Chair Update
Dear Members, Colleagues & Patients,
I trust you are keeping well through these demanding times. Anything that can help deal with this demand is always welcome and I’m sure most of you will agree that AccuRx has been a great help in this regard over the past couple of years.
Unfortunately funding for AccuRx Florey Plus and Video Consultations will be coming to an end in April this year. Furthermore AccuRx were unsuccessful in the recent NCL ICB procurement of an Online and Video Consultation solution provider. I know many of you will be anxious to retain some of the functionality you and your practices are using on a daily basis.
As a Federation we are working alongside Enfield and Haringey Federations to see how many practices are keen on continuing with AccuRx as their provider of choice and see if we can secure a favourable extension to the contract.
If you haven’t already expressed your interest to your PCN Clinical Directors, please do as soon as possible or email us on barnet.federation@nhs.net to let us know.
On a separate issue you will have received an email form me this week about enabling the Consultation Write Back feature on EMIS Community. The Consultation Write Back feature will allow organisations that are connected to use their enterprise agreements to receive a copy of any consultation notes added to a patient’s record. The Federation can only activate the Consultation Write Back feature if all Barnet practices agree to it. Should there be agreement from all GP practices, changes will take effect after April 2023 and we will notify all GP practices of responses before making any changes. Steve Durbin (Data Protection Officer for our practices) has reviewed the proposal and agrees this is an acceptable process. Please could one person from your practice complete the response form attached to my email and return it to barnet.federation@nhs.net by 17th March 2023.
That’s all from me this month. Take care and roll on spring!
Dr Ahmer Farooqi
Headlines
NHS 111, Saturday Evening, Sunday, and Bank Holiday Service
The Federation is commissioned by the ICB to provide GP appointments not covered within the PCN EA. Please read below for more information.
SMI Physical Health Checks
The contract continues to be delivered to the activity level of an aggregated 250 health checks per month from July 2022 to March 2023. Please read below for more information.
Ken Porter Ward
The service provides a fortnightly ward round by a senior GP and is performing well with no reported issues.
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 March 2023 at 13.00 – Medical Examining
Click here to join the meeting
For further practice support, training information and research updates please see below
Support For Our Practices
Welcome to 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/
SMI Physical Health Checks
- The contract continues to be delivered to the activity level of an aggregated 250 health checks per month from July 2022 to March 2023.
- We are working closely with Community Barnet to provide targeted support to practices, and to shape patient and practice engagement plans to further enhance service utilisation. We are hopeful that this relationship can continue.
- Community Barnet are working directly with practices that previously found engagement with their patient groups challenging
NHS 111, Saturday Evening, Sunday, and Bank Holiday Service
- The Federation is commissioned by the ICB to provide GP appointments not covered within the PCN EA.
- Although the service is aimed primarily at the 111 service, it is also accessible via the Federation call centre, making sure that no appointment goes to waste.
- This service will be combined with and running alongside GP sessions being provided to PCNs within EAS in order to achieve economies of scale.
- The service is available 08.00-20.00 on each bank holiday.
Acute Respiratory Infection Hubs (ARIH)
- The acute respiratory infection hub (ARIH) has successfully launched w/c 20 February following a soft launch the previous week.
- Hubs are operating from five practices, with two other practices finalising their arrangements
- Appointment times are 20 minutes to allow for the complex nature of the cases
- From w/c 27 Feb we will be providing more than 130 appointments per week, spilt 90% face to face and 10% telephone consultation
- Utilisation following launch is 97% of scheduled appointments
PCN EA Update
- The service is being provided in line with the service models agreed with each of the PCNs.
- Variations are necessary due to workforce availability and the increase in DES provision to 100% in PCNs 2 and 3.
- We have introduced ARRS roles into PCN 2 and 3 and are reviewing service hours daily to ensure shortfalls are targeted effectively
- Reporting has been implemented on EA subcontracted activity and is shared three times per week with colleagues
- We are working to mitigate these issues by providing capacity at times that are preferred by clinicians, particularly Saturday mornings, and by utilising other staff roles to make up shortfalls in hours from the reduced nurse capacity.
EA Service Provision and how to Access them
Weekdays 6:30pm to 9:00pm
Saturday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday 8:00am – 8:00pm
Weekday appointments are same day bookable and released in two phases at 10:00am and 3:00pm.
Saturday appointments are released in two phases, on Monday at 8:00am and Wednesday at 8:00am.
