M Word - Issue 19

2 October 2014

Dear Colleagues

It has come to my attention that some important points were missed off this issue yesterday, so with apologies, I have decided to reissue it.

Two hot things for you:

1. IMPORTANT NEWS ON 2015/16 GP CONTRACTS – NEGOTIATED BY THE GPC
   
   
2. Londonwide LMCs' Campaign BUILDING GP RESILIENCE - TAKING CONTROL

I urge you to read Chaand Nagpaul’s letter thoroughly as is there to empower you. Please discuss both these interrelated topics at practice meetings going forward so that you and your whole team can get the most from the negotiated agreement and thinking how you can start Taking Control back into your professional day to day work.

As always, any thoughts or comments you might have are very welcome and can be emailed to mword@lmc.org.uk

Dr Michelle Drage FRCGP

Chief Executive

Londonwide LMCs

1. IMPORTANT NEWS ON 2015/16 GP CONTRACTS – NEGOTIATED BY THE GPC

Please read this letter from Dr Chaand Nagpaul, Chair of the GPC, which contains details of the negotiated package of contract changes coming into effect from April 2015. It details the following:

• Significant improvements to the Avoiding Unplanned Admission DES, reducing workload.
• The ending of the Patient participation DES with monies going into the global sum, ending workload
• The ending of the Alcohol enhanced service DES with monies and work going into the global sum, reducing box-ticking.
• Improvements to entitlements in the SFE on maternity and paternity payments.

In addition it also describes the following:

• (Re) Introduction of named GP for all patients, to support continuity
• Changes to patient online access to records
• QOF Stability – no new NICE indicators, No changes to thresholds
• Details of the requirement to Publish GP earnings and how this will be handled over the year to 2016
• Assurance on Out of Hours Provision by opted in practices
• Changes to registration to reflect armed forces health requirements

And also covers:

• PMS Reviews
• GP Premises
• Workforce concerns
• IT

And finally it also sets out the GPC case for other immediate and necessary actions to support the profession during these tough times for GPs and practice teams.

2. BUILDING GP RESILIENCE - TAKING CONTROL

Over the coming weeks we will be launching our next campaign which will have two elements:

1. patient-facing materials to engage our patients in the struggle we have in order to make time to see them, and thereby getting patients behind us, and
2. practice guides setting out as clearly as we possibly can what you, as providers of general practice, are both required to do and not required to do – essentially helping you to cut through the bureaucracy and box-ticking which simply get in the way of doing your best for the patients in front of you, consuming your time whether you are a GP, a nurse, a manager or essential front desk staff.

We want to help you feel empowered to challenge inappropriate demand on your time, not from patients who need your time, but from the system treadmills that get in the way of caring for them, which suck the lifeblood from you and your teams. Building Resilience – Taking Control will be supported by its own accessible part of our website, and my next MWord will contain specific details.