Chair Update
Dear Members, Colleagues & Patients,
It was great to see so many of you earlier this month at our AGM and the Pan Barnet LTC LCS event. Thank you for approving our accounts and
your support for what the Federation has achieved in the previous year.
I was particularly encouraged to hear how a cohort of our PMs were supported in successfully gaining accreditation with the IGPM. I hope Lauren’s speech (PM from Longrove Surgery -PCN3) has motivated more of our PMs to apply.
As I said, in my closing remarks at the AGM, the Federation is more than just the HQ team. It’s all of us working in our practices and PCNs. We are always open to suggestions on how we can work together over the coming years.
Best wishes,
Ahmer Farooqi (Federation Chair)
Headlines
111, Sunday & Bank Holiday (Bridging) Service
- Provide over 350 additional appointments across the junior doctor strike days in September and October. These were available through NHS 111 and the call centre.
- For more information, please see the practice support section below.
Practice Support GP Sessions
- The Federation provided 45 hours of GP time to support practice in September.
- For more information, please see the practice support section below.
BFG Recruiting for Sub-contract Services
- We are actively recruiting all types of clinicians and health professionals to work in our sub-contract services
- We provide competitive rates of pay and offer a varied selection of weekday, evening, and weekend shifts
- Opportunities exist for home working in some circumstances
- Please contact barnet.federation@nhs.net if you would like to know more
Date for your diary
Pan Barnet Event
Wednesday 1st November 2023 – Lipid Management
Click here to join the meeting
For further practice support, training information and research updates please see below
Support For Our Practices
Our vacancy board – Do you have a vacancy or looking for a role in Barnet?
Advertising job opportunities via the Federation website!
Practices and professionals seeking job opportunities in Barnet can advertise through our website on our Pan Barnet Noticeboard: https://barnetfederatedgps.org.uk/pan-barnet-recruitment
111, Sunday & Bank Holiday (Bridging) Service
- Provide over 350 additional appointments across the junior doctor strike days in September and October. These were available through NHS 111 and the call centre.
- Rotas are in place up to and including the Christmas period, with face-to-face provision at Oak Lodge Medical Centre and the service running 08.00-20.00 on each of the bank holidays.
Practice Support GP Sessions
- The Federation has provided 45 hours of GP time to support practice in September. Please see details below.
Barnet Federated GPs are offering to provide additional in-hours and extra Enhanced Access GP sessions to any of our member practices that may wish to take up this offer. This offer is made to all our member practices, as part of our core values of supporting all practices equally.
Please use the online request form at the following link to make a request. Kindly request 1 session at a time. When you click submit, you will be given the option to submit another form. This is to ensure that all requests are managed as effectively as possible.
https://forms.office.com/e/R29sdbY7KM
If requested, we will endeavour to fill sessions within practice hours, but may also offer support during EA hours (18.30-21.00) as an alternative if we are not able to fill the sessions in hours.
The sessions run as follows:
- Sessions are telephone and video consultations only, with GPs working remotely.
- Sessions are created in EMIS Community and booked into using the same process as for Federation EA appointments (though the slots will be reserved only for the individual practice requesting the session).
- A discharge summary for each patient is sent to the practice.
- Appointments are 15mins, similar to EAS sessions.
- Federation administrators will provide support to the GP during the session.
The total cost is £115.00/hour – this covers the cost of the GP time, as well as the administration and governance costs associated with putting on the sessions, as we provide a full service similar to the Enhanced Access/111, Sunday, & Bank Holiday service.
This is subject to us successfully sourcing GPs to fill the sessions and all the sessions are conducted remotely. We would of course, only charge for the sessions that were successfully provided.
If you request a session but later find that the session will no longer be required, you must notify the Federation with at least 48 hours’ notice prior to the start of the session. If we do not receive this notification, we may still charge you for the session, as we will be required to pay the GP for their time.
For any queries, please email barnetfederatedgps.services@nhs.net.
Training Information and Opportunities
For all Training Hub events and training opportunities, please visit: https://www.ncltraininghub.org/events
Congratulations to the Barnet PM Group for winning the NCL Valued Award!
The Barnet PM group was shortlisted for the NCL Valued Award 2023 and received the award on 27th September.
The Valued Awards are an annual event organised by the North Central London Training Hub. The awards recognise the outstanding work of teams and organisations that have made a real difference to their staff or primary and social care in general.
