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Primary Care Bulletin - this week's round-up
16 June 2022
Dear colleagues,
On Tuesday 14 June, we published a letter and two service specifications setting out expectations and support around GP registration and the management of the initial health needs for individuals and families coming to England fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
To ensure there is a robust approach to identifying individual’s initial health needs (both for all current and future arrivals) we are asking all systems to locally commission additional capacity for delivering robust initial health assessments. Assessment of any safeguarding concerns will be a key priority alongside assessment of health needs, keeping people safe and taking appropriate actions to prevent harm. We have also produced bilingual versions of the GMS1 form which are now available on the DHSC website.
The next Primary Care Networks webinar is taking place on Thursday 23 June, from 5pm-6.30pm. Sam Schwab, Deputy Director for Primary Care Workforce, Dr Kiren Collison, Deputy Medical Director for Primary Care and Dr Bola Owolabi, Director – Health Inequalities, will be joined by a range of speakers who will delve into tackling neighbourhood health inequalities, as well as a deep dive on occupational therapy. The team will also be on hand to answer your questions during a Q&A. To attend, please ensure you register by 12pm on Wednesday 22 June 2022.
For the last couple of days, we have both been in attendance at NHS ConfedExpo, listening to and speaking at several sessions alongside lots of enthusiastic and passionate colleagues. It’s been great to connect with many of you and to have conversations about primary care, integrated working and planning for the future. Thank you to those who made the journey to Liverpool – it was so lovely to see many of you in person.
Nikki and Ursula
Dr Nikki Kanani
GP and Medical Director for Primary Care,
Deputy SRO, COVID-19 Vaccination Deployment Programme
NHS England and NHS Improvement
Dr Ursula Montgomery
GP and Interim Director for Primary Care NHS England and NHS Improvement
Key updates including COVID-19
Identifying and inviting people who are immunosuppressed for the COVID-19 spring booster
A national system letter was published on 13 June, setting out urgent steps for primary care networks and secondary care clinicians to ensure that all remaining immunosuppressed people are identified and offered a booster during the Spring Campaign, providing it’s been at least three months since the previous dose. The current immunosuppressed cohort list held in the COVID-19 GP Dashboard has been refreshed. Primary care clinicians are asked to utilise the PRIMIS search function held within GP IT systems to undertake local searches to identify and invite eligible immunosuppressed individuals for spring boosters by 27 June. Read important PRIMIS search guidance for GPs for support.
General practice
Update to accelerating patient access to their GP-held records
The government has launched the Data Saves Lives strategy for health and care, which describes how we will use data and technology to improve the health and care of individuals. This makes clear the commitment to make it easier for all patients to access their GP-held information, so they can better manage their health and ultimately reduce burden on staff.
We will support general practice to increase the number of patients who have access to their health records, in a way that builds confidence ahead of a national switch-on scheduled for November 2022. Guidance, training materials and support will soon be available to help implement this change safely and efficiently. Read further information about the change or contact the team if you have any questions.
Additional specialist mental health support for patients within general practice
Patients will be able to get access to specialist mental health support at their local general practice through the introduction of mental health practitioners in primary care networks (PCNs). Funding for up to two mental health practitioners per PCN is available via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme as outlined in the GP contract arrangements for 22/23, enabling primary care and mental health trusts to work closer together to deliver care and support to patients.
So far nearly 500 mental health practitioners including community psychiatric nurses, clinical psychologists and mental health occupational therapists have been recruited to work across PCNs. More information about recruiting mental health practitioners is available on FutureNHS.
New referral form for NHS Digital Weight Management Programme
The NHS Digital Weight Management Programme has received over 100,000 referrals from general practices. To continue making referrals and to save time by ensuring more of the patient’s information auto-populates, practices should now use version 2 of the referral form. CCG IT teams are uploading this version onto your practice system. If your practice uses Ardens or DXS, version 2 is already available. You can also download the updated form here. The following video can help you to refer patients through the e-referral system. Please contact us if you have any queries.
Inclusive patient access using digital tools: do you have good practice to share?
Can you help us by sharing your examples of supporting patients to use digital tools (such as a website or an online consultation system) to enhance their access to general practice? We are working with Good Things Foundation - a member of the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance - to identify good practice and promising approaches. We are particularly interested in work that supports under-served, marginalised or vulnerable groups and communities. We are keen to hear what you did, so others can learn from you. The deadline for submissions is Friday 8 July.
NHS Digital research - allowing patients to update their address online
NHS Digital are working to provide all users of NHS services with a simple means to digitally view and update personal details. As part of this project, the team would like to speak to general practice staff to find out more about the current process of updating patients’ address and the process of accepting/declining a request if a patient is outside of catchment. This would be done through a 30-minute interview via Microsoft Teams. If you are interested, please email olya.zinkevica1@nhs.net to arrange a time and date that’s most convenient for you.
Help us to share the GP speciality training
Applications for the 2022 GP specialty training open on the 26 July – 16 August 2022. Please forward this information to any doctors who may be thinking about career options. Doctors tell us they like to be kept informed of all specialty training opportunities, even if they may be thinking of progressing with other options. You can look at the GP National Recruitment Office website for timelines and applicant guidance or we have a number of GPs and trainees who can help with local or general enquiries. Email gprecruitment@hee.nhs.uk for more information.
