Business Continuity Plans
NHS bodies are required to have Business Continuity Plans to cover contingencies such as flood, fire, national disaster, flu pandemics etc.
The LMC strongly recommends (whether or not you are an NHS body) that you should have a plan and we have created the following...
Handy Apps and websites for Childhood conditions
HANDi Paediatric app : : advice for common childhood conditions -Written by MPH consultants (Once you click on that link, please click 'advanced' and then 'Continue to devonccg.nhs.uk'
Worried about your child? : Healthier Together by RCPCH
A&Es...
Cold Chain Events Guidance
Cold chain events Change to the process. When an incident happens the nurse or clinician should email screening and Imms team. They will get a call from the 'on call' member of the team to ask for more details. The Screening team (PHE)will then contact the...
CQRS Local has been built with practices in mind, and offers several new benefits with its uptake.
The new system offers a single point of access for local and national claims, with payment from CQRS local going directly to the practice bank account in the same way as national payments.
Some...
Overview of SMES for Care Providers
ME letter for relatives
Somerset Medical Examiner Service poster
Workflow for GP referrals SMES
The above now delayed until 2024 please see current process below
Death Certification (MCCD) process from 25th March 2022 following expiry of the Coronavirus Act...
Deployment of port security software
Somerset CCG are taking steps to improve the security around the use of removable media devices (such as USB sticks, memory cards and other intelligent devices), and mitigate the risk of cyber-attack, data loss or the transfer of viruses / trojans by...
Disclosing patient information without consent- A precis of GMC advice
You must disclose information if it is required by statute or if you are ordered by a judge. Although obeying a judge's directions is mandatory you should only disclose information that is relevant to the request. But other...
Updated guidance for Firearms Licensing - 1st November 2021
Following the tragic events in Plymouth, new Firearms Licensing Guidance has been issued by the Home Office and came into force on 1st November. This had been under consideration and consultation for some time. The relevant sections...
Future of General Practice
Written by Barry Moyse, Medical Director of Somerset LMC,
This has been submitted as we are the Somerset LMC which represents all GPs and GP practices within Somerset.
What are the main barriers to accessing general practice and how can these be tackled?
Updated Ventilation guidance (HTM 03-01) Specialised ventilation for healthcare buildings
These documents give comprehensive advice and guidance on the legal requirements, design implications, maintenance and operation of specialised ventilation in healthcare premises providing acute care.
In...
Somerset LMC joined the LMC Buying Groups Federation in December 2008 to deliver savings to practices without creating any additional work or inconvenience.
What does the Buying Group offer?
Membership entitles practices to discounts on products and services provided by the Buying Group's...
National Bereavement Care Pathway
A tool kit that has been developed to enable healthcare professionals (GPs, Practice nurses, HCAs, Receptionists/Secretaries) to use and deliver the pathway effectively in the primary care setting. It explains about the National Bereavement Care Pathway and the...
NEW Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) Pathway 'Goes Live' at 1100 hours on Wednesday 4th August 2021!
The new CES pathway is designed for patients who would normally be referred to Musgrove Park Hospital for their usual care. It is not intended to be used for out of area referral of patients who...
Radiation and Non-medical referrers Before now each trust had its own interpretation of the regulations and requirements and practitioners had to satisfy each of the Trust requirements if they requested from multiple organisations.
Working with SFT has led to a fantastic opportunity for a...
Occupational Health resources and Guidance
Practices have a legal reasonability under the Health & Safety at Work Act to identify hazards that any employee may face and put in systems to reduce the risk of harm to their staff, part of this is immunisations and infectious diseases.
Practice...
Somerset ICB have teamed up with ORCHA (the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Applications) to create a website which contains over 6000 health and care related apps. ORCHA has a team of professionals, including actively practicing clinicians, to independently review and accredit...
Practice and Primary Care Network (PCN) income ready reckoner for 2023/24
As in previous years, this ready reckoner has been produced by NHS England in partnership with the GPC - and is intended to provide an indication of the changes in income streams that may affect a GMS practice and Primary...
The revised Code and Retention Schedule was launched in July 2016 and the IGA has committed to at least an annual review cycle. Feedback will be important evidence to support the first review in 2017.
See full guidance including the retention schedule
Offsite Storage of Medical Records
The...
We would advise practices that if there is a centrifuge available in the practice that all serum samples (particularly those requiring electrolyte measurements) are centrifuged before transport to lab, allowing at least 10 minutes for tubes to clot before centrifugation.
In warm weather,...
The National standards of healthcare cleanliness 2021
'The National standards of healthcare cleanliness 2021 (the national standards) apply to all healthcare settings - acute hospitals, mental health, community, primary care, dental care, ambulance trusts, GP surgeries and clinics, and care...
Think Measles!
NHSE have released updated guidance on 25 March for Primary, community care, emergency departments and hospital. This guidance covers clinical diagnosis, management of suspected and confirmed cases and all age ranges where measles is suspected.
MMR FAQs Updated 1.3.24
Please...
