News
Guidance on GP direct access to cancer diagnostic services
GP teams across England can ‘directly request CT scans, ultrasounds, or brain MRIs’ for patients with ‘concerning symptoms’.
Junior Doctors and Consultants Strike at same time – September and October
Junior doctors and consultants in England will jointly undertake four days of strike action in September and October. For the first time in the history of the NHS, there will be four days in which junior doctors and consultants coordinate industrial action. This is in addition to other days on which just juniors or just consultants will be on strike.
Junior doctors will strike on 20, 21, 22 September, and 2, 3, 4 October. Consultants will strike on 19 and 20 September and 2, 3 and 4 October.
Industrial action by junior doctors from 11 – 15 August saw 61,200 rescheduled acute inpatient and outpatient appointments and procedures in England.
The number of staff absent from work due to strikes peaked on 11 August with 23,682. The cumulative total of acute rescheduled inpatient and outpatient appointments and procedures over eight months of industrial action across the NHS now stands at 839,327.
As a system we have put in additional capacity to support front door, emergency care, GP hubs, and community services working with our partners.
We are aware of the sustained additional daily demands that are made upon general practice and that this is likely to be exacerbated by the further industrial action.
We would like to take the opportunity to reiterate the following points to use as a guide to help with your local planning.
As you do throughout the year, report by exception to your local primary care team any practice issues which may impact your ability to run as normal e.g. workforce issues such as sickness.
Continue to make your 111 slots available ensuring there is late morning and afternoon utilisation.
Prioritise calls coming from paramedics when they are on site with patients (or the cover in place for that day).
Checking on care homes and home care providers and proactively managing high risk patients on the days leading up to and after the strike action time.
Supporting same day access by making available any un-utilised appointments within your Enhanced Access sites (which are ordinarily used for routine care).
Please be aware / inform your teams of possible additional request for home visits from patients.
Please encourage your teams to use appropriate pathways when emergency care is needed to improve our patients experience if possible.
Aim to switch as many appointments as possible to “Book on the day” (this needs to be done in advance)
Your actions so far have had an impact in mitigating the risks from strike days. We also appreciate the significant impact these added pressures have had on you and your teams so please let us know if there is anything else we can do to support you.
We will update about the upcoming strike days in the coming weeks.
Update to requirement for recording of flu vaccination events by PCN groupings
A PCN grouping’s constituent practices will now be able to elect to record flu only vaccination events in either their GP IT clinical system or their PCN grouping’s point of care system
Aquatic Activity and Swimming for Health programme
New session promotes health benefits of aquatics and swimming.
Updated PGD for HPV GBMSM v04.00a
Practices should ensure that any registered healthcare professional who is due to administer vaccinations under this PGD should be made aware of this updated version.
NHS App – Resources to support increased usage
A range of resources have been developed to support practices increase patient uptake of the NHS App for repeat prescriptions, including posters, leaflets, patient videos, sms campaigns, process change ideas, how to track usage.
BHRUT – Coffee, Cancer and Conversation meet-up
An informal chat with an advanced care planning nurse.
EPRR annual conference – 30 October
This year’s conference will hold an overarching theme of the lessons and learning.
UCL Partners CVD Academy
UCL Partners launches CVD Academy to tackle premature deaths related to cardiovascular disease
Aspiring to Partnership Programme
LMCs have developed a brand-new and exciting course for those who are aspiring to, or new to becoming a partner in general practice
Update on multidisciplinary rapid access clinic at Barts Health
Barts apologise for pausing the Multidisciplinary Rapid Access Clinic (MDRAC) service at very short notice on 18 August and now have more details.
Winter vaccinations system update
The winter Covid-19 vaccination campaign is being brought forward
BHRUT: Suspected Cancer Pathway (2ww) for Breast referrals is moving to Directly Bookable on e-RS
From 1 September 2023 the process for Breast Suspected Cancer referrals (2ww) will change and become directly bookable on e-RS.
Flu and COVID Sign Up deadlines
We would like to remind all colleagues of the following important deadlines over the next week.
NHS England – London has published an updated imms PGD on its website.
Practices should ensure that any registered healthcare professional who is due to administer vaccinations under this PGD should be made aware of this updated version.
Moorfields at Stratford – Update
A new comprehensive diagnostic and treatment eye care hub in Stratford has been opened. All ophthalmology services and patients previously hosted at the Sir Ludwig Guttman site have been transferred to the new Moorfields at Stratford site
Patient choice
Enabling greater patient choice will require the NHS to respond in a number of ways, and the following sections outline the actions and activities within Primary Care, Secondary Care and ICBs.
Patient Access To Medical Records – Webinar (4 Sept / 3 Oct)
A webinar session which will look at the current process to allow practices to comply with their contractual requirements.
Bart’s Multidisciplinary Rapid Access Clinic (MDRAC) to pause for 3 months
Due to unexpected severe staff shortages the Bart’s Multidisciplinary Rapid Access Clinic, which is also known as the Rapid Diagnostic Centre RDC and Non Site Specific NSS Cancer pathway, is being paused from Friday 18 August 2023 and will not be able to accept any new USC referrals.
NELFT – misplaced clinician mobile
There is an issue with the lead clinician referral mobile for the Community Treatment Team – the phone has been lost. They have a temporary number 07718 271 613.
