Primary care bulletin - 24 October 2024
Bulletin:
National patient safety alert; Medicines defect information; Learning Disability Annual Health Check Framework; Various webinars; and more

Welcome to this week's primary care bulletin

Key points this week include:
  • General practice in North West London survey - thank you
  • National patient safety alert - update: Discontinuation of Kay-Cee-L (potassium chloride 375mg/ml) (potassium chloride 5mmol/5ml) syrup
  • MHRA class 4 medicines defect information: Kent Pharma UK, paracetamol 500mg effervescent tablets, EL(24)A/49
  • Learning Disability Annual Health Check Framework 
  • Imperial pain management referrals update
  • Black History Month - Keeping Well
  • Combining two ICE systems at Chelsea & Westminster and West Middlesex
  • LGBT foundations Pride in Practice primary care patient survey
  • NW London polypharmacy ePACT2 case study opportunity
Webinars and training, including:
  • Interdisciplinary Masterclass Programme
  • GP registrations webinar
  • Universal Care Plan for London – webinars for staff 
  • COPD winter planning webinar
  • Workwell webinar
  • ICHP polypharmacy masterclas
  • Safeguarding webinars
  • PCN companies key issues webinar

If you have any submissions for this bulletin please email them to the communications inbox - nhsnwl.communications.nwl@nhs.net

Deadline for content is 3pm Monday

To view any previous editions click here
General practice in North West London survey - thank you

NHS North West London would like to thank practices for the work they have done in getting out the messaging regarding the survey.

Over 38,000 have patients have responded so far, which is down to our joint efforts.

Please keep encouraging patients to complete the survey up until the 3 November 2024 closing date.
National patient safety alert - update: Discontinuation of Kay-Cee-L (potassium chloride 375mg/ml) (potassium chloride 5mmol/5ml) syrup

See the Department for Health and social care's alerts here.
MHRA class 4 medicines Defect information: Kent Pharma UK, paracetamol 500mg effervescent tablets, EL(24)A/49

Kent Pharma UK has identified an error in the patient information leaflet for paracetamol 500mg Effervescent Tablets.

This notification can be accessed from the MHRA website.
Learning Disability Annual Health Check Framework 

There is an opportunity to support in the development of a nationally led Learning Disability Annual Health Check Framework with an initial workshop scheduled for 13 November 2024.

To express an interest, share examples of good practice or join the workshop please contact Louisa Whait, Senior Programme Manager, Health Improvement, Learning Disability & Autism Team via email: louisa.whait@nhs.net

See full details attached.
Imperial pain management referrals update

Following our previous communication regarding the Pain Management referrals’ update on Tuesday 1 October 2024, please see further guidance attached in this document.
Black History Month - Keeping Well  

The NHS is the fifth largest employer in the world, with one in five workers of Black, Asian and minority ethnic heritage.  This year’s Black History Month’s theme, ‘Reclaiming Narratives’,  is dedicated to shining a light on forgotten or untold stories.  Across the NHS, events are taking place to celebrate the stories of the black pioneers who have made, and continue to make, vital contributions to building our NHS.

As a staff support service it is important we recognise the unique experiences our staff may have.  Keeping Well have a dedicated page for further resources, signposting and support information on our website. 

You can find out more and get involved here. 

We are here to help support you.  You can contact us on:  
  
Telephone: 0300 123 1705 

Email: keepingwell.nwl@nhs.net 

Complete a self referral form 
Combining two ICE systems at Chelsea & Westminster and West Middlesex

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital have been working on a project to combine the two ICE systems at each hospital into a single instance.

The current Chelsea and Westminster ICE system will be the ICE system which will serve both hospitals.

We plan to go-live with the single instance on Tuesday 29 October 2024.

The only change users will see is a location pop-up window which will appear when requesting a test.  When the pop up is presented, please continue to select the usual site you refer to. 



Please Note: To view any Historical results stored in West Middlesex ICE instance, please use OpenNet and search under West Middlesex ICE. 

If you have any queries or issues, please contact the usual ICE mailbox. 
 
LGBT foundations Pride in Practice primary care patient survey

We would be grateful if you could share this survey with colleagues, and any patients who may wish to share their primary care experiences.

The survey can be found here.

Education and training
Interdisciplinary Masterclass Programme

Date: Thursday 6 – Friday 7 February 2025 

Theme: Blurring Boundaries: a masterclass to challenge, evolve and futureproof your Interdisciplinary Palliative Care practice

Global guidance from organisations such as the WHO and EAPC underscores the importance of evolving towards fully integrated interdisciplinary palliative care, essential for addressing the needs of our aging populations. While multidisciplinary collaboration is common in palliative care, achieving a truly interdisciplinary approach remains the gold standard.

