News

What is “Purdah”? ‘Purdah’ or ‘the pre-election period’ refers to the weeks preceding a general election when specific restrictions apply principally around the activity of those working in central and local government. Its purpose is to prevent announcements and activities by public bodies which could influence or be seen to influence the election. Who does it […]

Recent media reports have revealed large numbers of patients being discharged form hospital after a missed appointment, contrary to the NHS Standard Contract. We all know that general practice is under unprecedented workload pressures and it is not appropriate for practices to incur the additional bureaucracy and workload to re-refer patients after a single missed appointment. […]

The Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP) was introduced on 1 April 2019 and provides comprehensive indemnity for clinical negligence liabilities arising in NHS general practice in relation to incidents that occur on or after 1 April 2019. What do I need to know about the CNSGP?  The CNSGP does extend to all providers of NHS primary medical […]

The Conference of England LMCs is on Friday 22 November. A full list of motions to be debated can be read here. Three motions are being proposed by LMCs from within the Londonwide group: 18. Agenda committee to be proposed by City and Hackney: That conference recognises the workload of the clinical director of the new […]

The Health Care Support Worker (HCSW) training programme The aim of this programme is to provide introductory level learning to those who are new to the role. The course is professionally accredited with the RCGP and includes the Care Certificate Standards developed by Skills for Care, Skills for Health and Health Education England. The course […]

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Central Alerting System (CAS) is the national system for issuing patient safety alerts, important public health messages and other safety critical information to all providers, including GP practices. Since 1 October 2019, the MHRA have sent CAS alerts directly to practices, replacing the established local patient safety CAS alert […]

October 2019 Newsletter Digital-first update NHS England’s board has approved proposals put forward for managing the funding and lists of digital-first providers. READ MORE   ► Notification of Deaths Regulations updates The Ministry of Justice has a new mandatory set of circumstances where GPs must provide written notifications of deaths to coroners. READ MORE   […]

On 8 October Matt Hancock, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, released a statement on his department’s preparations for a ‘no-deal’ exit from the European Union. It provides some high-level details of supply chain plans, but no specific actions for general practice. At the end of September, the National Audit Office (NAO) released […]

Following World Mental Health day earlier this month, Dr Richard Stacey from our GP support team looks at how clinicians can take better care of their own mental health. 10 October 2019 marked the World Mental Health Day, this year’s theme being suicide prevention – any initiatives that raise awareness about and de-stigmatise mental health issues […]