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Primary Care Bulletin - this week's round-up
29 July 2021
Dear colleagues,
We were deeply saddened to hear about the sudden death of Professor Kailash Chand OBE, GP, and Vice President of the BMA. Many of you will have had the privilege of working alongside Dr Chand and will remember him as a compassionate and dedicated doctor who fought for equality and for the NHS. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.
“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity, honesty, loyalty, humility and integrity. Allow yourself to be who you were meant to be, instead of what others say you should be.”
- Dr Kailash Chand, 25 July 2021.
Nikki and Ali
Dr Nikki Kanani
GP and Medical Director for Primary Care,
Deputy SRO, COVID-19 Vaccination Deployment Programme
NHS England and NHS Improvement
Ali Sparke
Deputy Director for Primary Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement
COVID-19 updates
Communications pack for JCVI guidance on vaccinating specific groups of children and young people
We have produced a communications pack to help general practices and community pharmacies to communicate with the public about the recent JCVI guidance on vaccinating specific groups of children and young people. The pack contains a script with key messages, some template web text, and some FAQs, and is available on FutureNHS.
Phase 3 Covid vaccination programme FAQs for general practice and community pharmacy
Further to the Phase 3 webinar held on 15 July for general practice and community pharmacy, we have published a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for general practice and community pharmacy to support those considering taking part in the potential COVID-19 booster programme from the autumn.
Workforce considerations for phase 3 adult vaccination programme
The delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is reliant on our workforce being identified and trained.
This pack has been created to support the delivery of the COVID-19 adult booster vaccination programme and has been developed based on current assumptions, as we set out in the letter on 1 July.
It includes:
- Clinical red lines for adult booster vaccination, based on the latest guidance from JCVI.
- Training requirements for flu and COVID-19 vaccinations to support adult booster vaccinations.
If you have any comments or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact your lead employer.
GP COVID Vaccine dashboard now live
NHS Digital has developed the GP COVID Vaccine dashboard to enable general practices and PCN-led local vaccination services to view the uptake of the COVID vaccine of their registered patients. This dashboard is now live and can be accessed via NHS Futures: GP COVID Vaccine dashboard information page.
The dashboard has been designed to enable staff at GP practices to view and understand up take for all patients registered to practices. Access is controlled by NHS smartcard and is subject to an organisation and role code B0360 being available for relevant organisations on a user’s smart card. The dashboard provides contact information for those registered patients that are eligible for the vaccine and have not received their first dose or those whose second dose is pending or overdue.
It is an optional tool to help practices to support patients in the vaccination rollout in local communities.
General practice
Temporary Emergency Registered GPs - Continuation of Support
The temporary emergency registration provided by the GMC to doctors, as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, will remain until the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care declares the emergency over.
The GMC is currently contacting doctors on the temporary register to ask about their plans.
GPs on the register are supporting the COVID vaccination programme and upcoming flu campaigns, where inclusion on the Medical Performers list (MPL) is not a prerequisite.
Other options, depending on MPL status, include:
- Patient facing and remote work in GP practices
- Providing medical cover to an increased in-patient bed base
- Providing back-office functions e.g. supporting medicines management, providing leadership to care homes and nursing teams, supporting the relationship with shielding patients,
- Leadership roles in PCN/CCGs
Please contact england.primarycareworkforce@nhs.net if you would like to be connected with your regional lead to discuss local opportunities.
General Practice Fellowship programme guidance updated for 2021/22
The General Practice Fellowship programme guidance has been updated for 2021/22, outlining the two-year programme of support available to all newly-qualified GPs and nurses working substantively in general practice.
The programme supports nurses and GPs to take up substantive roles, understand the context they are working in and become embedded in the PCN. Participants receive funded mentorship and funded CPD opportunities of one session per week (pro rata), and rotational placements within or across PCNs to develop experience and support transition into the workforce. Every integrated care system is expected to continue to deliver the scheme in 2021/22.
One career, endless opportunities #Choose GP
Final applications for the 2021 GP specialty training have now opened. Those interested have until the 17 August to apply for GP specialty training. Visit the HEE Choose GP webpage for more information.
