Dear colleagues,
We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves as the Chair of the EHH LMC and the Chair of the Ealing LMC and Vice Chair of the EHH LMC. The EHH LMC covers Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith and Fulham LMCs. This is the first of what will be a regular series of newsletters. Everyone on the Ealing LMC recognises the increasing pressures that general practice is under and are committed to try and address some of the pressures by helping practices and PCNs reduce the unfunded work they are doing and to challenge workload shift which is unsafe for both patients and practice staff.
Your current LMC members are (contact can be made via the Londonwide LMC team details at the end of this letter):
Ealing LMC
- Dr Mohammad Alzarrad, Lady Margaret Road Surgery
- Dr Sonali Bose, Yeading Medical Centre
- Dr Sidhartha Datta (Ealing Chair & EHH Vice-Chair), Churchfield Surgery
- Dr Camille Gajria, Sessional
- Dr Kamini Gautam, KS Medical Centre
- Dr Arim Ismail, Sessional
- Dr Adam Jenkins (EHH Chair), Mansell Road Practice
- Dr Mark Mikhail, Chepstow Gardens Medical Centre
- Dr Jay Patel, Crown Street Surgery
- Dr Miraj Patel, Corfton Road Surgery
- Dr Anil Sagar, Crown Street Surgery
- Dr Vichitar Sanghera, Southall Medical Centre
- Dr Sukhpal Shergill (Ealing Vice-Chair), Hillview Surgery
Local priorities
Ealing LMC’s local priorities include the need for services requiring input from general practice to be co-designed by GPs and practice teams. Services need to be funded and resourced appropriately so that patients are safe and practices are not making a loss by delivering a service. LMC members will continue to engage with stakeholders to campaign for this. General practice needs to speak with a unified voice to ensure that practices and patients’ needs are considered in planning services at a borough and North West London level.
Recent and current areas where LMC committee members are engaged
At a borough level:
- PPG audits. It has been highlighted to the LMC that the Borough Team are running a survey on the PPGs of practices. It is a contractual requirement for practices to have a PPG and we would urge all practices in Ealing to engage with the process and reply to the survey. At the meeting it was reported 50% of practices have done so.
- We will be seeking to engage with Ealing’s Director of Public Health, to work together on public health issues relating to primary care.
At a North West London level
- NWL Enhanced Services, Commissioning Intentions 23/24. Londonwide LMC and individual LMCs in NWL have expressed their concerns over the approach taken by the NWL ICS, in relation to Enhanced Services Commissioning Intentions for 23/24. We have concerns over the contract being at a PCN level only, that PCNS will be required to deliver all services and the length of the contract. Londonwide has surveyed PCN Clinical Directors (CDs) to canvas their views. An overwhelming majority of the PCN CDs share the concerns outlined above and a letter to NWL ICS has been sent to express these reservations.
- Agreement from NWL ICS/ICB Estates Department to any expansion in practices’ premises. It has come to the attention of the LMC that any expansion or change in a GP practice premises need to be agreed with the NWL ICS/Estates Department. If not the Borough Management team are not approving rent reimbursement for the additional premises on the basis they did not agree to it. It is therefore very important from a financial perspective that practices involve the Estates Department from the earliest stage of any changes to practice premises and ensure their approval to whatever is proposed and undertaken. Thereby ensuring Borough management will pay the correct rent reimbursement.
- Improvement Grants. Unfortunately it has been confirmed that the Improvement Grant national allocation has been cut and that there will effectively be no allocation for 2023-24 as the unfunded Improvement Grant applications which have been approved from 2022-23 have been rolled forward into 2023-24. The Ealing LMC has made clear our unhappiness at this situation.
Thank you for those of you who contact LMC committee members about issues as they arise. We rely on you to know where support is needed and are grateful for your queries. LMC members are keen to hear from our local GPs and practice teams about any issues you are facing.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Adam Jenkins, Chair –EHH LMC
Dr Sid Datta, Chair Ealing LMC and Vice-Chair-EHH LMC
Ian Oakley, Committee Liaison Executive, ian.oakley@lmc.org.uk
Dr Paul Park, LMC Secretary/Medical Director, paul.park@lmc.org.uk
Lesley Williams, Assistant Director of Primary Care, lesley.williams@lmc.org.uk
Jamie Wright, Director of Primary Care, jamie.wright@lmc.org.uk