Primary Care Bulletin

3 November 2022

Dear colleagues,

An update on enabling patients to view their GP health record through the NHS App and other online services has been published. It includes information for practices on the next steps and advises those practices who are not yet ready, to engage with their local commissioners who can provide them with additional support and agree a way forward to enable the offer of prospective access to records for their patients. 
 
The General practice readiness checklist can help prepare practices, signpost to relevant resources that include an updated RCGP GP Online Services toolkit, a suite of videos and learning from early adopter sites. 

In other news, we are pleased to announce that we have built on the existing series of clinical standards for Dentistry with the publication of a Clinical Guide to Dentistry, Clinical Standard for Restorative Dentistry and Special Care Dentistry Clinical Standard. More details can be found in the Dental section below.

Ali and Kiren

Key updates

Updates to Network Contract DES

This week, NHS England has issued an update to the 2022/23 Network Contract DES guidance. The guidance now contains new finance system codes that PCNs and commissioners will be required to use to support all payments under the DES from 1 November 2022, including the new PCN Capacity and Access Support Payment. Please contact england.gpcontracts@nhs.net with any questions.

General practice

Inclusive access toolkit boosts patient confidence to try online consultation requests

A draft evaluation of the Inclusive Access Routes to General Practice pilot in Humber and North Yorkshire ICS has found that its toolkit of communications materials helped boost patient and practice confidence in using and promoting online consultation requests. The full draft evaluation report and summary draft evaluation report are on FutureNHS.

Practices in the pilot found that the materials, including posters and a leaflet, helped raise patient awareness and understanding about how to use online consultation requests, with complaints about access falling in some practices. After exposure to the toolkit materials, 64% of patients felt confident their practice would respond appropriately to an online request and 22% of patients said they were given the confidence to try new ways of contacting their GP practice. The toolkit, published last December, is available on the Campaign Resource Centre.

Updates to GMS Statement of Financial Entitlements (SFE)

Commissioners and contractors should be aware that an updated version of the GMS Statement of Financial Entitlements (SFE) was published on 27 October 2022. This version includes the recently updated dispensing fee scales and a consolidation of the vaccination and immunisation chapters. Commissioners and general practices may wish to use this version of the SFE about vaccination and immunisation requirements and payment information for ease of reference. 

Publication of General Practice Appointment data on 24 November

On 24 November, NHS Digital intends to publish experimental practice level data as laid out in the Secretary of State’s Our Plan for Patients. This data will be added to the monthly Appointments in General Practice publication using the data collected regularly from GP system suppliers. If practices want to review their data ahead of the release, they can access it via their practice level dashboard.

Granting patients online access to another person's services/record – participate in user research interviews

NHS England user researchers would like to speak with general practice staff about your experience of granting access for approved users to access another patient's records and/or health services online on their behalf (i.e. using a mobile or desktop app such as SystmOnline or PatientAccess).

If you don't currently offer this but have in the past, or would be interested in doing so in future, we still want to hear from you. The discussion will help us to better understand general practice needs to inform the development of national policy and processes. A video call of approximately 30 minutes will take place between 10 and 25 November. If you are interested please complete this form so we can contact you with more details.
 

Community pharmacy

Community Pharmacy Assurance Framework (CPAF) – full survey

The full CPAF survey monitoring pharmacy contractors’ compliance in 2021/22 will be available to complete from 7 November and will remain available to complete until midnight on 2 December 2022. Contractors will be contacted directly by the NHS Business Services Authority if their pharmacy has been selected to complete the full CPAF survey.

Users of the NHSBSA’s Manage Your Service (MYS) portal will be able to complete the survey by logging in. Contractors who are not yet signed up to MYS will be able to complete the survey online and will receive email details on how to do this. It is mandatory for all selected contractors to complete it, if selected. The results will form the basis for which pharmacies will be considered for a visit.

Dental

Clinical Guide to Dentistry

This overarching standard includes associated appendices which will be derived from the current suite of commissioning standards and commissioning guides which look at specific dental specialties and areas of care. The move to an online platform will allow regular review and revision in line with current policy and practice; it will be necessary to review and update the standards regularly. Implementation will require energy and momentum, together with a willingness to share good practice, innovation and learning to enhance patient care.