Replacement of Gardasil® by Gardasil 9® vaccine in the NHS national HPV vaccination programme
The vaccine supplied for the Human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation programme will change from Gardasil® to Gardasil® 9 at some point between late 2021 and early 2022. PHE will continue to supply vaccine in the usual way and will issue remaining supplies of Gardasil® before switching to Gardasil® 9. This change will affect the school-aged immunisation contracts, GP delivered catch up service, and MSM programme delivered in GUM, but has no impact on the schedule, which remains as for Gardasil.
The two vaccines are interchangeable, and vaccination should not be delayed due to preference for either vaccine. Local Gardasil® supplies should not be ringfenced for those who have received a first Gardasil® dose and supplies of Gardasil® should be used prior to switching to Gardasil® 9.
The bipartite letter provides more information and further details will available in due course including a revised Green Book chapter, PGD template, and training materials.
Changes to the NHS Neonatal BCG Vaccination Programme
From 1 September 2021 the neonatal Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) programme is moving to vaccination at 28 days. This will support the Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) screening evaluation being introduced on 6 September by PHE. The pathway requires that the SCID screening status of the baby is known before any live vaccination is given. The pathway for BCG vaccination will change in your area as a result. After looking at the resources contact your regional NHSEI public Health Commissioning Team for more information if needed.
The bipartite letter has now been published and contains further details including links to an amended PGD, training materials for HCPs, information for parents, and the Green Book chapter which will be updated in August. A separate letter with information and resource links will be published shortly which outlines the impact of the SCID evaluation on administration of the live Rotavirus vaccine.
Second window to apply for the 2019/20 Pension Annual Allowance Charge Compensation Policy opens Monday 2 August 2021
The second window for GP applications for the 2019/20 Pensions Annual Allowance Charge Compensation Policy opens on the PCSE portal on Monday 2 August 2021. This window will remain open until Friday 1 October 2021. Further details can be found on the NHS England website and on PCSE’s website.
To qualify for the Policy you must first submit a scheme pays election (SPE2) form for 2019/20 to NHSBSA.
Pharmacy
New pharmacy profiles on NHS website
The NHS website has launched new service profiles for pharmacies. The new profiles better meet the needs of patients, feature improved support for mobile devices and meet modern accessibility standards.
No action is needed by pharmacy editors as existing profile information is being copied across to the new profiles. Pharmacies can view their new profiles by using the NHS website pharmacy finder. The way to update the new profiles will stay the same, using the current profile editor.
This work is part of a programme to continuously improve the care and experience offered to patients through the NHS website, the UK’s largest health website for the public.
If you have any questions, you can contact the NHS website service desk.
New tests for pharmacies participating in the Covid-19 test kit distribution service
Further to last week’s message on the transition from Innova to Orient Gene test kits in pharmacies participating in the Covid-19 test kit distribution service, NHS Test and Trace will now transition straight from Innova to Acon Flowflex test kits from the week commencing 2 August.
During this transition between products pharmacy contractors should continue to work through existing stock levels and are reminded that people collecting for themselves should only be provided with one box of test kits.
Dentistry
New dentist service pages on the NHS website
The NHS website has launched new service pages for dentists as part of a programme of work to improve the care and experience offered to patients. Last August, dentist profiles were refreshed to give them a clean, modern design in keeping with the rest of the NHS website. The new service pages sit within these profiles and provide information on NHS treatment costs and better reflect the range of NHS-funded dental services. Dentists that provide mandatory services will now have them included on their profile as standard. Practices that do not provide mandatory services will need to make sure that their ‘’Referral only” status is set. By doing so, these services will not appear on their profile.
Through the current profile editor, all dentists also have the option add 4 non-mandatory services. These are sedation services; home visits; orthodontics; and oral surgery. NHS website profile editors have received prior information about these changes via email from the NHS website team.
Last week, alongside minister Jo Churchill we wrote to practices requesting they update their NHS website profiles as a matter of priority. To manage your profile(s) you must have editing rights.
If you have any questions or if you do not currently have editing rights for your dental practices, contact: nhswebsite.servicedesk@nhs.net.
Your NHS dentistry and oral health update
Today's issue of Your NHS dentistry and oral health update is now available to read online.
Optometry
Eye Health Tips
The College of Optometrists has issued tips to remind the public that eyes need to be protected, even if you are not travelling to a hotter country.
Further information and advice can be found on the College’s Look After Your Eyes website.
