Sutton LMC Newsletter
In addition to the pan-London messages sent out by Londonwide LMCs, we will be covering the items relevant to Sutton here. Thank you for highlighting issues that we can take forward to address. As the Sutton LMC membership term comes to an end on the 31st of August, elections will be taking place this summer. Taking this opportunity to reach out to GP colleagues to consider standing for Sutton LMC elections.
Dr Vidhya Thiagamoorthy, Chair Sutton LMC
What is the LMC and what do we do?
We:
- Are the representative body for General Practice that is recognised in statute
- Consult with NHS bodies, integrated care boards (ICBs) and local councils, negotiating local contract terms for general practice
- Work for and support individual GPs and practices and are the professional voice of general practice at a local level.
- Support GPs via knowledge of contracts, systems, stakeholders at all levels, including borough, ICB, regional and national.
- Inform and engage with workforce development, planning, education and training for all roles within general practice.
The LMC working on your behalf:
The LMC has considered the following issues during the last 6 months, this section also includes points of clarification for specific areas.
GP Partnership Leadership development element of the GP Engagement Scheme (GPES)
The LMC has discussed the GP Partnership Leadership element of the GP Engagement Scheme for 2024/25 and its extension for 2025/26 with Sutton ICB.
It has been agreed that practices can undertake the full engagement work in both 2024/25 and 2025/26 with the opportunity to earn the full £4k in each year. In order to achieve this the following will apply:
2024/25
- Practices will need to ensure that 50% of GP partners have accessed GP Leadership Training by early May 2025 (ICB Sutton will seek confirmation from the training provider that sufficient training dates can be provided)
- Practices will need to ensure a practice project improvement plan is created following the completion of training and that this plan is peer reviewed prior to the end of June 2025.
2025/26
- Practices will then need to ensure that the remainder of their GP partners (other 50%) attend the training throughout July 2025 – February 2026
- Practices will then need to update and revise their plan from 2024/25 by the end of March 2026 and peer review this plan again providing evidence to the ICB of ‘additionality’ (i.e. there has been some reflection/advancement/additional planning/action etc). There will also be an expectation that elements of the 24/25 project improvement plan have been completed by the March 26 submission deadline.
In the case of those practices where all GP partners attended the training in 2024/25, please contact ICB Sutton discuss the following alternative options with the aim to ensure the practice can access the full £4k funding for 2025/26:
- Whether there are other (aspiring partners) GPs within the practice that may be suitable/eligible to be considered for the training,
- Whether there are non-GPs and aspiring GPs who could attend which would count towards the 50% for 2025/26. (In addition, if numbers allow others may join the training, but this will not count towards the target).
- If there are other bespoke proposals that the practice could put forward to deliver alternative services to obtain the £4k funding in 2025/26 (this would likely be in the cases of practices with single GP partners, or small numbers of partners who have already been trained). ICB Sutton would like to receive any such proposals by the end of May 2025 if possible so that there is plenty of time to clarify and agree the proposals and for all practices to complete the work during 25/26.
LAS contacting practices
LAS should only contact practices for safeguarding concerns, queries relating to end-of-life care and patient declining admission. If practices are being contacted for other reasons, please complete a MAKD alert and the LMC will continue to review this.
Request for GPs to prescribe GLP-1 receptor agonists for obesity management
The LMC has become aware of increasing requests by non-obesity specialists in acute trusts that GPs prescribe GLP-1 receptor agonists e.g. Wegovy, Saxenda and Mounjaro. The requests often quote NICE guidance in relation to the provision of this intervention in communications which have been shared with the patient.
The LMC has written to the Group Chief Medical Officer of St George’s University Hospital and Epsom and St Helier Hospital (GESH) and the Chief Medical Officer for Kingston Hospital to point out that the South West London Integrated Medicines Optimisation Committee has stated that ‘Prescribing of Semaglutide (Wegovy®) and Liraglutide (Saxenda®) for weight loss is restricted to tier 3 and 4 weight management services provided in a hospital setting, therefore should not be issued in primary care. Mounjaro should not be provided in any other setting for obesity management. In the circumstances, the LMC has asked that such requests are no longer made LMC has asked that such requests are no longer made.
Fostering and adoption reports in Sutton
It is not mandatory for GPs to complete reports when they receive a request but if they choose to do so they are entitled to claim a fee under the former collaborative arrangements. It is suggested that when considering what fee to charge they calculate their hourly rate and work out how long the report takes to complete. To note that Sutton Local Authority have confirmed that they would regard an invoice of over £200 to be unreasonable.
Any queries and payment invoices can be sent to fostering-permanency@sutton.gov.uk Tel: 020 8770 4836. The local authority letter is here and the BACs form is here BACs form is here.
Hep C elimination Programme
The LMC received a query from a practice manager about an email she had received from Dr Sam Mazumdar, an SWL Hepatitis C GP Champion asking the practice to run a search in connection with the Hep C elimination programme.
Dr Mazumder was contacted by the LMC office for confirmation that the process has not changed since the DPIA was reviewed, and he confirmed the following:
- No change to the process with regards to data gathering and data flow from PCN/practice to the Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs) as outlined in the DPIA.
- The Hep C team have been reaching out by phone to patients who have been identified as potentially being eligible for Hep C treatment following and assessment of their serology and searching local and national databases to discuss whether they require further testing or treatment or clarify for example if they have had treatment abroad.
