Primary Care Bulletin - this week's round-up

9 December 2021

Dear colleagues,

Yesterday marked one year since Margaret Keenan received the COVID-19 vaccine, launching the NHS vaccination programme, the world’s first national effort to protect people against the virus.

Twelve months on, as we pass the 100 millionth vaccination, we are calling on hard-working primary care staff to help ramp up the vaccination programme in response to the new threat from the Omicron variant. Please speak to your local commissioner as soon as possible if you would like to re-join the programme or deliver more vaccinations at your existing site. The COVID-19 vaccine is our best chance of defeating the pandemic and we know from the huge success of the programme to-date that Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and community pharmacy teams are the champions who can make this happen.

We know this is a huge ask for all primary care teams as we balance the fight against COVID-19 with continuing to deliver the care our patients need. We have produced further details of the actions we are taking to support GPs, PCNs and their teams to progress this expansion of the vaccination programme alongside prioritisation of timely patient access to general practice services this winter. This includes an offer of telephony support to enable staff to use Microsoft Teams to make outbound only calls, independently of their existing telephone solutions, freeing up the existing lines for incoming calls. Further details are available below.

Yesterday the government announced a policy for providing neutralising monoclonal antibodies (nMABs) or antiviral treatments for the highest risk non-hospitalised patients with COVID-19. Further details are available on what general practice teams need to be aware of, and information useful to community pharmacies who may be asked patient questions. To note - GPs will not need to prescribe or dispense nMABs or antivirals.

However, your practice might need to refer highest risk patients to the local COVID Medicine Delivery Unit (CMDU) who can assess eligibility and arrange treatment. You are encouraged to help recruit to the national study.

The government also announced further measures to help prevent the spread of the new variant yesterday and UK Health Security Agency guidance for staff who are symptomatic, or are exposed to a case was updated to include information regarding isolation following contact with the Omicron variant. At this stage Infection Prevention Control Guidance (IPC) for healthcare settings remain unchanged. We would urge you and your teams to continue to adhere to the guidance and ensure you and your teams are vaccinated to protect you and your patients.  

Stay safe,

Nikki and Ed

COVID-19 updates

Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment guidance

This week we released the first part of our Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment (VCOD) for healthcare workers guidance and corresponding materials, to support providers in preparing and planning for when the regulations (which are subject to parliamentary passage) are introduced.

The guidance provides further clarity and confirmation of which individuals fall under the scope of the regulations and those who are exempt, in addition to information on methods to increase vaccination uptake, including amongst groups where uptake is lower. 

The guidance will be reviewed and updated in accordance with government advice and we will continue to work with and support service providers to ensure that patient care continues to be our main priority.

COVID-19 Vaccine supply

There is still purchasable stock available from manufacturers with some offering next day delivery options. An extra batch of the over 65s vaccine (aQIV) has come over to the UK this week and is now available to buy from Seqirus.

Vaccinations for NHS staff entering care homes

A reminder that NHS staff who enter care homes need to show evidence that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or that they are exempt. We have updated our FAQs to clarify that individuals can use the NHS COVID Pass to share their vaccination status. If you are medically exempt you can show your NHS COVID pass confirmation letter. You can access your NHS COVID Pass digitally – on the NHS app or the NHS website. You can also download it as a pdf.  For more details please also read the information from the Department of Health and Social Care.

COVID-19 Vaccination Programme – workspace

General practice

Telephony offer for general practice

The Winter Access Fund has launched a time limited offer with Microsoft for general practice to use the MS Teams telephony functionality. This solution will enable staff to use MS teams to make outbound only calls, independently of their existing telephone solutions, freeing up the existing lines for incoming calls.

Practices will retain their current telephony supplier and associated number to support the receiving of calls. This offer is an additional component to the Microsoft Teams application currently provided and will increase telephone capacity at no additional cost to the practice.  

If you have already indicated interest, this functionality will be enabled for all Teams users in your practice. Further communications will follow from the NHSmail Team confirming the date of availability and providing links to the support site. 

Contact the team if you wish to take up this offer, or if you have changed your mind and no longer wish to progress with this offer. The additional outbound only call functionality will expire on 30 April 2023.

General practice access routes campaign resources

Resources and guidance to help practices communicate with patients about the best ways of getting in touch with them when they need help are now live.

The general practice access routes campaign resources, developed with practices and patient groups, aims to help patients understand the different ways they can request help from their GP practice – either by phone or visiting in person, or by completing a convenient and secure form on the practice’s website, and explains how the practice will manage the request and contact the patient in response.

A campaign toolkit guides practices through all the materials, including posters, leaflets and social media graphics. A range of accessible resources will be available in coming weeks. Translations in multiple languages will follow next month.   

New to Partnership Payment Scheme application update

We are pleased to announce that the New to Partnership Payment Scheme (N2PP) will be extended into the 2022/23 financial year and we have now removed the requirement to apply within six months of commencing a partnership role. Following a review of the timeframe to apply for the scheme, and in acknowledgement of the challenges the deadline presented to busy new partners as well as the additional pressures created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have removed the six-month deadline, including for submitted applications that meet all other eligibility criteria. When the scheme comes to an end, there will be a cut-off deadline after the scheme closure date by which applications from eligible individuals must be submitted, and we will give advance notice of this.

We continue to encourage all individuals who have commenced in an equity share partnership on or after 1 April 2020 to submit their application as soon as they can after they become eligible. We are now reviewing all applicants this affects and updating our guidance to reflect the changes. If you have any enquiries please email the N2PP team.

