Somerset LMC Weekly Update Friday 24th February 2023
Date sent: Friday 24 February 2023
Sent to all Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates are available here
- Hello from the new LMC Chairman Dr Tim Horlock
- MD Soundbites!
- Claiming for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- LARC Contract Update from Public Health
- Coming soon on GP TEAMNET - Clinical Support Information (CSI) Somerset
- Frustrated with referral forms?
- GP Evidence
- Primary Care Matters Newsletter - January 2023
- Somerset New to Practice General Practice Fellowship Programme for Newly Qualified GPs
- BMA Podcast with which on GP Access and appointment
- 2023/24 GP contract update webinars (from the GPC)
- Quality Improvement Grand Round: 8 March
- Job Vacancies
MD Soundbites!
Work to live of live to work…. Unfortunately it is easy for us as GPs to feel compelled to serve our patients at all costs, and to lose our perspective on reality! The vast majority of us need to be working much smarter. Dr Andrew Tressider reminded me last week of the Yerkes-Dobson Performance -Stress Curve (p36)
Perhaps more of us need to not just hear this advice but start to listen and act on making change. This concept of change was a theme at the GPPB this week. We started to consider how as a board we can create meaningful action that enact realistic change. Workforce, Safety and Quality were key themes. The fundamental issue we face is that there is a significant mismatch between what we are expected to deliver and the resource that we have to deliver it! We all recognise this, we discuss it and we attempt to address it, but we struggle because like tomatoes on the supermarket shelves at the moment GPs are in rare supply! However, while we await details on national contract negotiations (no developments yet) the need for us to address what is within out control could not be greater. We all want to work in an environment where we ENJOY what we do – sound idealistic but we have to make it happen (at least most of the time). The battle to retain GPs: why practice culture is critical makes an interesting read! I was reminded of this this week when I reflected on how some clinical colleagues are adapting their role with their piers to create flexible working, working on areas of interest, having the lead GP for the morning working with staff and making time to talk and support. GPs will move to our county (they are) and our practices when we do a better job at taking time to set safe limits in our days, recognising that every GP is not the same, sharing our pressures and creating a culture where Somerset General Practice is the best place to be! The LMC continue to drive General Practice to be that Great Place, Great Potential – Transforming your work-life balance - let’s all do our part to promote it?
Please note From Next week MD soundbites can be accessed via the link in the index and will not be included in the body of the update.
Claiming for Personal Independence Payment (PIP): If you have a conversation with an individual about PIP, please signpost them to the PIP information pages at GOV.UK/PIP so they can consider if they may be eligible prior to claiming. The PIP pages include easy-read guides and links to YouTube videos about eligibility, evidence requirements and the claims process. These will help individuals to consider whether PIP is the right benefit for them and understand what supporting information they need if they decide to claim.
Coming soon on GP TEAMNET - Clinical Support Information (CSI) Somerset:
- A one stop shop for all things referral related.
- Up to date, and will remain so.
- In collaboration with the specialty departments and the Trusts
CSI Somerset will soon have referral pathways from primary to secondary care, including information required for referrals, current forms, and clinical information, including patient information leaflets. There will also be a directory of numbers there if you need it.
We recognise that there are many useful pathways, however, finding them quickly is not always easy. Nor is it easy to know of the existence of all services available in the area. That is where the CSI will help. This system has the advantage that all locum colleagues and out of hours teams can also access it.
We will be slowly rolling out information over the coming months, starting with diabetes and acute referrals, which also includes hospital at home. We will update you as we roll these out but please feel free to be in touch by contacting sphadmin@nhs.net.
The project will start with SFT (MPH, community, and mental health) and YDH but will then expand to include Bath, Dorchester, and Weston-Super Mare. If anyone would like to be involved in this part of the project, then please be in touch.
Frustrated with referral forms?: We have created this guide ‘LMC advice on the subject of referral form templates’ which will be shared system-wide. The aim is to reduce the use of referral forms, raise awareness that referral forms are non-mandatory, and streamline the process of referral templates.
GP Evidence: Based guidelines are a highly valuable and critical element of clinical practice, but can sometimes unconsciously promote a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Primary Care DPhil student and GP, Dr Julian Treadwell, developed the recently released website, GP Evidence, with funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), to make the scientific evidence underpinning guideline-recommended treatments easier to access and understand.
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 16th March. 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
BMA Podcast with which on GP Access and appointments: The BMA media team set up an interview with ‘Which?’ with Dr David Wrigley, one of the GPC Executives on the topic of GP appointments and access to GPs. They have made this into a podcastand put it on Spotify. It is 30mins long and we think they have been quite fair in their analysis.
2023/24 GP contract update webinars (from the GPC): We are organising five webinars to ensure that every GP has an opportunity to hear about this year’s contract changes, ask questions, and share their feedback, at no cost. The GPCE officers will deliver the same presentation at each webinar, meaning that attendees need only attend the event most convenient to them.
These webinars will replace the roadshow events familiar to many from pre-pandemic times. The unusual lead up and consequent delay to this year’s negotiations has rendered that approach impractical. It will also free up more time for in-person engagement with the officers regarding the future shape of the contract.
We encourage as many members to attend these events as possible, as we will use these as an opportunity to explain our next step options and hear member feedback.
Further details and registration will be available via the BMA’s Events page in due course, and we will include the registration links in the next bulletin/update. The planned dates and times are:
- Tuesday 21st March 19.00-20.30
- Wednesday 22nd March 12.30-14.00
- Wednesday 29th March 19.00-20.30
- Thursday 30th March 12.30-14.00
- Thursday 30th March 19.00-20.30
The presentation will be delivered first, with questions answered afterwards, so that those who cannot stay for the full 90 minutes will still have the key information.
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.
