News

On 26 April, MPs held a Westminster Hall debate on a potential National Strategy for Self-Care. Leading the debate, Sir George Howarth, Labour MP for Knowsley,  noted ‘the important role self-care can play in reducing the burden on GPs and A&E departments’. Sir George suggested a number of proposals, including a greater role for pharmacists. […]

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From 6 April GP practices have had the option of producing fit notes which do not require a physical signature. The main changes include: GPs’ names will be automatically captured by their IT systems from their user login. The exact date the system will be updated depends on your system supplier. Until the new template […]

On 14 April, the UK Health Security Agency updated their infection prevention and control guidance for health and care settings. Social distancing is no longer ‘routinely required’ in GP practices, and practices should assess themselves whether ‘standard infection control precautions’ such as hand hygiene and PPE are needed. This was widely reported as meaning an […]

The Goldacre review was set up by the government in February 2021 to look at how to improve safety and security in the use of health data for research and analysis. It is led by Prof Ben Goldacre, a doctor and academic who specialises in the use of data in healthcare. The review recommends the […]

Following the recent NHS England and NHS Improvement communication, Reimbursable vaccines and eligible cohorts for the 2022/23 NHS Seasonal Influenza (flu) Vaccination Programme , dated 2 March 2022, and the announcement that 50-64 years age cohort will not be included in the 2022/23 NHS Seasonal Influenza (flu) Vaccination Programme. Sequiris advise that practices can amend […]

The arrangements for death certification and registration introduced by the Coronavirus Act (2020) expire on 24 March 2022. The relevant guidance can be found on the Government website, the key points of which are summarised below. The following provisions continue after 24 March 2022: The period before death within which a doctor completing a Medical Certificate of Cause of […]

This blended learning programme has been developed by experienced primary care nurses and it is specifically designed for registered nursing associates (RNAs) new to working within the general practice setting. The programme is supported by a competency document which is completed in practice, providing evidence of competence for both employers and RNAs. The 11 modules […]

Dear Colleagues, Patient record access – NHS England training events In the GMS/PMS contracts in England, from April 2022 new patients registering with a practice should be offered full online access to their digital record for their prospective information. In addition to the detailed coded record (DCR) which is currently available, access to a full […]