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Primary Care Bulletin - today's round-up
18 March 2021
Dear colleagues,
COVID-19 vaccination deployment next steps on uptake and supply
We have written to all Local Vaccination Sites and Vaccinations Centres to update you on the latest position on vaccine supply and deployment over the next six weeks. The Government's Vaccines Task Force have notified us that there will be a significant reduction in weekly supply available from manufacturers beginning in the week commencing 29 March, meaning volumes for first doses will be significantly constrained. They now currently predict this will continue for a four-week period, as a result of reductions in national inbound vaccines supply.
We have opened up national booking to everyone aged 50 and over, so over this next period it is vital we focus on vaccinating those in cohorts 1 – 9, who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, as well as delivering to the agreed schedule significantly increased numbers of second doses, which double from the beginning of April.
Our vaccination delivery programme was designed to be flexible, scaled up and diversified in line with fluctuating international vaccine supplies. Thank you for your continued efforts, and, as ever, we are hugely grateful for everything that you are doing to make the NHS's part in the delivery of this programme the success that it is.
Next steps for the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable
As you are aware, the current advice to patients identified as clinically extremally vulnerable (CEV) is to shield until 31 March 2021. As this date approaches, the Department of Health and Social Care is writing to patients to inform them of next steps once current guidance expires.
The letter confirms that shielding will be paused from 1 April. It should be noted that the letter recommends that extra precautions are still taken by individuals, even after they receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Nationally we will continue to update the Shielded Patient List, so it is important that you continue to add and remove patients (as appropriate), as it may be necessary to identify this cohort in the future. Details on how to add and remove people from the SPL are available in full on NHS Digital’s website.
We will continue to keep you informed, should anything change in relation to the policy for the clinically extremely vulnerable, to enable you to make appropriate arrangements from a patient perspective.
Thanks once again for all your continued efforts to protect and support individuals who are at high risk during this pandemic.
Kiren and Ali
Dr Kiren Collison
GP and Deputy Medical Director for Primary Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement
Ali Sparke
Interim Director for Primary Care Covid Response, NHS England and NHS Improvement
COVID-19 updates and guidance
Vaccinating housebound patients
Local vaccination sites should consider how they can reach people who are housebound or who will require significant support to access services. Recognising the circumstances that contribute to people being unable to leave their homes encompasses a range of factors which could include illness, frailty, surgery, mental ill health, lack of practical support or nearing end of life.
During the past and the most recent lockdown people may have experienced social and health-related changes, others will have lost the support they may previously have relied on. There may therefore be additional individuals who are housebound or unable to access services without significant support since last March who may not be appropriately marked as such in GP registers.
We would urge you to consider how these people can be reached and offered a vaccination to ensure that no individuals are left behind as we move into other cohorts. This should include both in-home services where appropriate as well as steps to connect people to local support services.
Thank you letter for returners
Dr Nikki Kanani has written a letter to all volunteering retired clinicians, nurses and GP returners offering thanks for all their work to support our response to COVID-19, as part of our national vaccination programme. Please share with all your volunteering retired staff who have returned.
Home delivery of medicines and appliances during the COVID-19 outbreak
We have written a letter to community pharmacies and dispensing GP practices to confirm that the Community Pharmacy Home Delivery Service and the Dispensing Doctor Home Delivery Service will be commissioned from 16 March 2021 to 30 June 2021 (inclusive) for anyone living in England who has been notified by Test and Trace to self-isolate. The service specifications and guidance for the service has also been updated accordingly.
Case study: NHS Gloucester CCG work with local Primary Care Network (PCN) to establish an additional COVID-19 vaccination workforce team
At the start of the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme, NHS Gloucester CCG recognised it would need to ensure a sustainable and resilient workforce model to support the 10 Primary Care Network (PCN) Local Vaccination Sites (LVSs). Clinical Directors within the CCG were keen to ensure that the vaccination programme did not destabilise normal general practice and therefore many PCN sites agreed to support a wider workforce model to support the primary care staff who had already been identified to support the vaccine roll out. The CCG recognised that the PCNs would need support in finding additional workforce, as well as ensuring that these staff were trained appropriately on administering the vaccine. Read more online.
General practice
World Down Syndrome Day – 21 March 2021
To support World Down Syndrome Day this coming Sunday, we ask general practice colleagues to encourage patients with learning disabilities to attend their annual health check at their local practice.
Recent publications have highlighted that people with a learning disability could be at least 3 times more likely to die from COVID-19 and particularly those from diverse ethnic groups. Annual Health Checks are an effective way of engaging with people at greatest risk and shaping a personalised response (health action plan).
The attainment of annual health checks has dropped to 1/5 compared to this time last year. However, there is now support to increase this through the General Practice Covid Capacity Expansion Fund and from the QoF QI module. Thank you for all you are doing and please ensure that annual health checks are being carried out.
