Primary Care Bulletin

6 October 2022

Dear colleagues,

This October, the annual stop smoking campaign, ‘Stoptober’, is running again and has helped over 2.5 million people make a quit attempt, to date. Smoking remains the single biggest behavioural cause of preventable illness and death in England. We know smokers who make it to 28 days smoke free, are five times more likely to quit for good. Pharmacy teams can get involved in Stoptober to help support people to quit smoking using these free campaign resources.  
 
We’ll be attending next week’s Best Practice Show at the Birmingham NEC on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 October.  
 
NHS England colleagues will also be joined by representatives from practices, PCNs and Integrated Care Boards, highlighting the great work that’s taking place across a number of sessions, covering a wide range of topics, including: supporting practice managers and their teams; embedding MDT working in primary care; making GP websites highly usable and accessible for patients; pharmacy integration across primary care, and more. 
 
Over the two days in the keynote theatre, I’ll [Ursula] be talking about the Future of Primary Care, Amanda Doyle, Director of Primary and Community Care, will be on a panel talking about realising the benefits of ICSs and PCNs, and Minal Bakhai, Director for Primary Care Transformation, will be on a panel discussing how to progress digital transformation in primary care. 
 
If you’re around, please do pop along to some of our sessions and say hello, we’d love to chat with you. 

Ursula and Kiren

Key updates including COVID-19

Winter preparations - variants of COVID-19 and respiratory challenges  

Pulse oximeters continue to be available to enable systems to provide better support for people at home. Pulse oximeters are available to request free of charge and can be ordered online. For queries, please email england.home@nhs.net. 

Resources to encourage take up of COVID-19 and flu vaccines for carers and personal assistants  

Ensuring paid and unpaid carers and personal assistants know they're eligible for COVID-19 and flu jabs and how to get them is vital as we go into autumn. A carers communications toolkit to share with your staff and partners is available on Future NHS, with accessible and translated resources at GOV.uk and the Campaign Resource Centre.  

Flu vaccine products for patients aged 65 years and over 

General practices and community pharmacies participating in the seasonal flu programme are reminded that the 2022/23 National Influenza Immunisation Programme letter sets out the required flu vaccines for the different cohorts.

In particular, providers are reminded that for those patients aged 65 years and over the required flu vaccines are, aQIV (Adjuvanted Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine (Surface Antigen, Inactivated) Seqirus) or QIVr (recombinant Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine; Supemtek by Sanofi). QIVc (Cell-based Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine (Surface Antigen, Inactivated) Seqirus) is only recommended where aQIV and QIVr are not available. QIVe (Sanofi’s Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine (split virion, inactivated) and Viatris (formerly Mylan)’s Influvac sub-unit Tetra vaccinations) should not be administered to patients aged 65 years and over. 

General practice

Changes to GP Contract regulations 

On 1 October 2022, the following changes to the GMS and PMS Contract Regulations and APMS Directions came into force: 

• changes regarding premises requirements where services are provided remotely 
• expansion of the provisions regarding the disclosure of information about NHS earnings and confirmation of the disclosure date for self-declaration submissions 
• removal of the requirement that 25% of appointments are available for online booking, replaced with a requirement that all directly bookable appointments are able to be booked online, as well as in person or via the telephone.  
• the ability for patients to register digitally is now supported.  

Contract variation templates reflecting these changes will be published in due course.  

Increase in cases of diphtheria amongst asylum seekers and refugees 

UK Health Security Agency have confirmed that since February 2022, there have been five confirmed cases of diphtheria caused by toxigenic C. diphtheriae identified in asylum seekers in the UK with early reports that this situation is mirrored across a number of European countries. Many cases have presented with cutaneous lesions.  

Clinicians are reminded that the two key diphtheria causing strains, C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans, may present with cutaneous and/or respiratory presentations and can lead to severe disease in those who are not immunised or fully vaccinated.  

Healthcare staff involved with supporting new arrivals should consider investigating for suspected diphtheria in individuals presenting with cutaneous lesions and ensure careful use of PPE when assessing patients. It is important that all staff are fully immunised. Vaccination status should be assessed and any new arrivals with incomplete schedules should be caught-up as per the UK schedule. More information can be found in national guidance.  
 
Preparing to offer patients online access to their future GP health records 

There are now just four weeks until patients with online accounts (such as through the NHS App or other patient online apps) will automatically be able to view new entries in their health records. Thousands of practice staff have attended awareness webinars to help support them in preparing for this change – there’s still time to book on one if you haven’t yet done so. 

Sixteen practices from across the country were given the opportunity to become early adopters, and to grant prospective online access to their patients ahead of the planned national switch-on. This has resulted in an updated Accelerated Patient Access to GP Records Blueprint.  

Take part in digitising Proxy Access 

NHS England would like to create a standard approach that allows a patient to grant someone else, usually a trusted family member, close friend, carer or care home, access to their GP online account to order repeat prescriptions or view their GP record on their behalf. This is known as proxy access. Registrations for expressions of interest (EOI) are open to work with us to help co-design how proxy access is delivered in the future. We invite general practitioners, practice managers, safeguarding leads, patient representatives and those with an interest in proxy access to take part.   

