Barnet Federated GPs News – December 2024

Chair update

Dear Colleagues

It was lovely to see such a fantastic turn out at the recent face to face AGM held at the Saracens stadium, along with our annual safeguarding update.  The AGM was an opportunity to celebrate the journey the Federation has been on in the past year with the right-sizing of the organisation and the likelihood of an extension of the bridging service contract until September 2027, bringing with it welcomed financial security. 

We have listened to practice feedback and increased the frequency of SMI achievement reporting to practices from quarterly to monthly, resulting in a 23% increase in achievement across the borough compared with this time last year.  We have also paid practices for Q1 and Q2 already, to increase practice financial flow.  During this busy Winter pressures season, we have also increased capacity within the bridging service; providing an additional 14 hours of appointments for children with respiratory symptoms booked through 111, to ease pressure on practices.

We continue to support development of the LTC LCS in collaboration with Barnet Training hub clinical lead Dr Amanda Simmons and our 3 Business Change facilitators (Michele Eshmene, Caroline O’Dwyer and Ros Ehrlebach).  Thank you for those of you who responded to the mid-year consultation on MyCAW.  This feedback has supported positive iterations of the LTC LCS delivery for next year with a focus on simplification, reducing the administrative burden on recalls and simplifying outcome measures to align all NCL boroughs with the same clinical measure.  Further updates on this expected by February for 25-26- watch this space.  For now, use Q4 to focus on embedding the process in your practices so that from April 2025 things are less overwhelming- and do reach out to Amanda for a practice visit if this would be helpful for you to navigate searches, templates or processes.

Wishing you all a restful and joyful festive season – I hope many of you get a well-deserved break, and those who are working in urgent care/ extended access thank you for holding the fort. 

See you all in 2025!

Anjali

Headlines

Bridging Service  Additional GP appointments specifically for Children and Young People are now available at weekends and will continue to the end of March 2025. The Bridging Service continues to be very well utilised. 

Practice Support GP Sessions  As you may be aware, funded Protected Learning Time is returning. Barnet Federated GPs can offer to provide additional in hours practice support sessions to our member practices to cover your PLT as well as any ad hoc requirements.  Please find below what is on offer and how sessions run, how to make and cancel a request for support and the cost of sessions. What is on offer and how in hours practice support sessions run:

• EMIS Community.
• Sessions are telephone appointments only with GPs working
• Appointments are 15mins. Appointments are reserved for and booked directly by the individual practice requesting the session. The practice registers the patients on Federation EMIS Community when booking an appointment.
• GPs undertaking the session liaise directly with the individual practice requesting the session using the practice’s bypass telephone number (provided by the practice).
• Face-to-face appointments required as a consequence of a telephone consultation are organised through the individual practice requesting the session.

All administrative support for processing referrals required as a consequence of a telephone consultation is provided by the individual practice requesting the session.

Please note: There is no Federation provision for face-to-face appointments or processing referrals as part of this offer.

• GPs undertaking sessions can request tests (for blood and x-ray) and generate and send discharge summaries for each consultation.
• GPs providing in hours practice support will attempt to contact the patient three times at intervals during the session and document each attempt in the patient’s notes. Where there is failed contact, GPs undertaking the session will send an Accurx message to the patient to advise to contact the practice directly to reschedule the appointment.

Cost of the session: The total cost is £115.00/hour. This covers the cost of the GP time and Federation admin costs associated with putting on the sessions.

How to make a request: Requests can be made using the following online form (One session request per form): In Hours Practice Support Request Form 

Meeting with requests is subject to the Federation successfully sourcing GPs to fill the sessions. The Federation will endeavour to fill sessions within practice hours but may also offer support during EA hours (18:30-21:00) as an alternative. The Federation will confirm sessions and only charge for sessions provided.

Cancelling a request: If a practice requests a session but later finds that the session is no longer required, the practice must notify the Federation with at least 48 hours’ notice prior to the start of the session. If we do not receive this notification, the practice may still be charged for the session. For more information and any queries, please email:  barnetfederatedgps.services@nhs.net

Support for our Practices

NCL Supervision Programme: Educational Sessions & Support for General Practice Teams

The ICB has commissioned the NCL Training Hub with developing a programme based on key themes identified in the NCL Clinical Supervision Review from earlier this year. NCL Training Hub has developed this programme to support practices by providing educational resources and workshops to address key themes from the recent review, including:  

1.Enhancing teamwork within these teams – date and timing of sessions to be confirmed soon.

