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Primary Care Bulletin - this week's round-up
11 November 2021
Dear colleagues,
Today, Amanda Pritchard announced that she has asked Dr Claire Fuller, senior responsible officer of the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System, to set out how systems can accelerate implementation of the primary care, out of hospital care and prevention ambitions in the NHS Long Term Plan and drive more integrated primary, community and social care services at a local level.
Dr Fuller will look closely at how primary care networks can support integrated care systems by bringing partners together at a local level to address health inequalities and improve the health of the local population.
We know primary care networks are best placed within communities to bring together the right partners to tackle these ‘wider determinants of health’ and it is vital that primary care is embedded in the development of integrated care systems. Dr Fuller will describe the next steps by March 2022 ahead of integrated care systems becoming statutory organisations in April 2022, as the legislation proposes.
Vaccination as a condition of deployment (VCOD) for all healthcare workers
Earlier this week the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that individuals undertaking CQC regulated activities in England must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by no later than 1 April 2022, regardless of their employer. This includes all CQC regulated activity including primary care, secondary care and a wide range of health and care services.
The regulations are expected to come into effect from 1 April 2022. This means that unvaccinated individuals will need to have had their first dose by 3 February 2022, to have received their second dose by the 1 April 2022 deadline.
NHS England and NHS Improvement is working with NHS Employers, DHSC and wider stakeholders to develop detailed implementation guidance which will be issued in due course. Further information is available in our letter.
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
Continuing to identify and contact immunosuppressed people for their third primary dose
There remains some public misunderstanding about the difference between third primary doses – for which some severely immunosuppressed people are eligible – and boosters, which take place from six months after the primary course of two or three doses. We have published an explainer to help the public understand what is available – please do use this to inform local conversations, and display this poster in your sites.
We recently wrote out to thousands who may need a third dose and we know your teams have been working hard to identify and contact these people too. Your local knowledge is critical so please do continue to prioritise this.
Antibody treatment for COVID-19
The MHRA has granted the world's first licence for a novel antibody treatment for COVID-19 for Lagevrio (molnupiravir). This will be deployed as part of the UK PANORAMIC study, which is likely to commence in December. GP practices are hugely welcome to take part in this important study and further details will be available in due course.
Based on clinical trial data, Lagevrio is safe and effective at reducing the risk of hospitalisation in people with mild to moderate COVID-19, who are at increased risk of developing severe disease, and is most effective when taken during the early stages of infection. Lagevrio is not intended to be used as a substitute for vaccination against COVID-19.
DHSC operational guidance on the COVID-19 vaccine medical exemptions process
The decision on whether an applicant is eligible or not is recorded on the Summary Care Record application (SCRa). Instructions on how to access the SCRa are available. Clinical guidance on who is exempt can also be found within the SCRa’s Online Help page, accessed from the new ‘COVID-19 Exemptions’ tab by either clicking ‘Help’ on the menu at the top of the screen or by clicking on the ‘clinical guidance’ link. General Practices will be paid (£44 per review) by the end of the month following the automatic extraction of assessments from the SCRa inputs.
General practice
General practice supporting Greener NHS
Find out how general practice teams are supporting the Greener NHS ambitions to become a net zero health service by 2040. Frome Medical Practice are one of the leading GP practices in the country for addressing sustainability through their comprehensive work towards meeting the criteria of the RCGP’s Green Impact Toolkit. While Colton Mill Medical Centre were inspired to implement a number of changes within their general practice to reduce their carbon footprint.
GP and Practice admin staff feedback needed for NHS 111 reports
NHS Digital are looking to engage with GPs and GP administrators to understand how clinical information from the NHS 111 reports, (which are sent to the patient’s GP practice at the end of their NHS 111 encounter) can be improved.
They are looking for 25 GPs and 25 GP Administrators to take part in a 30-minute interview to provide feedback which will form part of a wider NHS 111 improvement project to reduce the administrative burden for GP practices and improve the patient experience. If you would like to get involved, please contact the team by Friday 26 November 2021, providing you contact details, practice name and which GP IT system you use.
The use of online consultations and digital tools – an independent evaluation
As part of our ongoing evaluation work, NHS have commissioned an independent study into staff experiences of digital tools to support patient access, remote triage and online consultations. Participation from all practice staff is strongly encouraged - receptionists, administrators, clinicians and practice managers. Staff are being asked to take part in confidential discussions about their experiences – including what they would like to see improved.
These insights will inform future policy and how support is provided to general practice. Find out more and register your interest using this online form.
DVLA consultation on which healthcare professionals can complete medical questionnaires
As part of ongoing work to reduce bureaucracy in general practice, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has been working in partnership with DLVA to consider options to streamline current processes. On Monday, the DVLA launched a public consultation seeking views on changes that will enable healthcare professionals other than registered medical practitioners to complete DVLA medical questionnaires. If you would like to input into this consultation, responses can be made until Monday 6 December.
Developing an Information Standard for social prescribing
The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) are working with us to deliver an Information Standard for Social Prescribing. An Information Standard is the list of information that should be captured as part of an individual’s journey through social prescribing. As part of developing the Information Standard PRSB are carrying out a UK wide consultation via an online survey. The survey, which takes approximately 6 - 8 minutes to complete, comprises of 15-18 (user specific) questions and includes a short video, which will help explain the reasons for developing an Information Standard for Social Prescribing. All responses are anonymous.
