Avon LMCs Newsletter on 04-06-25

---

The ALMC Newsletter

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

---

– LATEST NEWS –

---

It’s June already which is a double-edged sword for us hay fever sufferers, as it’s been especially bad this week. However, it is a small price to pay in exchange for enjoying longer days, when it is still light enough to take a walk in nature, after finishing at the practice. Tulip mania at Dyrham Park may be over, (which I would highly recommend) but you can still grab some tickets for the Blenheim Palace flower show.

It was great to see both old and new faces at our regular LMC virtual drop-in yesterday, and I would like to extend thanks to Dr Nicola McGuiness, Planned Care Lead for One Care, who led the discussions on the Advice and Guidance DES.

As Complaints lead for my practice, I have been spending longer than usual on this activity recently, and the volume and complexity feels relentless. I am reflecting on the reasons for this – is it due to individual and structural failures, or are people demanding perfection in an imperfect world? I suspect it’s a combination of both, but the workload can be significant for Practice Managers and Lead Clinicians. Avon LMC has supported practices with especially challenging or complex complaints, so please do not hesitate to contact us on info@almc.co.uk if you require any support for this.

 “Mistakes should be examined, learned from, and discarded; not dwelled upon and stored.”
– Tim Fargo

Shaba Nabi 
Chair Avon LMC

We had a good turnout for this and some really engaging discussions on:

• Corrective Action achievements and future priorities
• Advice and Guidance DES (thanks to Dr Nicola McGuiness)
• DDRB recommendations
• Future NHSE/ICB changes

In its regular newsletter to LMCs, GPC England made the following statement:

“Last week, the DDRB pay award recommendations for 2025-26 were finally announced, with a 4% uplift to the pay element of the GP contract and the pay range for salaried GPs. The Government has accepted the recommendations in full, but 4% won’t be enough to ‘fix the front door’ of the NHS nor expand GP teams and ‘bring back the family doctor’.  

Our new report The Value of a GP informs HM Treasury ahead of the comprehensive spending review why only more investment into general practice will secure the recovery of the wider NHS. 

We have written to Wes Streeting to seek necessary clarity and to ensure GPs and practices face no financial disadvantage. We need clear funding to ensure the full 4% can be passed onto employed GPs, to meet AfC guidance in ARRS roles, and have also made the case as to why the 4% needs to be applied across all three pay domains to support practice stability.”

Question: We received communication from the cancer screening team at UHBW stating we need to proactively inform patients of any straight to test results (eg: colonoscopy) which are normal, otherwise they cannot discharge the patient. As with most normal results, we tend to ask patients to check their results on the NHS app or ask them to call reception, rather than proactively inform them. Where do we stand with this?

Answer: So, in summary, the cancer MDT/screening team is asking the practice to change their usual policy of dealing with normal results, based on their own policy? (I’m assuming they are not calling the patient themselves?)

There is a CQC myth buster on managing patient results but it is not prescriptive about how a practice does this, nor does it mandate conveying information about a normal test result. A sensible approach would be to encourage patients to access this via their on-line app.

Avon LMC has confirmed with the BNSSG Clinical Lead for Cancer that it is the responsibility of the Cancer screening team at UHBW to track all straight to test results and inform the patient, even if the result is normal.

This can be found here

This can be found here

GPs working within a North Somerset practice have the opportunity to vote in the election for a Board Director representing their area. All practice managers have received the voting form and have been asked to disseminate it to all the GPs in their practice.

If you are a North Somerset practice manager and have not received the voting form, or if you are a GP and your practice manager is away, please email info@almc.co.uk and we will send you a voting form.

Closing date: Friday 6 June 2025, midnight

Following feedback that was received by EMIS, the Medical Examiner Service’s access to deceased patient GP records has been extended. Currently, access is limited to 7 days; however, following the release to Primary Care organisations, the extension to the sharing agreement will allow the Medical Examiner Service to view patient records for 28 days after they are deducted.
 
This amendment enables timely deductions and reduces the risk of unintended communication following a death notification.

• 1st July 2025: Virtual LMC drop in, 13.00 – 14.00
• 9th September 2025: Virtual LMC drop in, 13.00 – 14.00
• 4th November 2025: Virtual LMC drop in, 13.00 – 14.00

This will fall between the evening of Thursday 5^th June and Monday 9^th June and Avon LMC would like to wish our colleagues Eid Mubarak.

Reducing Carbon Footprint – Enhancing COPD Patient Care

The content of this meeting is intended for the following roles only: HCP – General Practitioner, HCP – Pharmacist, HCP – Nurse Practitioner, Payers/Commissioners Other relevant HCPs and decision makers

Date: 15/07/2025 12:15
Location: Aztec Hotel 110 Aztec West, Almondsbury Bristol BS32 4TS

Please find details here

• Tuesday 3 June General practice bulletin
• Thursday 29 May General practice bulletin

---

– LATEST TRAINING AND EVENTS –

---

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

---

---