Somerset LMC Weekly Update Friday 26th November 2021
Date sent: Friday 26 November 2021
Sent to all Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates are available here
- Access to Records Programme Postponed
- The 100Fold Community Interest Company (CIC) Housebound Vaccination Programme
- Care Home Blood Bottle Supplies
- Mental Health Crisis Centres
- DAMN eRD Again
- Update on Rotavirus Vaccination and SCID Newborn Bloodspot Screening
- Safe Lives Domestic Abuse Research Project
- Study on Job Crafting and Flexible Working in General Practice
- And Finally...
- Job Vacancies (To advertise your practice vacancy please do so via our jobs page and click on the ‘submit a job advert’ link once you are logged in)
ACCESS TO RECORDS PROGRAMME POSTPONED: Anu Rao GPC IT policy lead announced on Wednesday that following representations to NHSX highlighting concerns about the programme launch for December, “we have been officially notified today that the programme has been paused till April 2022.” GPC will be working with an expert panel and NHSX to look at the entire programme in detail to ensure its safety and workload implications on general practice.
THE 100 FOLD COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY (CIC) HOUSEBOUND VACCINATION PROGRAMME: Dr Steve Edgar writes, “The CCG has asked 100Fold CIC, a primary care company set up by some of the PCN CDs, to help with the housebound COVID booster vaccinations. 100Fold CIC is sending six - nine teams out daily across Somerset for patients who cannot travel to a vaccination centre. Teams, trained, organised and deployed by the 100Fold admin team will call in advance to confirm that patients are ready and consent to have the booster. As a primary care based organisation we describe doing this work as on behalf of the GP practices. This is a live, multifaceted program; confusion may occur, so please get in touch with us if there are problems. We are also looking for more vaccinators and administrators. If you can help please contact admin@100foldcic.org.
CARE HOME BLOOD BOTTLE SUPPLIES: Lynda Kazer at Somerset Pathology Services writes, “Unfortunately at present we are telling care homes to request blood tubes via the patient’s registered GP surgery. This is specifically in relation to the BD supply issue. Things have returned to reasonable stock levels now but we have been warned that there may be further constraints on supplies, particularly SST tubes, in December. For that reason we are continuing to limit supply to GP surgeries only and not to care homes so that we can keep a better check on stock in the system and ensure no critical gaps. [Ed note – there were reports of stockpiles in some care homes far out of proportion to their likely needs.] We will review again in the New Year and when we have assurance from the national team that blood tube supplies are resilient we will resume allowing care homes to order directly. However please note that we have never had any transport links with care homes. Therefore they will have to either collect from the lab, arrange transport themselves, or link with practices to take in the delivery for them.”
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS CENTRES: Readers might be surprised to hear that 10% of all calls to SWASFT concern mental health problems. Since clinicians have been appointed to call hubs and mental health Crisis Centres opened the number of patients conveyed to A&E/ED has reduced by 70%. ED is often the worst place for a mentally disturbed person to end up. Unfortunately the pandemic and the responses to it continues to drive an overall increase in cases but it is interesting to note that the “Safe Space” project has probably reduced acute mental health admissions too. Patients can self-refer and GPs can refer to the Crisis Centres via the Home care Treatment teams.
DAMN eRD AGAIN: A reminder that the CCG is funding PCNs to take part in a 12-week electronic Repeat Dispensing (eRD) programme delivered by DAMN partnerships (the acronym stands for the initials of those in the partnership we find). There will be c£4K for each PCN of incentive subject to adequate progress.
Please discuss this opportunity with PCN leads and send Expressions of Interest ASAP to jess.brown@nhs.net especially if you’d like to be part of the first tranche in mid-January 2022. A draft schedule will allow for planning. The majority of the programme will be virtual, but there is the option of face-to-face sessions if requested.
DAMN will be presenting their proposal at GP IT Leads on 23rd November. There will also be an engagement session at the end of November/ early December 2021.
UPDATE ON ROTAVIRUS VACCINATION AND SCID NEWBORN BLOODSPOT SCREENING: To support the safe delivery of the Rotavirus programme, CHIS will be providing practices with the results of all 10 newborn bloodspot tests for babies at approximately 28 days of age. This report will be sent weekly on a Thursday, from week commencing 29th November, to a nominated practice e-mail address. This is in addition to the changes already made to the immunisation clinic list and the immunisation reminder letter sent to parents/carers. If you have any general queries about the changes, please contact Tracy Cook, GP Engagement Manager tracy.cook@inhealth-intelligence.com or for emails including PID please use tracy.cook22@nhs.net.
SAFE LIVES DOMESTIC ABUSE RESEARCH PROJECT: Commissioned by Somerset County Council is seeking views of both victims/survivors of domestic abuse and also people who cause harm. There is an anonymous survey for each of these groups which practices may choose to advertise. Victim/survivor survey Those who harm survey
STUDY ON JOB CRAFTING AND FLEXIBLE WORKING IN GENERAL PRACTICE: The Institute for Employment Studies (IES) is seeking six GP practices to take part in research to explore the crafting of GP roles, the use of flexible working practices and the impact that these have on supporting health and wellbeing, building multi-disciplinary team working and improving patient care.
And finally....
HOT TIP No. 94: GP practices should have ‘one-to-one’ conversations with staff who have refused Covid jabs to identify ‘reasons for vaccine hesitancy’, NHSEI has said.
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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