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Primary Care Bulletin - this week's round-up
28 October 2021
Dear colleagues,
Today sees the publication of the latest GP appointment data, with 28.7m appointments taking place in September, an increase of 3.5% compared to September 2019. We know how incredibly hard you are all working and the pressure to restore services across the NHS is intense.
Next week is Ask your Pharmacist Week run by the National Pharmacy Association. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the excellent work of community pharmacy so do share and support on social media using #AskYourPharmacist.
Nikki and Ed
Dr Nikki Kanani
GP and Medical Director for Primary Care,
Deputy SRO, COVID-19 Vaccination Deployment Programme
NHS England and NHS Improvement
Ed Waller
Director for Primary Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement
COVID-19 updates
Opportunity to administer Shingles and Pneumococcal (PPV) vaccines this winter
Shingles vaccination coverage has fallen consistently over recent years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the winter, shingles and PPV are often delivered at the same time as the flu vaccine as a way of using the opportunity to vaccinate eligible people attending the practice. Flu, shingles and PPV vaccinations can all be co-administered. Practices are asked to ensure that, wherever possible, shingles and PPV vaccinations are offered alongside flu vaccinations where patients are eligible and due a vaccine.
The shingles vaccine cannot be co-administered with COVID-19 vaccine, and there needs to be a gap of at least 7 days. Before administering shingles or COVID-19 vaccine please check if your patient has received either vaccine in the last week and refer to the green book for more details, as well as reinvite/book the patient in for a subsequent appointment if applicable.
Stressing the personal benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine could encourage more people to accept
Although most people in the UK accept the COVID-19 vaccine when it is offered, some are hesitant. New research has explored whether different versions of written information could change people's views. It found that, among those who were hesitant, stressing the personal benefits of the vaccine was more effective than stressing benefits to the community. The findings could help you approach hesitant individuals in clinical consultation. You can find out more about the research on NIHR Evidence.
General practice
Accelerating patients’ access to their GP health records
From December, patients with online accounts, such as through the NHS App, will be able to see all new record entries in their health record. The change supports existing contract requirements and NHS Long Term Plan commitments to provide patients with digital access to their information.
TPP practices will go live from December 2021. EMIS and Vision practices will follow in 2022, with those go-live dates under discussion. General practice teams should note that patients will be able to see their future records and ensure sensitive information is redacted where appropriate. A support package is available to help with this. Please visit the NHS Digital website for further details or email with any questions.
RCGP launches Sudden Bereavement Support Pilot
The sudden passing of a friend or colleague can be a difficult and traumatic experience, which may be made harder to cope with given the pressures of continuing to run a busy general practice.
The RCGP Primary Care Development team are pleased to announce the launch of our pilot programme, funded by NHS England. This programme will support a small number of practices in the immediate period following the sudden death of a key member. A key member refers to a partner or practice manager whose impact on the practice is considered to be critical.
Become a veteran friendly GP accredited practice to best support veterans
Recent events in Afghanistan and forthcoming Remembrance Day commemorations are of particular importance for our veterans. Also important is ensuring that the NHS is supporting their healthcare needs, with veteran friendly GP practice accreditation an effective way to do this. With over 1,000 GP practices already accredited and more signing up each week, feedback is overwhelmingly positive.
Becoming a veteran friendly accredited practice is a simple on-line process and helps to improve understanding of veterans healthcare needs and better equip Primary Care Teams in their duty of care to those who’ve served. Practices who are not yet accredited are encouraged to apply.
Dentistry
Your NHS dentistry and oral health update
The latest issue of the NHS Dental and Oral Health Update is available to read online.
Community Pharmacy
Resources for Mandated Winter vaccines Health Campaign 2021
Community pharmacies will be receiving promotional materials to support the Winter vaccines campaign which launched on TV and other media in October, and which will run until December. The campaign promotes the adult flu vaccination and the COVID-19 booster. Pharmacies will receive printed resources from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Cabinet Office from 8 November 2021. The resource packs will include display materials, a briefing sheet, and FAQ to support community pharmacy teams’ conversations with patients. Social media and digital resources for these campaigns are also available. Please brief your staff and display the posters as soon as you receive them.
Please email if you have not received your pack by 1 December 2021, stating your pharmacy name, address, and the name of the materials that you require.
Primary care
Quick guide to embedding your first contact physiotherapy service
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has put together a resource pack, supported by the Practice Managers Association, to help GP practices integrate their First Contact Physiotherapy (FCP) service. The quick guide includes top tips and checklists to support the induction and implementation of FCP services.
Under16 (U16) Cancer Patient Experience Survey results announced
Yesterday, the first set of results from the U16 Cancer Patient Experience Survey were published. The survey was launched to learn from the experiences and views of children under the age of 16 in care and treatment for cancer.
The results show that 80% of children with cancer aged between eight and 15 felt they were looked after very well by NHS healthcare staff during 2020 and 15% said they were looked after quite well. 92% of parents/carers also rated the overall experience of their child's care as 8 or more out of 10. This survey is an opportunity to identify what’s working and what could be done better, engaging with patients, parents, NHS cancer staff and charities and will set a new benchmark allowing us to continuously monitor the impact of any changes made.
Get involved
AI in Health and Care Award
The AI Award team are seeking peer reviewers with specialist knowledge of multiple areas, including primary care, to review phase 3 and phase 4 applications that have reached stage 2 of the competition.
The responsibilities of a peer reviewer are to review applications within their field of expertise and provide written comments on specific assessment criteria. The review period will take place remotely from 23 November – 17 December 2021. Email to register your interest.
Key dates
- 29 October 2021 – Deadline to sign up to the Enhanced Service for Long Covid
- 31 October 2021 – Deadline to submit workforce planning template for 2022/23 and 23/24
Upcoming events and webinars
4 November, 8am – 5pm. NHS Confederation Primary care virtual conference
4 November, 7pm – 8pm. Post Covid Syndrome in children
8 - 12 November. #CLEARweek - Join a series of events, workshops and interactive sessions focussing on practical insights into healthcare transformation and workforce redesign.
10 November, 11am – 12.30pm. Carers, young carers and Universal Personalised Care webinar
16 November, 10am – 11.30am. Personal health budget community of practice
18 - 24 November, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week - focused on encouraging healthcare professionals to continue to work together to prevent serious infections – including COVID-19 – while reducing inappropriate antibiotic use.
2 December, 3pm – 4.30pm. Under16 (U16) Cancer Patient Experience Survey data webinar
Link of the Week
