Somerset LMC Weekly Update Friday 4th November 2022
Date sent: Friday 4 November 2022
Sent to all Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates are available here
- GP Concerns Over 2WW Delays
- Reducing Violence Against Staff Communications Toolkit
- Get Veteran Friendly Accredited this Remembrance Day
- Tier 2 Sponsorship-GP Partnership
- Legal Requirements for the Registration of Trusts in General Practice
- Somerset New to Practice General Practice Fellowship Programme for Newly Qualified GPs
- And Finally
- Job Vacancies
GP Concerns Over 2WW Delays
The LMC had an excellent collaborative meeting with Somerset Partnership Hospitals (SPH) this week. They recognise our concerns and are implementing changes to address the wait. The LMC will be meeting with SPH regularly to monitor the situation, support change but fundamentally make certain our concerns are being heard and acted upon.
Dr John Upton (GP at St James) is supporting the 2WW dermatology service by reviewing some of the referrals that we are making. His service is having a significant impact on prioritising those cases that absolutely need consultant care. One of his observations is that we are not always seeing the skin lesions we are referring face to face and this is impacting on the quality of the referral. Please can I ask that 2WW dermatology and other 2WW referrals are made after a face to face assessment unless there are extraordinary reasons why this is not possible. John has highlighted the Ardens skin lesion template referral form on EMIS that is exceptionally useful for our dermatology and GPSI colleagues as it provides a more detailed history for our colleagues to work from. This form really does help them and therefore our patients receive the most appropriate care.
It is essential the LMC are as well informed as possible on this issue to facilitate change and share concerns. If you have specific examples of issues that you wish to raise please can you e-mail somersetlmc.office@nhs.net. This is an area that the LMC will be monitoring very closely and will be sharing further developments as they occur.
Have a good weekend when it comes - best wishes to you all.
Justin
Reducing Violence Against Staff Communications Toolkit: This toolkit contains a number of resources including posters and waiting room screen messages for practices to use, it encourages the public to treat staff with respect rather than emphasising “zero tolerance” messaging.
Get Veteran Friendly Accredited this Remembrance Day: With Remembrance Day soon approaching, practices may wish to apply for the RCGP’s Veteran Friendly accreditation to best support veterans. More than half of veterans (52%) have a long-term illness or disability, yet research suggests many may be reluctant to seek support for their issues, particularly if they feel they may not be understood. With an estimated two million veterans in the UK, the average general practice sees a veteran patient every day. Being able to identify and support veteran patients is crucial to ensuring best outcomes, as they may face different health challenges to the general population. Further information on the LMC website.
Tier 2 Sponsorship-GP Partnership: The LMC were recently asked if a GP could become a partner while being sponsored under a Tier 2 licence, we have now received the following from the home office. "We can confirm there is no longer a 10% share limit in place. Therefore a GP could be a partner in the practice, providing the practice can continue to meet sponsorship duties and the migrant is not the person responsible for managing the sponsor licence as they are not allowed to sponsor themselves."
Legal Requirements for the Registration of Trusts in General Practice: The GP Defence Fund recently obtained a formal legal opinion that clarifies how the recent introduction of new rules on “Trusts” will affect GP practices and PCNs. You will recall that these rules are part of UK’s implementation of the Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, and came into effect on 1st June 2022. They require eligible trusts to be registered within 90 days.
A trust in this context is defined as any arrangement in which “an asset is managed by one party on behalf of a different beneficiary party”. There are two types, express trusts (which have specifically been set up with this intention), and non-express trusts, which are arrangements that have the same effect but are not described as trusts in their documentation. Taxable non-express trusts fall within the new regulations.
The good news is that the majority of trusts affecting GMS and PMS practices (but not APMS) will be able to benefit from an exemption for “public authorities” and will not need to be registered. A smaller number of trusts will be exempted as “legislative trusts”, so only a few GP or PCN related trusts will need to register with the Trust Registration Service.
The main areas that you will need to consider are the occupation of premises, both freehold and leasehold, and nominee arrangements for PCN bank accounts or assets and GP Provider organisation. However, there are also other potential trust arrangements in which you may be involved so it is essential that practice managers and partners look carefully at the summary letter attached to check whether any of the activities or relationships of the practice could be deemed to constitute a non-exempt trust. This is a complex and sometimes hard to define area of law and you may well need to take legal advice - the penalties for failing to register an eligible trust are significant.
Somerset New to Practice General Practice Fellowship Programme for Newly Qualified GPs: Are you or do you know a GP that has qualified since April 2022 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 have had up to 47 fellows, so you may already have one of our fellows 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. This programme continues to evolve according to the needs and aspirations of our fellows. Our next cohort will start in April 23 and the closing date is 28th February 2023. See programme, application form and needs analysis for more information. If you would like to find out more or apply, please contact Dr Catherine Ievers catherine.ievers1@nhs.net.
And Finally...
Self-Care and Personal Development with Bach Flower Remedies: Sometimes we go out of balance, hold onto painful memories, or carry emotional trauma. Understanding our ‘software’, how we can influence it positively, and learning techniques to retune ourselves are important. Sensitive empathic people find these skills invaluable. Many people use Rescue Remedy or Calm Down for work stress or general benefit. Join Dr Andrew Tresidder on Wednesday 30th November 09.30-12.30 in Ilminster, the morning is designed to get you started with all you need as an adult learner. See here for more information and how book.
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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