Somerset LMC Weekly Update Friday 23rd March 2018
Date sent: Friday 23 March 2018
Sent to all Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates can be found here and on the LMC App
- GP contracts 18/19 (England) announcement
- Somerset's urgent out-of-hours GP service - Devon Doctors
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations)
- GP Services to Care Homes
- GPC News March 2018
- Update on syphilis from SWISH
GP contracts (England) announcement As you will be aware the GPC have agreed the changes to the GP contracts in England for 2018/19 all the detail is available on the LMC website, where you will also find a useful LMC summary kindly shared by Dr Nigel Watson Chief Executive of Wessex LMCs
Somerset's urgent out-of-hours GP service - Devon Doctors The LMC is delighted that Devon Doctors will be taking over the provision of the GP Out of Hours Service in Somerset from the end of next month. Devon Doctors is a Social Enterprise, jointly owned by the Devon practices, and it has a strong track record of providing good GP led OOH clinical care to patients. It also has a reputation for valuing and supporting thir staff, including GPs, and we hope that doctors currently working for Vocare in the county will be prepared to transfer to Devon Doctors.
One of the challenges for both Vocare and SWAST in the past was in retaining and recruiting local GPs to work out of hours sessions, and we would encourage doctors who have previously worked out of hours, or who would be interested in doing so now, to attend one of the drop-in sessions yo se what is on offer. We do not anticipate any problems for GPs working for Devon Doctors, but if you encounter any glitches please contact the LMC office and we will ensure that these are resolved as swiftly as possible.
Letter of introduction and invite to drop-in sessions in Taunton and new Clinician checklist.
GDPR Please don't panic you have time to show compliance, this is an ongoing process and it won't end on the 25th May, we are working with South West Colleagues, the GPC, Porter Dodson and the County Practice Manager group on clarification and a simple guide and templates for practices as there is a lot of confusion on what is expected, also we are exploring the role of a county wide Data protection officer (DPO) that could work on behalf of all practices, more news in the coming weeks on this and the guide.
GP Services to Care Homes The Local Medical Committees (LMCs) of Cornwall, Somerset and Devon have collaborated with the South-West peninsula Clinical Oversight Group to produce guidance for GP practices and care homes in relation to the contractual framework expected of GPs providing GP medical services to care homes.The paper can downloaded here and on the LMC website
Update on syphilis - here are a few key points…
‘Any rash. Any ulcer. Think syphilis.’
- More syphilis infections have been presenting to our sexual health clinics since the end of 2017
- Most cases are in men who have sex with men (MSM) but heterosexual individuals, including women in pregnancy, have also been affected
- Primary syphilis presents with single or multiple genital ulcers (chancres) which may or may not be painful
- Chancres can also occur in the perianal area, rectum or mouth (see attached article)
- Secondary syphilis can present with general malaise, lymphadenopathy, maculopapular rash sometimes involving the palms and soles, raised ALT, glomerulonephritis, meningitis
- Condylomata lata are rare but can look similar to genital warts
- We are also detecting syphilis in asymptomatic individuals (latent stage).
- Congenital syphilis can cause permanent skin, bone, renal, and neurological problems
- Syphilis is diagnosed on serology which may take up to 12 weeks after a risk to show an infection. Syphilis serology remains positive after treatment.
Please advise any suspected cases to attend their local sexual health clinic and abstain from sexual contact.
Kind Regards
Jill
Jill Hellens
Executive Director
Somerset LMC
TEL: 01823 331428
Fax:01823 338561
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