Primary Care Bulletin - this week's round-up

25 November 2021

Dear colleagues,

The latest GP appointment data for October 2021 published today shows the continued high demand for primary care and the tremendous amount of work going on in practices and PCNs across the country.

We recently began a pilot communications and engagement campaign to address some of the barriers to inclusive access to general practice, including some materials that help explain to patients the contact routes and the potential outcomes once contact has been made. We have all had to rapidly change the way we work as a result of the pandemic and this project aims to support both patients and practices to better navigate, our services. We are going to make these materials available to all practices across the country in the next few weeks and we will be providing more details in due course, including at the next GP webinar on 9 December.

Thank you to the practices in Humber Coast and Vale who are instrumental to the success of this project, your input and engagement has been invaluable in getting us to this point and we will be following the outcomes of the pilot closely in the new year, so that we can share the learning. More details on the pilot can also be found on Future NHS.

Help protect those you care for this winter

As a healthcare worker, clinical or non-clinical, you will be caring for people who may be at greater risk from both flu and COVID-19. It’s also easy to pass these viruses on without knowing. Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself and those around you. 

We’re asking all NHS colleagues to make sure they have had their annual flu vaccine as soon as possible – this will ensure you have the best protection this winter. Your employer will provide you with information on how to get this. You will also be offered a COVID-19 booster no earlier than six months after completing your primary vaccine course. If more convenient for you, you can access your booster in either a community pharmacy or a local vaccination centre using the National Booking Service. 

Thank you again for everything you are all doing across primary care to look after your patients and communities.

Nikki and Ed

COVID-19 updates

Updated COVID-19 Clinical Risk Assessment Tool

The COVID-19 Clinical Risk Assessment Tool can be used by clinicians to support discussions with patients about their individual risk.

The latest version of the Oxford University’s QCovid® model in now available. This version has been refined using more recent data and now considers a patient’s vaccination status and national infection levels.

The new version can also generate risk assessment results for the risk of dying from coronavirus following a positive PCR test only.

You can contact the team with any questions about using the tool.

COVID-19 boosters in NHS COVID Pass

Patients in England are now able to use the NHS COVID Pass to demonstrate proof of their booster vaccination for international travel. Booster vaccination records can be accessed within the NHS App and online, by searching ‘NHS COVID Pass’ on the NHS website. Boosters will show in the NHS COVID Pass within 5 days of receiving their booster vaccine. 

You can direct any patient enquiries about boosters, including how to book a vaccination, to the NHS website or via the NHS 119 Service.

Changes to Lateral Flow Device (LFD) testing guidance 

Government guidance has been updated moving away from recommending twice weekly testing to encourage the use of rapid lateral flow COVID-19 tests to manage periods of risk.  This was first referenced in the Government’s COVID-19 Response: Summer 2021, and most recently in the COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan. Please note the guidance is for England only.

Guidance across UKHSA has now been updated to reflect these changes and has been timed to coincide with the new ‘Stop COVID-19 Hanging Around’ campaign which encourages simple actions, and how they reduce the risks of catching COVID-19 this winter; such as ventilation, face coverings and testing.

Please note that healthcare settings, social care, schools and prisons will retain their own testing guidance.

COVID-19 Vaccination Programme – workspace

General practice

Update to accelerating patient access to GP-held records

In response to issues raised by general practices, GP practice clinical systems will not go live in December with system changes to provide all patients with access to their future data. We appreciate that further time is needed to prepare systems and staff for the changes and to provide training on ensuring sensitive information is safely hidden from patient view as it’s entered on systems. This change is now planned to occur from April 2022 and will apply to all practices using TPP and EMIS systems. Please see further information about the change or contact the team if you have questions.

NHS Cervical Screening Programme- National Ceasing Audit

The deadline for GP practice returns for phase 1 of the national ceasing audit of the NHS Cervical Screening Programme has been extended to 30 November 2021. Thank you to all practices who have completed phase 1 of the audit. This is a reminder that if no response is received from a practice, all patients will be reinstated and be managed via the standard processes within the Programme.

