Page last updated: 7 April, 2021, 2:16pm
Primary Care E-bulletin (Issue 132) – 7 April 2021
Welcome to the latest edition of our e-briefing to support GP practices across mid and south Essex.
If you think these e-briefings could be improved, please let us know how by sharing your feedback.
Previous bulletins can be found on the MSE healthcare professional website.
There is also a search function (located top-right of the website) to make it easy to find what you’re looking for.
Help shape future primary care bulletins
Deadline: 12 April 2021
We will be transitioning to a new email communications provider, until we do this, we will be using the healthcare professional website to share information with you.
We’d like to take the opportunity to review our current newsletters, so we are asking people to share their views on the content and layout of newsletters received to date.
We do appreciate there are many demands on your time at present, but if you can spare a few moments to complete a brief feedback survey we’d be very grateful.
We will use this feedback to help build our new design for primary care communications going forward.
In this Issue:
- IMPORTANT Urgent Community Response Team (UCRT) Supporting avoidable hospital admissions across mid and south Essex (MSE)
- NICE guidelines cancer mouse mats for GPs and practice nurses
- Vaccination of household contacts of those with severe immunosuppression
- For information: National Booking Service (NBS) – booking function for self-declared health and social care workers and unknown unpaid carers
- Second doses for people first vaccinated in the Detained Estates
- COVID-19 local vaccination services deployment in community settings
- Wellbeing Calls referral form
- MyCPD
- Essex/Suffolk GP Sustainability Network: want to make your practice greener?
- NHS Counter Fraud Authority – spotlight on COVID-19 fraud
Support with Day to Day Issues
*IMPORTANT* Urgent Community Response Team (UCRT) Supporting avoidable hospital admissions across mid and south Essex (MSE)
NEW contact number for Mid and South Essex: 0344 257 3951
UCRT is the new collective name for the community teams who respond to the crisis needs of patients in their own homes, including nursing and residential care homes, to avoid admission to hospital or in need of new 24-hour care.
Access to this service is available immediately. You may already know the service by a different name, depending on your location:
- “SPOR” in Basildon and Brentwood
- “ESDAAR” in mid Essex
- “RRAS” in Thurrock
- “SWIFT” in Southend, Castle Point and Rochford.
Please note, calls to these services will be temporarily diverted to the new number. PLEASE UPDATE YOUR SYSTEMS WITH 0344 257 3951.
The service is accessible 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year with teams operating from 08:00hrs – 22:00hrs (referrals accepted 08:00 – 20:00).
NICE guidelines cancer mouse mats for GPs and practice nurses
FREE mouse mats are now available featuring NICE cancer referral guidelines (2015 NG12 NICE guidelines) for GPs and nurses across mid and south Essex practices.
These were developed by Cancer Research UK GP, Dr Ben Noble to support the earlier diagnosis of cancer and allows users to see an overview of suspected cancer symptoms for a number of common cancers.
Some practices may have already received the mouse mat delivery, and others are still on route but should be with you in due course.
If you have any queries, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].
Vaccination of household contacts of those with severe immunosuppression
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recently advised that adult (aged 16 years or over) household contacts of adults with severe immunosuppression should be offered the COVID-19 vaccination alongside priority group 6.
NHSE/I has written to practices with further information and next steps, including a template letter GP practices can use to inform patients that their adult household contacts are eligible to have the COVID-19 vaccination. Operational guidance is also included to support mobilising vaccination of this group.
For information: National Booking Service (NBS) – booking function for self-declared health and social care workers and unknown unpaid carers
From Thursday, 1 April, the function that has allowed frontline health and social care workers and unknown unpaid carers to book appointments through the NBS by self-declaring will no longer be available.
PCNs are asked to record unpaid carers who have not already been called for vaccination, and who care for those with CEV or those ‘at risk’, as carers on their primary care record and offer a vaccination. For new approaches from unpaid carers currently not known to the system, the normal process for identifying and recording eligibility should be applied.
