Somerset LMC weekly Update Friday 8th July 2016
Date sent: Friday 8 July 2016
All Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and Previous Updates can be found here
- LMC Chairmans Blog part 4 ( Post Brexit. Maintenant le chat est vraiment parmi les pigeons...)
- PSU event Thursday 14th July Taunton Racecourse-Practical Steps Towards Sustainability and Integration
- E referrals for tonsillectomy and varicose vein surgery
- Audiology referrals and ear wax
- Commissioning of Enhanced Contraceptive Devices in Somerset General Practices
- General Practice Funding changes
- Update on Capita/PCSE
- Care Certificate
- Vaccine Update issue 248
PSU (provider support unit) event-Practical Steps Towards Sustainability and Integration An evening meeting to discuss sustainability and joint working, and how the PSU can be a valuable support and resource to practices and federations. Adrian Poole will introduce the set of documents commissioned that practices are likely to need when exploring collaboration and there will be an opportunity to hear from the LMC, SPH, Vanguard and Partnership about the alternative forms of joint working, many of which are already underway in Somerset. Please book online
E referrals for tonsillectomy and varicose vein surgery We have received numerous questions about this new initiative from the CCG. The LMC was consulted and formed the view that colleagues might choose to use them but were not contractually obliged to do so. The point is to gain prior approval for surgery by going through the necessary referral criteria. These forms have some merit in helping to explain to patients whether or not they will qualify for treatment and so concentrate on the sort of information that a useful referral letter should include. Nevertheless the LMC's view is that first we refer for a surgical opinion, not necessarily for an operation, and second that any form of referral is still permitted. This was accepted by the CCG. Reports of other methods of referral being "rejected" by the RMC are therefore not in keeping with the CCG's stated opinion to us, although of course we understand that they would prefer everyone to use the e-referral forms. Please continue to report incidents of this discrepancy, which causes delay to patients and extra work for practices, to the LMC office.
Audiology referrals and ear wax We have also been inundated with concerns about the notification which arrived this week stating that owing to high demand and difficulty recruiting staff there were long delays for audiology assessment. It was further commented that patient with no interest in having a hearing aid were being needlessly referred and that a significant proportion of patients were found to have occluding ear wax making assessment difficult. We did not read this guidance as implying that colleagues had a duty to remove the ear wax prior to audiology referral but to note its presence as part of the clinical assessment of the hard of hearing. Practices now vary in their ways of managing this common condition and we think therefore that it should be dealt with according to your own agreed patient pathway. Clearly it makes no sense to expect a meaningful audiological assessment to be made when the ear is blocked with wax and it is entirely reasonable to ask if the patient would like a hearing aid!
Commissioning of Enhanced Contraceptive Devices in Somerset General Practices The Specification and contract has been distributed to practices this week, while the LMC did have sight of some of the paperwork previously there have been some additions which we are unhappy with and have raised with SCC, the main concern is re certification and clauses 12.4 and 12.5 in reference to practice accounts, we have informed them that practices are unlikely to sign up unless these are addressed, we will update you as soon as soon as we can.
Update on capita/PCSE Please the update to LMCs from the GPC here, the GPC has asked that LMCs feedback on the 18th July and the 1st August any new problems there are in our areas, many practices are forwarding correspondence and please continue to send to the LMC office
Care Certificate we have had a number of enquiries in regards to the care certificate for New HCAs as part of their induction which was introduced April 2015, there is a information on both the LMC and SGPET and supporting information can be found at the following links.
Care certificate Focus on Care Certificate
Kind Regards
Jill
Jill Hellens
Executive Director
Somerset LMC
TEL: 01823 331428
Fax:01823 338561
www.somersetlmc.co.uk