All patients, where there is confirmation that they were ceased incorrectly due to the absence of a cervix or there is no clear evidence in their record that they do not have a cervix, are being sent an apology letter and being reinstated into the Programme. Patients have been asked to contact their GP practice with any queries. If patients are overdue screening, they will be invited immediately. If not, they will be invited when next due. GPs should ensure patient records are updated to reflect the reinstatement in order to prevent the patient being inadvertently re-ceased.

Phase 2 of the national ceasing audit is expected to commence in January 2022 and will audit patients ceased since 1 April 2020 for all other reasons but did not receive a ceasing notification letter. Further updates on phase 2 will be provided in due course.

National video consultation contract for general practice ending in December 2021

In response to COVID-19, a central call off contract was established under GPIT Futures to provide general practices with access to video consultation products. From the end of December 2021 all CCGs will need to have local contractual arrangements in place for video consultation capability, as the national contract will be ending.

Commissioners can use the Digital First Online Consultations and Video Consultations (DFOCVC) framework, which has a range of video consultation products for consideration that have been through central assurance. Having video consultation capability in place now forms part of the GP Contract.

Please contact the NHS Procurement Hub for support on establishing local video consultation contracts.

Call for GP Trainees and early Career GPs - the Big GP Consultation

The Big GP Consultation is a new platform, organised by regional and national clinical fellows, for GP trainees and early career GPs to discuss and influence the future of general practice. Join monthly evening webinars, held from January - June 2022, covering topical themes in general practice, with inspiring talks from expert speakers with Q+As and facilitated breakout rooms for consultations on pressing issues. The findings of the collaborative will be published and disseminated.

To be involved in all of this and more, apply for the Big GP consultation before 5pm on 10 December 2021. Follow us on Twitter @biggpconsult.

Sure Start Maternity Grant Update

The Department for Work and Pensions provides support for those on certain income-based benefits who are expecting a baby and where there are no other children under 16 (exemptions apply). This is provided through the Sure Start Maternity Grant - a one-off £500 payment. DWP are currently reviewing the application process for this Grant, including the Healthcare Professional Statement, with a view to simplifying the claim form. DWP will be engaging GPs on this issue at the next DWP-GP forum.

In the meantime, claimants must continue to evidence they have received maternal and/or child health advice by asking a health professional (i.e. midwife or GP) to complete the Health Professional Statement (Part 13 of the claim form). Claimants can apply within 11 weeks of the baby’s due date or within 6 months after the baby’s birth. Providing contributions to this form is covered by the GP contract and should be offered free of charge.

Next Generation GP Podcast- Episode 23 with Jeremy Hunt

The Next Generation GP leadership programme has a monthly podcast interviewing leaders in the NHS and beyond. The latest episode is an interview with Jeremy Hunt. It covers his time as health secretary, regrets of the junior doctor strikes, and his thoughts on the future of primary care.

RCGP QOF QI podcasts

The RCGP has released two podcasts - QOF QI module on learning disabilities and QOF QI module on early cancer diagnosis – which explore the rationale for including each module in QOF in 2021/22, the purpose of participating in QOF and the intended objective and what practices have to do.

General practice - latest updates

Dentistry

Your NHS dentistry and oral health update

The Chief Dental Officer, Sara Hurley, and UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance, Professor Dame Sally Davies, have issued an update to the dental profession with a special focus on dentistry and antimicrobial resistance.

Primary care

Dietitian Roadmap to Practice

The First Contact Practitioners and Advanced Practitioners in Primary Care: Dietitian - A Roadmap to Practice is a supportive document that provides a clear educational pathway from undergraduate to advanced practice for clinicians wishing to pursue a career in primary care. More information on Dieticians in primary care can be found on FutureNHS.

