Avon LMCs Newsletter on 11-09-24

---

The ALMC Newsletter

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

---

– LATEST NEWS –

---

We had a tremendous turnout for the LMC members event last night on collective action. I am grateful to all of you who gave up your evening to attend, and especially to those of you who volunteered to facilitate the discussions. The energy in the room was electric and it was great to hear the strength of feeling being shared, along with some concrete suggestions to enable us to work collectively to improve the workload of general practice. Over the next few weeks, we will collate all the information we have captured, as well as collaborating with One Care to build practice resources to support this action, before beginning our countdown to day zero – the day we all take action collectively.

I know it feels a bit like buses, with two coming at once, but there is another important event I would like you to consider signing up for, and that’s the Avon LMC AGM next week. Fortunately, this is on teams, but it’s an important meeting for you to ratify an amended constitution which will be shared with all practice managers this week.

Finally, after suffering with a flare of my low back pain last week, no doubt from the hours of prep work for the members event, I cannot recommend a standing desk enough. For my practice, I have a standing desk converter sitting on top of my usual desk, which I use with a walking treadmill to clock up 10,000 steps whilst I am duty GP! For my home office, I have this flexispot desk and with a click of a button I can stand when my Garmin has been telling me I’ve been sitting too long.

“Our bodies are our gardens – our wills are our gardeners.” – William Shakespeare

Dr Shaba Nabi
Chair Avon LMC

Please complete the registration form if you would like to attend the AGM.
Topics for discussion will include:

Ratification of accounts

Ratification of an amended LMC constitution

Question: A patient has submitted a practice complaint to state that they don’t agree with a mental health diagnosis within their notes, and they want this changed

Answer: The MPS has issued some guidance on this. Under GDPR, patients have the right to ask for factual inaccuracies in records to be rectified or deleted. This, however, does not give them the right to ask for an opinion you have made as a professional to be changed.

Even if a professional opinion has evolved over time, patients do not have the right for this diagnostic code to be deleted, but it may be appropriate to annotate the original diagnosis with an updated version of events.

Many of you will have received contract variation notices for signature and some of you have asked if you should sign this.

This is a nationally imposed contract not approved by GPC England, leading to the BMA announcing a period of Collective Action. Therefore, practices may opt NOT to sign the Contract Variation Notice, as this may be seen as a sign of endorsing or accepting the contract NHS England has imposed.

As always, these imposed contract variations will take effect 14 days from the date they are served, regardless of whether or not the practice signs.

Not signing is a small but potentially useful message back to NHS England, and it will not harm patients or alter your services or funding in any way.

Avon LMC will support any practice who chooses not to participate in “signing” an imposed contract.

It came to our attention late last night that a letter has been sent to practices from the STEPS eating disorders service about physical health monitoring within general practice. This letter is asking you to share your intentions about your practice involvement with this monitoring.

Avon LMC was not consulted prior to this letter being sent to practices. It is likely that many of you will be confused about what to do in light of last night’s collective action event.

Avon LMC asks that you do not respond to this letter because we will issue a clear statement of intent to the system, once we have consolidated some of the information captured from the members’ event.

Please see the letter attached below:
Click Here

Did you know that Avon LMC can not only assist you with advertising jobs within the Avon LMC website, but it can also offer further reach by sharing jobs on our new  Avon LCM’s LinkedIn Page as a new approach? 

We are committed to maximising the recruitment opportunities for practices within BNSSG so please email marcus@almc.co.uk if you have any further ideas or questions about this.

The BMA has updated its Safe Working Guidance in general practice to include a comprehensive handbook and a summary document. This is an excellent piece of work carried out by Dr Samira Anane, one of the GPC England’s Executive Officers, and I would highly recommend reading the summary as a minimum.

Read the latest GPC England bulletin here.

Please complete the practice finance survey here: https://www.research.net/r/H9CYXCP

The anonymous data will be gathered to be escalated to Treasury, with the aim of increasing the funding envelope available for 25/26.

The closing date is *Monday 16 September*, so it has to be done this week.

Thank you so much!

Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer

• 16th September 2024: Virtual Annual General Meeting Avon LMC, 18.30 – 19.30
• 24th September 2024: Virtual LMC drop in, 13.00 – 14.00
• 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 10 September General practice bulletin (mailchi.mp)
• Thursday 05 September General practice bulletin (mailchi.mp)

---

– LATEST TRAINING AND EVENTS –

---

• 12 September / BNSSG Cancer Lead Forum
  Sign Up Form
• 17 September / BCYP EduForum: Antibiotic Stewardship in Paediatrics
  Sign Up Form
• 18 September / Safeguarding Level 3
  Sign Up Form
• 18 September / Pelvic and Spinal Masqueraders
  Sign Up Form
• 19 September / Dermoscopy Training – Part 1
  Sign Up Form
• 25 September / End of Life Teaching Day with Weston Hospice
  Sign Up Form
• 26 September / Introduction to Personalised Care AARS Role and Health Coaching
  Sign Up Form

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

---

---