2.Providing and receiving feedback effectively – February 2025 – date and timing of sessions to be confirmed soon. Each practice is eligible to receive up to £300 per workshop. To access this funding, practices must designate a main point of contract to manage the educational sessions learning and financial claims. This could be the practice manger or someone responsible for education and supervision activities within the practice. How to register to attend the workshops All primary care staff interested in attending the workshops must register using the link above. Practices wishing to participate in the programme to be eligible for practice funding need to complete a separate registration form. The practice will be asked to nominate their designated practice representative on the form. Please click on the link to register:  Registration Form

Information about the NCL Supervision Support Scheme is also available on the NCL Training Hub website:  For more information  

For more information, please contact: Mandy Claret – barnet.cepn@nhs.net

For further information on the programme, please click the buttons below:

NCL Supervision Support Programme    Guide and FAQ for Supervision Programme

WorkWell programme launch – new health and work service

As healthcare professionals in North Central London (Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington), you understand the impact of work on a person’s health and wellbeing. WorkWell is a new health and work service and can be a partner in addressing the work-related aspects of people’s health, and the impact of health challenges on people’s ability to work. How WorkWell supports healthcare professionals:

• Complements your care by addressing work-related health challenges
• Provides specialist support, including physiotherapy and counselling
• Offers a simple way to connect eligible people to the service

Good employment supports people’s overall health and wellbeing. By connecting eligible people to WorkWell, you’re providing them with an additional resource to improve their overall health, quality of life and pathway to good employment. Participation is voluntary and will not affect benefits status. Participants must be 16 years of age or older. Find out more and connect individuals to WorkWell here:  NCL health and care or  GP Website or via the GP Website.

Please note that digital and print posters will be sent to practices in the coming weeks and we would be grateful if you could please display these so that your residents can find out more about the service.

For more information:  About WorkWell

If you are interested, please fill out the form below. A team member will be in touch within two working days. Alternatively, the team can be contacted directly by calling 0808 196 2386. Expression of interest form

Pan Barnet Events

Thank you to all for your continued support. We really value and appreciate you making the time and effort to attend and participate. We are pleased to invite you to our next virtual Pan Barnet meeting on Wednesday 8th January 2025 

We are very pleased to be joined by Dr Katie Lloyd, GP and NCL HIV Champion, who will lead an HIV update including success stories in HIV management, how we improve HIV awareness and tackle stigma associated with the virus, testing in primary care and indicators for disease.

To join the meeting: click here to join the meeting  

Microsoft Teams Details:    Meeting ID: 336 350 326 425     Passcode: VW945AS6

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There is an upcoming webinar on ‘Homelessness and Safeguarding: updates, learning and current issues’  that has been organised by the Partners in Care and Health (PCP) Safeguarding Team. This webinar has been scheduled to take place on Wednesday the 15th of January 2025 from 2 – 4 pm.

The event aims to:

• Provide learning from the 2nd National Analysis of Safeguarding Adult Reviews and reviews of deaths of homeless peoples.
• Updates on critical issues and responses to support people with no recourse to public funds and people living in vehicles;
• Insights from current research and consider strategic responses to safeguarding challenges.

Please circulate amongst your staff, and register interest using this link: Homelessness & Safeguarding  

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A Christmas Ode to Our Training Team

In the glow of December, as the year draws near, 

We pause to reflect on all you hold dear. 

Your wisdom and patience, your guidance and care, 

You shape our journeys, your skills you share. 

Through lessons delivered, both lively and clear, 

You’ve nurtured our growth throughout the year. 

From classes to workshops, your passion ignites, 

Inspiring minds, setting knowledge alight. 

Like Santa’s own helpers, you work with such zeal, 

Crafting success from each challenge we feel. 

With every new module, each plan that you draft, 

You strengthen our paths with the power of craft. 

So this Christmas season, we raise a toast, 

To the team who deserves the most heartfelt boast. 

May joy fill your hearts, and your spirits stay bright, 

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

CEPN, Barnet

E: mandy.claret@nhs.net (Barnet GP Speciality Training Scheme matters)

E: barnet.cepn@nhs.net (Barnet Primary Care Training Hub matters)

Research

New Studies

ANTLER 75+

Aim: To estimate the difference in time to depressive episodes between patients who continue their antidepressant and those who are randomised to taper and withdraw from treatment.

Benefits: Remuneration of £200

Practice involvement: Database search and invitation of patients via Doc mail. (Can be coordinated remotely by BRN coordinators)

INDIGO Community 

Aim: An observational study aiming to investigate patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) for patients living with or beyond a diagnosis of cancer.

Benefits: Remuneration of £200

Practice involvement: Database search & invitation of patients via iPlato (Can be coordinated remotely by BRN coordinators) 

Faecal Calprotectin study 

Aim: To prospectively assess FC’s utility in primary care, the effect of stool consistency on FC performance, and to determine a suitable cut-off value.

Benefits: remuneration of £200 + £10 per weekly EMIS database search

Practice involvement: Weekly database search and invitation of patients via Doc mail. (Can be coordinated remotely by BRN coordinators)

For expressions of interest, please contact the Barnet Research Network on nclicb.barnetresearchnetwork@nhs.net or narendra.samarasekara@nhs.net.