News
**IMPORTANT INFORMATION** MMR vaccination programme
Please see below important information from the Screening & Immunisation Team, Public Health England (South East): Dear Colleagues, I am writing to make you aware of a recent change in the...
Withdrawal of Serious Shortage Protocol for fluoxetine 10mg capsule
The Department of Health and Social Care has advised that sufficient stock is now available of fluoxetine 10mg capsules to supply normal demand, so the Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) for...
Supply alerts for Seroxat, opicapone and Mitomycin-C injection
Please see attached supply update from the Department of Health and Social Care for Seroxat (paroxetine) 20mg/10ml oral solution which will be out of stock until January 2020 due to manufacturing...
Medicine shortages put GP funding at risk
GPonline reported that CCG costs are rising due to drug shortages forcing GP practices to prescribe more expensive alternatives. In response to this, GPC England executive member, Farah Jameel,...
How medical records are accessed by solicitors
BMA News Update w/c 1st November 2019 We recently highlighted a court case which considered a dispute about how medical records are made available to solicitors requesting them on behalf of...
General practice under pressure – GMC workforce report published
General practice under pressure – GMC workforce report published During June and July, 3,876 doctors completed a GMC survey about satisfaction of their role, the environment they work in and...
Health Education England: GP Recruitment Fill Rate for 2016
http://www.hee.nhs.uk/news-events/news/hee-publishes-gp-recruitment-fill-rate-2016
Rules on IR35 are Changing
Rules on IR35 are changing Matt Mayer, deputy chair of the Sessionals GPs committee, has put together a helpful blog highlighting that the rules on IR35 are changing and how locum GPs might be...
Data Protection Officer (DPO) Support for Practices
As you may be aware, one of the agreements in this year’s GP Contract changes was that CCGs were to provide the DPO function to practices from April 2019. Kent and Medway have now started to...
CWJ Free Webinar: What do you need to do in order to join a Primary Care Network?
The NHS Long Term Care Plan will involve GP practices working in closer collaboration and on a larger scale in order to benefit from the proposed injection of new money. Every practice wishing...
Developing a Primary Care Network (PCN) - some General Principles
Thank you to everybody who has been in touch with the office, who have shared their thinking with us or has been involved in discussions about the development of Primary Care Networks (PCNs). Even...
Join our campaign to entice more GPs back to general practice
Dear Colleague, A new campaign aimed at enticing more GPs to return to general practice was launched today. Jointly run by NHS England and Health Education England, the campaign is designed to...
BMA Guidance: EU Exit operational readiness
The Government have published ‘ EU Exit operational readiness guidance ’ for the health and care system in England which identifies actions that all NHS providers, including GP practices, and...
New CQC Provider Information Collection and Annual Regulatory Review
The CQC 2016 to 2021 strategy sets out their vision: a more targeted, responsive and collaborative approach to regulation so more people get high-quality care. The attached letter from Professor...
LMC Advice: Primary Care Networks – What do Practices need to do?
We are sure colleagues have been involved in discussions about joining with your neighbours in Primary Care Networks (PCNs). PCNs are an important development for general practice, putting...
Reformed GP Contract 2019/20: Dr Richard Vautrey, GPC Chair
GPC England has negotiated a deal spanning the next five years. Elements will be introduced throughout the five years – 2019 will focus on building the foundations, creating Networks and starting...
Flu Update 2019/2020
The attached flu letter was sent from NHSE/Public Health yesterday (23rd January 2019). We would encourage practices to read the letter carefully before making any decisions about...
GP Partnership Review - January 2019
Following the publication of the GP Partnership Review Interim report in October 2018 , this document is the final report of an independent review into the partnership model of general practice,...
Sharps - Action for GP Surgeries
We ask that you cease accepting sharps of any kind from patients with immediate effect and refer the patient to their Local Authority to meet statutory obligations. This will ultimately mean NHS...
NHS Long Term Plan - January 2019
The NHS Long Term Plan was published on 7th January 2019. The LMC Office have attached a summary of what this may mean for practices. Click HERE to read the full document.
