Somerset LMC Weekly update Friday 31st March 2017
Date sent: Friday 31 March 2017
All Somerset GPs and Practice Managers
- The Alternative Canary Latest blog from LMC Chairman Nick Bray
- Somerset LMC Spring Newsletter 2017
- NHS Standard Contract 17/18
- Changes to the Statement of Fitness for Work form
- EMIS Remote Consult: Sharing Agreement
- Dols Legislative Change
- Porter Dodson note to changing staff hours
- Stop Smoking Enhanced service
NHS Standard Contract 2017/18 The LMC has reviewed the Standard Contract which will be issued to practices over the next week. This massive document covers Enhanced Services and some other supplementary contracts but not core GMS or PMS. The new version is an update of the existing one that has to cover everything from Ambulance Trusts to Mental Health so it is very long as many of the clauses only apply to particular services. The technical guidance alone runs to 154 pages. Although there is now a short version for primary care purposes we are going into the last year of a three year contract so we have to stick with the original for now. The low value of the services provided means that it would be unrealistic to impose all the fine print of the conditions in the contract and the as CCG has been pragmatic in its approach in the last two years and we consider it safe for practices to sign.
Changes to the Statement of Fitness for Work form Over the coming weeks, you may notice that the Statement of Fitness for Work, or Med 3,forms look a little different when you print them. Changes have been applied to the advisory notes section on the right hand side to improve the clarity of the advice given, to inform recipients about the extraction of anonymised fit note data, to provide details about Fit for Work and to remove the patient ‘Declaration’ field. Both new and old versions are valid until the IT suppliers‘full rollout is complete.These changes were agreed between the DWP and GP representatives at the DWP GP Forum on the Work, health and disability:improving lives green paper.
EMIS Remote Consult: Sharing Agreement The LMC has now approved the proposed EMIS remote consult sharing agreement document. It is a basic document which practices must sign before providing IA. Please note however if an appointment is made for a patient by a third party, consent must be gained from the patient at the time of consultation.
DoLS - legislative change Patients who die while subject to an authorisation under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) no longer require automatic referral to the coroners
From the 3rd of April 2017, it will no longer be necessary to refer all patients who die while subject to an authorisation under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) to the coroner. Before that date, patients who died subject to DoLS were regarded as dying while in state detention, triggering an automatic requirement for an inquest. From Monday the 3rd of April the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 will be amended so that coroners will no longer be under a duty to investigate a death solely because the individual was subject to the DoLS at the time. These deaths will only require reporting to the coroner if the cause of death was unknown, or where the cause of death was violent or unnatural.
All deaths while subject to a DoLS authorisation that occur prior to the 3rd of April will still need to be reported to the Coroner.
Porter Dodson Note to changing staff hours Over recent weeks we have received numerous enquiries as to how staffing hours can be changed in light of wider changes being brought about within the medical sector.
There is naturally a good deal of concern over this, both from the perspective of staff and Practices. Some staff have questioned the legality of changing hours of work unilaterally. Practices have a similar concern, but equally want any change to be reached by consensus if possible. Please find the guidance and a template on how to implement this change on the PSU area of the website (you will need to be logged in to view)
Stop Smoking Enhanced service practices should already have received notification that Somerset County Council is terminating its Stop Smoking Contract with Solutions for Health from 31st March 2017, some services will be continuing through Somerset County Council and we have been made aware that a contract has been issued to some Somerset practices who have expressed an interest in providing the service, the LMC have not been consulted on this contract which is over 46 pages long and are now in conversation with SCC, we would therefore suggest that practices do not sign the contract until we have had chance to review it. we will come back to you in due course.
Nominated first aiders Training 25th April Taunton Racecourse https://www.somersetlmc.co.uk/events/3128 There are going to be times during practice opening hours when there is no clinical member of staff present in the building, especially early morning or evening, so it is imperative that practices have a nominated first aider available in these instances
Kind Regards
Jill
Jill Hellens
Executive Director
Somerset LMC
TEL: 01823 331428
Fax:01823 338561
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