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WELCOME TO OUR AUGUST 2024 NEWSLETTER
This publication is sent to all Essex GP Practices via their Practice Managers. However, we encourage anyone who would like to receive this communication directly, to subscribe below.
Essex LMC PCN Conference
Just a reminder that this year’s PCN Conference will be held on Tuesday 24th September 2024 at The Lion House, Boreham. Speakers include Dr Krishna Kasaraneni, GP Partner, Steel City General Practice, Sheffield, Tara Humphrey, CEO & host of The Business of Healthcare Podcast and Lizzie Lloyd and Louise Dean from Larking Gowen Accountants.
We are looking forward to what we hope will be a very informative day and one that will also offer an opportunity to network with PCN colleagues from across Essex and beyond.
GP Collective Action
GPC England is now inviting GP partners/contractors to take at least one of ten actions with effect from 1st August 2024. The list of actions can be found here GPC England has advised that none of the proposed actions will place GP partners/contractors in breach of their contract.
A suite of campaign materials are available from the BMA website and include a patient-facing animation that can be used on waiting room screens: GPs on your side animation
Specific guidance for Salaried and Locum GPs can be found: here
GPC England is gathering data on any actions that practices across England are taking in order to measure the impact of collective action. A link to the “Local Action Tracker Survey” is circulated each Monday by the LMC and should be completed by 5:00pm the following Sunday. No identifiable data will be gathered as part of the survey.
Pay Uplifts For Practice Funding
NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have finalised how the national practice contract baseline funding – ‘Global Sum’ – will be uplifted for 2024/25 following the DDRB’s recommendation for a 6% uplift to the pay element of contracts (GP contractors/partners) and the salaried GP pay range.
Further details can be found in the letter from Dr Julius Parker, GPCE Deputy Chair.
LMC Vacancies
There are currently a number of vacancies for LMC representatives on both North and South Essex Local Medical Committees. Representative places are open to GP Partners, Salaried and Locum GPs.
The committees meet monthly with the majority of meetings held via Teams, although several face-to-face meetings are held each year - North Essex in Boreham, South Essex in Rayleigh. Further details on being an LMC member can be found here.
If you have any questions regarding LMC membership, or to find out if there is a vacancy in your area, please contact annette@essexlmc.org.uk
Primary Care Careers Update
Primary Care Careers – fully funded course starting in September
In partnership with EQUIP and Dr Liya Jacob Ltd, Primary Care Careers is offering those employed in primary care the opportunity to join a fully funded eight-week course.
‘Finding Clarity in the Workplace with the Clarity Catalyst™’ is based on a Stanford University master’s degree course in personal development, it blends mindfulness and emotional intelligence exercises to shift your perspective on how you see yourself and the world.
This guided course encompasses weekly online group sessions, including smaller break out groups, separate structured one to one online peer meetings, and weekly tips and tasks to embed your learning.
Would you like to find out more about the Clarity Catalyst ™?
Dr Liya Jacob has recorded one of her recent webinars that gives you an introduction to the course structure and content. Viewing the recording will help you decide if this is a course for you.
The numbers of people signing up for the course has exceeded expectations, but more spaces have been made available to ensure that all those who want to take this opportunity can.
This cohort runs from September to November 2024. You will need to have either attended a webinar or viewed the recording to sign up for the course.
ARR Scheme DHSC Announcement
GPC England, Sessional GPs Committee and GP Registrars Committee have written a letter to the Secretary of State for Health, Wes Streeting, expressing their concerns over the DHSC announcement to expand the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) to include GPs, and how the expansion can be best implemented and possible long-term alternatives.
They expressed concerns that providing this funding at PCN level does not provide GPs and patients with the desperately needed stability required, and instead suggested that it would be far more effective to provide this funding at a practice level, helping to address GP unemployment in the places most severely affected. In the long-term, GP contract funding must be increased so practices have full control over who they recruit to best serve their patients’ needs without the need for additional schemes like ARRS.
NHSE Request to Extract Data on Cloud Based Telephony Usage
GPC England has issued advice on the NHSE request to extract data with respect to practice Cloud Based Telephony Usage. This can be found on the BMA website: BMA Cloud Based Telephony Update August 2024
Reforms to the Death Certification Process
The planned implementation date for the death certification reforms is now 9th September 2024, NHS England » National Medical Examiner update: June 2024
As part of the wider reforms, a new Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) form will be introduced. In early July GP practices were asked to check that they were on the DHSC distribution list. All practices on that list should by now have received a supply of the new MCCD forms, guidance on how to order additional forms and a unique passcode. If you have not received the new forms, please e-mail: mccd@dhsc.gov.uk
Further information can be found at:-
Receiving the new medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
An overview of the death certification reforms - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Practice Finance Survey
The BMA is inviting practices in England to complete its Practice Finance survey. The aim is to build evidence for the GPC England team to support the annual contract negotiations. This is an opportunity to feed into an evidence base demonstrating the impact of inflation and rising costs on GP practices across England.
Respondents will need to have GP practice accounts for 2022/23 and 2023/24, expenditure data for April 2023 and April 2024, and information on staff numbers and practice list size to hand before starting the survey, which can be found here
The survey will close at 9:00am on Tuesday 17th September 2024.
Practice Manager Supporter Scheme
The Practice Manager Supporter Scheme (PMSS) offers a dedicated support and advice service to Practice Managers/PCN Managers, recognising the unique challenges they face and helping safeguard their well-being. The supporters will be there to lend a helping hand, ensuring that Practice/PCN Managers have the resources and guidance they need to navigate the demands of their roles.
Initially set up to support Practice Managers, the scheme has been extended to offer the same support to PCN Managers. Advice, support, and peer to peer Personal Development Reviews are available for new, experienced and assistant/ deputy practice managers and PCN Managers in Essex. All interactions are treated with the utmost confidentiality. The information you share with your chosen supporter remains strictly between you and them.
There are six Practice Managers and one PCN Manager Supporter, who are actively working across different regions of the county. Practice/PCN Managers can benefit from this scheme without any associated costs. Our website provides further information and guidance on how to contact a Supporter.
GP Practice Workforce Data
Using data from NHS Digital, we now provide workforce data for Essex GP Practices, and male/female GP ratio documents, both commencing from November 2022.
Do you need help with PCSE cases?
Have you waited for more than 40 days for a response from PCSE for a case raised with them? Are you experiencing financial hardship as a result? Or, is there a risk to patient safety? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then the LMC can help you.
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