Act now to become a visa sponsorship practice

If you are recruiting new GPs next year, now is the time to start the process for visa sponsorship applications. The next cohort of ST3s will be ready to start work as GPs in February and this includes international medical graduates, who have spent three years training in England on the HEE programme with excellent language skills and knowledge about the NHS. Most of them will require visas to work in the NHS in England.

Further information about applying for a visa sponsorship licence is available on the GP Workforce Scheme Delivery Hub, including a step-by-step guide, FAQs and guidance on how any GPs you sponsor can apply for reimbursement of their visa fees.

Gaining the right to be a UK visa sponsoring practice has many advantages and could form an important part of your general practice workforce planning.

Action required on EMIS WEB to enable GP Connect: Access Record Structured 

EMIS has been granted Full Roll-Out Approval (FRA) for GP Connect Access Record: Structured using their Web product. This allows EMIS to join SystmOne in sharing patient Medications and Allergies data with compliant consumer systems such as Lincolnshire Care Portal and Devon Mental Health Services.

To allow consumers to make use of this structured data, GP Practices using EMIS Web should follow these instructions.

General practice - latest updates

Primary care

Primary care staff survey pilot – call for volunteer PCNs 

Following a commitment in the People Plan 2020/21 to explore the implementation of a national staff survey for primary care and an initial feasibility study, we have begun work on a pilot primary care staff survey (PCSS) and are looking for a small number of PCNs to take part.  

The pilot will provide an opportunity to develop the methodology and questionnaire and support future national roll-out. It will also feed into Workforce Race and Disability Equality (WRES and WDES) indicators and help develop these further for primary care.  

We are looking for 40 PCNs to participate in the pilot which will include both clinical and non-clinical staff. PCNs who take part in the pilot have the chance to shape the PCSS and will also receive a report of their own findings about staff experience.  

Participants will be supported throughout the process to make it as simple as possible. If you are interested in being involved in the pilot, please email the workforce team before 15 December 2021. 

Case studies: Proactive care frameworks

Three new case studies from the UCLPartners show how Proactive Care Frameworks have been adopted by the primary care sector across England. These include a lifesaving stroke prevention initiative in North East London, a refreshed approach to long-term conditions in the East Midlands and improving care for asthma patients in North West England.

Teledermatology roadmap

The teledermatology roadmap has now been published and is available on the Outpatient Transformation workspace on Future NHS. The roadmap supports the planning and delivery of dermatology restoration and transformation. The guidance is not mandatory but provides recommendations on what all systems can do now to optimise teledermatology triage and specialist advice.

This will support safe and timely management of new patient demand, while restoring dermatology services. A number of implementation resources are also available, including patient and clinician videos, guidance on image capturing, project plan templates and supporting webinars.

2019/20 Pensions Annual Allowance Charge Compensation Scheme

In November 2019, we announced that clinical staff who go over their annual allowance for the 2019/20 tax year and who use Scheme Pays to pay the tax charge can be compensated in retirement for any reduction to their NHS Pension Scheme benefits. The 2019/20 Pensions Annual Allowance Charge Compensation Scheme delivers this commitment. The closing date for applications is 31 March 2022. GPs must use the PCSE portal to upload their application form. The next window opens on 13 December 2021.

Book a free diagnostic conversation

If you want some support to engage with people and communities, you now have an opportunity to book a free conversation with the patient and public voice team. We can explore what you are already doing to engage with people and communities, your ambitions, the barriers and help you identify the opportunities to do more. This conversation is part of a series of support options delivered in partnership with Cocreate to help people in primary care. Contact the team to learn more about how they can support you in improving engagement with people and communities.

Supported ePortfolio Route

The Centre for Advancing Practice Supported ePortfolio Route is designed to enable Practitioners to evidence that they meet the advance practitioner requirements described in the Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice in England (MPF).

Currently, individual’s would normally evidence this by successfully completing a Centre accredited Advanced Practice Programme. The Supported ePortfolio Route will provide an alternative route, by mapping knowledge and skills to the MPF using the Centre’s ePortfolio.

The online application form will be available via the Advanced Practice website from Monday 13 December 2021 and will remain open until late January 2022.

Get involved

Help NHSX develop new digital productivity playbooks – deadline 31 December

Tell us about your challenges in workforce management and administration or where digital technologies have solved these issues, to help develop new digital playbooks. Your involvement could include developing case studies, ‘deep dive’ workshops, and user testing of playbooks.

Transformation Directorate survey

Our Transformation Directorate has launched a transformation survey to learn more about the effectiveness of the implementation support it provides to NHS organisations for transformation and improvement programmes, and what it can do differently to best meet staff needs. It will use responses to shape its future strategy and delivery approaches. The team wants to hear from primary care staff who have experience of receiving Improvement Directorate or NHSX support. The survey runs until 4 January 2022, takes up to 20 minutes, and responses are anonymous.

Upcoming events and webinars

10 December,10am – 1.30pm. Online workshop: getting unstuck

14 December, 10.45am – 12pm. An introduction to working with people and communities

15 December, 12pm – 1pm. Sharing early learning: a population health approach to innovation in lipid management

15 December, 12pm – 2pm. Everything we thought we knew about commissioning and providing services for people was wrong

15 December, 1pm – 3.30pm. Core20PLUS5; An approach to reducing health inequalities

15 December, 3pm – 4.30pm. Flexible working and pensions seminar

16 December, 12.30pm – 1.30pm. Meaningful Conversations – Disability

16 December, 3pm – 4.30pm. Pensions Tax seminar

Link of the Week

NHS Primary care staff respect materials