Become an RCGP veteran-friendly accredited GP practice
There are an estimated 2.4 million veterans in the UK, some of whom have complex needs. There are veteran-specific services tailored towards this potentially vulnerable patient group. Veterans may also be entitled to priority treatment for conditions related to military service. Becoming a veteran friendly accredited practice is a simple on-line process and helps to raise awareness, improve understanding and better equip and facilitate GPs in their duty of care to veterans. To find out more email veterans@rcgp.org.uk or visit the RCGP webpage.
Dentistry
World Oral Health Day - 20 March 2021
To celebrate World Oral Health Day taking place this Saturday, we wanted to spotlight one of our NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP) delegates who is working to make oral health more inclusive. A hosted programme by the Accelerated Access Collaborative, special care dentist, Natalie Bradley was able to set up a project called ‘In.Dent’. Natalie's project spun out of her passion for improving the oral health of homeless and marginalised groups.
‘In.Dent’ aims to improve the oral health of people who experience homelessness, working with partners such as the charity Dentaid taking dental services directly into communities across the UK. The NHS CEP is a workforce development programme for clinical and non-clinical NHS staff. Find out more online.
Primary care
National PCN Webinar – 28 April 2021, 5.30-7pm
Dr Ursula Montgomery, GP and Senior Clinical Advisor – Primary Care and Dr Ned Naylor, Director of Primary Care Provider Transformation will host the next in our series of PCN webinars for PCN clinical directors, general practice teams and integrated care system leaders.
Based on feedback from the PCN webinar held in September 2020, attendees will hear updates from our Primary Care Workforce and Mental Health transformation teams along with two case studies from a paramedic and a mental health practitioner. There will be an opportunity to ask questions throughout the event and share your feedback on how nationally and regionally NHS England and NHS Improvement can support you and your PCN with recruitment and retention. Please register to attend here.
International Social Prescribing Day
Today is International #SocialPrescribingDay, which highlights the fantastic work and role of social prescribing link workers, and the impact they have to a patient’s journey to recovery. To celebrate the occasion, Dr Ursula Montgomery has shared a video, thanking social prescribing link workers (SPLWs) for their hard work and support to patients and practice teams, asking them to take a pause and reflect on their efforts over this part year. Please join us in thanking SPLWs within your primary care teams.
NHS England BME General Practice Nurse (GPN) network
Are you a primary care nurse from a BME background and/or do you value diversity and inclusion? Then please join our national network by emailing england.bmegpnnetwork@nhs.net. This network has been created to provide a forum where BME GPNs can share experiences and issues affecting their work and professional development and to raise the visibility and profile of the contribution that BME GPNs make to patients and the wider primary care family.
NHS Partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation
As part of our ongoing support to our NHS people during the pandemic, we have partnered with the Invictus Games Foundation (IGF) to share learnings and help support staff throughout COVID-19 and beyond. The next phase of this partnership is focused on the importance of looking after your physical health and how this can benefit your mental health and wellbeing.
Alongside the release of the fourth Invictus podcast with a theme on “sport recovery”, we want to encourage our NHS people to get out and get moving and take part in a virtual “5k our way” programme with the challenge being held this May (2021). You can take part virtually as part of the wider NHS team, in your regions, in your directorates, in your teams, with your family, pets or support bubbles. We want to encourage everyone to sign up, regardless of your physical fitness or ability, feel the benefits of movement and complete 5k, our way. Download the couch to 5k app, start getting your steps in around your home, dance to your favourite music, however you want to do it, it’s 5k our way.
You can also watch John Drew, Director of Staff Experience and Engagement, who recently shared a video about the importance of looking after your physical and mental health and the benefits of getting outside.
Congratulations to the winners and finalists of the HSJ Awards 2020
Last night the HSJ Awards ceremony took place virtually, hosted by Sir Lenny Henry and Victoria Derbyshire. In total 23 awards were handed out to deserving winners across the NHS, including ‘Primary Care Innovation of the Year’ for Sevenhills+ PCN’s COVID-19 Vulnerable Patient Visiting Service and ‘Primary Care Networks, GP or Pharmacy of the Year’ going to MoreLife UK in East Anglia. Congratulations to the worthy winners and all the fantastic finalists at this year’s awards – the amazing work showcased across the sector is truly admirable.
Dates for your diary
Monday 22 March, 1pm – 2pm. Public Health England: CVD Prevention Packs update
Tuesday 23 March, 10am – 11am. An Introduction to Working with People and Communities
Tuesday 23 March, 2pm – 3pm. ICSs and patient empowerment – how can we work, at place, to effectively give people better control over their own health and care?
Wednesday 24 March, 10am – 11am. Connecting with our local community to deliver the COVID vaccine programme
Wednesday 24 March, 12pm – 1pm. PCN webinar: Mental health practitioner
Thursday 25 March, 9.30am – 11am. Flexible working: how to ask
Thursday 25 March, 10.30am – 11.30am. Building and developing trusted connections with communities
Thursday 25 March, 5pm – 6pm. General Practice webinar
Wednesday 31 March, 6pm – 7.15pm. The eye care digital playbook – how digital technology and connectivity can help deliver service improvement and transformation
Wednesday 28 April, 5.30pm – 7pm. Primary care networks webinar: A focus on additional roles reimbursement scheme and recruitment
Link of the day
