Bulletin 23.06.2009
Pandemic Flu Clinical Assessment Tools
You will have doubtless dusted down your cluster plans and talked to your “buddies”. So far, the impact locally has been minimal but things are moving. At the time of writing (Monday morning) we hear that the situation in Birmingham and West of Scotland is quite serious and that things are taking off in London. It surely won’t be long before things reach us in a bigger way.
The LMC will continue to liaise with the PCTs and especially the Public Health Department. You may wish to re-visit the various guidance documents issued on flu by following these links – www.hpa.org.uk and www.bma.org.uk/health_promotion_ethics/influenza/
The clinical assessment tools that can be used during the phase of a pandemic when there is an increased demand for clinical care are now available on the DH website. This includes community assessment tool for adults, paediatric community assessment tool and adult hospital pathways. Please follow this link to view the tools. www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at the LMC office.
The GPC have received numerous queries concerning what a GP is expected to do in order to comply with child protection procedures. This is due, to a large extent, to the recently published government’s response to Lord Laming’s report, entitled ‘The protection of children in England: action plan’.
In this action plan, there are two recommendations from Lord Laming (ref 34, 35) that outline more involvement of GPs and more training for GPs. The government’s response is broadly supportive of these recommendations, and it appears that many PCTs have gone ahead and begun to implement these recommendations without waiting for further guidance from the Department of Health.
In this action plan, there are two recommendations from Lord Laming (ref 34, 35) that outline more involvement of GPs and more training for GPs. The government’s response is broadly supportive of these recommendations, and it appears that many PCTs have gone ahead and begun to implement these recommendations without waiting for further guidance from the Department of Health.
The GPC will be discussing these recommendations with DH later in the summer and we expect to be formally consulted before any action plans are implemented. We fully support improving child protection, however we know that the GPs unique position means that a carefully thought out and well constructed action plan is necessary to ensure that GPs can participate, and be involved, without significant detriment to their practice and patients.
In the interim, if your PCT has written to you regarding new child protection procedures that they are implementing, please remember the following:
1) A PCT cannot make changes to the national contract
2) GPs do have a duty to be involved in child protection
3) PCTs have a duty to remunerate GPs for their involvement in any child protection procedure
During this interim period, it would be helpful GPs to inform us of their experiences with their PCT attempting to implement new child protection procedures. Please send them to Genevieve Casey at gcasey@bma.org.uk
Confirmation and Certification of Death
Please see the updated Confirmation and Certification of Death guidance note. Please note that this is for England and Wales only. View guidance here or follow this link www.bma.org.uk/ethics/end_life_issues/
Novachannel AG/Med1web Medical Directory
We have raised this issue in the past but have heard that the above company is re-invoicing some practices for a second year. In light of this we are issuing the original guidance provided by the GPC.
The GPC have received a number of reports from GPs who have signed up to be included on a medical directory operated by Novachannel, also known as Med1web, only to later receive a bill for 983 Euros a year. Notification of this charge is hidden within the small print but there is no other clear indication that there will be a charge. The GPC are advising members that, whilst they have had soundings that this company is operating in bad faith, they have no concrete evidence to this effect, upon which to base our advice.
Therefore, whilst it is always an option for a practice to ignore the requests for payment by the company, there is a risk that the practice will be obligated in law to render the amounts claimed in full plus interest.
The Swiss Embassy has advised the GPC that if someone has been deceived into signing a contract, he or she can challenge the contract by writing to the counterpart within one year of discovering the error, stating that they have been deceived and therefore consider the contract to be invalid. The Embassy has stated that the contract is then considered to be annulled, and that if a debt collection company or other representative of the counterpart insist that the money be paid, the debt collection company or representative should be informed that the contract has been annulled. The Embassy has advised that only a judge has the power to definitely state whether the contract is really invalid, providing that the party insisting on the validity of the contract initiates civil proceedings. The GPC would like to emphasise that the Swiss Embassy advice is given on the basis of a person being deceived into signing a contract. The affected person would have to be able to prove they have been deceived in order to rely legally on the advice.
Developing General Practice: Listening to Patients
The GPC have produced the above guidance document. You can view it by following this link www.bma.org.uk/employmentandcontracts/
GP Trainees Subcommittee Newsletter
Follow this link to view the latest, spring/summer, GP Trainees newsletter. It is also available via the BMA website via this link www.bma.org.uk/news/branch_newsletters/
GP Trainees Subcommittee Regional Elections
The GP Trainees subcommittee will be holding elections in all of its 19 regional seats this summer.
All doctors who are/will be on a GP Training programme at any point during the period 2 July 2009 to 30 June 2010 are eligible to stand in this election, regardless of whether or not they are a BMA member. For the avoidance of doubt, GP Trainees in hospital placements or GP practice placements are able to stand for election, as are Foundation Year doctors who will begin a GP Training programme during the above period.
Full details of the election, including nomination forms, and introduction to the work of the subcommittee and a full list of regional constituencies, can be found on the BMA website: www.bma.org.uk/gptraineeselections
Completed nomination forms must be received in the GPC office by 5pm on Friday 3 July 2009.
In regions where there is a contested election, we can only send ballot papers to those trainees for whom the BMA has up to date contact details. However many GP trainees have not recently updated their contact details on the BMA website.
It is important that each GP Trainee check and update their details so that, if there is a contested election in their region, we can make sure they receive a ballot paper.
For more information on how to update their contact details, GP Trainees should visit the BMA website: www.bma.org.uk/gptraineeselections
If you have any questions about this election that are not covered on our website, please contact Andrew Young in the GPC secretariat: ayoung@bma.org.uk
All doctors who are/will be on a GP Training programme at any point during the period 2 July 2009 to 30 June 2010 are eligible to stand in this election, regardless of whether or not they are a BMA member. For the avoidance of doubt, GP Trainees in hospital placements or GP practice placements are able to stand for election, as are Foundation Year doctors who will begin a GP Training programme during the above period.
Full details of the election, including nomination forms, and introduction to the work of the subcommittee and a full list of regional constituencies, can be found on the BMA website: www.bma.org.uk/gptraineeselections
Completed nomination forms must be received in the GPC office by 5pm on Friday 3 July 2009.
In regions where there is a contested election, we can only send ballot papers to those trainees for whom the BMA has up to date contact details. However many GP trainees have not recently updated their contact details on the BMA website.
It is important that each GP Trainee check and update their details so that, if there is a contested election in their region, we can make sure they receive a ballot paper.
For more information on how to update their contact details, GP Trainees should visit the BMA website: www.bma.org.uk/gptraineeselections
If you have any questions about this election that are not covered on our website, please contact Andrew Young in the GPC secretariat: ayoung@bma.org.uk