Barnet Federated GPs News – Summer 2024

Chair update

 

Dear Members, Colleagues & Patients

I hope that many of you will have had the opportunity to have a well-deserved break this summer!

Since the last time I wrote there has been a lot of change – a new government and new promises to increase the share of funding towards primary care. There was confirmation that the DDRB pay recommendation would result in an increase in the global sum; welcome news to some extent but GPC England are continuing to negotiate for a settlement that restores the funding eroded by the below inflation increases seen over recent years. We have also had an almost unanimous BMA vote for industrial action and it feels very much like our profession is at a cross-roads. The only way to survive this challenge is to stand together, across PCNs, Federations and wider across the system to demonstrate how General practice provides exceptional value and care to patients. Barnet is often commended across NCL for our weekly cabinet forum- a weekly meeting involving Federation, PCN CDs, LMC and other partners to discuss issues we face collectively. If you have anything you’d like to discuss or feedback please do contact myself or any of your board members to share.

I was appalled at the racial tensions and hate crimes across the UK this month, and we worked closely with the ICB to ensure our staff and clinics remained safe whilst delivering the bridging service. On a personal level, having grown up in North Finchley, observing the proposed threat this month around the corner from home was deeply distressing. Primary care staff and patients need to feel safe whilst delivering care to the most vulnerable- please reach out if you need any advice or support for your practices at this uncertain time.

Finally, we are recruiting salaried GPs to work within the Federation services, alongside our regular sessional GP colleagues. We maintain our commitment to recruit clinicians who work in Barnet practices and understand the local pathways to ensure the clinical care is at the level we expect and value.

As ever, thank you all for your ongoing support and the hard working team at the Fed.

Best wishes

Dr Anjali Gibbs

Federation Chair

Headlines

Bridging Service

Appointments specifically for Children and Young People are now available at weekends, accessible via 111. Utilisation has been very good, in line with the Bridging Service as a whole.

Practice Support GP Sessions

Barnet Federated GPs are offering to provide additional in hours practice support sessions to our member practices.  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: In Hours Practice Support Request Form.  One session request per 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 GP Assistant Training Programme 2024

Update on GP Assistants

The NCL GP Assistant Course has completed two cohorts this year with another commencing in September.   There have been attendees from across NCL including Barnet taking part.  It is delivered online and comprises of eight sessions, two of which are Medical terminology alongside clinical topics with a core focus of clinical letter coding, understanding conditions, workflow triage and how to support patient and practice specifically GPs in reducing their administrative workloads.

The sessions are facilitated by GPs and include examples focused on current NCL pathways, QOF and digital systems to ensure the learning can be applied to their day to day from the start of the course.   The attendees are set tasks to complete to produce a learning portfolio as they progress through the course including a quality improvement project that has been implemented by them in practice.  

We are looking forward to working with the next set of attendees in September.

For further information contact Emily: barnet.cepnadmin@nhs.net

Pan Barnet Event 

Thank you to all for your continued support. We really value and appreciate you making the time and effort to attend and participate. The speakers have fed back that they have already received positive engagement from many and wanted to thank you again for your time.

 We had over 100 attendees from across the borough and a wonderful diversity of professions.

The feedback received has been incredibly constructive and will help us develop our online and face to face events going forward.

We are pleased to invite you to our next virtual Pan Barnet meeting on Wednesday 4th September 2024, covering the topic of Sudden Cardiac Death.

We are very happy to be joined by Jennifer Tollit, a British Heart Foundation Research fellow and inherited cardiovascular disease lead from Great Ormond Street, and her team to provide some education around Sudden Cardiac Death and how we can best support families with multi-disciplinary team support. We will consider appropriate referring of families for cardiac screening and discuss conditions such as sudden arrhythmic death syndrome and inherited cardiac conditions, and provide guidelines regarding where to refer families if early red flag symptoms are present.

We are happy to hear from Fiona Rutherford, dietician, for an update on the NHS Type 2 Path to Remission Programme, to help our patients with weight loss, improvement in HbA1c, reduction in medication needs and even the potential for diabetes remission. She will update us on Barnet data and remind us how to refer in.