If you have any questions or queries, please contact our services team on: barnetfederatedgps.services@nhs.net
Training Information and Opportunities
For all Barnet Training Hub events and training opportunities, please visit: https://www.barnetcepn.org.uk/
Making a difference with DIALOG+
Since its implementation, DIALOG+ has been used by many staff and service users across the programme and we’re starting to see some promising results in more streamlined approaches to the way we work, as well as positive service user experience. Please click here for further information.
Alternatively, if you have any questions, please email Gemma Williams on: Gemma.Williams@candi.nhs.uk
Important Notice: Changes to Barnet Non-urgent MH Service Referral Process
As part of our work, our Barnet Division is making a number of improvements to services, so more people are able to gain help and support within four weeks. This will enable access to the best service for their needs as soon as possible. For more information, please read.
Should you haven any questions / queries, please email Gemma Williams on: Gemma.Williams@candi.nhs.uk
Relaunch of the Bitesize learning sessions for Non Clinical Staff
Barnet Training Hub are pleased to be relaunching the Bitesize Learning sessions for Non Clinical Workforce. 1 hour, online, interactive, recorded and educational.
Planned topics are Domestic Violence, Menopause, CQC, Patient Access, Quality Improvement, Process Change, Clinical Coding and more. We want to know what you are interested in learning about as well – contact Emily (email address below) with suggested topics!
Access the previous sessions here:- BTH Bitesize Learning Series for Non Clinical Teams 2022
For further information, please contact Emily on: Barnet.cepnadmin@nhs.net
Barnet Training Hubs Prescription Clerk Course 2023
We are pleased to say that the Barnet Training Hub’s Prescription Clerk Training will be taking place in May 2023. It will be online and led by Dr Jo Yong and colleagues across 6 months.
Please discuss with your teams about taking up the opportunity. It is suitable for Non clinical members of staff who have been in role for at least 6 months with a keen interest in improving patient care, communications, prescription pathways and building great practice.
This training programme is designed to meet four of the Releasing Time to Care –Ten High Impact Actions: Develop the Team, Productive Workflows, Personal Productivity, Develop QI Experience.
Watch out for the EOI of coming soon along with the dates and course programme for your practice to take part.
Any questions, please email: Barnet.cepnadmin@nhs.net
A Webinar for Barnet Practice Managers on: GDPR & DSPT Updates 2023 with DPO Steve Durbin
Hello Practice Managers and team,
We are pleased to invite Steve Durbin (NCL GPs and Feds) Data Protection Officer to present a GDPR & DSPT Update for 2023. Kindly save the date for attendance and come with your questions. If you have any areas you would like Steve to address in the session, please let us know by the 10th March so he can prepare accordingly.
The session will be recorded and slides shared post session on receipt of a completed feedback form.
Date & Time: Thursday 23rd March 2023 – 1200-1400
Please register to join via the link below:
Looking forward to seeing you all.
NCL Training: Motivational Interviewing
Dates & Time: Friday 3rd March, 09.30 – 16:30
Motivational interviewing is a style of communication that uses a guiding, reflective style to engage with people, clarify their strengths and aspirations, and utilise their own motivations for change, and promote independence of decision making.
In a nutshell, MI saves your breath, your time and you are more effective when it comes to people making decisions about themselves. The feedback we regularly receive is that Motivational Interviewing also helps to avoid burn out.
This is an introduction to the principles, spirit and skills of motivational interviewing.
Book now: 3rd March Motivational Interviewing
Research
Research Studies for Barnet GP Practices
Please see below summaries of the three studies:
SUPERNOVA
Aim: Commercial Phase 1 trial to determine safety of a novel (AstraZeneca) IMP as pre-exposure prophylaxis for COVID-19
Benefits: Renumeration of £500, participation in a commercial study by a leading pharmaceutical corporation.
Practice involvement: Database search, eligibility check, recruitment text-out
STATIC
Aim: To investigate if withdrawal of aminosalicylate therapy is not unacceptably less effective than continuing on therapy in maintaining Crohn’s Disease
Benefits: Remuneration of at least £200 + additional per patient costs, support from British Society of Gastroenterology + local IBD team
Practice involvement: Signing practice docs, brief site training, patient eligibility screening
IBPI
Aim: To assess whether providing parents with bipolar disorder (BD) with online parenting support leads to their children having fewer behaviour problems.
Benefits: Remuneration of £200 + additional screening costs
Practice involvement: Database search, participant screening, recruitment text-out
For more information, please feel free to contact: David Jones at Noclor on davidjones@nhs.net OR Narendra Samarasekara on narendra.samarasekara@nhs.net