Primary care bulletin - 17 July 2024
Bulletin:
Occupational health service; changes affecting audiology AQP patient care; job opportunities and more

Welcome to this week's primary care bulletin

Key points this week include:
  • Primary care webinar
  • Changes affecting audiology AQP patient care
  • Occupational health service - satisfaction survey
  • Keeping Well NW London
  • Job opportunities
Digital
  • Healthtech-1
  • End of Life Care website
  • Patient messaging update
  • Online consultation regarding procurement for 2025
  • Software to help patients register with a GP practice
Training and webinars including:
  • Primary care webinars
  • ICHP CVD education series - CVD coding in primary care
  • Final dates released for polypharmacy action learning set workshops

Primary care webinar


Watch this week's primary care webinar here (Wednesday 17 July 2024).

Changes affecting audiology AQP patient care


Primary care colleagues who have patients accessing Audiology AQP care (including domiciliary) from one of the three following providers are urged to read the attached communications relating to change in service:
- Chelsea and Westminster NHS hospital  
- The Outside Clinic
-  Scrivens

Audiology AQP service is across seven of the eight NWL boroughs: Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster. 

Occupational health service - satisfaction survey


You are invited to feedback on your experience of using the Schedule 1 Occupational Health Services which are paid for by the Integrated Care Boards (ICBs).

This is a good opportunity for practice staff to inform the review of services and help understand any improvements which may be required.

Please share your feedback by Friday 26 July 2024 using the attached link: https://forms.office.com/e/k42cNpjNhy

The feedback form should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Please do not include any sensitive/confidential information about any individuals.

What is compassion fatigue? – Keeping Well NW London


Compassion fatigue refers to the ‘emotional cost of caring for others or their emotional pain.’  

It can develop over time and healthcare workers are at higher risk. Signs of compassion fatigue include feeling hopeless, detached or numb, reduced empathy, anxiety and withdrawal from others.  It can be understood as a response to prolonged stress or trauma.  

Research has demonstrated that compassion fatigue can lead to poorer work-related morale, greater absenteeism and reduced job satisfaction.

While compassion fatigue is preventable and can be reversed it is important to recognise its early warning signs and seek support.

For more information about compassion fatigue, warning signs, tips, coping strategies and support available see the dedicated Keeping Well information page.

You can contact us for free, confidential support via:  

· Telephone: 0300 123 1705   
· Email: keepingwell.nwl@nhs.net   
· Complete a self-referral form 

Job Opportunities

The following roles are now available on NHS Jobs: 


Hillingdon Borough Clinical Lead

Hounslow Borough Clinical Lead

Central London Borough Clinical Lead

West London Borough Clinical Lead

Ealing Borough Clinical Lead

Harrow Borough Clinical Lead

Last Phase of Life Clinical Lead

Maternity, Babies, Children and Young People Clinical Lead

Surgical Clinical Reference Groups Clinical Lead

Medicines Optimisation Clinical Lead

MSK & Diagnostics Clinical Lead

Digital

Healthtech-1


North West London ICB is offering practices 6 months free automated registrations with Healthtech-1. Practices could automate 95% of your registrations with all the clinical coding and patients get registered on the same day! In just 2 months, Bacon Lane Surgery has saved 47 hours of staff time and automated over 200 registrations. Click here to find out more. 

There are 23 spaces remaining which we're aiming to fill by the end of July

Healthtech-1 and the National Register with a GP Surgery Service: how do they align?

Healthtech-1 provides practices with the ability to automate the National Registration Form. Click here for more information.

If you would like to participate in this pilot, please click here to submit an expression of interest. 

End of Life Care website 


A unique digital platform designed to support Integrated Palliative and End of Life Care across North West London. HPAL brings together the best resources in palliative care, making them easily accessible for clinicians, patients, and carers.

https://hpal.medindex.co.uk

HPAL features a ready populated clinical triage tool designed to address common clinical challenges in Palliative Care through a clinically designed search function. It’s service directory provides real-time information on available services in each Borough across North West London. It improves care at the point of contact through saving clinicians time by offering easy access to curated summaries of key symptoms. Its separate portal dedicated for family carers improves self-management for both patients and carers, and a portal for Clinicians providing a fantastic resource for Primary Care, Hospital and Care Home clinicians. 

HPAL also provides summaries of national guidance tailored to the Integrated Care System (ICS) and local needs. Users can search for information specific to their boroughs. It helps the ICS meet its obligations and improve equality of access across the ICS.

Since its launch, over 500 users accessed the website within just three days, receiving excellent feedback for its ease of use. A huge thank you to Harlington Hospice for developing this invaluable resource for North West London.

Patient messaging update


Budget Achievement: NWL ICB is happy to announce that practices and PCNs have successfully adhered to the budget of 60p per patient from April 1 2023 to March 31 2024. This means, no practice will be required to make additional payments. The total SMS expenditure amounted to £1.3m. While there were variations among practices, with some exceeding their limits, we extend our thanks and congratulations for the prudent utilisation of NHS resources. 

Updated SMS Allocation from April 2024 – March 2025:

From April 1 2024 to March 2025, the SMS budget decreases to 45p per patient, which is a total ICB allocation of £1.2m for this financial year. Therefore, with similar activity levels as the previous year, we anticipate staying within budget. Each practices’ updated allocation has been calculated based on the latest figures. 

As part of Modern General Practice the national digital tools funding is covering the cost of both Accurx Plus licenses and AccuBook whilst the ICB is covering the cost of SMS fragments (45p per patient) for this financial year. Additional funding, if identified will be added to the budget where appropriate.