We are pleased to be joined by Dr Nick Dattani for an ICB update, and Dr Anjali Gibbs for our Federation update

You are encouraged to bring along any questions around these topics that you may have on the day to ensure your learning needs are met.​

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 contact Dr Anisha Sodha: anishasodha@nhs.net

To join the meeting please click on this button:  Click here to join meeting  

North Central London Cancer Alliance Innovation Fund 2024/25

North Central London Cancer Alliance have launched their 2024/25 Innovation Fund focusing on harnessing innovation to improve patient experience across cancer pathways in North Central London.

The call will be open to the below stakeholders across North Central London, however applications which evidence collaboration between organisations, including Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise will be favoured in the selection process:

  • 1. Primary care
  • 2. Secondary care
  • 3. Tertiary care

While the Alliance encourages project teams to explore and establish partnerships directly, they are more than happy to support in facilitating introductions where appropriate. If required, please email Lily Mackay on lily.mackay1@nhs.net with details of your proposal and/or organisations wishing to be contacted.

The Alliance welcomes a wide range of innovative proposals within this Fund, from digital/technology solutions to new models of care however all applications must evidence how they meet with one, or more, of the below prioritised themes:    

  1. 1. Communication
  2. 2. Access and navigation
  3. 3. Coordination of care

As representative for the Fund for Barnet, I will be responsible for navigating applications at the local level, supporting individuals wishing to bid for funding where a primary care organisation is partnered, and signposting as necessary. Please kindly note that all applications must be routed exclusively through me, and individuals cannot submit applications directly to North Central London Cancer Alliance.

I am confident that this opportunity will generate excitement and interest in the local community so please do contact me to discuss any potential proposals as appropriate.      

Dr Zareena Cuddis – Cancer GP for Barnet (Cancer Alliance)

Email: z.cuddis@nhs.net

For more information click on the documents below:

Best Show Practice

The next conference and exhibition within the Best Practice brand is around the corner on Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th October 2024 at the NEC Birmingham. It is the largest gathering of general practice HCPs from across England, and it is FREE to attend! With over 5,000 HCPs expected to attend

  • Accredited CPD Content – 12 different theatres of educational sessions to choose from – that is over 200 individual talks, including Dr Kiren Collison, Dr Raj Thakkar, Dr Minal Bakhai, Dr Stephanie Cook, Tara Humphrey, Dr Steve Holmes, and many, many more!
  • Clinical Education – over 100 different clinical updates covering diabetes, respiratory, cardiovascular, women’s health and many more.
  • Multi-disciplinary Appeal – different yet specific programmes for PCN leaders, practice managers, GP Partners and all clinical staff.
  • Business Advice – develop your non-clinical skill set.

Products & Solutions – over 270 brands hosted within our exhibition, a great opportunity to scope out new products and services and demonstrate the latest and best!

For full information and to register please click here:  Click here for more information  

 

 

An Update on Incretin Based Therapies in Diabetes (plus a brief update on lipid management recommendations in patients with HIV)

This will be held on 10 September 2024, 1-2pm on MS Teams 

The subject will be An update on incretin based therapies in Diabetes, delivered by Arshna Sanghrajka (Senior Clinical Pharmacist with specialist interest in Diabetes). The session will also conclude with a brief update on Lipid management recommendations in patients with HIV, from Dr Katie Lloyd (NCL HIV GP Champion)

Please follow this link to see how to join: Click here for more information  

NURSING TEAM FORUM

This will be held on 12 September 2024, 1-2pm 

Barnet Training Hub would like to invite you to the Barnet Nursing Team Forum where will discuss the new RSV vaccine and how you are getting on with LTC LCS

To join the meeting please click on this button:  Click here to join the meeting  

For further information, please contact:  barnet.cepncpd@nhs.net

The Menopause at Work for Managers and Leaders

This will be held on 18 September 2024, 1-2pm

As part of our Health and Wellbeing focus and support around Menopause we are pleased to inform you that we will be running a live Webinar for Managers and Leaders on The Menopause at Work.

This session will be run by Halsa Wellbeing (www.halsawellbeing.com), a Wellbeing Organisation, delivering Wellbeing and Menopause support in corporate and clinical settings.

For further information:  Click here for more information  

Or contact Nes Yilmaz: neslisan.yilmaz@nhs.net

Health & Wellbeing Lead

HIV Getting to Zero – A session with the HIV GP Champions

This will be held on 25 September 2024, 12-1pm

This will be led by the NCL GP HIV champions.  The education session will give you an update on HIV and how we can work together to achieve zero new transmissions of HIV by 2030 in the UK.  We will cover HIV testing, the NCL pathways and how to improve the care for your patients living with HIV. This will be a great chance to meet and connect with the GP HIV champions and find out more about the Fast-track Cities Programme.