Clinical Standard for Restorative Dentistry

This clinical standard document supports commissioners in NHS England with the implementation of a standardised framework for the local commissioning of specialist and specialised restorative dentistry services.

Special Care Dentistry Clinical Standard

The dental services described within this clinical standard are vital in supporting the quality and efficacy of the breadth of dental treatment and oral health care. Special care dentistry is an important element of the provision of high-quality dental care. It has relevance where oral health interventions may be complicated by physical, sensory, intellectual, mental, medical, emotional or social impairments or disability or a combination of these factors.

Primary care

A reminder how frontline health and social care staff should get their winter vaccines

We would like to remind colleagues how frontline health and social care staff should be getting their winter vaccines this season. The COVID-19 booster should be booked either by their employer, or by the staff member booking through the National Booking Service, by calling 119, or using the online vaccination walk-in finder. The flu vaccine should be offered through their employer if the staff member is not eligible for the free NHS vaccine due to their age or clinical risk group. The NHS offers a complementary scheme for frontline health and social care workers employed by specific social care providers that can’t get the vaccine through their employer.

Winter Vaccination campaign resources

The annual Winter Vaccination campaign is now live and runs until 18 December 2022. The campaign is designed to encourage uptake by signalling the importance of both the Covid and flu vaccines and informing the public about the threat of both viruses circulating this winter, to overcome barriers and remind people of the benefits of vaccines. The campaign includes broadcast TV, video on demand, broadcast and digital radio, social and digital media, multicultural media, PR and partnerships activity. Primary care teams can get involved by using these free resources.

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism launche

Following a long campaign led by Oliver McGowan’s mother Paula McGowan OBE, Health Education England and partners at the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Skills for Care have launched The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism e-learning. Oliver’s death shone a light on the need for health and social care staff to have better training and aims to provide the health and care workforce with the right skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate and informed care to autistic people and people with a learning disability. This requirement is set out in the Health and Care Act 2022.

Supporting unpaid carers: how can research help?

The latest NIHR Evidence Collection aims to help health and care professionals understand how they can support people with a caring role, from new online resources to proactively engaging carers in routine appointments.

Develop practical leadership skills and knowledge

The NHS Leadership Academy has a programme that is suitable for every stage in your career. The Mary Seacole programme has been designed by global experts and is for first time leaders in a ‘formal’ position of leadership with responsibilities for people and services. The Rosalind Franklin programme is suitable for mid-level leaders aspiring to lead large and complex programmes, departments, services, or systems.

New law change allows more flexibility for healthcare professionals completing DLVA medical questionnaires

On 20 July this year, amendments to the Road Traffic Act 1988 came into force to allow other registered healthcare professionals such as clinical nurse specialists, physiotherapists and optometrists to complete DVLA questionnaires. Senior DVLA Doctor, Dr Nick Jenkins, recently published a blog providing some further information about the changes, why these have been made and the benefits.

Upcoming events and webinars

Various dates, November – December. Public participation online learning programme

Various dates, November. NHS Jobs engagement events and training sessions

4 November, 1pm – 2pm. GPN National Update: monthly webinar

4 November, 2pm – 2.45pm. Taking Care of Your Finances

8 November, 12pm - 1.15pm. Community Nursing: getting started with Population Health Management

8 November, 12.30pm - 1.30pm. Moving forward in paediatric critical care

9 November, 1pm – 2.30pm. Supporting link worker well-being 

10 November, 11am – 12pm. RightCare Respiratory webinar

10 November, 12.30pm – 1.30pm. Conversation Session for GPs on the use of the Dementia toolkit

16 November, 10.30am – 12pm. Supporting our NHS people to reach out and help create a civil and respectful work culture

16 November, 2pm – 3pm. Wellbeing Wednesday: winter wellness

16 November, 7pm – 8pm. The future of primary care

24 November, 10am – 4pm. #StartWithPeople virtual event

29 November, 12.30pm – 2pm. Safe, Reliable Processes I and II

Resources

Missed a recent webinar? You can view some recordings below:

• Best practice in annual health checks for people with a learning disability (October)
• Watch our series of General Practice webinars
• Watch our series of Primary Care Network webinars

Download our patient-facing materials:

• Staff respect
• General Practice team