Primary Care E-bulletin (Issue 104) – 18 December

Click here to view web browser version of this briefing.

In this Issue:

• COVID updates
• Mid and South Essex Hospital Trust: opening of bookable appointments on eRS
• MSE QI Leadership Programme
• GP briefing re: UK and EU negotiations
• Samaritans Helpline for NHS & Social Care Workers
• BMJ Best Practice – an award-winning resource now free to all NHS staff
• Healthwatch Essex launches a sensory awareness campaign
• The South East Essex Mental Health Partnership Forum needs a logo!

Support with Day to Day Issues

COVID updates

#MSEBigThankYou to everyone working locally on the COVID-19 vaccination programme

We have developed a special newsletter with photo and video highlights from some of our initial vaccination centres to mark the first chapter of our COVID-19 vaccination journey.

For more information about the local vaccination programme, please visit the EPUT website.

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COVID-19 vaccine programme

Local primary care networks have now started to receive their COVID-19 vaccines and have begun the monumental task of vaccinating priority groups.

We want to say a massive thank you to everyone working in our GP practices who have helped make this happen as we roll out the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history.

Nearly 100% of vaccination slots were filled across the wave one practices with very few DNAs.

Thanks to all those who helped us to put primary care in mid and south Essex on the map.  We attracted both national and local media coverage with a lot of excitement and support on social media.   

Useful resources for COVID-19 vaccine programme

NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme primary care patient communications toolkit

NHS England have developed a useful toolkit with guidance and key messages which primary care colleagues can use for their patients.

Giving the Covid-19 vaccine to someone living with dementia

Dementia UK have developed a useful guide about how to give the COVID-19 vaccine to someone living with dementia.

Mencap – easy-read guide about the coronavirus vaccine

Mencap have developed an Easy-read guide about the coronavirus vaccine for people with learning disabilities. Please feel free to use this within your practice as necessary.

Lateral flow antigen testing in primary care

Lateral flow antigen testing will now be rolled out to asymptomatic patient-facing staff delivering NHS services across all four primary care contractor groups (Medical, Dental, Optometry, and Community Pharmacy) in England.

Lateral flow antigen testing, in conjunction with PCR testing, aims to reduce further transmission and enhance the resilience of NHS services, by improving virus detection.

Patient-facing staff will be asked to test twice-weekly using self-administered nasal swabbing and report their results through an online platform. Any positive lateral flow antigen tests will need to be followed up by a confirmatory PCR test.

A letter will be sent to all primary care contractors later this week with further information. A video tutorial about how to take the Lateral Flow self-swab has been developed for healthcare staff – you can watch this video here.

Azithromycin in the Management of COVID-19 Positive Patients

Within primary care the use of azithromycin and other antimicrobials, specifically in the treatment of COVID-19 infection, should be solely within the context of a clinical trial. Azithromycin may continue to be prescribed within the licensed indications outside of a clinical trial, and within NICE and other associated guidelines. Please refer to the CAS Alert for further information.

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Mid and South Essex Hospital Trust: opening of bookable appointments on eRS

From 18 December, the following services will be updated on eRS to enable direct booking of routine appointments with MSEFT:

• Cardiology
• Diabetes/Endocrinology
• Gastroenterology
• Geriatric/Care of the Elderly
• Gynaecological Services
• Pain Service
• Plastic Surgery (Broomfield only)
• Respiratory
• Rheumatology

Please click here for more information.

Education and Training

Mid and South Essex Training Hub

For the latest initiatives from the Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership Training Hub, please visit the Training Hub section of our website.

MSE QI Leadership Programme

Applications for the MSE QI Leadership programme are now open. The cohort starts in February 2021 and the deadline for applications is 11th January 2021. Full details, and the application form, can be found on the MSE Training Hub website.

More information

For Information

GP briefing re: UK and EU negotiations

UK and EU negotiators are continuing to meet in the hope of reaching an agreement on their future relationship. Further guidance will be provided once these negotiations have been concluded.

The latest updates can be found by accessing the GOV.uk and NHS England websites.

Please escalate any EU issues to: [email protected]

If you have any concerns about medicine supply issues, please raise this with your local Medicines Management Teams.

Samaritans Helpline for NHS & Social Care Workers

Samaritans has launched a new confidential support line for NHS and social care workers. For more information, please visit our website.

BMJ Best Practice – an award-winning resource now free to all NHS staff

BMJ Best Practice is a clinical decision-making resource providing the latest evidence-based information to use at the point of care. Funded by Health Education England, it is free NHS professionals and learners in England.

Rated as one of the best support tools worldwide, staff using BMJ BP will have access to essential resources to support healthcare professionals with diagnosis and management of COVID-19, as well as the latest evidence on thousands of clinical topics, medical calculators, videos on common procedures and nearly 500 patient information leaflets.

Go to bmj.com/hee and register via NHS OpenAthens (instructions here). Download the app once registered.

Healthwatch Essex launches a sensory awareness campaign

COVID-19 has brought new challenges to many, especially to those living with sensory impairment. Healthwatch Essex has been working closely with their Collaborate Essex forum members who have experienced sight or hearing loss to understand the new obstacles the pandemic has brought. For more information about this – please visit Healthwatch’s website.

The South East Essex Mental Health Partnership Forum needs a logo!

The South East Essex Mental Health Partnership Forum meet regularly to share information and updates on services that support people in our community. They are running a design competition for a logo for the partnership designed by a person or a group of people. The deadline for entries is Thursday 24 December, 2020. More information.