Chair Update
Dear Members, Colleagues & Patients,
As we come to the end of another busy year and try and enjoy the festive period with family, I’d like to reflect on the previous 12 months at the Fed. We started the year in the knowledge that some of our largest income sources would be coming to an end as we began planning for a reorganisation of the Federation. We have now got to the point where we have a leaner team and new management leadership in place. This was a challenging process as expected.
We said goodbye to Caroline O’Dwyer, one of our longest serving board members, as she came to the end of her term. It was great to see many our PM colleagues achieve IGPM accreditation this year championed by Caroline.
Thiv Thiruudian’s term as a board director also came to an end earlier this year, however we continue to work closely with him in his role as Barnet Training Hub Clinical Lead.
It was wonderful to meet many of you in person, after all most 3 years, at the first face to face Pan Barnet meeting in April and subsequent events including our AGM in October.
We were able to support your practices with our In Hours Support service as well as the wider system during the periods of industrial action by providing additional GP appointments in the Bridging Service we provide.
Towards the end of the year we were able to secure a 3 year contract to continue to improve the provision of SMI Health check in practices. I hope this continues to support practices to help address the inequalities experienced by this vulnerable group of patients.
I am pleased to have ended the year with the organisation in a more financially sustainable position with an opportunity to continue to work closely, through the GP Cabinet, with the rest of Barnet Primary Care.
Finally, I feel the time has come to hand over the reigns of the new look Fed to some one else. I plan to stand down from my role in March after 5 years with the organisation. A job advert will soon be circulated. If anyone is interested in the role, I would be more than happy to give you an idea of what the job involves.
It just leaves me to wish you a belated Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Best wishes,
Ahmer Farooqi (Federation Chair)
Headlines
Barnet Training hub presents:- Introduction to Consultation Skills
We are pleased to invite you to this webinar on Introduction to Consultation Skills on Tuesday 23rd January @ 1300-1400
Audience:- New to Primary Care Pharmacists, Pharmacy Trainees, PTPTs Nurses, Paramedics, HCAs and Personalised Care Roles
Learning Outcomes:- development of communication skills for staff new to primary care
Barnet Federation Job Opportunity – A new Chair for its board!
The Federation’s current Chair, Dr Ahmer Farooqi, will be ending his term of office on 31st March 2024, having led the organisation through the pandemic recovery period and the transition of the Extended Access Service (EAS) to the PCNs through the Enhanced Access (EA) DES. We are now looking to select a new GP Chair to lead our mission of supporting Barnet Practices, PCNs and patients over the next 3 years.
These are extremely challenging times for our practices and the need for strong, dynamic and unifying leadership for the Federation remains as important as ever.
If you would like to know more about this role please contact barnet.federation@nhs.net to arrange an informal discussion with the outgoing Chair or Chief Executive.
To be eligible applicants must be a GP partner or salaried GP in a Barnet practice. Job-share application will be considered for this post
The closing date for applications is Monday 22nd January 2024.
Please find attached job descriptions and person specifications
Date for your diary
Pan Barnet Event
Wednesday 10th January 2024
Click here to join the meeting
For all Training Hub events and training opportunities, please visit: https://www.ncltraininghub.org/events
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
We have been doing really well in all our services.
We are still providing admin support for PCN 2, 3 & 6 as well as adhoc sessions for PCN 4
We have full capacity for the bridging service from now till the end of December, and we continue to keep these filled to full capacity.
The Anticoagulation, Smoking Cessation and the DSN are all running well and the patients are very happy with the services.
For any queries, please email barnetfederatedgps.services@nhs.net.
Training Information and Opportunities
Dear Colleagues,
Thank you to all who have engaged in our Training Hub events and programmes throughout the year. We look forward to continuing our support to the fabulous Barnet Workforce in 2024.
Please see the round up of our year below:-
- 12 Pan Barnet events led by Dr Anisha Sodha, 3 of them face to face and our online events reaching 100 plus participants each time
- GP Specialty Training Scheme – 70 GP trainees within the scheme.
- GP Fellowships we have 3 Newly Qualified GPs completing fellowships, another completing their PG cert in Health Care Practice.
- GPN fellowships – 1 Newly Qualified GPN, 2 New to practice GPN and another completing their PG Cert in Clinical Education
- Barnet Multiprofessional Educators Peer Support sessions led by Dr Rakhee Shah
- Year 4 & 6 Medical Student Teaching in partnership with UCL has continued, focussed on Primary Care, led by Dr Jo Yong, Dr Neel Clements and Pharmacist Saijal Ladd.
- 10 PCN Education leads appointed to support our move towards PCN Approved Learning Environments.