Primary care
Understanding integration: How to learn from people and communities
As integrated care systems (ICSs) and place-based partnerships develop it will be essential for all local partners, including ICS staff, NHS provider organisations, local authorities and the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, to come together to develop a better understanding of how patients and users experience integrated care. This is key to improving population health and developing services that meet the needs of the people and communities they serve. This guide from The King’s Fund provides practical steps to help embed this way of working into your system and supports systems to listen and learn from people and communities about their experiences of integrated care.
Evaluation of Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH)
On behalf of NHS England and NHS Improvement, Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit have evaluated the Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH) programme to understand the impact of medicines optimisation for residents and the associated improvements in quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness. They collected both quantitative and qualitative data, working closely with MOCH teams, General Practitioners, GP practice teams and care home staff to produce a report that demonstrated improved quality of care, reduced risk of harm from medicines and improved efficiency.
The report sets out recommendations for MOCH, including continuing a programme of structured medication review, employing shared decision making, training staff on the safe administration of medicines and sharing learning. You must be a member of the Pharmacy Integration FutureNHS workspace to access this report - to join email england.pharmacyintegration@nhs.net.
The Richmond Group new research report: You Only Had to Ask
The Richmond Group have published a new report focused on supporting people with multiple long term conditions. The report is designed to support and shape the plans and actions of everyone responsible for the delivery of health and care services alongside others who can make a difference for people with multiple conditions.
Better Health Adult Obesity - Summer 2021 Campaign Launch
Public Health England has launched this summer's Better Health adult obesity campaign, which is aimed at supporting adults who have gained weight over the last year, with a focus on making small changes every day to lose weight and feel better now.
To help support people to make these healthier choices, the campaign provides a suite of free apps and tools that support adults to make better food choices and become more active.
New video on best practice in prescribing antibiotics in primary care
Health Education England (HEE) has launched a new video to support health and care staff who recommend, prescribe, dispense and supply antibiotics in primary care.
It highlights processes, considerations and actions that should occur to support safe and effective antibiotic prescribing and signposts to further available resources.
Based on the TARGET Toolkit and NICE Guidance on 'Managing common infections and antimicrobial stewardship', the video helps health and care staff to:
- understand the connection between antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance;
- identify their role in optimising antibiotic use and stewardship;
- ensure compliance with national guidance when recommending, prescribing, dispensing and administering antibiotics; and
- improve their self-care/safety-netting advice to patients on the appropriate use of antibiotics.
Have your say
NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme re-procurement
The Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme supports those identified in General Practice at high risk of Type 2 diabetes by referral onto a behaviour change programme. The current provider framework expires in April 2022 and NHS England will be commissioning new services to expand the scale of the programme and to build on learning.
We are now consulting on proposals relating to this re-procurement and changes to the service model for the benefit of our patients, general practice and local health systems. Please complete NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme survey by 18 August 2021 to provide your thoughts.
Research survey on the list of specialities and clinic types
The NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS) is reviewing the current list of specialties and clinic types. The NHS e-Referral Service: Specialty and Clinic Type User survey is designed to understand how relevant they are in meeting your day-to-day requirements. Your responses will help us make ongoing improvements to e-RS according to your needs. Thank you for your time helping with this important piece of work.
How do you virtually collaborate?
The FutureNHS Collaboration Platform is a virtual collaboration platform that supports people working in health and social care to reduce duplication and share learning and resources to accelerate innovation and improvement. To create a platform that supports you - we want to better understand the needs and behaviours of staff across the health and social care sector, particularly in relation to online collaboration both internally and across organisational boundaries. We have created a staff survey and we’d love to hear from you.
Social Prescribing Link Workers Survey
We have launched a survey for social prescribing link workers to find out more about their experiences of social prescribing and the training, supervision and support they receive. This information will help us to plan their work to support link workers over the next year. All data collected in the survey is anonymous. The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete and closes on 3 September 2021 at 5pm.
Link workers must be a member of the FutureNHS social prescribing collaboration platform to complete the survey – to join, email england.socialprescribing@nhs.net.
Key dates
Upcoming events and webinars
29 July, 8pm – 9pm. Blood Pressure @home webinar
4 August, 1:30pm - 2:30pm. Social Prescribing Link Worker Webinar Series - Homelessness
12 August, 5pm - 6pm. General Practice Webinar
Link of the day