The category the Barnet PM group was nominated for was Inclusivity, for their unique and innovative approach to providing peer-to-peer support and promoting inclusivity across the group.
Many congratulations to all PMs and wishing them further success in the future.
Prescribing Clerk Course 2023 completed
- We are thrilled to have completed another cohort of our Prescribing Clerk training for this year.
- 6 sessions in total online and face to face delivery. Led by Dr Jo Yong, Clinical Pharmacist Saijal Ladd and Dr Nam Ghandhi with support from Community Pharmacist Yesim Dilek and our Barnet Medicine Management Team.
- The participants were from practices across Barnet and for the first time we also invited the NCL Pharmacy Trainee Technicians.
- They covered the prescription journey, repeat prescriptions, ERD, medicine waste management, communications, Quality Improvement projects and community pharmacy visits and more.
- The learners shared their practice, their knowledge and provided great insights into how to support patients and practice.
- Thank you to all who participated and to the mentors and managers who supported their learners.
Barnet Prescribing Clerk training Programme NCL Value Award winner 2023 in the category Education
We are thrilled to announce our Prescribing Clerk Training programme won at this years NCL Value Awards in the Education Category.
To collect the award were Clinical Pharmacist Femeeda Padhani and Saijal Ladd with GP Dr Jo Yong. All have led the prescribing clerk training from when it started to today. They were thrilled to accept it on behalf of the team that has supported the programme through the years and thanked all who had participated. Special mention to Dr Nam Ghandi and Community Pharmacist Yesim Dilek on supporting and delivering the programme this year.
For all involved it is a passion project as investing in our teams, developing safe practice and improved support for our patients and practice are of upmost importance.
Thank you to all once again especially to the learners who make the programme come alive.
Upcoming training events for Barnet Teams
We have a host of events including demos, training, education sessions upcoming for Barnet teams
- Immunisation Training for non clinicians
- Xero introduction and advanced demo from Ramsay Accountants
- CQC for registered managers and practice managers
- LMC employment law for practice managers
- LGBTQ+allyship for non clinicians
- Trans and Non Binary Pronouns education session for non clinicians
- Pharmacy Education sessions
- Inclusion Barnet delivering 3 sessions for our non clinicians
- Safeguarding education session
- Pan Barnet – Lipid Management
Please take a look at the listings on the NCL Training hub website here – NCL Training Hub
For more information about the event, please contact Emily on: barnet.cepnadmin@nhs.net
Introduction to Check and Test Appointment
Date and time: 22nd November, 4 – 5pm
To support practices with the implementation of the Long-Term Conditions Locally Commissioned Service, NCL Training Hub have organised this webinar to provide clinical staff with an introduction to the Check and Test Appointment.
aimed at all clinicians who will be performing check and test appointments.
Book: https://www.ncltraininghub.org/events/ltc-lcs-webinar-introduction-to-check-and-test-appointment
Should you have any questions or queries, please contact Emily on: Lisa.smith47@nhs.net
NCL Prescribing Quality Scheme 23/24 – Polypharmacy Masterclass
Dates and times:
- Thursday 2 November 2023, 13:00 – 14:30
- Thursday 29 February 2024, 13:00 – 14:30
Aimed at GPs, Pharmacists, Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs), Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs), Non-Medical Prescribers
The polypharmacy masterclass is designed to:
- Support primary care prescribers in effective decision-making around deprescribing where clinically appropriate.
- Outline some of the clinical resources and tools available to support prescribers in conducting structured medication reviews (SMRs)
Book: https://www.ncltraininghub.org/events/ncl-prescribing-quality-scheme-23-24-polypharmacy-masterclass
Should you have any questions / queries, please email: Asra.ahmed@nhs.net
LTC Update Webinar: Adult Asthma
Date and time: Wednesday 13 December, 13:00 – 14:00
Audience: involved in adult asthma care in primary care
This session aims to update on the latest guidance on diagnosis and management and when to refer to secondary care.
Book now: https://www.ncltraininghub.org/events/ltc-update-webinar-adult-asthma
For further information, please contact: beth.freedman@nhs.net
LTC Update Webinar: Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease – understanding the NCL pathway
Date and time: Thursday 30 November, 13:00 – 13:30
Audience: NCL Primary care professionals who may not be familiar with the pathway or NAFLD care
This session will cover:
- Who is at risk of NAFLD?
