Avon LMCs Newsletter on 15-01-25

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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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There’s nothing like the promise of sunshine and beaches to get you through this frosty spell, so I would encourage you to have something to look forward to, to get through these cold, dark days.

It was great to engage with some of you at our virtual drop-in yesterday. Your enthusiasm and collectiveness is so inspiring and I always look forward to connecting with you at these opportunities.

I was recently reminded of the crucial part that patients play with regards to GP Collective Action. A patient who underwent shoulder surgery was issued with a short sick note and advised to attend the GP for any further certification required. As this patient was fully informed about collective action, they requested a longer sick note and enough analgesia to allow for a full recovery. It just goes to show how important it is to empower our patients as they are our biggest allies and will drive GP Collective Action in the right direction.

GP contract negotiations started last week and many of you will have attended the GP update webinar delivered by NHSE on 09/01/25. Highlights of this included GPs remaining in the ARRS roles beyond April 2025 and roll-out of Tirzepatide for weight management. How this roll-out will impact on general practice locally remains to be seen, but it cannot happen without adding both workforce capacity and funding. These medications can have dramatic results, but like most conditions, prevention is likely to be better than cure.

“If you want to deal with an epidemic, crime or health, the smartest and most effective and cheapest way to deal with it is prevention first” – Kamala Harris

Dr Shaba Nabi
Chair Avon LMC

The LMC Committee met this week, and topics discussed included:

• Organisational governance and decision-making
• GP Collective Action
• Tackling unfunded interface work

If you would like to connect with any of your LMC Committee representatives, they can be found here.

As per the last GP bulletin, the earliest this will be functioning is now 20/01/25. This will have a workload and financial impact on those practices facing UHBW, including:

1. Review of all patients who may have been over diagnosed with Diabetes or Non-Diabetic Hyperglycaemia
2. An increase in phlebotomy appointments in February to repeat many of these tests, as well as recalling patients who could not be tested in January
3. Inability to fulfil the requirements of QOF for the HbA1c indicator

Avon LMC has been in discussions with the ICB about the workload impact and has also requested suspension of these QOF indicators.

GPC England Action Tracker

The January action tracker survey opened on Monday 13 January for two weeks, closing at 5pm on Sunday 26 January. This is one submission per practice.

The survey link has been shared via the bulletin and SMS messages were  sent to GP partner members on Monday 13 January asking them to provide information of the collective actions that they are currently undertaking. No identifiable data will be created as a result of this survey.  The more responses we receive, the better we can use this data to pressurise the government for change.

New Local Enhanced Services

Details for the Adult Eating Disorders physical monitoring LES and additions to the Specialist Medicines Monitoring LES are being finalised, and the ICB will send more information about these in due course.

In the meantime, please continue your current practice for the above activities.

This was discussed at the Committee meeting this week and we will be sharing another survey this month to allow the membership to prioritise which interface areas the LMC should focus on to ensure a funded, commissioned pathway. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts for areas to include within the survey, please email us at info@almc.co.uk

Question: If a patient is already on a medication and a provider suggests an amendment to the dose, where would the responsibility lie for this?

Answer: This would depend on the nature of the medication and the monitoring required for this. If the medication is within the GP’s clinical competencies and does not require intensive monitoring, it is reasonable for a GP to amend the dose, to avoid the risks of dual prescribing. However, if it is a specialist medication, or it requires close blood monitoring or clinical review, this responsibility lies with the provider.

A special conference of England LMCs will be held following a motion passed at the November 2024 annual conference of England LMCs. There is only one purpose for this conference as follows:

“To discuss and determine what escalatory steps are needed to ensure the survival of what still remains of general practice” 

The deadline for motions submitted for this conference is the morning of Monday 27th January. If you want to submit either motions or ideas for motions, please email info@almc.co.uk

This can be found here.

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

• Tuesday 14 January General practice bulletin (mailchi.mp)
• Thursday 09 January General practice bulletin (mailchi.mp)

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– LATEST TRAINING AND EVENTS –

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• BNSSG Cancer Lead GP Forum
  16^th January from 12.45-14.00
  Signup Form
• BCYP EduForum – Abnormal Blood Tests
  21^st January from 13.00-13.30
  Signup Form
• Consent to medical treatment: what the laws required
  22^nd January from 13.00-14.00
  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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