General Practice During The Pandemic: The Role of the General Practitioner and Practice Team
Our new document, General Practice During The Pandemic: The Role of the General Practitioner and Practice Team, looks at how practice teams are adapting to the Covid-19 challenge and some of the future implications of this period of rapid change. It also contains guidance on a number of areas, including:
Emergency/urgent care
- Diagnosis and management of patients presenting with acute illness.
- Risk assessing and triaging these presentations into those suitable for advice only, prescription, further investigation, referral for specialist advice or acute hospital referral.
- Referring cases of suspected cancer to specialist services in accordance with revised 2 week wait pathways.
Long-term conditions (LTCs)
- Diagnosis and management of many LTCs in general practice.
- Referral for secondary care for the diagnosis and/or initial management with referral back to GP for the long-term management.
- Referral to secondary care for the diagnosis and/or initial management and then ongoing joint management of the patient.
- Referral to secondary care for the diagnosis and ongoing management of patients.
Prevention and health promotion
- This includes vaccinations, immunisations, lifestyle modification (diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol).
End of life care
- Increasing numbers of patients with end stage disease or malignancy or choosing to die in the community with the GP being part of the multi-disciplinary team supporting them and their families through this event.
Patient and local community advocacy
- Identifying and referring vulnerable individuals, especially where there may be a safeguarding concern.
- Understanding the local communities being served.
- Providing holistic care, for example assistance with benefits.
- Linking with voluntary organisations.
- Providing patient support forums within the practice.
- Contribute to community cohesion.
New CQC guidance section for practices (20 Aug 2019)
In the past 12 months CQC have visited nearly 400 practices in London and found that: 3 were considered outstanding, 300 were considered ‘good’, 57 required improvement, and 23...Bowel screening update – August 2019 (20 Aug 2019)
NHS England have provided an information sheet to explain the introduction of the faecal immunochemical test (FIT). This replaced the guaiac faecal occult blood test (gFOBt) at the start of...Tackling social isolation and loneliness to improve health (20 Aug 2019)
Colin Brown, UK Director for Independent Living & Crisis Response at British Red Cross looks at how their expertise will be of use to social prescribing link workers, as they...Primary care buddying system (20 Aug 2019)
The NHS London Leadership Academy is working with primary care providers to support development in the sector, and to facilitate wider working across the health and social care system. They...Vaccination update August 2019 (20 Aug 2019)
Hepatitis B in at risk babies Babies born to mothers infected with hepatitis B require a course of hep B vaccination. The first dose is given within 24 hours in...Londonwide LMCs’ support for Primary Care Network Clinical Directors (20 Aug 2019)
The introduction of the PCN DES means significant changes in the way practices deliver some existing services, and the rolling out of a new range of services. Londonwide LMCs is...Safeguarding payments and collaborative arrangements (15 Aug 2019)
On 11 July 2019 Dr David Geddes, NHSE/I Director of Primary Care Commissioning, wrote to CCGs and STPs advising that payment for safeguarding activity is not covered by core NHS...Tips of the month August 2019 (15 Aug 2019)
We provide weekly tips based on common queries which come through to us from London GPs and practice teams. These are shared via social media and collated for...Congratulations to Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer on becoming CEO of Cambridgeshire LMCs (15 Aug 2019)
At the start of August Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer took over from Dr Guy Watkins as Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire LMC. Katie trained as a GP in London and was previously a medical...CNSGP confirmed to cover safeguarding reports (13 Aug 2019)
NHS England and NHS Resolution have confirmed that the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP) does cover GPs for claims relating to reports produced in response to safeguarding requests, for...Guidance
We provide expert guidance for practices in our guidance section, as well as an archive of other materials you may find useful.
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