Avon LMCs Newsletter on 20-03-24

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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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Last week, the Avon LMC Manager and Chair attended the annual LMC Secretaries Conference in London, which is an opportunity to network and learn from LMC colleagues across the four nations. The workshops were the highlight of the day which focussed on LMC engagement with Practice Managers, Sessional GPs and GP Registrars.

There was also an excellent overview of the LMC support network which enables LMCs to share resources with each other, as well as providing a platform for support – which is invaluable for Avon as a relatively new LMC Board.

Shaba Nabi
Chair Avon LMC

Are you reading this newsletter, but it’s been sent to you by someone else? If so, we would love to reach you directly – especially if you are a Salaried GP, GP Locum, or GP Registrar.

To sign up for your very own newsletter, as well as receiving other important updates, please email michaela@almc.co.uk or mandy@almc.co.uk to sign up.

This week we held our first face to face committee meeting since pre-covid! It was great to share pizza with colleagues, who joined us after a long day at work, to discuss the issues facing our membership. Highlights of this meeting included:

• How to tackle interface issues:
  • Unanimous support for the LMC developing a suite of position statements and template letters for interface work
  • Support for the LMC working collaboratively with the ICB to include AWP in the Community Phlebotomy LES
• An overview of the Avon LMC budget since July 2023
• An overview of the GP Contract for 2024/25 and the Supplementary Services Review
• Support for a practice-wide LMC membership conference later on in the year
  • Watch this space!

This is your last week to vote in the Referendum which ends on 27^th March. It is a simple yes/no question of whether you accept the GP contract for 2024/25 and is open to GPs of ALL contractual status: Partners, Salaried, Locums and GP Registrars. You have to be a BMA member to vote – don’t leave it to others to have your voice.

See the attached IGPM Statement on Contract Imposition.

Please find the statement here.

Question: Are there any guidelines regarding patients who have Bariatric surgery abroad who require extensive follow-up monitoring?

Answer: From a clinical perspective, there is some guidance on Remedy
https://remedy.bnssg.icb.nhs.uk/adults/weight-management/post-bariatric-surgery-monitoring/
From a contractual perspective, this activity (whether surgery is on the NHS or from abroad) does not form part of the core contract, and therefore not mandatory. It is up to an individual practice to discuss a policy for how they manage these patients, but this does form part of the huge unfunded interface work which the LMC will start to address, in collaboration with the ICB. The intention is to develop LMC position statements and template letters for some of this work.

Dear all,

Following on from my previous email I wanted to clarify that it is not mandatory to complete the e-learning data request.

I also thought it would be useful to clarify some points:

• The Health and Care Act 2022 passed legislation to mandate that all staff should undertake autism and LD training as appropriate to their role.
• The draft code of practice published in June 23 was under consultation that closed on 19^th September 23.
• To date there have been no further updates on the draft code of practice and no timescales are available.
•  The current draft guidance on training may be subject to change; however, it is difficult to predict at this stage.
• It is my understanding that until the code of practice is finalised  the Oliver McGowan training as set out in the draft code of practice is not mandatory, however it is mandatory for all staff to undertake autism and LD training as appropriate to their role.
• The ALMC previously advised until the code of practice is finalised, it would seem reasonable for staff to undertake the e-learning module

What are other practices doing?

• Many have now undertaken e-learning training
• Some practices have chosen to take up the offer of part 2 training for all patient facing staff groups
• Others have taken a pragmatic approach and prioritised staff who regularly have contact with patients with LD and autism for part 2 training
• Some have chosen to await the outcome of the consultation.

The training (part 2 for tier 1 & tier 2)

• At present, the Oliver McGowan training is being delivered by the ICB Oliver McGowan training team with funding from NHS England. I have been informed that this funding is expected to continue in the next financial year, 24/25; however, after this point, CQC-registered organisations will likely be responsible for funding their training.
• The ICB team are exploring potential delivery models for BNSSG; however, even with a local agreement in place, it is likely that this training will not be funded.
• If you have any queries regarding the training, please do not hesitate to contact the Oliver McGowan training team at bnssg.olivermcgowantraining@nhs.net.

I will continue to monitor the draft code of practice closely and will advise of any updates as soon as possible.

Kim Ball
Director of Nursing

Exciting news! We’re thrilled to announce that with funding from the BNSSG Training Hub we have developed an interim training offer whilst the Practice Staff Training Budget is under procurement. Following feedback regarding demand we have been able to further expand the offer which will provide further training in June, dates to be confirmed.
 
The courses we will be offering during April and May are as follows:

• Phlebotomy (morning sessions)
• Core Immunizations (2-day course) for Healthcare Assistants
• Nurse-led Wound Management
• Doppler & Compression Techniques
• Introduction to Travel Health (2-day course)
• Introduction to Contraception
• Immunizations Update
• B12 Injection Training
• Contraception Update
• Multi-Morbidity Training for Healthcare Assistants
• Core Immunizations (2-day course) for Nurses
• Phlebotomy (morning sessions)
• Wound Masterclass
• Travel Health Update
• Infection Control Leads Update
• Wound Management for Healthcare Assistants

Stay tuned for the latest updates on our website as we introduce more dates for June.

Please book online (login with your login details) if any problems please contact mandy@almc.co.uk.

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