Primary care bulletin - 28 February 2024
Bulletin:
Fraud alert - fake invoices; Qwell closing; children and young people bulletin and more

Welcome to this week's primary care bulletin

Key points this week include:
  • Fraud alert - fake invoices
  • Qwell closing: Change to online support for adults experiencing mental health difficulties 
  • Children and young people bulletin
  • Spring 2024 Covid-19 vaccination campaign
  • The Coves - support service for young people experiencing mental distress
  • Check in with yourself: take a quick self-assessment questionnaire
  • Training, webinars and more

Fraud alert - fake invoices


Our counter fraud provider has alerted us to fraudsters targeting GP practices by invoicing for consumables that have not been purchased or received.

Any invoices received from Print Expert should be thoroughly checked before any payment is made. Payment should only be made if you are satisfied that you have ordered, and received items from that company.

The fraudsters operating these offences often threaten criminal or civil enforcement action, to intimidate practices in to paying. Please report any concerns to your organisation’s LCFS.

Qwell closing: Change to online support for adults experiencing mental health difficulties


Qwell, an online counselling service for adults who live in north west London is closing on 31 March. Ahead of the closure no new registrations will be possible on the website from 1 March 2024. 

Qwell is provided by a company called Kooth who will continue to offer online support for young people up to 25 years with access to free, safe and anonymous support through an online mental health community.

People experiencing difficulties with anxiety and depression can still get support face to face or in an online appointment from NHS Talking Therapies Services. 

Please find a list of alternative support services below that service users can be signposted to, depending on need.

Children and young people bulletin


FAO: All those who work with babies, children and young people. The update provides a snapshot of all things CYP

Thank you to you all for your continued hard work keeping our babies, children and young people safe and well through the winter season.  

A huge amount of work goes into these crucial months and seeing professionals from across the system come together, supporting each other to care for our smaller people and their families should be a source of tremendous pride for all of us.

Click here to download the update.

Spring 2024 COVID-19 vaccination campaign 


Thank you for your support and commitment to delivering the 2023 autumn COVID-19 and flu vaccination campaigns. We achieved 12 million COVID-19 and 18 million flu vaccinations alongside our routine immunisation programmes. Your efforts continue to save lives.

The NHS should now plan for a seasonal dose of COVID-19 vaccine in spring 2024, following the government’s acceptance of advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI).

Read the full letter here. 

The Coves - support service for young people experiencing mental distress


Support is available from the Cove, a daily drop-in support service for people aged 16 and up who are experiencing mental distress. They offer a friendly, safe and welcoming space to receive emotional support and discuss coping strategies to help young people in the future. Sites for residents are available in Hillingdon, Harrow, Brent, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.

Below are a couple of videos explaining more and promoting the service:

What to expect when visiting the Coves 
Staff you will meet at the Coves

It’s an open access service, so if you want to talk to them you can give them a call, text, email or just turn up. They’re open between 2pm and 10pm, every day of the year.

Check in with yourself: take a quick self-assessment questionnaire 


Unsure about whether you should seek support for low mood or anxiety?

The Keeping Well NWL website has short, quick self-assessment questionnaires that can help give you a sense whether you are having difficulties with low mood or anxiety.  

All scores are anonymous and no data is saved. 

Taking these brief assessments can be helpful if you are unsure about whether to seek support for low mood or anxiety. Find the assessments and more information here.

The team are here to support you. Get in touch with the team by:    
Telephone: 0300 123 1705 

Email: keepingwell.nwl@nhs.net    

Complete a self-referral form

Education and training

Homeless Health Partnership webinar


Wednesday 28 February
Time: 1.00-2.30pm

The Homeless Health London Partnership, led by Transformation Partners in Health and care are hosting a webinar to present a new report of recommendations stemming from three workshops dedicated to improving primary care for individuals experiencing homelessness in London. 

Sign up here. 

Multiple dates available for polypharmacy action learning set workshops


Cohort thirteen - 6 March, 20 March and 3 April 2024 

Cohort fourteen - 28 March, 11 April and 25 April 2024 

Cohort fifteen – 17 April, 1 and 15 May 2024

Cohort sixteen -  8 and 22 May, 5 June 2024

The National Polypharmacy Programme invites you to join the Action Learning Set (ALS) to help build GP and prescribing health care professionals’ confidence in, and understanding of, the complex issue surrounding and stopping inappropriate medicines safely. Delegates need to attend all three sessions. The ALS with also help PCNs deliver the medicines optimisation elements of the new Directed Enhanced Services contract and contributes to the QoF.

To learn more about the Polypharmacy ALS please click here, to register for either: 

Cohort 13 please click here

Cohort 14 please click here

Cohort 15 please click here

Cohort 16 please click here

Feel free to circulate this invite to other colleagues who may be interested. 

For further information and/or to get involved with the ICHP Polypharmacy Programme please contact  

catherine.caldwell@imperialcollegehealthpartners.com

Prescribing memantine in General Practice in England


A research team at the University of Exeter are investigating care and prescribing for people with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in general practice.

If you are a GP working in a general practice in England, please spare 10 minutes to complete a short online survey.

If you would like to participate in the survey, please click this link.

The team are also keen to conduct research interviews (online/phone) – you will be given an opportunity to register your interest in being interviewed at the end of the survey.

If you have any questions about this research, please contact: Dr Mary Carter, Research Fellow, mary.d.carter@exeter.ac.uk.

Type 2 diabetes in the young webinar


Thursday 7th March 2024 4pm - 5pm

This webinar is more in-depth training on the EOT2D/T2DAY extended review service with Dr Misra. Come and have your questions answered.

The training will be a deep five into the five key components of the Early Onset Type 2 Diabetes(EOT2D)/T2DAY extended reviews. The webinar aims to address any grey areas that may require further discussion or input as well as pathway queries followed by a Q&A session. This webinar will build on the training sessions Shivani ran in October. 

Dr Shivani Misra (MBBS, FRCP, PhD) is National Lead for Early Onset T2Diabetes Programme

Click here to join the meeting 
Meeting ID: 361 006 121 321 
Passcode: SvMCrq