Improvements to the Register with a GP Surgery service (case study) 

During September’s General Practice webinar, we presented a demo on the improvements that have been made to the ‘Register with a GP Surgery’ online service. This case study provides further information about the new online registration service, including feedback from both GP practices and patients who have been involved in testing the new online form.  

Community pharmacy

Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey 2022 now live

The Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey 2022 launches today, 6 October, and will close on Wednesday 30 November. A change in regulations now requires pharmacy contractors in England to complete the survey. This new requirement recognises the priority the NHS places on the community pharmacy workforce, and the importance of collecting consistent, accurate data on the size and shape of the workforce.  

This emerging data set helps to raise the visibility of community pharmacy as a vital part of integrated care systems. The survey will inform future investment in education and training and effective workforce planning across all sectors of pharmacy, both nationally and in integrated care boards. 

Pharmacy Quality Scheme 2022/23 

The Pharmacy Quality Scheme 2022/23, which starts on 10 October 2022, has been published on NHS BSA website. It builds on previous work around respiratory disease, antimicrobial stewardship and weight management and includes new criteria on improving access to end of life medicines, domestic abuse and cancer red flags. 

To qualify for the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) 2022/23 payment, pharmacy contractors will have to meet all the gateway criteria by the end of 31 March 2023. Pharmacy contractors must claim payment for the PQS 2022/23 during the declaration period, which is between 9am on 6 February 2023 and 11.59pm on 3 March 2023. 

Primary care

Mental health self-check tool 

The free and confidential mental health self-check tool has been developed for NHS staff to monitor their mental health, providing access to tailored support and information on the range of offers that are available to help identify which option is the right one for you.  

Supporting staff to help money go further 

NHS England’s recognition and reward team have launched a dedicated online hub on Future NHS to provide a space where employers can share ideas and collaborate. It brings together information, ideas and key links, as well as examples of what is already being done locally. The hub includes a template guide which an employer can use to develop their local support offer for staff. If you have any resources or good practice examples to share please email them to england.nhsreward@nhs.net.  

System Transformation Fund for lipid management 

On 28 September, the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) launched a £2.5m System Transformation Fund (STF). The STF, open for six weeks, will support implementation of NICE-endorsed lipid management pathways with a focus on addressing health inequalities. Apply online. Email england.lipidsphm@nhs.net for more information.   

AHP’s Day and the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) awards 

Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) will be celebrating their annual day on 14 October. This is an opportunity for AHPs to come together and celebrate being part of the AHP family. Get started with planning for AHPs’ Day by joining the newly established AHPs’ Day network. Email seniorahp-manager@future.nhs.uk to request access. 

The CAHPO awards ceremony will be taking place on the evening before AHP’s Day. This year, we received almost 300 nominations demonstrating our colleagues’ impact and their fantastic work. Join us on 13 October.  

The NHS Clinical Entrepreneur programme is now open 

The NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme is the biggest entrepreneurial workforce development programme of its kind. Open to all NHS staff – both clinical and non-clinical, the programme aims to provide the commercial skills, knowledge and experience needed to successfully develop and spread innovative solutions to the challenges facing the NHS, while retaining staff. Applications close 30 October 2022, starting February 2023. 

RightCare Asthma and Pneumonia toolkits 

The Asthma and Pneumonia toolkits reflect the priorities in respiratory care including identification of risk factors, prevention, detection and diagnosis, medicines optimisation and reducing inappropriate secondary care admissions. They will support Respiratory Clinical Networks and clinical services to understand their priorities to improve patient care and outcomes.   

Upcoming events and webinars

• Various dates, October – December. Public participation online learning programme 
• Various dates, October. Accelerating patient online access: A practice guide to preparing for 1 November 2022 
• 7 October, 1pm – 2pm. GPN National Update: monthly webinar   
• 11 October, 12.30pm – 2pm. Outcomes from UK research studies into Long COVID 
• 12 October, 9am – 5.15pm. NHS Genomics healthcare summit 
• 12 October, 11am – 11.50am. MS Teams Virtual MDT app - demonstration 
• 12 October, 1pm – 2.30pm. Social Prescribing - Developing your skills and knowledge to support people with cost-of-living pressures 
• 12 October, 1pm – 2pm. 2022 CQRS Local - Commissioner/ICB engagement event 
• 19 October, 11am – 12pm. An introduction to working with people and communities  
• 19 October, 3pm – 4.30pm. Best Practice in Annual Health Checks for People with a Learning Disability 
• 19 October, 730pm – 8.45pm. Working with communities 
• 20 October, 1pm – 2.30pm. Trauma Informed Communications Skills and Setting Limits  
• 20 October, 5pm – 6.30pm. Primary Care health and wellbeing engagement event - Flexibility in Primary Care 
• 26 October, 2pm – 3pm. Inclusive HWB Community of Practice - supporting the HWB of ethnic minority staff 
• 1 and 29 November, 12.30pm – 2pm. Safe, Reliable Processes I and II  
• 1 November, 9.30am – 4pm. 10 Steps to working with people and communities 
• 1 November, 1pm – 2pm. Primary Care Discussions: Medication Safety in Primary Care 
• 10 November, 11am – 12pm. RightCare Respiratory webinar 

Catch-up

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

• Discharge Medicines Service webinar (22 September). Find out more about the service, the CQUIN and benefits of the service to patients
• Watch our series of General Practice webinars 
• Watch our series of Primary Care Network webinars