Community pharmacy
NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) IT solutions
Two new suppliers, Cegedim Healthcare Solutions and Positive Solutions have been assured by NHS Digital to provide CPCS IT solutions. These new integrated solutions allow clinical services to be streamlined with dispensing activities. There are now four assured CPCS IT suppliers to choose from:
The national provision of CPCS IT solutions ended on 31 March 2022. Contractors that have yet to enter an agreement should register with their chosen IT supplier (via the appropriate weblink above) to avoid service interruption.
New professional guidance for non-medical independent prescribers to help expand their scope of practice
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has published new guidance for use by non-medical independent prescribers who want to expand their scope of practice, but aren’t sure how. The guide can help identify developmental needs and ways to meet them and outlines how to document the process and outcome. It also includes case studies across a range of professions and settings.
Safeguarding webinar for community pharmacy teams
NHS England and NHS Improvement Community Pharmacy and Safeguarding teams will be hosting a Level 3 Safeguarding webinar for staff working in community pharmacies on Thursday 30 June, 7pm – 8pm.With community pharmacy now being able to provide a number of clinical services, it is vital that community pharmacy staff are able to safeguard vulnerable adults, young people and children. A panel, including Kenny Gibson, National Head of Safeguarding, will discuss the signs of abuse and what to do if these signs are recognised in community pharmacy.
Primary care
Personalised care workforce development frameworks – we need your feedback
Draft workforce development frameworks for Social Prescribing Link Workers, Health and Wellbeing Coaches and Care Co-ordinators have been shared on FutureNHS and would like to hear from you before we publish final versions later in the year.
The workforce development frameworks will:
- help staff and their employers to understand the roles and how to maximise the impact
- set out the competencies and support needed for those in the roles to flourish
- bring together existing commitments and new resources, linked to forthcoming refreshed and streamlined guidance on social prescribing
We want the documents and resources to be useful to both those in the roles and their employers so they can best support people in the roles and in developing their careers. Please use this form for feedback by Friday 1 July 2022. For more information, please contact england.socialprescribing@nhs.net.
Quality Improvement Facilitation Development Programme
Applications are open for the Primary Care – Quality Improvement Facilitation Development Programme. This opportunity is for all those working in and around primary care in England, who want to build on their existing knowledge and experience of quality improvement. The programme will support those attending to enhance their ability to be effective facilitators and leaders of change in their own workplace and local systems. Closing date is midnight 12 August 2022.
Eligibility criteria for non-emergency patient transport published: for information
The updated eligibility criteria for non-emergency patient transport services (NEPTS) has been published. This follows on from a review into the services in August 2021, which involved patient groups, transport and healthcare providers, commissioners and other stakeholders. It resulted in the development of a national framework to support services in becoming consistently more responsive, fair and sustainable. Read the full consultation feedback report and final eligibility criteria. If you have any questions please contact the national NEPTS implementation team at england.neptsreview@nhs.net. Please signpost patients to this service.
Health information: are you getting your message across?
Health materials can be complex, full of medical jargon and hard to interpret. The National Association for Health and Care Research looks at the latest research on what can happen when health information is not clear; how people can better understand health information; and which groups of the population may need extra support. Read it here.
Charter for Best Practice for NHS Wig Provision
Alopecia UK has published a Charter for Best Practice for NHS Wig Provision, which aims to ensure equitable support to people with dermatological hair loss through three main recommendations: setting a best practice wigs policy; offering the right number of wigs for a person’s condition and requirements; and suitable choice and quality of wigs including for race, hair colour, age and preferences. Alopecia UK have created a clinician letter for NHS organisations wanting to adopt the recommendations.
Upcoming events and webinars
Various dates, June. Community Pharmacist Consultation Service training for practices - leading change - CPPE
Various dates, June. NHS staff pension seminars
Various dates, June. Community Pharmacist Consultation Service training for practices - PCC
Various dates, June. Demand and Capacity series designed to help gain a deeper and practical understanding of what demand and capacity are
Various dates, June – July. Public participation online learning sessions about working with people and communities.
21 June, 12pm – 1pm. Wessex AHSN and NHS BSA Opioid Prescribing Comparators webinar
22 June, 1pm – 2.30pm. Supporting the development of your personalised care ARRS funded workforce
23 June, 11am – 12pm. Supporting community health services to connect with their local shared care record
23 June, 2pm – 3pm. Supporting community pharmacy services to connect with their local shared care record
23 June, 5pm - 6.30pm. Primary Care Networks webinar
27 June. Pharmacy technician workforce expansion webinar, 10am –11.30am or 7pm – 8.30pm.
29 June, 2pm – 3pm. Supporting our working carers event
30 June, 5pm – 6.30pm. Primary care engagement event – understanding what our colleagues need
7 July, 1pm – 2.30pm. Working with people and communities to tackle racial inequalities
15 July, 9.30am - 5.30pm. Health & Climate Conference
Link of the week
