Avon LMCs Newsletter on 02-10-24

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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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They say it’s a sign of age when you feel that time is marching on, but I can hardly believe it’s October already. Although I love the colours of Autumn, I’m not relishing the thought of shorter days when the clocks go back.

I had a busy clinical day this week, not because I was on duty, but because almost every patient contact required more than could be fitted into 10–15-minute time aliquots. I’ve been practising as a GP for 25 years, so I don’t lack the experience of seeing 30-40 patients a day. But patient complexity and expectation has now meant we are struggling to complete 25 consultations in a day, and we are left feeling exhausted and inadequate. This is why we must put our own oxygen masks on first; if we don’t protect our wellbeing and the wellbeing of our team, we cannot provide safe and compassionate care for our patients.

Last week I travelled to London for an all-day GPC England meeting. GP Collective Action (or Corrective Action, I like to call it) formed a significant part of the day. It was interesting to observe that we are one of the few LMC areas who are taking collective action collectively! This is testament to the engagement and solidarity of the practices within BNSSG, so thank you for standing together and making a difference.

“It’s not about someone making a difference on their own; it’s about everybody pulling together to make a difference.” –  Paolo Nutini

Dr Shaba Nabi
Chair Avon LMC

I would strongly encourage you to sign up as a member on our website to gain access to all the Avon LMC Collective Action updates. Although we will share some updates within the newsletter, all of the resources will be hosted in the members’ only area of the website.

We have developed a patient communication letter (Please visit here) for you to send to patients, as well as an example AccuRx text template for you to send to patients:

Please click here for the template.

Other resources we are developing are as follows:

• A single template letter to reject workload transfer, with an accompanying patient text template
• A single template letter to reject inappropriate prescribing requests, with an accompanying patient text template
• Principles for Shared Care Prescribing

Question: Regarding GP Collective Action, is the suggestion that all pre-existing shared care arrangements continue to be upheld? We are concerned about the creation of a two-tiered system of provision depending on when a patient was seen in secondary care.

Answer:
For now, the LMC is advising that phase 1 of action is to decline only new requests until a funded LES is worked up. Once a LES is commissioned and funded, the LMC will move to phase 2 and request that existing patients are included in the LES. The main reason for this is patient safety and smooth transition of care.

This report details the new dispensing feescales from 01/10/24.
In summary, it shows a reduction in the average dispensing fee to 218.7p per item (average), a decrease of 0.2p compared to April 2024. This reduction is based on a new methodology designed to smooth out the fluctuations seen in the previous biannual fee adjustments. Dispensing fees are intended to cover the costs of running a dispensary, including staff expenses. However, from April 2025, the average fee is set to reduce further by 5.37p per item (on average) to 213.3p (compared to the October 2024 rate).

This continued downward trend may prove to be a tipping point for some dispensing practices, as the cumulative impact of underfunding in rural communities takes its toll.

Continuity of care in today’s general practice – Friday 8 November 2024 – 08:30 – 13:30 – Engineers House, The Promenade, Clifton Bristol BS8 3NB

Are you delivering good continuity of care for your patients? Would you like some ideas about how to improve the continuity of care that you deliver? Do you want to know more about the evidence for continuity of care? 

Please join us for this FREE half day continuity of care event, organised by RCGP Severn Faculty.  Free to RCGP members, £10 to non-members

During this event we will be discussing:

• The evidence for the benefits of good continuity of care, for both patients and doctors.
• The current guidance and policies for continuity of care and sharing insights how this might change in the future.
• A range of examples of how local practices are delivering good continuity of care.
   

We will have speakers from a range of local practices and we will also be joined by Professor Sir Denis Pereira Gray who has been instrumental in the promotion of continuity of care.

The event will be hosted on the morning of Friday 8 November 2024 at Engineer’s House, Bristol and will finish with an excellent hot buffet lunch.

Register here

OHS Practice Cover
 
Following some confusion around access to the Occupational Health Service, Avon LMC would like to advise practices to check that they have access to an occupational health service for events such as needlestick injury.
 
Should you find you do not currently have a service in place, please contact us at info@almc.co.uk and we can provide you the information for the service we provide. Please note, there are services offered by alternative providers.
 
If you are unsure whether you are currently covered, please contact the team and we can confirm whether you are subscribed to our service.

Make savings on products and services by utilising the Buying Group approved suppliers
 
The LMC Buying Group has an impressive list of suppliers that cover a variety of products and services, from stationery and office equipment to medical consumables and confidential information shredding.
 
We regularly identify savings between 20% and 45% made on office items from our supplier, Whittaker Workplace Solutions. They can supply your practice with everything it needs to run smoothly, including stationery and office products, catering and cleaning supplies and printer cartridges. To order from them, you can phone, email, fax or order online at all times.
 
If you are looking for a company that can provide confidential information protection and secure document shredding, hard-drive destruction and associated recycling services, the Buying Group have the perfect supplier for you. Through Shred-it’s partnership with the Buying Group, all members can access 50% off standard rates. Shred-it supplies their services to organizations of all sizes in the private, public and third sectors.
 
To access the discounts, you would have to sign up with the Buying Group. Membership is completely free for practices. For those of you who are already members, accessing these discounts is incredibly simple, all you have to do is visit the Buying Group’s website and click onto the supplier page you are interested in.

• 12th November 2024: Virtual LMC drop in, 13.00 – 14.00
• 22nd November 2024: England LMC Conference – London, all day
• 14th January 2025: Virtual LMC drop in, 13.00 – 14.00
• 11th March 2025: Virtual LMC drop in, 13.00 – 14.00

• Tuesday 1 October General practice bulletin (mailchi.mp)
• Thursday 26 September General practice bulletin (mailchi.mp)

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– LATEST TRAINING AND EVENTS –

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• 3rd October – Advanced Practice Forum
  Signup Form
• 7th October – Consent to medical treatment and what the law requires
  Signup Form
• 8th October – Women’s Health Event: PMS and PMDD
  Signup Form
• 15th October – BCYP EduForum – Rashes in Children
  Signup Form
• 17th October – Understanding the use of FIT – testing for blood in poo
  Signup Form
• 24th October – BNSSG Cancer Lead Education Day 2024
  Signup Form
• 24th October – Dermoscopy Training – Part 2
  Signup Form
• 24th October – Blood Interpretation in Primary Care (Day 1 of 4)
  Signup Form

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

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