For further information, please visit:  Click here for more information  

Contact NCL Training Hub: Dr Samantha Preston:  Samantha.Preston1@nhs.net  or  nclicb.nclth@nhs.net 

LTC Asthma Training in person tier 2 & 3 training

AIM:

With a focus on Tier 2 Tier 3 CYP Children and Young People’s Asthma aligned with the Tier 2, Tier 3 national asthma standards.

Tier 2 is AM only.

Tier 3 is AM and PM – attendance at both sessions is needed to be provided with a Tier 3 certificate of attendance.

Those attending a Tier 3 session must have attended a Tier 2 session beforehand.

Please click on this button for further details: Click this button to open the Flyer

DATES: You can attend one of the following dates:

Tuesday 25th June – 9am to 4pm 

Tuesday 9th July – 9am to 4pm 

Thursday 26th September – 9am to 4pm 

Click on the button to book your place: Click here to book your place  

VENUE: Hartley Hall, 1 Flower Lane, London, NW7 2JA

There will be an opportunity to get yourself some lunch, alternatively you could bring some along, refreshments will be provided.

For more information contact Georgina: barnet.cepncpd@nhs.net

NCL LTC LCS Model of Care sessions: Check and Test – Barnet

This will be held on 25 September 2024, 12-1pm

To support practices with the implementation of the Long-Term Conditions Locally Commissioned Service, NCL Training Hub have organised drop-in sessions to provide clinical staff with support to implement stages in the LTC Model of Care. Lisa Smith and Beth Freedman would like to support clinicians working on the LTC LCS at borough level

To register, see further information and access the session:  Click here for more information  

Or contact NCL Training Hub:  nclicb.ltctraining@nhs.net

Polypharmacy education session 24/25

This will be held on 3 October 2024, 1-3pm

We will cover topics about overprescribing, the use of a medicine where there is a better non-medicine alternative, or where the use is inappropriate for that patient’s circumstances or is inconsistent with their wishes and can lead to problematic polypharmacy (a person’s concurrent use of multiple medicines).

For further information and to book:  Click here for more information  

Haringey – Tongue Tie Awareness Education Session

This will be held on Monday 14 October, 09:30 – 12:30

Audience: Clinical professionals in Haringey e.g. health visitors, nurses, midwives (also open to others who are interested)

Location: The Triangle Centre, South Tottenham, N15 6NU

Morris House Group Practice with the support of Haringey Council are organising a educational half day on 14th of October 2024), at the Triangle centre, to talk about tongue ties and to raise awareness around the condition and its treatment. More information can be found in the event leaflet.

To book your place please email:  morrishouse.minorsurgery@nhs.net

NCL Training Hub
www.ncltraininghub.org

 Testing to Check The New CSMS User Readiness Now Available

The new NHS Cervical Screening Management System (CSMS) can test their access ahead of the official system go-live.

It is important to note that this check is solely for testing access only and is not the official launch of the new CSMS. Users should continue to use the current Open Exeter system to support the NHS Cervical Screening Programme until the point of

transition to the new CSMS for cervical screening call/recall.

We encourage all users to take advantage of this opportunity to ensure a smooth transition and to address any potential access issues proactively.

The actions needed to be taken before the new CSMS goes live are outlined here.

Please forward this message to all relevant users of the new CSMS.

Instructions for Testing CSMS User Readiness:

Please note: These checks are for testing access to the new CSMS only.

Check access by clicking the following link:  Click here for access  

Guidance to help you complete your access check: Cervical Screening Management System access check – NHS Digital

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to this important Programme.

Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please contact the CSMS Implementation Team at screening.implementation@nhs.net

Research

national institute for health 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)

 

RELIEF

Aim: To assess how effective a combination inhaler containing ICS/formoterol might be in comparison to the standard blue salbutamol inhaler for symptom relief in mild asthma.

Benefits: Remuneration upwards of £3000 depending on recruitment numbers of 10 patients to the study

Practice involvement: Database search and invitation of patients, online site initiation call, GP eligibility checks, baseline and follow up assessments. (Can be coordinated remotely by BRN coordinators & delivery staff)

 

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