Bulletin 14.07.2009
Pandemic Flu Update
As you will be aware, last week the H1N1v flu pandemic in the UK moved from the containment phase to that of outbreak management. This prompted a number of letters from the GPC and DH to update GPs on the current arrangements all of which you will find by following the links below:
Letter from Laurence Buckman to all GPs
Letter from English CMO, Sir Liam Donaldson, to all GPs
Letter from National Director of NHS Flu Resilience (DH), Ian Dalton, to PCTs and SHAs plus guidance issued re the move to the treatment phase
The GPC has also updated the pandemic flu Question & Answers document to take these changes into account . You can find the updated Q&A by following this link
www.bma.org.uk/health_promotion_ethics. The GPC continues to work with the DH (England) to produce a new Pandemic Flu SFE that will be a national framework that would temporarily the GPC would urge affected practices to keep details and reasoning of actual expenses as practices may need to use these in evidence to their PCO in any subsequent claim for exceptional reimbursement.
As you will be aware, in Tees the current operation Antiviral Collection Centre (ACP) is located at the PrimeCare Centre in Thornaby. You may have seen this message in the latest edition of the Contractors Chronicle but for those who haven’t – ‘The Tees PCTs have procured Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for GP practices. Supplies will be couriered out on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 July to all GP practices across Tees. Practices should, However, ensure that they have sufficient PPE available at this stage without using the top up supplies.’
We will keep you updated on developments.
Introducing the Licence to Practise in 2009
The General Medical Council have written to the LMC confirming that they will introduce the licence to practise on 16 November 2009. From this date any doctor wishing to practise medicine in the UK will, by law, need to hold both registration and a licence to practise.
Earlier this year the GMC launched their campaign – Licensing: it’s time to decide – and since then more than half of all doctors have told the GMC their licensing decision. Over the next few weeks the GMC will be writing to those doctors who have not yet responded, asking them to tell the GMC before 14 August 2009, whether they will require a licence.
To help doctors make their decision, the GMC have launched their Licensing help website at www.gmc-uk.org/licensinghelp. More information about licensing is available on their website at www.gmc-uk.org/licensing and if you have any questions about licensing, please email licensing@gmc-uk.org.
Hep C
The LMC have been asked for comments about whether or not practices should be involved in testing for Hep C. Whilst there is no clear answer, I suggest that if a person attends and has a reason to be tested, including an appropriate contact with a Hep C person, then testing would be part of the Essential Services. My advice to the PCT which raised this question, is that screening is not part of Essential Services and would normally only be carried out as part of an Enhanced Service. If you have any questions or queries, please ask for advice.
John Canning,Secretary, Cleveland LMC
PE7 & PE8
The LMC has undertaken initial discussions with the PCT with regard to PE7 and PE8 (Patient Survey) and can inform that the PCT is actively looking into this and the PCT should be able to get back to practices w/c 20 July.
Primary Care and Community Services – Improving GP Access and Responsiveness
DH have released their latest guide from the world class commissioning suite. This document is a practical guide for PCTs to improve the accessibility and responsiveness of local GP services. The GPC realise GPs will dislike this simplistic document and the encouragement it will give to PCTs to damage practices, but simply cannot stop them producing this kind of stuff. GPC thoughts on world class commissioning have been made numerous times before, however it is clear that DH are going ahead with their plans. GPC need to focus on how best to take advantage of the good parts and how best to ameliorate the bad parts.
The document can be accessed by following this link www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics
Hep C
The LMC have been asked for comments about whether or not practices should be involved in testing for Hep C. Whilst there is no clear answer, I suggest that if a person attends and has a reason to be tested, including an appropriate contact with a Hep C person, then testing would be part of the Essential Services. My advice to the PCT which raised this question, is that screening is not part of Essential Services and would normally only be carried out as part of an Enhanced Service. If you have any questions or queries, please ask for advice.
John Canning,Secretary, Cleveland LMC
PE7 & PE8
Carson Paper on Urgent Care
On 25 June the Carson paper on urgent care was launched. This attempts to give practices ideas about how to improve urgent access without wrecking the practice. At the launch David Carson spent considerable energy telling the PCO people there why he thought target setting was damaging, The paper is useful, hence the GPC letter of support within it, and you may like to look at it as it might make practice pressures that bit less. You can view the paper by following the link here.
Important Note from Hamish Meldrum, ‘Look After Our NHS’
Since ‘Look after our NHS’ was launched on 1st June the BMA have received a constant stream of emails supporting our Principles for an NHS which is publicly funded, publicly provided and publicly accountable, as well as examples of how NHS market reforms are affecting doctors.
The BMA need to ensure that the campaign’s message and calls to action are reaching all doctors, and encourage GPs to support the campaign. GPs can do this is by providing local case studies of how market reforms are affecting them. For example, the BMA would be interested to hear GP views on:
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The impact of Darzi centres on local GP practices
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How ISTCs are integrating with local NHS services
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Has the care of the long-term, chronically ill been affected by private providers?
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The BMA would therefore formally ask that you:
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Ensure that the campaign is put on the agenda of all your forthcoming meetings
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Visit the campaign website at www.lookafterournhs.org.uk and provide examples of how NHS market reforms are affecting you
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Register your support for the 8 Key Principles at www.lookafterournhs.org.uk
If you need any information packs for your meetings, please contact Helen Wright on 0207 383 6317, or email h.wright@bma.org.uk