice General Practice Fellowship Programme for Newly Qualified GPs
- NHS England Webinars: Getting ready for patients to have access to their future data
- And Finally...
- Job Vacancies
DR FARAH JAMEEL ELECTED CHAIR OF BMA GP COMMITTEE: Dr Jameel of Camden LMC was elected to the lead the GPC on Thursday.
PAY DECLARATION DELAYED: Outgoing GPC chair Dr Richard Vautrey announced on Wednesday evening that Mr Sajid Javid had agreed to delay the imposed requirement on GPs earning above the limit to make a public declaration.
COVID VACCINATION & CARE HOMES: New government regulations came into force on 11 November requiring care home staff to refuse entry to anybody who cannot provide evidence that they have had two doses of a MHRA approved COVID-19 vaccine or that they have a specified exemption. This applies to all CQC regulated care homes providing nursing or personal care in England.
JEREMY HUNT TO LEAD (ANOTHER) REVIEW OF THE PARTNERSHIP MODEL: Readers will have seen that the former Health Secretary is to lead a Health & Social Care Select Committee inquiry which follows on the 2019 report curated by Dr Nigel Watson. The remit includes seeking views on
- Making general practice more sustainable in the long term
- The sustainability of the traditional partnership model given the workforce crisis, prioritisation of integrated care, and the move towards salaried GP posts
- Whether or not current GP contracting and payment structures support ‘proactive, personalised, coordinated and integrated’ care
- Whether or not PCNs have improved this kind of care and reduced the admin burden on GPs
- If general practice can work in effective partnerships with other job roles in primary care and beyond to free up more GP time for patients, and to what extent.
Anyone can submit evidence at https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1624/the-future-of-general-practice/
C THE SIGNS REFERRAL FORMS: The referral criteria for certain 2WW pathways has been updated and the specific details can be located within the forms themselves. To ensure that you are referring the patient on the most up-to-date forms, please use the 2WW referral forms located on C the Signs and remove any old forms from your PCs.
PRIMARY CARE APPRENTICES: There is a new guide to support Primary Care with apprenticeships. Please note the change in process for co-investment as a payment method for apprenticeship training. Non-levy payers must now reserve funding to pay for apprenticeship training if they do not access levy transfer. If they do not reserve funding in advance, they will no longer automatically go in to co-investment, and may end up liable to pay 100% of the costs of training. Further details about reservation of funds can be found on pages 4-5 of the guide: https://haso.skillsforhealth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020.07.08-Apprenticeships-in-Primary-Care-v3.pdf
SOMERSET NEW TO PRACTICE GENERAL PRACTICE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME FOR NEWLY QUALIFIED GPs: Are you or do you know a GP that has qualified since May 2021 and is/will be working in Somerset? If so this funded fellowship programme may be of interest. It is a 2 year programme designed to provide personalised support to newly qualified GPs to help gain confidence and to develop enjoyable, fulfilling and sustainable careers in general practice. NHSEI is aiming for a 100% uptake and nearly all of our Somerset GPs have joined. We started in April 21 and currently have 24 fellows, so you may already have one of our them working in your practice! We have had great feedback, and one of the highlights is the benefit of the mentoring, appreciation of paid time ( £10,000 pro rata per annum) to undertake chosen CPD or interests and the online monthly Thursday lunchtime 30 minutes session with various speakers. Example topics include: knowing about appraisals; PCN overview; lifestyle medicine; managing difficult blood results on a Friday afternoon and time management. It is also wonderful to see the development of peer groups forming throughout Somerset and I really hope this continues beyond fellowship. This programme continues to evolve according to the needs and aspirations of our fellows. Our next cohort will start in April 2022. See programme here . If you would like to find out more or apply, please contact Dr Catherine Ievers catherine.ievers1@nhs.net.
And finally...
REASONS FOR NOT HAVING A COVID BOOSTER: By 6th November 10.1m had had a third jab; 92% of those who’ve already had two jabs say they intend to have a booster; 4% say they are ‘fairly’ or ‘very unlikely’ to have a third jab. The most common reasons for refusing are:
- Believe two jabs is enough 46%
- Will offer no extra protection 39%
- Vaccine doses should be offered to people elsewhere in the world 31%
- Worried about side effects 23%
Source: Department for Health and Social Care
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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