September newsletter now available

Londonwide LMCs Newsletter

September 2015 Newsletter

Health Select Committee's new inquiry into Primary Care - our response

Londonwide LMCs' response to the Commons Parliamentary Health Select Committee's new inquiry into primary care is now available.

Don’t let your NMC registration lapse – information for nurses and practice managers

From November, anyone who allows their Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration to lapse will need to make an application for readmission in order to regain access to the register. This could take between two and six weeks.

Retired Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) indicators update

Practices have highlighted concerns in relation to the request from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) to extract data related to retired QOF indicators. The BMA’s General Practitioners Committee (GPC) Executive team has taken up the profession’s legitimate concerns with NHS England and NHS Employers.

Updated Subject Access Requests (SARs) guidance from the BMA

The BMA has issued updated ‘Focus on’ guidance on Subject Access Requests for insurance purposes following input from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Warning for practices that use a PBX telephone system

There are reports that some businesses have recently been victims of PBX fraud where a fraudster hacked into their phone lines and made premium rate calls at a significant cost to the practice.

Speakers' Corner

Jeremy Hunt has pledged to recruit 5000 extra GPs by 2020. Dr Joe Rosenthal from the Department of Primary Care and Population Health at UCL Medical School writes about what is needed to make general practice the positive career choice for medical students.

Guidance Updates

•	Sessional GP Subcommittee Newsletter - top tips for locum pay and pensions and the benefits of joining a sessional GP group

Londonwide Diary

September

24	Business Health Check
28	London Improvement Grant application deadline

October

7	Handling complaints
10	Reflective practice for GPs
13	Parliamentary Health Oral Questions
13	Infection control
13	Allergy Academy - Anti-IgE study day
13	Allergy Academy - Immunotherapy in allergic disease
14	Allergy Academy - Asthma in practice
16	Deadline for return of September FFT data

Also this month...

Responsible Oxygen Prescribing

The London Respiratory Network has asked us to re-circulate a copy of the London Clinical Oxygen Network (LCON) key messages for responsible oxygen use in adults from 2012. Their advice is to continue to discuss any home oxygen prescription with the specialist respiratory team.

Broadband vouchers

The Government’s superfast broadband connection vouchers worth up to £3000 are available to small and medium sized businesses until March 2016.

Life in general practice today – the Commonwealth Fund would like your views

From 28 September Dr Gordon Moore, a professor at Harvard Medical School, will be in the country to conduct a small number of personal interviews of GPs to develop a more fine-grained view of life in general practice today.

Buying Group updates

Increased savings on magazine subscription packages with DLT Magazines

Up to 70% off on magazine subscriptions and a further 10% off for LMC Buying Group practices using the promotional code LMCBG.

Egg-free flu vaccine Optaflu now available

MASTA, one of the Buying Group’s approved flu vaccine suppliers for the 2015-16 season, is now carrying stocks of the egg-free flu vaccine Optaflu.

Media round-up
	Londonwide LMCs and CEO Dr Michelle Drage were quoted in The Observer, on 13 September, in a front page news article based on the information submitted to the Parliamentary Health Select Committee warning that overloaded London GPs cannot cope. Read it here. The Observer’s sister paper, The Guardian, carried the Parliamentary Health Select Committee story on its website and it was also picked up by BBC London evening news on Sunday 13 September. GP Online quotes Londonwide LMCs and Dr Michelle Drage in their article published on 15 September stating ‘Londonwide LMC leaders warned ministers that GPs cannot continue under soaring workload demands and mounting pressure unless key problems are addressed’. Read it here. Dr Michelle Drage appeared on Victoria Derbyshire on BBC2, speaking about the new NHS occupational health scheme. See it here. Again, based on the information submitted to the Parliamentary Health Select Committee, Pulse quoted both Londonwide LMCs and Dr Michelle Drage. The article, entitled ‘London GPs tell MPs cuts in mental health services are hitting them hard’, was published on 14 September 2015. Read it here. Pulse released its Power 50 list which includes those who, voted for by their peers, were deemed to have made the greatest contribution to general practice in the past year. Dr Michelle Drage was voted in at number 19, while there was a special mention for Dr Tony Grewal as a 'Local Hero'.

Got a story? Email us at comms@lmc.org.uk. Deadline for next month's submissions is 12 June.	Have you downloaded your resources from our GP Resilience website?

Last updated : 17 Sep 2015

World Mental Health Day 2021 (20 Oct 2021)

For World Mental Health Day we recorded the advice of LMC Chair Emma Rowley-Conwy on how she has managed workplace stress through the pandemic.

Next workforce survey due November 2021 (20 Oct 2021)

Our latest workforce survey will be arriving with practices via email next month, this is the 12th such survey we have had conducted via polling company ComRes. The data gathered from...

Abuse of practice staff – October 2021 update (20 Oct 2021)

Our work pushing back against abuse of practice staff continues to be our highest priority. We will soon be meeting with representatives of the Met Police following our letter...

Londonwide LMCs' October 2021 Newsletter (20 Oct 2021)

Reminding patients of Pension Credits (19 Oct 2021)

Thousands of London’s pensioners on low incomes may not be getting the Pension Credits they are entitled to, GP practices can help by displaying reminder materials about who can claim....

Free training for early career GPs (19 Oct 2021)

Early career and trainee GPs in London are eligible for a free leadership programme provided by Next Generation GP, consisting of workshops and talks running from December 2021 to May...

Covid-19 booster shots for practice staff (19 Oct 2021)

Health care workers can now book their Covid-19 vaccination boosters through the National Booking Service (NBS) or by contacting their local PCN site. Staff booster vaccinations can be administered no earlier...