The event takes place at St Christopher’s CARE (Centre for Awareness and Response to End of Life), 51-59 Lawrie Park Road, in Sydenham, SE26 6DZ.

Please note there is a cost attached. Click here for further information and booking information.

 
GP registrations webinar

Dr Shanker Vijay (GP lead, Digital Transformation - Primary Care, NHS England - London) explains to practices in NW London ICB about the 'Register with a GP Surgery' service and how to set it up for their practices.

Click here to watch it.
 
Universal Care Plan for London – webinars for staff 

The Universal Care Plan is an NHS service that enables every Londoner to have their care and support wishes digitally shared with healthcare professionals across the capital.

The Universal Care Plan (UCP) is planned to expand in December to become a personalised care and support plan with patient preferences and wishes at the fore. The UCP will remain a tool for advance care planning, but there will be new forms and data fields to provide a richer picture of the person receiving care and to allow the UCP to support more people with long term conditions.

To help users and front-line clinical staff prepare, we will be hosting webinars on Wednesday 27 November 12 - 1pm and Thursday 5 December 2024 4 - 5pm. These sessions will cover the upcoming changes to the UCP, explain their impact on current users, and provide an opportunity to address any questions.

Additional resources will be released in the coming weeks, on the Universal Care Plan (UCP) website.
WorkWell webinar

WorkWell streamlines patient care by integrating employment support into health services, improving overall health outcomes.

Find out more during our webinar at 1 - 2pm on 29 October 2024

Find out more and pre-register your attendance here.
COPD winter planning webinar

You are invitied to join the NW London COPD Winter Planning: identifying and optimizing at risk COPD patients for winter webinar, with a primary care focus.

The event will be led by Dr Vince Mak and Dr Sarah Elkin. It will take place at 1 - 2pm on 24 October 2024.

Please pre-book your attendance by visiting this webpage.
NW London polypharmacy ePACT2 case study opportunity

Imperial College Health Partners (ICHP) is seeking two Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in North West London to highlight the use of NHSBSA Polypharmacy Prescribing Comparators in identifying patients for Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs).

In collaboration with NW London ICB, and as part of the Polypharmacy programme, ICHP has been tracking the percentage of NW London patients prescribed multiple high-risk medications. As of August 2024, over 38% of NW London adults aged 65+ are prescribed two or more DAMN (Diuretics, Angiotensin Receptor Blockers, Metformin, NSAIDs) medicines, while 11% are on 10+ unique medications.

By promoting the use of ePACT2 polypharmacy data, we aim to support PCNs in identifying patients who could benefit from SMRs, in line with the GP contract.

Interested PCNs are invited to express interest by emailing ICHP (catherine.caldwell@imperialcollegehealthpartners.com ).

Who: NW London PCNs
When: Over four weeks in January–February 2024
Where: NW London
How: £750 provided to successful sites for staffing backfill
How to Apply: Email Catherine Caldwell by Monday, 4th November, with a brief statement (max. 100 words) on how the funds would be used.
ICHP polypharmacy masterclass - Oral Nutritional Supplements (ONS)

ICHP polypharmacy masterclass - Oral Nutritional Supplements (ONS) on Wednesday 27 November 2024 with John Adams, Head of Pharmacy, Hammersmith & Fulham Partnership PCN and Vittoria Romano, Prescribing Lead Dietitian, Central London Community Healthcare Trust.  

John Adams, Vittoria Romano and Imperial College Health Partners would like to invite you to attend our upcoming Polypharmacy Masterclass - Oral Nutritional Supplements (ONS) on Wednesday 27 November 2024 from 12pm to 2pm.  

This session will focus on improving understanding and prescribing practices for ONS, with a special emphasis on the impact of polypharmacy and the importance of appropriate use for healthcare professionals across all settings—not just dietitians.  

Please click here to register for the session.   

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   
Safeguarding webinars

Please join our one hour online safeguarding webinars.

You will receive a certificate of attendance when attending the full session.

Your certificate can be counted towards your lv 3 Safeguarding annual update.

There are various sessions concerning relevant topics. Click here to find out more and to book.
PCN companies key issues webinar

The webinar takes places at 12 - 1pm on 27 November 2024.

The content includes:
  • Summary of the key issues to be considered when establishing a PCN company
  • The benefits of a company, the roles and responsibilities within it, good governance, the role of the Clinical Director
  • Sub-contracting to the company and the issues associated with that (CQC, pensions access and VAT).
You will receive a certificate of attendance when attending the full session.

Click here to book.