Somerset LMC Weekly Update Friday 12th January 2024
Date sent: Friday 12 January 2024
Sent to all Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates are available here
- MD Soundbites!
- GPAS (General Practice Alert State)
- Clinical News/Updates
- Death Certification Reforms Draft Guidance - Information for GP Partners/Salaried/Locums/Practice Managers
- GPC Survey for ALL GPs
- GP and GPN Fellowship Update
- Improving Breast Feeding Support and Survey
- Buying Group Recruitment Support
- Student Placement Can You Help? - Training/Events
- Somerset Safeguarding Adults Monthly Practice Updates - Resources
- Family Friendly Rights in 2023 - Safe Working in General Practice (BMA) This guidance is regularly updated with new items and suggestions
- Job Vacancies
- Somerset Emotional Wellbeing Podcasts - this week Metabolic Health and the Survival Switch
- And Finally...
Clinical News/Updates
Death Certification Reforms Draft Guidance: New draft guidance has been published by government providing an overview of the death certification reforms and the statutory medical examiner system which will come into force from April 2024.
The main changes are:
- Simplified criterion for attending practitioners: You will be eligible to be an attending practitioner and complete a medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD), if you have attended the deceased in their lifetime. You will no longer need to have seen the patient within 28 days before death or after death.
- Medical examiner scrutiny: All non-coronial deaths will be subject to independent scrutiny by a medical examiner, who will review the proposed cause of death and the medical records, and offer the opportunity for the bereaved to ask questions and raise concerns. You will need to share the MCCD and the records with the medical examiner before the death can be registered.
- New MCCD: A new MCCD will replace the existing certificate to reflect the introduction of medical examiners. The new MCCD will include additional information such as ethnicity, maternal deaths, medical devices and implants. There are plans to enable you to be able to complete the MCCD online at some point.
- Coroner referral: You should continue to notify deaths that meet the criteria in the Notification of Deaths Regulations 2019 to the coroner. The coroner will decide whether to investigate or refer the case to a medical examiner for certification.
These changes aim to improve the quality and accuracy of death certification, provide better support for the bereaved, and enhance learning from deaths.
If you have any questions or feedback on the new guidance, please contact deathcertification@dhsc.gov.uk.
Amended local pathway information will be sent out to practices by Somerset Medical Examiner Service following the release of the new draft guidance in due course. If your practice has not yet participated in a pilot to test the ME referral process and would like to , please contact Helen Waldon (Lead Bereavement & Medical Examiner Officer SFT and Implementation Lead) at helen.waldon@somersetft.nhs.uk.
Information for GP Partners/Salaried/Locums/Practice Managers
GPC Survey for ALL GPs: This survey is now open until the 21st January, GPC want to hear from ALL GPs, ST3s and ST4s whether BMA member or not, working in any capacity. It’s your opportunity to have your say on what you would like to see in the new GP contract from April 2024, a chance to influence negotiations and the next parliament, if you do one survey please do this one and complete what you can, do share widely. QR code link and web link.
GP and GPN Fellowship Update: We heard via public announcement, that the GP and GPN Fellowship will end on the 31st March to new intakes. We would like to encourage anyone interested to register interest as asap as NHSE will be able to honour the 2-year fellowship to all those that join before the end of March. We await further information about the future of recruitment and retention scheme and will start conversations with our ICB on this vital matter. For interest in GP Fellowships please contact catherine.ievers1@nhs.net and for Nurse Fellowships paula.messenger1@nhs.net.
Improving Breast Feeding Support and Survey: The Breastfeeding Team is looking to develop their current service and would value your time in completing this survey from clinicians. Alternatively you may wish to email the Director, Ayala Ochert, ayala@betterbreastfeeding.uk.
Buying Group Recruitment Support: The LMC Buying Group understand that recruitment is often an expensive and time-consuming business, so they created an eye-catching, easy to use recruitment page where any registered member can post their clinical and non-clinical vacancies at no cost. They also offer practices the opportunity to feature their vacancies with a featured package which comes at a small fee. What they offer as well as posting the job on their website, they also highlight any new job posting at least once across their social media platforms. This is a free service to any member practice interested in expanding their vacancy reach beyond their region. They have also introduced a ‘Featured Job’ option for those members that want to draw more attention to their advert. The featured role will appear at the top of the Jobs page in a bright colour and be highlighted on their social media channels each week for a month. This service only costs £50+VAT. To place an advert, visit the Jobs page and upload your vacancy using the application form template. If you choose the Featured Advert option, they will send you an invoice once the advert has been posted online.
We understand that the ICB will no longer be funding the BMJ adverts for practices from April, therefore practices may find this an useful resource in addition to the LMC jobs section and GP in Somerset Jobs pages and social media platforms.
Student Placement Can You Help?: "I am a fourth-year medical student wishing to pursue a career in General Practice. I would like to spend my six-week elective in a GP practice around the Taunton area to learn what it is like to work as a GP in the UK. I have spent a couple of placement days in GP practices before, but not nearly as much as I had hoped. I wish to learn the common challenges encountered by GP Partners and the different roles doctors take up to run an effective practice." If you would be interested in hosting please contact Vishal directly - vishal.gupta@students.plymouth.ac.uk the elective period runs from 5th August-20th September and can be any 6 weeks within this block. I appreciate this is over the summer holiday period but it would be lovely to encourage an interest in General Practice at this stage in their career!
Training/Events
Somerset Safeguarding Adults Monthly Practice Updates: On the 1st Thursday of the month (starting in Feb 2024) 12-12.45pm you can join members of the Safeguarding Adults Board to get short updates on learning from safeguarding enquiries, local and National safeguarding Adult reviews and new policy updates. These sessions will provide you with essential practice updates and emerging learning from safeguarding enquiries, great CPD opportunities for any health and social care professional in Somerset. This poster provides you with the link to join the webinar (via Teams) - put a hold in your diary and link this email to easily join the training. First session on Thursday 1st February 2024 at 12pm is on the newly revised Somerset Self Neglect toolkit.
Resources
Family Friendly Rights in 2023: Following a recent maternity and parental workshop held with the support of Surrey and Sussex LMCS, Dr Solicitors have kindly shared their presentation which may be useful to all.
And Finally from the BMA...
King’s New Year Honours
We are delighted that the following GPs have been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours list:
- Dr Chandra Kanneganti, Goldenhill Medical Centre, North Staffordshire; North Staffordshire LMC Chair, and GPC England member, has been awarded a CBE for services to general practice.
- Dr Terry John, Firs Medical Centre, Waltham Forest, previous chair of the BMA’s International Committee, receiver of the BMA’s President’s award in 2020-21, and previous GPC England member, has been awarded a BEM for services to medicine.
- Dr Meena Nagpaul, Honeypot Medical Centre and Clinical Director, Harrow East Primary Care Network, has been awarded an MBE for services to the NHS.
Congratulations to all on receiving these much-deserved awards.
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
General Practice in Somerset Great Place Great Potential
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