Somerset LMC Weekly Update Friday 19th May 2023
Date sent: Friday 19 May 2023
Sent to all Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates are available here
- MD Soundbites!
- What Does Good Look Like? Taking Back Control in General Practice LMC Study Day 12th September Taunton Racecourse
- Approval of Locum A Forms by Practices
- Retinopathy Screening DNA Requests for Information
- The Homeless Rough Sleepers Nursing Service
- Cancer Services Navigators
- Medical Student Examiner Shortage!
- When Will One of Our Clinical Colleagues be AI?!
- Safe Working in General Practice (BMA)
- Workload Prioritisation - Job Vacancies
What Does Good Look Like? Taking Back Control in General Practice LMC Study Day 12th September 2023, Taunton Racecourse: This will be a whole day event of presentations and break out groups, and is a joint workforce event organised by Somerset LMC/Somerset Education Trust and Training Hub. We have managed to secure backfill funding from the ICB for GPs to attend this event. We encourage one GP and the Practice Manager to attend. Draft programme is available here. Places are limited so please book early here.
Approval of Locum A Forms by Practices: We have been contacted by a couple of locums where their form A has not been signed off in the 10 week window, this potentially puts their pensions at risk if not followed up and PCSE re opens the window to allow signature, which is no mean feat! Please see the advice from PCSE below.
It is important that practices pay Locum GPs and complete Part 2 of the Locum A form promptly to allow the GP to comply with the 10 week rule that was reinstated by NHS Pensions on 1 October 2022.
Practice Managers are asked to ensure that multiple staff are assigned the Locum Approver role on PCSE Online to ensure Locum A forms can be completed at all times without delay. The Practice User Administrator can assign the Locum Approver role to any staff who require it. Guidance for User Administrators can be found here.
If you would like to view the recordings from the webinars which we hosted in October 2022 you can access these via the below links:
Webinar for Practice staff responsible for approving locum forms
Webinar for Locum GPs
Retinopathy Screening DNA Requests for Information: The LMC has questioned the need to provide specific reasons why patients do not attend their diabetic retinal screening when no other service requires it. We are told that providing this information is not mandatory although the service would be grateful for replies where time allows.
The Homeless Rough Sleepers Nursing Service: We have been reminded of this service which provides outreach nursing care for anyone that is homeless, or living in temporary accommodation. They cover Taunton, Sedgemoor, Mendip and South Somerset. This team supports health care to some of the most vulnerable groups in our society, bridging the gap in care, reducing ED attendances, missed hospital and GP appointments and increasing population health. Please see this attachment for further information.
They can cover:
- Basic health checks
- Wound care
- Blood tests including Hep C/Hep B/HIV testing/Syphilis testing
- Help with medical appointments
- Advise and support with medication concerns
- Sexual health promotion, contraception advice and STI checks
- Dental health promotion
Cancer Services Navigators: These navigators will support patients that are being investigated for cancer – they aim to help support any patient navigate the health and social care system. As well as their role with patients and their families they are also essential communicators between primary and secondary care, having capacity to keep healthcare professionals informed of the patients’ whereabouts in the diagnostic pathway. The aim is to also help build relationships across organisations. The specialities so far involved are gynaecology, head and neck, lung and upper GI – this flyer gives further details.
Medical Student Examiner Shortage!: We are still extremely short of examiners for the Peninsula 4th Year Medical Student ISCEs which will be held on Tuesday 20th and Thursday 22nd June at Musgrove Park Hospital Academy. Many thanks for those that have already signed up. We are especially short for the Thursday exam. There is payment of £90.00 per hour for this role. If you are able to help at all then please get in touch! Dr Kath Speller (Community Sub-Dean) kath.speller@nhs.net or penmedschool@somersetFT.nhs.uk.
When Will One of Our Clinical Colleagues be AI?!: This seems to be an increasing possibility with the development of AI! On this note we have been approached by a team of Cambridge University researchers and NHS clinicians who are running an MRC-funded study to develop an AI-enabled stethoscope to screen for valvular heart disease. If you would like to take part in an hours survey in listening to some of these recorded heart sounds and predict signs of valvular heart disease, please contact anurag.agarwal@eng.cam.ac.uk. Results are anonymised and reimbursed at £100. They intend to compare performance and therefore assess if an intelligent stethoscope could be an aid for the early detection of Valvular Heart Disease in primary care.
Safe Working in General Practice (BMA)
Workload prioritisation: We strongly recommend that practices cease all non-contractual work and divert their resources to core services. This may include giving notice on enhanced services if you consider these to be low value.
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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