Bulletin 24.11.2009
Pandemic Flu – 2nd Phase Vaccinations inc. letter from Ian Dalton
Last week it was announced that healthy children aged from 6 months up to 5 years (around 2.7 million) are to be included in the second phase of H1N1 vaccinations. This is due to an increase in GP consultation rates amongst school-aged children after half term, and a substantial increase in the number of under 5s in hospital, including in critical care. The CMO also announced that carers (1.5 to 5 million) are to be added to the group of front line health and social care workers to be prioritised for vaccination in the second phase.
Details of this announcement can be viewed in this letter from Ian Dalton.
The NHSE has indicated that it wishes to discuss the vaccination arrangements for the under 5s with the GPC. However, formal negotiations have not begun and there are not yet any arrangements in place for how the work will be organised or recognised. There have been suggestions that phase one is expected to be concluded by mid December, but the GPC has stressed to the DH that it is more likely that the first phase will conclude in mid January, after which time the second phase can commence. Until the first phase is finished, vaccination of the healthy under 5s should not begin.
Child Protection , requests for information
The LMC is concerned to learn that practices are not responding to all requests for information in relation to child protection in a timely and appropriate fashion. Please view and act on the details in this document from the Secretary. This is extremely important and must be rectified.
Since patients have been able to post comments and rate practices there have been 3060 live comments posted but only a small number of practices have taken time to respond to comments made on their services/practice (131 practice replies). Those practices with comments are advised to read and consider responding; NHS Choices automatically notifies practices when comments have been posted.
It is important to remember that the website is a public one and any comments which are, for example, factually incorrect will leave a false impression if there is no response from the practice concerned. We also advise that practices regularly check their profiles regarding the accuracy of information about opening hours, staff details and services available to patients. Practices that do not currently edit their own data on NHS Choices can do so by obtaining a login/password from the dedicated GP help desk on 0845 402 3089.
Locum GP Pension Contributions
In order for locum GPs’ pension contributions to count towards the NHS pension, they should be paid within 10 weeks of the corresponding work being completed. Some practices may not have been paying locum GPs within this 10 week period for work carried out in their practice, leading to locum GPs missing the contribution deadline. Although some PCOs are more strict on this than others, a PCO certainly can decide not to pension contributions sent outside of the 10 week limit. Although it is our view that locum GPs would not be forced to opt out of the NHS pension scheme as a whole in this circumstance, they would lose out on pension benefits for that specific piece of work. It is therefore important that practices pay locum GPs within this timeframe, and preferably much earlier than this.
Interim seniority factors for 2009/10 for England and Wales have been published today and figures and details of the methodology may be viewed on the NHS Information Centre website at www.ic.nhs.uk/tsc. The figures are: £94,743 for England and £84,667 for Wales.