Pandemic Flu – DH Support materials practices and patients

For practices – DH swine flu information materials, including template consent forms and invitation letters have now been published on the DH website and can be viewed here. Note that FAQs on the vaccination deal will be published shortly as well as an update of the flu Q&A already available on the GP flu pages of the BMA website here.

For patients – The DH has published a swine flu patient leaflet available here. There is also advice for pregnant patients here.

Pandemic Flu – guidance for pregnant health care workers

DH H1N1 guidance for pregnant health workers is available here. It will be published on the DH and BMA website shortly.

BMA Employer Advisory Service (EAS)

Many of you are aware that the BMA launched this service in England in January. This service specialises in providing advice, guidance and support to members who have employer related queries.

This service is available to any member who is an employer of staff. It is supported by a dedicated team of advisors who only deal with employer related queries. This team operates independent of the service that supports employed staff.

The advisers work with you and your Practice Manager, as appropriate, on a day to day basis to guide you through the relevant internal processes and procedures that you are required to follow.

They are also looking to develop strong links with LMCs and Practice Manager groups and are to provide seminars on Employment Law. This is in addition to the national programme of training available to GPs (Managing Change, Managing Performance and a new programme called Managing Staff which is to begin next year)

In addition to being well versed in employment law and current good HR practice our advisers have specialist knowledge of the medical profession and our familiar with the issues facing general practice. They also have established links with SHAs, PCTs and LMCs.

Typical work that advisers deal with on a regular basis is guidance and support related to:

• Recruitment and selection
• Contracts of employment and varying terms
• general partnership advice (excluding drafting)
• grievance and disciplinary
• performance management/appraisal
• absence management
• reorganisation/restructuring
• dismissal
• redundancy
• to avoid discrimination
• best practice HR guidance in terms of the development of procedures and policies

An Employment Handbook is also being developed by this team,due for issue in early 2010. This service is available as part of your BMA membership.