BHRUT – Important update for GPs on dermatology
BHRUT would like to advise GPs that patients being referred will have to wait longer than 14 days to be seen for their first appointment.
Modernising cancer waiting time standards
The NHS has issued communications today to announce that they are modernising cancer waiting time standards
NEL Diabetes Workforce Education Programme
Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic health condition and equipping our workforce with the right skills and training has never been more crucial.
Staff leavers guidance: IT and Smartcard process
A reminder that practice managers should complete the GP IT leavers form and email it to the NHS North East London IT team at least three working days before a staff member’s leaving day.
NEL Long COVID 2023/24 Training Schedule for Health and Care Professionals
A dedicated online hub of resources and training for all health and care professionals working with long COVID patients in North East London.
Register with a GP surgery service, Practice webinar – 20 Sept 4.30pm – 5.30pm
NHSE are running a webinar for practice staff to learn about the benefits of the service.
COVID-19 Therapeutics for Non-Hospitalised Patients – New Pathways and Providers
Since July this year, the new provider been the Waltham Forest GP FedNet, the main referral pathway has also changed from automated identification after a positive LFT or PCR test result to self-referral.
Delivering operational resilience across the NHS this winter
Setting out the national approach to 2023/24 winter planning, and the key steps we must take together across all parts of the system to meet the challenges ahead.
London Region Health Protection Team contact number is changing
Please note that from Wednesday 30 August the London Region Health Protection Team telephone number will be changing to: 0300 […]
New national online GP registration service used by 1 in 5 practices
All NEL GP Practices have access to registering patients via the NEL Online Registration portal and are encouraged to use this standard process for registering patients and to link this process to their websites.
Becoming an Anti-Racist health & care system: an introductory workshop (Sept and Oct)
The aim is to create an inclusive culture that supports every member of staff to do their best work and thrive.
BHRUT – Gynaecology GP educational session – 16 September 2023
This event is part of the BHRUT series of monthly GP education events which is held the third Saturday of every month (excluding August).
BHR CEPN Primary Care Bulletin – 2 August 2023
Within the latest CPEN news letter your find details of a new training programmes
Webinar – Innovation to promote equality in MMR campaigns Monday 21 August, 5pm to 6.30pm
This webinar will share innovative practice to increase equality of access in MMR catch-up campaigns, including lessons from the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and opportunities to make every contact count.
Constipation in people with a learning disability
To help prevent, recognise and treat constipation in people with a learning disability.
Junior Doctors and Consultants strike (August 2023)
The British Medical Association has announced that junior doctors will take part in strike action for five days from 7am on Friday 11 August until 06.59am on Tuesday 15 August and hospital consultants will be striking on 24 and 25 August 2023.
Be Body Positive tool
Be Body Positive is an essential tool for young people, parents, carers, and professionals.
Wait well, Stay well site for patients
NHS NEL has recently launched a website for NHS patients, to help them manage their health and wellbeing, called ‘Wait well, Stay well.’
Resources to support the Data Accreditation and Improvement Incentive Scheme
The Clinical Effectiveness Group (CEG) at Queen Mary University of London has released a webinar recording and fact file to help you start work on Phase 1 of the scheme.
Havering Crest PCN celebrates first successful community health fair
Havering Crest PCN, with support from the ICB’s Communications and Engagement team, hosted their first community health fair aimed at bringing health and care services to local people in Havering.
Primary Care Antenatal Care – Important Information for Primary and Secondary Care providers
The Health and Safety Board have recently investigated a number of antenatal care cases which involved a potential key risk associated with the primary care-maternity care interface.
Havering – Experiences with Long COVID – residents and primary care professionals
LBH invite primary care professionals working in Havering to complete the survey.
Supporting patients with a learning disability and autistic people
NHSE has produced a clinical guide for frontline staff that sets out responsibilities to ensure that people with a learning disability and autistic people receive good care.
BHR – Simple Wound Care – updated site information
There have been changes to the available sites in the Simple Wound Care pilot.
NHS North East London GP and practice staff bulletin: 26 May 2023
Primary care updatesfor GPs in north east London NHS North East London GP and practice staff bulletin: 26 May 2023 […]
GP Practice and Staff Bulletin 19th May 2023
Primary care updatesfor GPs in north east London NHS North East London GP and practice staff bulletin: 19 May 2023 […]
Industrial Action – Primary Care comms
Circulation List: NEL GP Practices, NEL Place Based Primary Care Leads & NEL Primary Care Central Team On behalf of NHS […]
Streptococcus A
Dear colleagues, Please see below for the most up-to-date key information in managing Streptococcus A. This includes an update to […]
NHSE/UKHSA guidance : Group A steptococcus comms to clinicians
Dear Colleagues Please find the NHSE/UKHSA guidance on Streptococcus Group A for clinicians. NHS England » Group A streptococcus communications […]
Information Messages: SPS Using solid oral dosage form antibiotics in children
Dear Colleagues, The SPS Medicines Supply Tool offers up-to-date information on Medicines Shortages and salient medicines information. They have updated […]
Patient Safety Information: Home Enteral Feeding Prescriptions
Dear Colleagues, Please see attached important Patient Safety Information regarding delays in sending prescriptions to Fresenius Kabi Homecare (FK) for […]
Tower Hamlets – Single Point Of Access for Musculoskeletal Conditions Update
Dear Tower Hamlet GP practices, Thank you for all your efforts to make the change over to referrals via eRS […]