H1N1 Flu Line

Please can you ensure all posters and material which direct patients to the dedicated Swine Flu website/phone line are removed from your practice as this is no longer in operation and is confusing for patients. Apologies if you have completed this already but the SHA want to ensure this has taken place.

General Practice and Community Pharmacy Guides

NHS Employers, the General Practitioners Committee (GPC) and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) have produced two guides to support GPs and community pharmacists in developing more effective working relationships. This covering letter introduces the guides which are available on-line only and can be accessed here.

The guide to pharmacy for GPs is designed to increase awareness of the work of community pharmacies and to encourage joint working. You may also find it beneficial in educating trainee GPs about community pharmacy. The second guide provides an overview on general practice for community pharmacists. The guides, on the work of community pharmacists and GPs, cover the following areas:

• the funding and contractual arrangements for pharmacists and GPs
• the range of clinical and administrative functions that each profession provides
• various staff roles and responsibilities
• training and qualifications
• the key national bodies
• where to get more information on each profession

Following a joint letter last year, practices are also encouraged to meet their local pharmacy colleagues to discuss ways in which you may be able to work together to enhance patient care. If you have any comments about the guide, please email pharmacy@nhsemployers.org.

NHS Leadership Awards

The NHS Leadership Awards are in their second year, and aim to recognise outstanding leadership talent in the NHS today. They are aligned with the National Leadership Council which was created to underpin, and champion the new priority attached to leadership in the NHS. The nine categories for the 2010 awards are:

• The NHS Board of the Year – new for 2010
• The NHS Community Leader of the Year – new for 2010
• The NHS Innovator of the Year
• The NHS award for Inspiration
• The NHS Leader of the Year
• The NHS Mentor of the Year
• The NHS Newcomer of the Year – new for 2010
• The NHS Partnership Award of the Year
• The NHS Quality Champion of the Year

All of the awards recognise individuals, with two exceptions, the NHS Partnership Award of the Year, which is open to teams, public and private partner organisations, stakeholders etc.; and the NHS Board of the Year, which is open to executive board and trusts. The call for entries is now open, and close on 28 May 2010. It is open to everyone working for, or on behalf of, the NHS in England. Nominations are peer-to-peer.

Fit for the Future; The Evolution of General Practice

The General Practitioners Committee has published a 50-point plan for the future of general practice in the UK. Fit for the Future: The Evolution of General Practice sets out the committee’s current thinking on a number of policy areas, including out-of-hours care, quality and outcomes framework, workforce and IT. You can read more and access a podcast from Laurence Buckman on the issues raised here.

Dynamising Factor

The NHS Pensions Agency has produced new figures for the dynamising factors in 2009/10. They are available here.