Avon LMCs Newsletter on 22-01-25

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The ALMC Newsletter

Welcome to our weekly newsletter, sharing the latest news and topics of interest for practices.

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– LATEST NEWS –

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I attended an all-day virtual GPC England meeting last week, but I’m afraid there isn’t much I can share with you as it was mostly confidential discussions about the 2025/26 GP contract. Negotiations will continue for the next couple of months, so I hope I am in a position to share more information when permitted.

What I can share is how well GP practices have engaged with collective action across the country. I am constantly inspired by the commitment shown by BNSSG GPs because I know that acquiescing to the numerous requests asked of us is often the path of least resistance. Yet GPs in this area are looking beyond the short-term workload associated with collective action; their eye is on the bigger and better prize. Because ultimately, this is about creating sustainable workloads, so we can continue serving our patient communities long-term.

“Taking care of myself doesn’t mean ‘me first.’ It means ‘me, too’.”  – L.R. Knost

Dr Shaba Nabi
Chair Avon LMC

There have been a few queries about GP Collective Action, so we are sharing an update on this.

COLLECTIVE ACTION	UPDATE ON 22/01/25
Signing up to Capacity and Access Improvement as part of PCN DES	BMA advice to delay sign-up until March
New Data Sharing Agreements	Liaise with both LMC and One Care
Prescribing initiation by provider	All providers aware of the requirement for a provider to initiate their own prescribing and supply a 28-day supply.See LMC FAQ page on prescribing for any exceptions
No new shared care prescribing for ADHD meds, Lithium, Mesalazine   (Adults and CYP)	The ICB has agreed for these three medications to be added to the Specialists Medicines Monitoring LESFinal details on funding tariffs, contracts and codes will be sent to practices by the ICB by MarchContinue sharing care if this is what you were doing before, as you will receive funding backdated to 06/01/25CYP: ADHD shared care prescribing for under 18s will NOT form part of the Specialist Medicines Monitoring LES. This will be worked up separately between ICB and Sirona
No new physical monitoring for eating disorders   (Adults and CYP)	The ICB is finalising a LES for physical monitoring of adults 18 and over and details will be shared by the ICB.  You are advised to continue current practice until 27/01/25CYP – all physical monitoring for under 18s will take place at BCH
No new physical monitoring for AWP/CAMHS	This went live on 06/01/25 and providers are aware of the need to request their own investigations
No new monitoring for Bariatric Surgery	This went live on 06/01/25 and as there is no LES, we are advising practices to repatriate these requests to the provider (which includes NHS referral if performed abroad)The LMC will provide a template letter and patient accuRx text to facilitate this workload transfer.

Question: We have a patient who had surgery performed privately. The consultant did an initial sick note, but the patient would like an extension. Whose responsibility is this?

Answer: It depends on whether the initial sick note was for a reasonable time period for that condition. For example, if someone has a hysterectomy and is signed off for only a week, this is unreasonable and should be pushed back. However, if they have been signed off for 4-6 weeks (standard time) but require more time off work, then this is the responsibility of the GP

Some practices have highlighted occasional challenges with non-deduction of a deceased patient, especially if batch texts are sent out by the practice. The LMC has explored this with the Medical Examiner’s office, and they have advised that once a patient is deducted, they have only a seven-day window in which to examine the medical records, and this is often insufficient.

Avon LMC advises practices to continue following the SOPs found within the Medical Examiner section of the website.

Join the BMA Sessionals Committee to tackle the pressing issue of GP under-employment on Wednesday 12th February, 19.30 – 21.00.

Registration details can be found here.

Please see here.

• 11th March 2025: Virtual LMC drop in, 13.00 – 14.00

23th January 2025: BRIG Meeting, 13.00 – 13.30
Please see the attached for joining it.

There are 4 free 1-hour long sessions including live Q&A.

• 23rd January 14:00-15:00
• 24th January 13:00-14:00
• 27th January 11:00-12:00
• 28th January 13:00-14:00

Please see poster to book your place.

• 20th February 13:00-14:00

Please see poster to book your place.

An annual celebration, National Reading Day encourages a lifelong love of reading in younger children. We celebrate this day on January 23 each year. The holiday focuses on Pre-K to Third Grade students and helps them develop a literary foundation that will last a lifetime.

Across the nation, schools, libraries, nonprofit groups, and parent use a variety of projects to engage young readers. Every year, more and more students join this growing movement as thousands of kids participate in National Reading Day.

• Tuesday 21 January General practice bulletin (mailchi.mp)
• Thursday 16 January General practice bulletin (mailchi.mp)

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– LATEST TRAINING AND EVENTS –

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BRIG Training Day

9.00 – 9.30 – Coffee and sign in

9.30 – 10.15 Chronic Cough – Dr Daniel Higbee

10.15 – 11.15 New Asthma guidelines – Carol Stonham

BREAK

11.30 -12.30 Annual review for Bronchiectasis patients: what to ask? Rachel Williams

LUNCH

13.30 – 14.30 What happens at Pulmonary Rehab? – Susanna Barr

14.30 – 15.30 Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: what to do with it in Primary Care – Laura Buckley

15.30 – 16.00 AOB and closure

Signup Form

• Blood Interpretation in Primary Care (Day 3 of 4)
  23^rd January from 9.15-12.30
  Signup Form
• Launch of BNSSG HRT guidance: Management of Postmenopausal bleeding
  24^th January from 13.00-14.00
  Signup Form
• Debunking diastasis – the facts and myths of this postnatal problem
  29^th January from 12.30-13.30
  Signup Form
• Frailty and Type 2 Diabetes – Practical Tips for Management
  4^th February from 13.00-14.00
  Signup Form
• Raring to Return – GP Refresher
  5^th February from 9.00-17.00
  Signup Form
• General Practice & Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribers Forum
  5^th February from 13.00-13.30
  Signup Form
• Getting the Best out of your Laboratory Tests: Blood and Science Session
  6^th February from 12.30-13.30
  Signup Form
• Late Career GP Group: Inspirations from Literature
  11^th February 19.00-21.00
  Signup Form
• Advanced Practice Event – The Greenway Centre
  12^th February from 9.00-12.00
  Signup Form
• The 6-8 week GP check – what to consider from a pelvic health perspective
  19^th February from 12.30-13.30
  Signup Form
• BCYP EduForum: Paediatric Cardiology
  15^th February from 13.00-13.30
  Signup Form

Please see here for full event details.
For further information please contact Bnssg.training.hub@nhs.net

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