Second doses for people first vaccinated in the Detained Estates
We would like to highlight to LVS sites that some second doses will need to be completed in the community after the first dose was provided in a detained estate setting (a prison, immigration removal centre or a young offenders setting).
Healthcare workers: During the earlier cohorts, some healthcare workers from the detained estate received a first dose in the setting to maximise the use of vaccine at the end of clinic sessions. The point of care system in the detained estate is for detainees only and so the record of these staff doses had to be completed using a paper-based approach. The second dose of the vaccine needs to be accessed in the community to ensure that the record of their vaccination course appears in their health records.
Released detainees: A detainee who is released from a detained setting after receiving their first dose of COVID vaccine will have to receive their second dose in the community. There should be a record of their first dose vaccination on the NIMS and in their GP record (if they are registered with a GP), although there may be a few cases where the data flow from the detained estate’s point of care system failed to upload successfully.
Please support anyone in these positions to book their appointment.
COVID-19 local vaccination services deployment in community settings
This standard operating procedure, updated 26 March 2021, describes the operating model and design requirements for safe delivery of COVID-19 vaccines in the community.
Wellbeing Calls referral form
We would like to inform all GPs across mid and south Essex about a new form for referring patients for a wellbeing call with Mind available on SystmOne.
This is suitable for patients who are prescribed anti-depressants. Short term support over 2-4 weeks can be provided; wellbeing calls by telephone or via digital platforms provide a safe place for individuals experiencing mental health problems to have an increase in support over the winter months while COVID-19 restrictions are still in place. For some patients, this will also reduce loneliness and/or social isolation. The wellbeing call offers practical and emotional support in a warm welcoming and friendly manner.
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.
MyCPD
This continual professional development is open to nurses, AHPs and Nursing Associates. Click here for full details of eligibility and booking instructions.
Spaces available:
- Introduction to Childhood & Adult Immunisations – 6th & 7th May 8 places remaining
This training covers all aspects of immunisation practice, in line with PHEs Immunisation Training Standards for Healthcare Practitioners tailored to the context of General Practice. - Travel Health Update – 23rd June 15 places remaining
This course will benefit qualified Practice Nurses and experienced Travel Health Practice Nurses to ensure their skills and knowledge are current
For Information
Essex/Suffolk GP Sustainability Network: want to make your practice greener?
The Covid pandemic is a reminder of the delicate balance between people and planet. We are a group of GPs and other primary care professionals who are interested in promoting planetary health and reducing the environmental impact of our surgeries.
There are already examples of good practice in our area and the aim is that we can share ideas and support each other in taking steps to make our practices more environmentally sustainable.
If you are interested in taking part and would like more information, please email: [email protected]
Greener Practice Essex and Suffolk: want to find out how to shift to greener inhalers?
Join us for our next meeting on Wednesday 14th April 5.30-6.30pm to learn more.
The Covid pandemic is a reminder of the delicate balance between people and planet. We are a group of GPs and other primary care professionals who are interested in promoting planetary health and reducing the environmental impact of our surgeries. A major focus for primary care is a shift to low carbon inhalers and this is a GP contract target for this year.
Please email [email protected] for more details.
Green quick win for practices: are you using tiger bags (yellow/black stripe) for offensive waste? Orange clinical waste bags only need to be used for infectious waste e.g. for Covid19. A shift to tiger bags halves the cost to the NHS and halves the carbon footprint of incineration. See page 5-6 of the COVID-19 waste management standard operating procedure and the carbon footprint of waste streams in a UK hospital for more information.
Planetary Health Webinar – Thursday 22nd April 2020, 7-8.30pm
Join this free Earth Day webinar, open to everyone (not just GPs) hosted by the RCGP Junior International Committee (JIC), in collaboration with Essex and South West Thames faculties.
NHS Counter Fraud Authority – spotlight on COVID-19 fraud
Please find a link below to the latest Covid-19 fraud newsletter from NHSCFA.
NHS Primary Care COVID-19 Bulletin
Click here to access NHS England’s latest primary care COVID-19 bulletins.
For the latest advice and guidance around coronavirus for clinicians, please visit the NHS England website.