BEST Events – Held @ Shaw Lane Sports Club, Barnsley
For further information the BEST Portal Website can be accessed at http://best.barnsleyccg.nhs.uk/
Medicines Management
Shared care and Amber-G guidelines can be found at the following link: http://best.barnsleyccg.nhs.uk/clinical-support/medicines/shared-care-guidelines/ An overview of Shared Care guidelines, including the Principles of Shared Care is available to read here.
Prescribers (including secondary care clinicians) are encouraged to report any problems they experience with shared care or other medicines related issue, particularly where guidelines are not being complied with, to the following email address: BarnsleyAPCReport@nhs.net.
With secondary care opening up activity and undertaking remote consultations, it has been reported that there has been increased pressure in primary care to undertake things they wouldn’t normally. Due to this, the APC reporting has been temporarily expanded to capture any issues and these can be fed into the APC. The hospitals need this information so that issues can be addressed.
Practices can now report any interface issues they have, as much as possible, via Barnsley LMC, which will then be submitted to the hospitals.
A list of Prescribing Guidelines is available to view here.
The Barnsley Area Joint Formulary is available to view here.
Medicines Management monthly Newsletters are available to view here.
Workload Shift
Barnsley LMC would like to remind all practices it is important that we receive examples of any workload shift. Please provide examples of workload shift to barnsley.lmc@nhs.net in order that these can be taken to the meeting with Secondary Care.
Get Fit First
Barnsley LMC have now received a letter to say that GFF is no longer a requirement in terms of non hip and knee MSK referrals. GFF is not contractual and clinicians do not have to do this. Referrals can be rejected on clinical thresholds, but not because there is no GFF attached to the referral.
Two-day Survey on Contract Breaches
Following on from an earlier survey, Barnsley LMC will be arranging a further date for practices to submit as many contract breaches and D1 issues as possible that occur over a two-day period. Please look out for email and survey and try and let us know of as many problems with D1s and contract breaches as you can.
The date of the survey has been confirmed for Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th April 2023. Barnsley LMC will be sending out the survey next week, please submit as many breaches or D1 issues as you can that cover that two day period once the survey is received.
Advice and Guidance
At the recent Medical Staff Committee meeting, the consultants raised concerns that they do not always get sufficient information in A&G requests. Normally the request is the only information they have, so it needs to be as clear as possible what the problem is, include any findings, and relevant PMH and, in particular, the question we want answering. This will enable the best advice to be given.
GP Pressures 2023
This report, based on a survey of general practice staff, highlights the current workload and workforce pressures facing GPs and their teams, and the impact these are having on patients.
Dealing with Difficult Situations – Courageous Conversations
Sometimes we find ourselves in difficult situations with people who appear resistant to what we are trying to do or even hostile. These situations can have a negative impact on our resilience and self-esteem.
Virtual Wards Treat 100,000 Patients in a Year
More than 100,000 patients have been treated in NHS virtual wards in the last year, with 16,000 patients treated in January alone.
Pay Progression Policy
As you may be aware, the pay progression process was paused nationally across the NHS due to Coronavirus back in March 2020. This meant that staff would move on to any pay steps automatically without need to follow the process set out in our policies.
Following national guidance, the pause will cease from 1 April 2023 for SYICB and the policy will be in effect from this date onwards. This means that for any pay step dates that fall on or after 1 April 2023, staff and line managers will be required to complete the pay progression form 3 months prior to the pay step date and submit it to HR for processing. We understand this might not be possible in some cases where pay affecting steps occur fairly quickly after 1st April so if this is identified and a pay progression form hasn’t already been sorted following correspondence with the HR team, please get in touch to discuss and complete this as soon as possible.
Please familiarise yourselves with the full details of the process that can be found in the SYICB Pay Progression policy on the People Hub section of the intranet.
Should anyone have any queries about this, please get in touch with the HR team at: syicb-sheffield.humanresources@nhs.net
NHS Standard Contract 2023/24
The following documents have been published:
Wellbeing
As we continue to face overwhelming pressures in general practice, we encourage practices to focus on their own team’s wellbeing. A range of wellbeing and support services are available to doctors, from our 24/7 confidential counselling and peer support services to networking groups and wellbeing hubs with peers, as well as the NHS practitioner health service and non-medical support services such as Samaritans. The organisation Doctors in Distress also provides mental health support for health workers in the UK, providing confidential peer support group sessions. See our poster with 10 tips to help maintain and support the wellbeing of you and your colleagues.
Spring COVID Booster Vaccine
People aged 75 years and older, residents in care homes for older people, and those aged 5 years and over with a weakened immune system will be offered a spring booster COVID-19 vaccine from April 2023. People will be contacted between April and June, with those at highest risk being called in first. Invites to have a spring booster will take place around 6 months from the last dose but patients can have it from 3 months.
New Unit Will Future-proof Barnsley Intensive Care
Work is now completed on Barnsley Hospital’s new £7.3m Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This is a landmark for Barnsley in terms of future-proofing the town against current and future demand for intensive care beds, and is a milestone in Barnsley Hospital’s capital development projects. Read more here.
Targeted Lung Health Checks start in Barnsley
The NHS free Targeted Lung Health Checks programme has now started in Barnsley, offering those aged between 55 and 74 who smoke or have ever smoked a lung health check in convenient locations across the borough. Read more here.
LMC Buying Group
A Reminder about LMC Buying Group Membership
The LMC Buying Group helps GP practices save money on products and services they regularly buy. The Buying Group have negotiated excellent discounts on a wide range of products and services from their approved suppliers.
Buying Group membership is completely free and there is no compulsion to use all the suppliers. They do the hard work associated with finding the most competitive suppliers in cost and customer service, so they save you time as well as money on your purchasing!
Although the Buying Group was originally set up to help GP practices save money on the products and services they regularly buy, membership is now also open to GP Federations and Primary Care Networks.
Why use the Buying Group?
- No membership fees
- Excellent negotiated discounts from a range of suppliers
- Quality products and services
- Free cost analysis for members
- No need to ‘shop around’ anymore – we’ve done the hard work already!
- Access to a recruitment platform to advertise your clinical and non-clinical roles for free and a premium ‘Featured Job’ package for a small fee.
- Access to a community resource hub
If you’re not sure whether you’re a member and/or have access to the Buying Group website (this is where you can view the pricing/discounts and get quotes) then contact the Buying Group team on 0115 979 6910 or info@lmcbuyinggroups.co.uk . They can also help you with any questions you might have about your membership or the suppliers.