Primary Care Bulletin - today's round-up

29 April 2021

Dear colleagues,

Today the latest GP appointment data for March 2021 has been published, which demonstrates the huge amount of activity happening in general practice as the linchpin of healthcare in our communities. However, we know this data could still better reflect the work going on in general practice. We are working to ensure all covid vaccination appointments are included each month and working with NHSX and NHS Digital, we have produced new ‘standard appointment categories’ to provide a consistent view of appointments. PCNs are being incentivised through the Investment and Impact Fund (IIF) for their practices completing both the mapping of local appointment slots to the new standard appointment categories and improvements in overall appointment data quality by 30 June, and therefore confirming they are submitting high quality appointment data. Details of webinars to run through the process can be found below. Further information and support is also available on the NHS Digital website. We appreciate your support in making these improvements so that we can ensure we have the appropriate access models in place for patients and staff and that the full extent of GP activity is better understood.

Nikki and Ed

COVID-19 updates

Covid-19 vaccination programme: updated protocols and PGDs  

The list of COVID-19 vaccination programme patient group directions (PGDs) has been updated online.

UNICEF ‘Give the world a shot’ vaccination campaign

The NHS has agreed to work with Unicef on its Vaccinaid campaign (part of the international COVAX initiative) to support the administration of COVID-19 vaccines globally. As part of this, packs of campaign materials and cover letters from Dr Nikki Kanani have been sent to every vaccination site in England. It remains for site leads to decide if and how to display these materials within their site.

Using NHS Volunteer Responders to deliver budesonide inhalers to COVID-19 patients

Inhaled budesonide is now being prescribed for some COVID-19 positive patients. As patients will be self-isolating they may need the item delivered to their home. Community pharmacy teams can arrange delivery by an NHS Volunteer Responder by following the process here. They should register for the service using their nhs.net email account.

Coronavirus - Got Symptoms? Do not enter this building poster

The ‘Do not enter this building’ if you have symptoms of coronavirus poster has been updated and is available to download. This poster is for use at entrances to NHS facilities including hospitals, GP practices, pharmacies and vaccination centres to provide information about the symptoms of coronavirus and to direct patients that have symptoms or a positive test result in the last 10 days not to enter the building.

General practice

The GP career support hub: Helping GPs on their career journey

The GP career support hub is a one stop shop available on FutureNHS dedicated to providing information about the different routes and options a GP may have as they start and move through their professional life. This includes career development, learning, mentoring, appraisals, flexible working, wellbeing, pay and pensions.

There are also easy to find, direct links to relevant GP websites, a discussion forum and information exchange. The aim is to provide everything you need in one place. Though the primary audience is GPs, trainees and people thinking of returning to general practice, the information will also be useful to anyone working in primary care or those working to support primary care and the workforce. Please use the feedback facility to let us know what you think.

General practice - latest updates

Community Pharmacy

Community Pharmacy COVID-19 Lateral Flow Device (LFD) Distribution Service – online survey participation

NHS Test and Trace are keen to hear feedback from community pharmacies delivering this service via a short online survey. The purpose of the survey is to understand your views and experience in order to consider any service improvements which could be beneficial for community pharmacies and the communities that they serve.

We are collecting information for analysis purposes only and individual data will be anonymised. Pharmacies taking part are asked to fill in the survey by clicking here.

Dentistry

Your NHS dentistry and oral health update

The latest issue from the 26 April is out now and available to read online.

Primary care

World Asthma day on 5 May and driving uptake of new innovations

NHS England and NHS Improvement, through the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC), are supporting World Asthma Day on 5 May by raising awareness of two products to help Asthma patients. The two products Asthma Biologics and FeNO Testing have been designated Rapid Uptake Products (RUPs). RUPs are products which support the NHS Long Term Plan’s key clinical priorities but have lower than expected uptake. The RUPs programme is designed to support stronger adoption and spread of these proven innovations. FeNO testing can improve patient care and outcomes by supporting more effective diagnosis of patients suspected of having asthma and Asthma Biologics are an innovative group of medicines which offer an alternative treatment for those with severe asthma.

You can contact your local Academic Health Science Network  or visit our website to find out more.  

Video consultations – resources for use with patients

This quick guide and this animation are available to support your patients using video consultations. These resources are relevant to any video consultation technology and any clinical setting.

The animation can also be accessed in Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Italian, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian and Urdu, as well as in British Sign Language. The quick guide is available to download on our website in the same languages.

 Registration’s open for the Engagement Practitioners’ Network spring event 

Engage spring 2021, an event hosted by the Engagement Practitioners’ Network and led by NHS England and NHS Improvement, is open for registration.

The online conference runs from 18 to 20 May 2021 and it is open to professionals working in engagement roles across the health and care system, along with people interested in finding out more about ways to engage with people and communities. The event is free and participants can sign up for all or just some of the sessions depending on their interests and availability.

Health and wellbeing – challenge the wild pilot

As part of our ongoing programme to support our NHS people, we are please to share an exciting opportunity for colleagues working across primary care, critical care or the ambulance service to take part in a wellbeing pilot with Challenge The Wild, a company specialising in providing adventurous challenges, outdoor experiences and stunning hikes. We are offering 100 colleagues the opportunity to spend a day outside, walking through the countryside on a professionally facilitated wellbeing walk, in order to evaluate the benefits that getting outdoors can have on your health and wellbeing.

There will be 10 wellbeing walks taking place in five locations across England - North West, North East, South West, South East and the Midlands. These walks will be led by qualified professionals including a veteran GP and ICU nurse, who are also trained mountain instructors. The day will include:

• A low-level walk through inspiring countryside
• Discover Lakes and Waterfalls
• Explore nature in woods and forests
• Mindfulness workshops
• Confidence and relationship building exercises

Find out more and sign up here.

Dates for your diary

Thursday 6 May, 5pm – 6pm. General Practice Webinar. If you have previously booked to join this regular webinar, there is no need to book on again.

Wednesday 12 May, 1pm – 2pm. New types of cancer treatments and their effects

Thursday 13 May, 1pm – 2.45pm. Civility and Respect event

Thursday 13 May, 2021 at 1.30 – 2.30pm. How we can help Hidden People access the COVID Vaccine

Thursday 25 May, 1pm – 1.30pm. Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) in suspected bowel cancer

GP Appointment Data: GP practice briefing. These sessions hosted by NHS Digital will introduce recently issued national categorisation guidance and show practices how to carry out mapping to the new national standard categories. There are several dates available:

• Tuesday 11 May, 8am – 9am
• Thursday 27 May, 4pm – 5pm
• Wednesday 9 June, 11.30am – 12.30pm
• Tuesday 15 June, 5pm – 6pm

Link of the day

Ramadan Through the Pandemic