Somerset LMC Weekly Update Friday 3rd February 2023
Date sent: Friday 3 February 2023
Sent to all Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates are available here
- MD Soundbites!
- GPC England Reject 'Unsafe and Insulting’ Contract Offer
- Emergency ENT Referrals
- Junior Doctors Ballot on Strike Action - Guidance for GP Trainees from the BMA
- Visa and Sponsorship Support FAQs
- New SGPET Membership Levy 2023/4
- Support for Educational Supervisors of AHPs
- Expressions of Interest Invited for Application for HEE Funding for Advanced Practice Development
- Job Vacancies
MD Soundbites!
Not all doom and gloom! Well we have made it through the first and in my opinion the bleakest month of the year so well done! It is hard when every day there is more doom and gloom about our health system – I am not going to list them you will be glad to know… I was reflecting on patients being able to self-refer to specialists and bypass GPs. At the practice this week over coffee we were discussing someone who had surgery 12 months ago and was passed between specialists for multiple tests and scans without taking a holistic look at the whole problem. As GPs we are experts at managing these types of problems and was therefore pleased to see that the BMA have spoken out about self-referral and some of the pitfalls that it may bring, see link. The health system needs GPs more than ever to address complexity which is why it is great news about new GPs coming into Somerset – YES we do! We have now had over 30 GPs coming into the area this month registering with the Somerset GP performers list. Historically through our well trusted patient and practitioner services LMCs used to be sighted on new GPs coming into the area but around 10 years ago this was taken over by Capita and this information was lost to us. The LMCs and GPC have been trying to obtain this information for years, and we finally received a report this week. The LMC will be reaching out to these new doctors so anyone you meet please do give them a warm welcome 😊.
Last year I touched on the work being undertaken to support Asylum seekers and I would like to thank the Bridgwater practices and Taunton Vale practice for the work that they are doing - there are unique challenges and we must be commending the work that they are doing. The ICB are taking active steps to support the process. Winter Resilience Plans continue to be developed but unfortunately the ICB are still not in a position to provide specific details – we are aware that many are asking but unfortunately, we need to be patient. The GPAS data evidences the work we are doing, great return again at 85% - thank you all for supporting - this really does help.
Finally, we are considering starting some podcasts so we can all learn from each other – we would like to hear your thoughts on this and if there are any topics that you potentially would like to hear about do let us know.
Best wishes
Justin
Emergency ENT Referrals: When an emergency ENT referral is required for a Somerset patient who lives closer to Dorchester rather than Taunton, please could you call 01305 251150 and ask to speak to the On-Call ENT F2 at Dorchester County Hospital, rather than contacting the ENT secretaries please.
Junior Doctors Ballot on Strike Action - Guidance for GP Trainees from the BMA: The ballot on strike action for junior doctors in England is open, and this includes our GP trainee colleagues as an important group of the junior doctor workforce. They are acting as a result of the significant pay erosion they have experienced over the past decade. This situation is made worse by the government also failing to address the undervaluation of the GP Flexible Pay Premia, despite making commitments to do so back in 2019. Two webinars have been arranged to provide tailored advice specifically for GP trainees over the next few weeks at the following dates:
Saturday 11 February 10-11am
Monday 13 February, 6-7pm
We welcome all GP trainees to click here to register your attendance for either date. You can also download the latest GP trainee materials to share with colleagues on the BMA website . Further guidance for practices and LMCs to support GP trainees will be shared in the coming weeks. Please do encourage all junior doctors who are BMA members to vote as there is a minimum % of overall voters required for the vote to be carried.
Visa and Sponsorship Support FAQs: A useful Primary care Visa support FAQ has now been added to the Health Education website this can also be accessed via the Tier 2 support page we have on the LMC website. This also has all the information on how practices can apply for a Tier 2 licence.
New SGPET Membership Levy 2023/4: Practices will have received communication from SGPET on a new Levy system for funding membership of the education trust, we would like to confirm that this will now fund all education for practice members including the programmes organised by the LMC. The cost for non-members to attend events from the 1st April 2023 can be found here.
Please note the Education Trust levy will be an expense of the GP practice partnerships so will qualify for tax relief in the same way as the current LMC levies.
Support for Educational Supervisors of AHPs: The Training Hub is pleased to announce that our Supervision Fellows are to remain in role for a further year. Liz Oxley and Jodie Smith are multi-professional supervision experts and are working to support the educational supervision of AHPs and the accreditation process via the ‘Roadmaps to Practice’ in general practice. They are able to offer support to FCP clinicians on an individual basis and PCNs as a whole, as well as roadmap supervisors. If you are interested in contacting Jodie or Liz about supervision of AHPs please feel free to email them. Jodie.Smith@SomersetFT.nhs.uk, Elizabeth.Oxley@SomersetFT.nhs.uk.
Expressions of Interest Invited for Application for HEE Funding for Advanced Practice Development: Practices and PCNs are invited to put forward expressions of interest for funding new Advanced Practice trainees, providing certain conditions are met. Further information can be found on the HEE website as previously circulated. The process is slightly different this year and expressions of interest by employers (not individuals) must be sent to ACP Lead Catherine Hayden (catherine.hayden@nhs.net) by 20th February. Final submissions will be made to HEE by 15th March however there will be some preparatory work for employers to complete prior to this which Catherine can advise you on.
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
Follow us on Twitter
Download the App
General Practice in Somerset Great Place Great Potential
We have updated our privacy policies on both the Somerset LMC and Somerset GP Education trust websites.