Seminar: Pensions Taxation - 6th November & 15th November 2018
November Seminars: Pensions Taxation Margate: Aimed at all Consultants, GPs, SAS Doctors Lunchtime, Tuesday 6th November Seminar Room 2, QEQM Hospital Education Centre, Queen Elizabeth the...
Criteria Change for NHS England Clinical Pharmacists in General Practice Programme Oct 18
Please see the attached letter from Ian Biggs, Director of Primary Care Workforce & Infrastructure Programmes, NHS England regarding the criteria change for NHS England Clinical Pharmacists in...
Guidance and FAQs from national flu team on planning flu clinics
SENT ON BEHALF OF DAWN HOLLIS TO PRACTICE MANAGERS, IMMS LEADS, CCGs, LMCs Dear Colleagues, Please see message below from the national flu team, along with attached documents. The information...
Congratulations to Dr Gaurav Gupta!
We would like to congratulate Dr Gaurav Gupta, LMC Chair, on being re-elected to the GPC at the BMA Annual Representative Meeting last week. As a GPC representative, Dr Gupta will continue to...
Dr Gupta, Chair of Kent LMC, speaks to KMFM regarding implementation of e-RS in Kent and Medway
Dr Gupta speaks to KMFM about how he is working with health bosses towards the safe implementation of electronic referrals in Kent and Medway.
Kent LMC Sessional/VTS Conference Presentations: May 2019
Kent & Medway Medical School (KMMS) Update, Professor Chris Holland, Foundation Dean, KMMS Indemnity Update, Keira Moulds, Head of Primary Care (Quality & Regulation), Operations and Information...
GPC response to the review of PCSE by the NAO
The GPC has issues a response to the National Audit Office report, NHS England’s management of the primary care support services contract with Capita . The letter asks NHS England to implement...
Non Prescription Medication for Care Homes
Following a query from an LMC that some practices are reporting that they are receiving increasingly detailed requests from care homes about ‘homely remedies’, requesting a GP to sign a form for...
BMA Guidance: Reflective Practice May 2018
Updated guidance on reflection Following the Hadiza Bawa-Garba case many doctors feel they are no longer able to reflect honestly and openly. The UK local medical committee conference earlier...
Electronic Referral Service (eRS) April 2018
Please find attached a letter sent on behalf of the Kent LMC to Kent & Medway Hospital Trusts and CCGs regarding the Electronic Referral Service.
Medical School Success - Press Release 23rd March 2018
Press Release The agreement to fund a Medical School based in Canterbury is a game changer for the provision of medical services in Kent and Medway. The effect will not only be that there will be...
GDPR BMA resources
Paul Cundy from the BMA has put a lot of work into producing Blogs for Practices and templates, but has had difficulty getting them onto the BMA website. So he has sent us an email which...
Strategic commissioner update – 28 February 2018
Dear colleagues A short update on the strategic commissioner proposal following the NHS South Kent Coast CCG meeting last week. The GP membership met on 22 February to discuss development of the...
Kent and Medway Strategic Commissioner Update February 2018
The Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) across Kent and Medway are looking at options for developing a strategic commissioner function that works across multiple CCGs. The aim is to strengthen...
Update from PCSE Including GP Pensions Information
Please find attached the latest PCSE update which contains valuable end of year GP pensions information.
CORRECTION: New guidance on assessing the financial viability of providers
Dear Providers CORRECTION: New CQC guidance on assessing the financial viability of providers In our January bulletin, we updated you on how we will assess the financial viability of providers....
BMA response to High Court ruling for Dr Bawa-Garba
Speaking about the implications of the Dr Bawa-Garba ruling from the High Court in London, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA Council Chair, said: "The case involving Dr Bawa-Garba is a tragic one and it is...
How can GPs avoid the new tax charges on their pension?
The amount GPs are allowed to save into their pension each year before incurring a tax charge is being reduced. Any active NHS pension scheme member earning over £110,000 may be affected. Please...