Pulse oximetry – resources for primary care

Resources to support the use of four thousand pulse oximeters being sent to GP practices across England are now live. The oximeters will support GPs and primary care over the winter and aide the assessment of children with respiratory conditions. Measuring oximetry in young children can be challenging and the supplied equipment has been procured with reliability and ease of use in children in mind. The project will provide a valuable learning opportunity to understand the benefits of using pulse oximeters within primary care and qualitative evaluation will be undertaken to inform any future decisions on a wider roll-out. For more information please visit the Paediatric Pulse Oximeters FutureNHS workspace.

Looking After You Too coaching wins HSJ award

Our wellbeing coaching support has won the Workforce Initiative of the Year award at the HSJ Awards 2021. The judges “were impressed by the ambition of the initiative and the legacy it is now creating.” Thousands of primary care staff have benefited from confidential and tailored coaching with an experienced coach since April 2020. Please do take up this offer if you feel it would help and support you, and let your colleagues know about the support available.

New helpline supporting parents of new-borns and young children

This winter, the Boloh helpline is supporting parents of new-borns and young children in managing coughs, colds and chest infections. Barnardo’s has partnered with the RCPCH to provide a support, advice, and signposting service to all worried parents, with a particular focus on Black, Asian and minority communities. Professionals can refer patients to the helpline and an advisor will contact them. Helpline advisors are trained to provide advice about respiratory illnesses in children aged 0-3. Find more information on Barnardo’s website.

Snapshot wellbeing survey of the primary care workforce

You’re invited to take part in a short snapshot Wellbeing Survey of the Primary Care Workforce, as part of the Institute for Employment Studies’ ongoing work. It is important to carry out surveys such as this one at multiple times to help us understand how feelings of wellbeing change and develop over time, so you may recall taking part in a similar survey earlier this year. The survey should take no longer than ten minutes to complete.

Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) e-learning module launched

The FeNO in Asthma e-learning module mainly aimed at primary care professionals has been released. FeNO (Fractional exhaled nitric oxide), is a test that can help with the diagnosis of asthma, improving the accuracy of asthma diagnosis as well as helping to indicate which medications will work best for patients. We have produced this e-learning module with the Accelerated Access Collaborative, Wessex AHSN Network and the Office for Life Sciences working in partnership with Health Education England e-learning for healthcare.

Complaints training handling workshops - 2022 dates

A programme of complaints handling training workshops was recently delivered around the country – they were popular and feedback has been positive. These workshops have been developed to support you and your practice team in handling complaints effectively. A number of sessions are available across the country in January 2022. For more information, please email the complaints team.

Key dates

30 November - Practice workforce data submission deadline

Upcoming events and webinars

30 November, 9.30am – 4pm. 10 steps to working with people and communities (training)

30 November, 12pm – 1pm. The role of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in creating a positive culture

30 November, 6.30pm – 7.30pm. QOF QI: maximising involvement of the general practice team

1 December 2021, 6.30pm – 7.30pm. Contractual QI: making it count

2 December, 11.30am – 1pm. Healthy weight coach e-learning programme launch

2 December, 1pm – 2pm. Involving people with musculoskeletal conditions in shaping local services

2 December, 3pm – 4.30pm. Under16 (U16) Cancer Patient Experience Survey data webinar

2 December, 5pm - 6.30pm. A webinar - Managing Hypertension in Primary Care

3 December, 2pm – 3pm. Promoting equitable uptake of physical health checks for people with severe mental illness

7 December, 5pm – 6pm. Improving access to GP IT systems webinar 

8 December, 9.30am – 4pm. 10 steps to working with people and communities (training) 

9 December, 3pm – 4pm. Community of Practice launch – helping VCSE and Primary Care Networks collaborate 

9 December, 5pm – 6pm. General Practice webinar

Link of the Week

Data shows primary care working harder than ever to meet patient need