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Primary Care Bulletin - today's round-up
27 October 2020
Dear colleagues,
Thank you message for NHS staff
Secretary of State Matt Hancock has recorded a video message, thanking all NHS staff for their work during COVID-19 and going into the winter.
Nikki and Ali
Dr Nikki Kanani
GP and Medical Director for Primary Care,
NHS England and NHS Improvement
Ali Sparke
Deputy Director, Primary Care Strategy and NHS Contracts Group, NHS England and NHS Improvement
COVID-19 updates and guidance
PPE Reimbursement
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are working with us to develop a process to reimburse primary care contractors (general practice, dental, optometry and community pharmacy) for the additional PPE they have purchased to meet the COVID-19 infection control requirements from 27 February 2020.
Information on the process and cut-off dates for this reimbursement exercise will be announced shortly and providers must register on the DHSC PPE Portal to ensure they can continue accessing their COVID-19 infection control PPE free of charge. COVID-19 PPE is classed as the PPE that providers are required to use over and above Business-as-usual (BAU) use, due to COVID-19 infection control guidance, rather than what would have been used pre-pandemic. Processes and cut off dates may differ between different contracting groups and will be announced shortly.
We will be working with representative bodies in the coming weeks to ensure the processes are a good fit for each contracting group. Any PPE obtained from a source other than the PPE Portal after the cut-off date(s) will not be reimbursed. PPE for COVID-19 infection prevention and control is currently available to the above-mentioned providers for free from the portal. Further details providing clarity on the individual processes for each provider group will be communicated shortly.
General practice
Workforce data – reminder to practices
From October 2020, NHS Digital will be publishing general practice workforce statistics on a monthly basis. The next data extraction will be on 31 October; please could practices ensure that they have recorded any changes in the last month, including any locum support, on the National Workforce Reporting System (NWRS) before the deadline. More information on how to register and use the NWRS and the latest published statistics are available on the NHS Digital website.
Community pharmacy
Updated Standard Operating Procedure
As you will be aware, over recent weeks there has been a sustained increase in community transmission of COVID-19 in England, although there remains significant variation across localities. An updated version of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for community pharmacy has been published and includes the latest guidance on infection prevention and control, PPE and NHS Test and Trace to support management of the second wave.
Community pharmacy webinar – Thursday 12 November, 6pm-7pm
Community pharmacy teams across England are being invited to register to join the next national webinar with Dr Keith Ridge, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, Director of Primary Care Ed Waller, and senior leads from the NHS England and NHS Improvement flu team and from NHS Test and Trace. Please register online and we will share the MS Teams details with you.
Changes to regulations
Amendments to NHS regulations were laid by the Department of Health and Social Care on 20 October 2020 to introduce changes to the Terms of Service for community pharmacy contractors. These are due to come into force on Monday 9 November 2020. The changes include additions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a Pandemic Treatment Protocol, remote access to services and flexible provision for flu and coronavirus vaccination or immunisation services. A range of new items already agreed as part of the five-year Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework are also covered, including: the introduction of the Discharge Medicines Service, as a new essential service from 1 January 2021; and a requirement for all pharmacies to meet the Healthy Living Pharmacy Level 1 measures.
Ask Your Pharmacist Week resources
Community pharmacy teams are invited to prepare for Ask Your Pharmacist Week which takes place on 2-9 November 2020. Organised by the National Pharmacy Association and supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement, the theme this year is ‘Your local pharmacy in the NHS family’. The aim is to build public understanding of the role of community pharmacy within the NHS consistent with the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to make greater use of community pharmacists’ skills and opportunities to engage patients. Access free campaign materials.
Optometry
New letter and updated Standard Operating Procedure
A letter was shared with optical settings regarding readiness for responding to a second wave of COVID-19. The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for optical practice in the context of coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to apply and has been updated to reflect the current situation.
Case study: Integrated primary care eye service improves patient experience in Morecambe Bay
The Local Optical Committee Support Unit published a new case study featuring the Morecambe Bay Community Eye Service, which has made significant improvements to the patient experience across four pathways. Patients are benefitting from improved accessibility and flexibility, whilst the service is reducing pressure on secondary care as a result of appointments taking place primary care settings.
Dentistry
Dentistry and oral health bulletin
Stay up to date with the latest NHS dentistry news by signing up to the new dentistry and oral health bulletin.
Primary care
Free CPD-accredited virtual diabetes event
The NHS Diabetes Programme is working in partnership with Diabetes Professional Care (DPC) Virtual 2020, a free to access online event, to delve into the unforeseen 2020 diabetes care landscape from 11-13 November 2020.
Bringing the entire MDT community together to share experiences and learnings from the last 12 months, hear from 80+ speakers at 105+ CPD-accredited sessions about everything from the latest NHS England and NHS Improvement updates to practical training for supporting people living with diabetes and related conditions.
Dates for your diary
Now, next, future: CQC transitional regulatory approach & strategy webinars
- Wednesday 28 October, 12pm - 1pm. Primary medical services focus - for people working in general practice and other primary care services.
- Wednesday 28 October, 3.30pm - 4.30pm. Oral health focus - for people working in dental services.
Thursday 29 October, 4pm - 5pm. Digital Primary Care Influenza webinar
Wednesday 4 November, 1pm - 2pm. Digital Nurse Network webinar
Thursday 5 November, 5pm - 6pm. General Practice Webinar with Ed Waller and Nikki Kanani. To attend please ensure you register by 12pm on 5 November. If you have registered for the previous two webinars you will not need to register again as we are using a rolling registration system.
Monday 9 November, 11.30am - 12.30pm. Integrated Care webinar series: The future of place – planning recovery in partnership
Thursday 29 October, 4pm - 5pm. Digital Primary Care Influenza webinar
Wednesday 11 November, 9am - 8pm. NHS Confederation: PCN Network virtual conference
Wednesday 11 November, 12.30pm. Supporting CVD Prevention in Primary Care
Thursday 12 November, 6pm - 7pm. Community pharmacy webinar with Keith Ridge and Ed Waller
NHS Volunteer Responder programme update webinars
Fortnightly webinars are being held to provide regular updates on the NHS Volunteer Responder programme.
- Thursday 29 October, 10.30 - 11.30am - Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
- Thursday 12 November, 10.30 - 11.30am - Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
- Thursday 26 November, 10.30 - 11.30am - Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
- Thursday 10 December, 10.30 - 11.30am - Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
Link of the day
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