Somerset LMC weekly Update Friday 9 June 2017
Date sent: Friday 9 June 2017
Sent to all Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates are available here
- Here's One I Prepared Earlier - the latest blog from LMC Chairman Dr Nick Bray
- Training Grant Payment Delays
- New NHSE rules on Temporary Practice Closure applications
- The Life of a GP Working in Enhanced Primary Care
- British Society of Lifestyle Medicine Inaugural Conference, Saturday 1 July, Bristol
Training Grant Payment Delays The LMC is aware that at least some training practices have not been received training grant funds for several months. Apparently this is due to a delay at NHSE, and although the Severn Primary Care School has been assured this is being sorted out we do not yet have a definite payment date.
Please could you let us know at LMCoffice@somersetlmc.nhs.uk if you have still not received payment by the end of the month.
New NHSE rules on Temporary Practice Closure applications Colleagues will have seen this in the recent BNSSSG bulletin.
"In April we introduced a new application form and process to manage temporary practice closures, which are required if you plan to close the practice for any time during core contracted hours, 08:00-18:30.
In the light of experience we have updated the form [attached to the original bulletin] to help you complete it with all the necessary information to enable us to process your application promptly. Please remember that we require 4 weeks' notice of any proposed closure, in order to process the application and check any arrangements you have in place to allow patients access to essential primary care services when you plan to close.
Please submit an application for any temporary closure, even if you have regularly closed for one to two hours each week or month for meetings and training. Any temporary closure needs to be approved by NHS England even if you have been doing this for years."
The background to this is the report in the press earlier this year about some practices "closing" in core hours whilst claiming Extended Hours DES payments which led to the regrettable priministerial statement about primary care failing to keep patients out of A&E. In response to questions at a House of Commons Select Committee hearing NHSE promised to stamp this out, stop the miscreants getting ES DES money forthwith and to survey all practices about opening times. The fact that three quarters of the practices which closed in core hours were in a few NW London CCGs was no bar to pressure being put on NHSE nationwide, hence this initiative.
Hitherto practices have been used to thinking that closing the doors for a few hours' whole team training with a phone number provided for urgent matters was not the same as actually "closing" the practice. As we can see from the above this is not NHSE's view. Moves are being made to better define what all patients can expect during core contractual hours and a recent House of Lords report included things like being able to make a routine appointment, find out about a test result or drop in a sample. These cannot be done via a telephone number reserved for emergencies and so these short closures are now being judged to be actual "closures" requiring permission from NHSE which holds practice GMS and PMS contracts.
Practices are therefore advised to comply with this requirement although it would appear to be a purely bureaucratic and unwelcome extra job for practice managers. Temporary Practice Closure Form.
The Life of a GP Working in Enhanced Primary Care It has sometimes been difficult to see how any of the current tranche of NHS changes have done anything to improve the lot of working GPs, but here is a very encouraging Youtube presentation by a south Somerset GP explaining how Enhanced Primary Care has improved her working life. It’s well worth a look. Link to presentation
Best wishes
Somerset LMC
Crown Medical Centre, Venture Way, Taunton, TA2 8QY
Tel: (01823) 331 428
Fax: (01823) 338 561