Please find attached the SMS fragment allocation for 23/24 (last financial year) and the new 24/25 SMS fragment allocation.  This dashboard will be sent out to NW London GP practices each month so that you’re aware of the remaining allowance.   

From July the team will be hosting monthly webinars for GP practices to discuss the current cap allocation and share ‘tips and tricks’ to send communications out to patients via alternative routes, such as Accumail or the NHS App. The first webinar will be on Wednesday 24 July from 1-2pm. The invite will be sent out in the GP bulletin.

Dashboards: Practices will receive a monthly dashboard after the 26 of each month containing SMS data from various sources including online consultation suppliers, clinical systems and Accurx for the previous month. The graph indicates your current monthly and year to date spend, a comparison to last year’s activity, your allocated budget and forecasted spend against the current allocation.

Overall Budget Breakdown: The total ICB budget for text messaging covers various components, including:
  • AccurX SMS Fragments
  • Clinical system messages (TPP and EMIS) 
  • PATCHs generated SMS 
  • eConsult generated SMS (in Ealing only) 
  • Accurx Plus licenses, AccuBook functionality
Best Practice Guidance: We encourage practices to review their patient messaging strategies encompassing emails, SMS, and NHS App notifications. Additionally, consider digital literacy and health inequalities when determining the appropriateness of SMS. NWL is developing a comprehensive guide on best practice to ensure SMS is used appropriately with confidentiality and safety in mind. 

Please find attached the SMS top tips document, to show how GP practices can best use SMS functionality via your clinical systems, emails and the NHS App. 

For any queries, please contact us at nhsnwl.digitalfirst@nhs.net

Online consultation regarding procurement for 2025 


On behalf of NHSE, NW London ICB will be re-procuring a solution/s for Online Consultations (OC) in 2025.

Over the past few months the Digital First team have interviewed practices about their usage of OC and have found that some PCNs are self-funding alternative systems other than those commissioned (Patchs and eConsult).

With this situation in mind it would be great if you could fill out the questionnaire in the link below so the team can understand the OC choices for each practice/PCN.

This is a simple form with 6 questions.

If agreed by our Primary Care Executive Committed it may be that from 2025 PCNs will choose their preferred systems (subject to IG requirements), with the proviso that each provider share OC data with NW London BI team and NHSE.

Software to help patients register with a GP Practice


Experience the ease and efficiency of patients registering with your GP Practice through a streamlined online system. Developed in collaboration with healthcare professionals and patients, the service simplifies and standardises the GP registration process.

Key Benefits:
  • Complimentary for NHS GP Practices: No cost for usage as NHS England (Digital) product.
  • High Success Rate: 93% success rate in matching patients to their NHS number/PDS spine.
  • Catchment Area Verification: Ensures patients register within the correct catchment area.
  • Enhanced Integration: Integrated with the NHS Website (Find a GP), NHS Login and NHS App, which increases practice visibility. There is also future planned integration with EMIS & SystmOne to reduce workload further. 
  • Reduced PCSE Exceptions: Cut down exceptions by up to 60%.
  • Best Practice Digital and Paper Forms: Adhering to principles used across government and NHS services.
  • Accessibility Compliance: Meets WCAG AA accessibility standard.
  • Contractual Compliance: Part of GP Contract 2024/2025 requirements. 
Already over 3,000 practices in England have embraced the service, processing 1.3million registrations to date. Now, the service are extending their reach across London, ready to assist you in joining today! 

How to sign up:

Register here
Or email: england.register-gp-surgery.support@nhs.net 
 
The team will also be hosting a number of regional webinars covering how the service works, why should you use it, how you set it up and any Q&As. If you would like to join a webinar, please email Hannah.foster17@nhs.net for dates and times. 

For more information, visit the website.

Education and training

Primary care quality improvement lunch and learn workshops


A series of primary care quality improvement workshops that will take place throughout August. These engaging, interactive and informative workshops will be led by our Borough Professional Leads and designed to help enhance the quality of primary care services.

Event Type: Lunch & Learn
Format: Online via MS Teams
Dates: Throughout August

To book, please email: nhsnwl.pcquality@nhs.net

Central & West
6 August 2024
12.00 – 13.15

Ealing & H&F
8 August 2024
12.00 – 13.15

Harrow and Brent
20 August 2024
12.00 – 13.15

Brent and Hillingdon
22 August 2024
12.00 – 13.15

Primary care webinars


Immunisers in primary care in London can access immunisation training. The series of webinars are designed to support immunisers to fulfil the requirement for annual immunisation updates and are free to access. 

For more information including dates click here. 

ICHP CVD education series – CVD coding in primary care 


Wednesday 24 July, 1.00pm-2.00pm

On behalf of Dr Kuldhir Johal (NWL ICS Clinical Lead for Cardiovascular and Renal Disease Interim).

In this session, you will review searches and templates available in S1 and EMIS, as well as case finding and UCLP risk stratification tools, with a focus on hypertension and lipid management. 

You will have the opportunity to put your questions to the current NWL ICS Clinical Lead for Cardiovascular and Renal Disease, in a Q&A moderated by ICHP. 

Please click here to register for the session.

For further information and/or to get involved with the ICHP CVD education series please contact: 

chanelle.corena@imperialcollegehealthpartners.com or catherine.caldwell@imperialcollegehealthpartners.com 

Final dates released for polypharmacy action learning set workshops 

The National Polypharmacy Programme exclusively invites our NWL prescribers to join the Action Learning Set (ALS). The programme aims to 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: 
For further information and/or to get involved with the ICHP Polypharmacy Programme please contact  

catherine.caldwell@imperialcollegehealthpartners.com