Avon LMCs Newsletter on 21-02-24

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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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From the start of April 2023, there will be the first substantial change to the administration of deaths in the community for many years. From April, all community deaths will need to be referred to the Medical Examiner service. The Medical Examiner service has been reviewing deaths occurring in hospitals for several years and this new process is due to be extended to general practice in the spring.
 
The Medical Examiner service has been proactive in engaging with general practice and trying to design a system that will add as little as possible to the workload of general practice. The Medical Examiner service has invested in their own version of EMIS to improve the communication between surgeries and the reviewing team. With changes that are due to happen in April, the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) will have a different format and consequently, we will be able to do away with the Form 4 Cremation forms. Later this year, there is an expectation that an electronic version of the MCCD will also be available, which will improve the overall process.
 
The introduction of the Medical Examiner service is a significant change that will require GPs involved in the recording of a death to take different steps. We expect that through the creation of an EMIS F12 and an informative Remedy page, this will be a successful change for all parties. Everyone is committed to trying to get this process as succinct and efficient as possible because errors along the way make the work for GPs and the Medical Examiner service more difficult and, ultimately, the loved ones of the deceased will experience disappointing delays.
 
As a venture into new ways of communicating with our local GPs, the LMC are going to put together a podcast regarding the upcoming changes to support and inform as many of you as possible.
 
Dr Lee Salkeld
Board Director, Avon LMC 

On behalf of Jane Freeguard, Deputy Director of Vaccination – Medicines & Pharmacy

In light of the national measles outbreak and urgency to support rapid uptake of the MMR vaccine, we are permitting practices to administer MMR vaccines to their eligible staff who are registered with another practice under INT (immediately necessary treatment). Please note this is a time limited arrangement until 31 March 2024 in light of the on-going national incident and only applies to MMR vaccinations.  

An item of service fee cannot be claimed for the administration of MMR vaccines to staff registered with another practice. However, indemnity cover will be provided through CNSGP and nationally supplied MMR stock can be used to vaccinate eligible staff. Staff must be strongly encouraged to inform their registered practice that they have received an MMR vaccine, requesting it be included in their medical record

Please find the attachment below:

Vaccination Agency Agreement 2020/21

SW MMR FAQS

We are pleased to announce that, following feedback and queries from practices regarding the DBS service, ALMC have made the decision to reinstate the service provision. The service will be managed by the ALMC office team and will be offering a restricted service, temporarily, whilst the system being completed.
 
We are currently looking at the system backlog and may be in touch with practices to confirm their outstanding DBS requests. The service is available through this link (https://almc.employmentcheck.org.uk) however the payment system is currently pending activation. Should you need to make a payment in the interim, please contact us.
 
Should you have any queries, please contact us through info@almc.co.uk and one of the team will be happy to help.

Please find attached an urgent statement from the IGPM regarding the 2024/25 GP contract pay proposal. This statement highlights concerns about the government’s 1.9% pay uplift offer and its potential impact on General Practice.

We need your help with a pressing issue affecting practices nationwide. Following the implementation of cloud-based telephony (CBT), many practices are facing unexpected financial costs and complex contract challenges. Despite assurances during negotiations, it’s clear that CBT is proving costly for some practices. NHSE has requested examples of increased costs, and we’re reaching out to gather this crucial information. Please check with your practice this week to compare previous and proposed future costs related to CBT. Your input will be invaluable in advocating for practices facing financial burdens. Documents GPC Letter to NHSE on CBT Letter to David Wrigley CBT Please email dwrigley@bma.org.uk privately or on info.gpc@bma.org.uk.

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