- How the diagnosis / exclusion of other diagnoses is made
- Risk assessment as per the NCL pathway
- Referrals advice
Book now: https://www.ncltraininghub.org/events/ltc-update-webinar-nafld
If you would like more information or have any queries about the webinar please email: beth.freedman@nhs.net
How to Stay Mentally Fit at Work
In this session Shapes Toolkit in collaboration with NCL Training Hub will look at:
- how you can take control of your wellbeing,
- how to avoid the ‘Vortex of Busyness’
- how to stay mentally and physically fit at work using principles from positive psychology,
- We’ll examine the wellbeing factors that keep us re-energised so that you can work at your best even through challenging times.
Tuesday 31 October, 13:00 – 14:00
https://www.ncltraininghub.org/events/shapes-toolkit-how-to-stay-mentally-fit-at-work
If you have any questions or queries, please email: Neslisan.yilmaz@nhs.net
Opportunity for GPs – GP HIV Champion
Are you passionate about effecting change within primary care and your community? We are looking for GPs working in London to become Fast Track Cities HIV GP Champions for their area.
Fast-Track Cities London is a partnership working to end new HIV infections, put a stop to HIV-related stigma and discrimination, stop preventable deaths and improve the health, quality of life and well-being of people living with HIV across the capital. Primary care plays a crucial part in the success of achieving these goals.
The new HIV GP Champion role offers an opportunity to improve care for people living with HIV by removing the historic barriers between services and offering an integrated approach to long-term health across primary care, secondary care, Local Authorities and voluntary sector organisations for people living with HIV.
The aim is to work collaboratively between all care settings for the patient as a whole person, reducing obstacles to access care and improving patient outcomes. This approach is consistent with and supportive of London’s overall HIV response, the Evolving HIV Care Report, the BHIVA Standards of Care, and the Fuller Stocktake on integrated primary care.
The position is paid and is a 4 hour per week commitment for 12 months. The deadline for applications is 15th of November and you can find more information about the position and its aims on our website.
You can read the full role description and application process here on our website: https://fasttrackcities.london/hiv-gp-champions/
Campaign Pledge: Diversity Matters in Primary Care
We want to invite employers and healthcare professionals in North Central London to sign up to the Diversity Matters in NHS Primary Care Campaign Pledge here.
By signing up to the Diversity Matters in NHS Primary Care Campaign Pledge, as an individual or organisation you can demonstrate a commitment to your employees, colleagues and patients with protected characteristics and support creating an inclusive environment free from any racist and discriminatory behaviours for everyone.
Once signed up, you will have access to the Diversity Matters in NHS Primary Care campaign Toolkit, where you will find a variety of resources and initiatives available and the Diversity Matters in NHS Primary Care Campaign Pledge logo to use on your websites, job adverts, email signatures, digital communications, and your Diversity Matters in NHS Primary Care Campaign pin badge.
Please support this initiative by sharing it widely, so we can get as many organisations/practices and healthcare professionals in the North Central London area to sign up for the Pledge.
Campaign Pledge page here: https://www.ncltraininghub.org/training-and-support/workforce-race-equality-standard/diversity-matters-in-nhs-primary-care
Research
Research Studies for Barnet GP Practices
Current studies
DISCOVER ME (Commercial Study)
Aim: To create a dynamic resource of demographic, health and genetic data to enable analyses to understand clinical disease progression in primary care and risk prediction.
Benefits: Remuneration of approx. £2700 for participation and recruitment of 500 pts with added incentives
Practice involvement: Activating data sharing agreement signing, patient screening and sending of recruitment text messages
PETRA
Aim: To compare active pregabalin with an identical placebo as means of investigating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of pregabalin.
Benefits: Remuneration of £200 + additional research costs
Practice involvement: Database search & mail-out (Can be coordinated remotely by BRN coordinators)
OPTIMISE2
Aim: To establish whether deprescribing common drugs that lower blood pressure is safe or effective in older people in the longer term (a year or more).
Benefits: Remuneration of approx. £1145 (intervention arm) or £905 (control arm)
Practice involvement: Online SIV, Database search & mail out for 10-15 pts, Baseline visit screening (30 mins per pt), CRN nurse support provided.
For expressions of interest, please contact the Barnet Research Network on nclicb.barnetresearchnetwork@nhs.net or narendra.samarasekara@nhs.net