Catching cancer early: how could research help us improve?
The NHS Long Term Plan sets the ambition that, by 2028, 75% of people with cancer will be diagnosed at an early stage. A new collection from the National Institute for Health Research takes a look at new research that could help to achieve this goal. From work demonstrating that urgent GP referrals are linked to improved outcomes, to new tests that could be carried out in GP practices to improve risk determination.
Dentistry
Your NHS dentistry and oral health update
The Chief Dental Officer, Sara Hurley, and National Clinical Director for Mental Health, Professor Tim Kendall, have issued the latest NHS dentistry and oral health update to the dental profession with a special focus on patients with mental illness.
Community pharmacy
Community Pharmacy Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Advanced Service update
The updated community pharmacy flu PGD has been published today. The PGD has been updated to include the new cohort of primary care contractors (primary medical services, pharmaceutical services, primary dental services or general ophthalmic services) and their frontline staff, including locums. Contractors should ensure all relevant staff aware and sign up to the updated PGD.
Please also note that dental and optometry staff have been advised to bring proof of employment to access the service, however, there is no requirement in the service specification for community pharmacy staff to check ID. Any queries can be directed to the Community Pharmacy team.
Out of pocket expenses claims
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) will be reviewing claims submitted for out of pocket expenses between February 2019 - January 2020 and February 2020 - January 2021. If your pharmacy’s claims are selected as part of the review, the NHSBSA’s Provider Assurance team will soon contact you to ask you to review your claims. As a reminder, you can claim for out of pocket expenses as per Part II, Clause 12 of the Drug Tariff. For more information, see the NHSBSA website.
Optometry
Updated Eye Health Policy Book
The revised Eye Health Policy Book and appendices have been published. The policy provides commissioners and contract managers of General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) the information and guidance to commission and manage optometry contracts.
Primary care
New healthy weight coach eLearning programme launched
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has worked with Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE eLfH) to develop a new healthy weight coach eLearning programme. The programme is for colleagues working within primary care networks, healthcare practices and pharmacies who are interested in supporting people who want to prioritise their weight, health and wellbeing.
The eLearning programme will help individuals to support people living with overweight or obesity to make positive changes to their health and weight-related behaviours. Healthy weight coaches will be well-placed to signpost or refer people to national or local weight management services as part of the government’s funding to expand services in 2021/22. The programme is available to complete on the HEE eLfH Hub and the Personalised Care Institute eLearning platform.
Invitation to hear about the national health and wellbeing offers to our primary care staff
NHS England and NHS Improvement would like to invite all primary care colleagues to join an informative and collaborative online event on 25 November at 12pm-1.30pm. This event will be a great opportunity to hear about the range of dedicated health and wellbeing support offers available to colleagues working across the four primary care sectors, in recognition of the current pressures and upcoming winter pressures.
This online event will also offer delegates the opportunity to contribute to the national programme of work and share their thoughts, ideas and inspirations on how we can best support the health and wellbeing of our primary care colleagues. Please register to attend.
Self Care = daily project management
Keeping as healthy as possible is a lifetime’s work. From everyday preventative behaviours like cleaning our teeth, to more complex tasks like managing long term health conditions, self care is the default health system. Alf Collins, Clinical Director, Personalised Care Group shares his thoughts on self care leading up to Self Care Week, 15-21 November 2021.
NHS Service Finder
NHS Service Finder is a free service for healthcare professionals which provides accurate up to date information about local health and support services to help signpost patients to the most appropriate service for their needs. It can be searched by keyword, or location, and even has interactive maps to provide directions to patients.
This service prevents the reliance on individual knowledge or outdated directories. During the busy Winter period this will help provide better patient care and help protect NHS resources by directing patients to the best place. Register for the service finder using your NHS email address. For more information contact the service finder team.
Help us to shape Core20PLUS5: our approach to tackling health inequalities
Hear Dr Bola Owolabi reflections on her first year with NHS England and NHS Improvement and the next steps for the health inequalities agenda. You can also share your views on ‘Core20PLUS5’ approach for reducing health inequalities via the our survey. The results will be used to support the development of the Core20PLUS5 approach, its implementation across the NHS and further engagement with key stakeholder groups.
Health checks for autistic people
The Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE) at the UCL Institute of Education has designed a survey to understand your experiences of conducting annual health checks, and to gauge your views on annual health checks for autistic people, including the barriers you may face in providing them and the enablers that would support you.
Upcoming events and webinars
16 November, 4pm – 5pm. The cancer digital playbook: how digital technology can help improve and transform our services
16 November, 6pm – 7.30pm. General Practice Webinar
Compassionate and positive cultures in the NHS series:
- 16 November, 12pm – 1pm. How behaviours can impact on individuals, teams and organisations
- 23 November, 12pm – 1pm. Support for NHS Staff to Speak up
- 30 November, 12pm – 1pm. The role of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in creating a positive culture
16 November, 10am – 11.30am. Personal health budget community of practice
19 November, 2pm – 4.30pm. English Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Utilisation and Resistance (ESPAUR) Report 2020 to 2021 webinar
25 November, 10am – 4pm. Start with People conference - aimed at colleagues working in patient and public engagement and participation in the NHS and wider health and care sector.
30 November, 9.30am – 4pm. 10 steps to working with people and communities (training)
Link of the Week