- Monthly Pharmacy Workforce Education sessions led by Dr Will Meyer
- Pharmacy Trainees, 13 in Barnet this year with more planned for 2024
- Ongoing Pre Registration Pharmacy Technician (PTPT) programme with 3 new PTPTs in place and another cohort due to start in Feb 2024
- Long Term Conditions LCS supported by Barnet Clinical and Non-Clinical team to support practices – see the team here NCL Training Hub
- Long Term Conditions wider workforce learning series led by Dr Rafif Mansour
- Nurse workforce training supported by Tanya Brazza and coordinated by NCL Training Hub
- GPNs – 4 approaching the end of their years training in practice and 5 GPNs on the Advanced Practice pathway
- 2 TNAs joined the 2 year apprenticeship in October 23 and 5 HCAs in programme
- Non clinical Managers sessions on Employment Law, GDPR, Caldicott Guardians, CQC updates and more
- Practice managers learning groups – Finance, NHS Pensions, CQC ready and runners up at the NCL Value Awards for Inclusivity
- Non Clinical bitesize training sessions on Menopause, Transgender Awareness, Neurodivergence and more
- GP Assistants Course with Enfield – 13 Barnet admin/recep completing the course
- Prescribing Clerk Course – 16 Barnet admin/reception team completed this year plus our NCL PTPT’s taking part. Also gaining a NCL Value Award in Education for the course.
- Flu and vaccine immunisation training for non clinical teams
- Personalised care roles – quarterly meet up let by SPLW Manager Caitlin Bays
Please do look at the Barnet Training Hub page within the NCL TH website NCL Training Hub. We are always happy to hear from you and are continually looking to enhance the support for our practices and teams.
For all Training Hub events and training opportunities, please visit: https://www.ncltraininghub.org/events
NCL Lipid Management – Medicines Optimisation Pathway Training Event
16th January, 1pm -2.30pm
NCL Training Hub in collaboration with NCL ICB and UCL Partners invite clinicians to this virtual training event on lipid management.
This session will cover:
- NCL lipid management—medicines optimisation pathway
NCL Lipid Optimisation Pathway training event
NCL Carers Bitesize Education Sessions continue into 2024
Does your practice work with care homes and carers. Did you know that each month there are online bitesize learning sessions for carers delivered by our team of NCL Nurse Educators?
Please see the poster attached for all the information and how to learn more.
These sessions are attended by care settings across the borough and we kick off 2024 with the topic of ‘STROKE’
Please share it out to your care homes to take advantage of this learning opportunity.
Emergency Eye Care for NCL General Practices
This session will cover how to safely and effectively assess an ophthalmic emergency and provide an update on the NCL Single Point of Access (SPoA).
Date and time: 18th January 2024, 1pm – 2pm
Book: https://www.ncltraininghub.org/events/emergency-eye-care-for-ncl-general-practices
Barnet Multi professional Educators Peer Support Sessions for 2024
We are pleased to share the planned dates for our education and peer support sessions for 2024 for our Multi professional Educators.
Please see the attached poster with all the upcoming dates including our first one for 2024 16th January 1300-1400 – Trainee in Difficulty.
Open to all those who support, train or supervisor learners at work clinical and non clinical
Multi professional Educators Poster Series upcoming dates 2024 training
To end the year with a little cheer “12 Days of Christmas”
On the first day of Christmas, our team gave to us: a year of knowledge to trust and discuss.
On the second day of Christmas, our team gave to us: lessons that spark curiosity.
On the third day of Christmas, our team gave to us: workshops that foster creativity.
On the fourth day of Christmas, our team gave to us: assessments that challenge and refine.
On the fifth day of Christmas, our team gave to us: mentors guiding bright minds.
On the sixth day of Christmas, our team gave to us: projects for hands-on learning delight.
On the seventh of Christmas, our team gave to us: strategies to make concepts take flight.
On the eighth day of Christmas, our team gave to us: webinars sharing insights galore.
On the ninth day of Christmas, our team gave to us: resources making studies a joy to explore.
On the tenth day of Christmas, our team gave to us: collaborations fostering teamwork and cheer.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, our team gave to us: milestones celebrated throughout the year.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, our team gave to us: gratitude we convey, for an education team that makes success the only way.
From everyone at the Barnet Training Hub team, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!
Research
Research Studies for Barnet GP Practices
Current studies
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 costs
Practice involvement: Database search & mail-out (Can be coordinated remotely by BRN coordinators)
OPTIMISE 2
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 expression of interest, please contact the Barnet Reserach Network on nclicb.barnetresearchnetwork@nhs.net or narendra.samarasekara@nhs.net