- Cross referencing with ED BBV screens will occur as part of the searches the ODN will carry out. Should patients be picked up through this route, the ODN will run internal, regional and nationwide searches to identify if they have had treatment in the UK and if this is the case, they will not be contacted.
In the circumstances practices may feel assured that it is appropriate from an information governance point of view for them to participate in this programme should they so wish to do so and that, other than running the search, any patients identified needing treatment are contacted directly by the SWL Hep C team with no need for GP referral or input.
PMS/LCS/ES Review for 26/27
The LMC will also be involved in reviewing the 26/27 PMS/LCS/ES specifications over the coming months.
LMC representation:
The LMC also represents Sutton constituents on the following groups:
- Sutton Primary Care Operations Group (PCOG)
- Cardiac Event Monitoring Task and Finish Group
LMC comments on referral forms, pathways and guidelines
Over the last 6 months Sutton LMC has provided comments in relation to the following:
- SWL Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic Referral form
- SWL Early Arthritis Clinic Referral form
- SWL Heart Failure Diagnostic pathways
- SWL Gastroenterology pathway changes
- SWL Teledermatology pathways
- SWL Gastro pre-referral guidance
- SWL Dizziness guidelines
Your LMC
The list below is the current membership of Sutton LMC, with the current term running until 31 August 2025. All places will be up for election in the Spring/Summer, election timeline below:
- Nomination packs issued w/c 28 April 2025
- Online awareness events covering the role of LMCs and why GPs should consider standing – Weds 7 May and Weds 21 May 1 pm to 2 pm
- Close of nominations Tues 3 June 2025 5pm
- Voting papers issued/Declaration of results from those constituencies elected without a ballot Monday 23 June 2025
- Close of voting: Tuesday 22 July 2025 (12.00 pm)
- Publication of results: Monday 28 July 2025
Nominations can be submitted online on the digital platform provided by Civica Election Services and further information on this will be shared with all GPs over the next few months. Any GP working in the LMC area can self-nominate for election. If they work in more than one LMC area, they should stand in the LMC area where they provide the majority of their primary medical services work.
Please ensure that you are on the electoral role and that Londonwide LMCs has your relevant contact details.
In the meantime, please contact any of the LMC committee members listed below if you have any issues you wish to raise:
Sutton LMC Committee members:
- Dr Zahid Ataullah, Benhill & Belmont GP Centre (Belmont Branch site), Benhill and Belmont GP Centre
- Dr Junaid Masud, Mulgrave Road Surgery
- Dr Priyadharshini Senthilkumar (vice chair), Wrythe Green Surgery
- Dr Lisa Siddique, Hackbridge Medical Centre
- Dr Mehreen Tahir, Benhill & Belmont GP Centre (Belmont Branch site), Benhill and Belmont GP Centre
- Dr Vidhya Thiagamoorthy (Chair), The Grove Road Practice
- Ms Katie Thorpe (PM rep), The James O’Riordan Medical Centre
- Ms Deborah Williams (PM rep), Wrythe Green Surgery
Londonwide’s LMC Team supporting Merton LMC:
- Dr Asiya Yunus for clinical queries or issues, Medical Director, Asiya.yunus@lmc.org.uk
- Kate Hudson for contractual info/management advice, Director of Primary Care, Kate.hudson@lmc.org.uk
- Nicola Rice for SWL wide issues Assistant Director of Primary Care, Nicola.rice@lmc.org.uk
- David Moore for Borough level issues, Committee Liaison Executive, David.moore@lmc.org.uk
- Kat Lederle info on LMC meetings, Committee Administrator, katharina.lederle@lmc.org.uk
Other services that Londonwide LMCs provides on behalf of General Practice across Sutton
GP Support team
The General Practice Support team comprises 6F/T non-medics (Vicky Ferlia, Jan Swannell, Jacqui Perfect, Amy Elliott, Yvonne Frank, Vanessa Douglas) and 4 P/T Medical Directors (Dr Elliott Singer, Dr Kirsa Morganti, Dr Sara Riley, Dr Lowri Kew).
The team operates at different levels providing – Confidential, tailor made, expert advice and assistance to individual doctors, practices and PCNs in difficulty. Contractual support to our primary care teams. Feedback/responses to papers & briefings to LMC reps. Policy influence at London level e.g. NHSE/ICBs, CQC. Attendance at Performance Advisory Group (PAGs) and Performers Lists Decision Panels (PLDPs).
General Practice support includes:
| Individual doctors | Individual practices |
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PCN Support
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For help or support please contact the GP Support team at gpsupport@lmc.org.uk .
Workforce-Training and Innovation (WTI)
A message from Ann Ayamah, Head of Workforce-Training and Innovation, Londonwide LMCs:
The smallest team within Londonwide LMCs, but we pack a mighty punch!
Delivering events and programmes, running the Londonwide LMCs Buying Group and Associates listing and as the project management team for the organisation.
To see what is currently on offer please follow the links below:
- LEAD Events and Blended Learning Programmes
- Londonwide LMCs Buying Group
- The Associates Listing
- Our complete events brochure with details on all we offer.
Member Pensions training – this blended learning programme is for those that administer the NHS Pension scheme in practices, with the first of three sessions starting on Wednesday 16 April.
Please feel free to contact us on WTI@lmc.org.uk with any queries or ideas you may have.