Dear colleagues,
This summer will see LMC elections in all the boroughs within Londonwide LMCs and in Harrow we are keen to encourage new members to nominate themselves for election for the new term in September 2023. Nominations are open until Friday 26 May, any GP on the National Performers List who does the majority of their sessions in Harrow or one of the other areas covered by Londonwide LMCs can stand. There are a number of different events and support for members including networking events, developmental meetings and different training opportunities including media training.
If anyone practising in the borough would like more information, or to invite one of the current committee members to come and talk to your GP group, please email amy.honor@lmc.org.uk .
About the LMC
As you know, the LMC is the only body that by statute represents ALL GPs, whether partners, salaried, sessional or trainees as well as GP practices. We would value representation from all types of Harrow GPs, regardless of your role, to enable us to better support, represent and advocate for you.
As an LMC, we provide support and guidance for all categories of local GPs and their practices on a range of issues, including contractual, partnership, estates, performance and other issues. We also provide advice and support to navigate GPs on the GP Contract as well as Enhanced Services.
GPs and practices also benefit from fantastic support from the GP Support team at Londonwide LMCs, on matters including CQC inspections, performance concerns, partnership issues, employment concerns and others. If you are struggling with any such issues, please contact GPSupport@lmc.org.uk .
Please also share this email with colleagues and ensure they all check that Londonwide LMCs have an up-to-date email address and the correct borough they practice in, so they can be included in the election process. If a GP is unsure of whether their details are up to date they should email brt@lmc.org.uk with their name and details of the practice where they do the majority of their sessions.
A reminder of your current members:
Harrow LMC
- Dr Meena Thakur, Chair, Honeypot Medical Centre/ Harrow East PCN
- Dr Chaand Nagpaul, Vice Chair, Honeypot Medical Centre/ Harrow East PCN
- Dr Azeem Nizamuddin, Shaftesbury Medical Centre/ Harrow Collaborative Network
- Dr Akash Gandhi Sessional GP/VTS representative, Pinn Medical Centre/ Healthsense PCN
- Ms Deborah Harvey Practice Manager representative, St Peters Medical Centre/ Sphere PCN
Harrow LMC has been busy engaging with different stakeholders on a number of different issues as follows:
Local priorities
At a borough level:
- Our Chair, Dr Thakur together with the Londonwide team attend the monthly Harrow Primary Care Executive Group meeting, advocating for Harrow GPs
- Our Chair and other Committee members attend regular Liaison meetings with the Harrow Borough Team to raise issues affecting Harrow GPs, including premises, local enhanced services, ERM etc.
- Dr Nagpaul attends Primary/Secondary Care Interface Meetings within Harrow as well as the wider NWL System Interface Group (SIG) meeting, which includes community services. It is improving communication and relationships with better communication paths to be set up and shared.
- Ensure Estates is top on the Borough team’s agenda.
- Working with the ICB to ensure Local Services meet patients needs.
- Londonwide LMCs attend PCN CD meetings to offer support.
At a North West London level
We also collaborate with our LMC colleagues across North West London to address issues including:
- The North West London Estates Review
- North West London Enhanced Services Single Offer 23/24
- Harrow LMC members attend a monthly meeting with the NWL PCN-CD Group, to interact on issues of mutual concern.
General Practice Alert System (GPAS)
Real time information on GP pressure
GPAS has been developed to monitor the ability of general practice to cope with current demands. It will enable the LMC to advise the ICS/ICB within an area that general practice as a whole, rather than at an individual practice level, is either starting to struggle to provide appropriate levels of care or is no longer able to maintain full GP services. It can be compared to the OPEL (Operational Pressures Escalation Levels) system used by Ambulance and Hospital Trusts. Importantly this data remains entirely anonymous, and we will report by locality and pan-ICS only.
GPAS will become increasingly difficult to ignore as it gets rolled out across the country and ultimately LMCs and GPC will have access to a national dashboard which we will all be contributing to. We need practices to provide us with a named person and deputy to send the emails to and for practices to complete a weekly form that consists of six simple questions. The form will take a few minutes to complete, and think of the benefits being able to show this to the wider system.
If you want to learn more, Dr Elliott Singer, Project Director for GPAS and Medical Director at Londonwide LMCs will be leading the following GPAS sessions: Wednesday 28 June 12-1pm and Wednesday 26 July 12:30-1:30pm. Please email LEAD@lmc.org.uk and for further information contact ann.ayamah@lmc.org.uk.
Resources available
Patient information videos available at Londonwide LMCs.
GP State of Emergency resources available at GP State of Emergency.
GP and Practice staff training available at Londonwide LMCs.
Advertise practice vacancies for free on Londonwide LMCs.
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 Meena Thakur, Chair Harrow LMC