Doctors Lobby for Rise in NHS Funding: Channel 4 News - 21st November 2017
Victoria Macdonald, Health and Social Care Correspondent, interviews Dr Julian Spinks, GP and Kent Local Medical Committee Vice-Chair on the current pressures in the NHS.
Introduction of the Infanrix Hexa vaccination - November 2017
Dear Colleagues CQRS have confirmed that as indicator HEP003 is now paid within the Global sum of Childhood Immunisation Target payments, this indicator is no longer a payment mechanism on their...
BMA: Saving General Practice
The GPC’s new campaign, Saving General Practice, sets out to remind local and national policy makers of the challenges that general practice is faced with, and the action that needs to be taken to...
Extension of NHS Seasonal Influenza Vaccination to include Social Care Workers Update 20th November 2017
Please see attached letter from NHS England following the announcement that in the 2017/18 flu season it will support the delivery of flu immunisation for social care workers that offer direct...
NHS Coding System (April 2018): SNOMED CT
Please find attached a letter from the Co-Chairs of the BMA / RCGP Joint GP IT Committee regarding the move to SNOMED CT from Read and CTV3 codes that will take place in April next year. The...
PCSE GP Bulletin November 2017
In this bulletin, you will find updates on: Christmas and New Year: CitySprint and contact centre arrangements IMPORTANT – new contact details for ALL GP Payments and Pensions requests and...
Folkestone GP Crisis: Interview with Dr Gaurav Gupta, Sunday Politics South East, 15th October 2017
Folkestone GP Crisis, Sunday Politics South East, 15.10.17 from Liz Mears on Vimeo.
CQRS FAQs for Section 7A Public Health Enhanced Services
Please find attached the FAQ document NHSE have put together based on queries received from practices. This is edited twice a year and a revised version is due in December 2017.
Kent LMC Annual Conference 2017 - Working at Scale
Please click on the links below to access the presentations from the Kent LMC Annual Conference, held on 11th October 2017: GP Forward View—Where we are now? Dr Robert Varnam, NHS England, Head...
Guidance Regarding the new GMS1 Form
New GMS1 Form instructions for use from 1st October By now your practice should have received an initial supply of the new GMS1 form to be used from 1st October. If an overseas patient chooses to...
BMA guidance re outstanding PCSE issues August 2017
Guidance is available online, please follow this link https://www.bma.org.uk/collective-voice/committees/general-practitioners-committee/gpc-current-issues/capita-service-failure
Hepatitis B Vaccine Supplies
Please find attached a letter from PHE to local GPs, concerning arrangements for patients (excluding neonates) who need Hepatitis B vaccinations
BMA update on NHSPS negotiations (July 2018)
The BMA continue to work on the ongoing issues with NHS Property Services (NHSPS) and Community Health Partnerships (CHP), and would like to remind LMCs and practices about their guidance on this...
LMC Response to NHS England's Wasteful Drug Use Action Plan
We would like to highlight to prescribing clinicians in the practice that GPs have a contractual obligation to prescribe medication on an FP10 that the GP feels is clinically necessary whether the...
Expansion of Clinical Pharmacist in General Practice to benefit more Kent patients July 2017
NHS England has announced that more patients in east Kent, north Kent and west Kent will benefit from having pharmacists working in local GP surgeries, as part of a further roll out of our...
The Role of the LMC (July 2017)
With thanks to Wessex LMC for their permission to reproduce this document. As we are all aware the NHS is facing some of the most significant challenges it has seen since its inception in the...
Latest guidance for NHS on protecting against cyber attack
Dear LMCs, NHS England have sent through the below guidance following the cyber-attack: https://www.digital.nhs.uk/article/1495/Latest-guidance-for-NHS-on-protecting-against-cyber-attack Please...
Press Release: GP services in Kent and Medway under pressure
Following the release of our recent survey results to the press, please see below a link to the article published in Kent Online 'GP Services in Kent and Medway under pressure', where you can also...
Changes to the 2017-2019 Hospital Contract - April 2017
Please find attached a letter from Chaand Nagpaul about the changes to the 2017-19 hospital contract which are designed to further reduce inappropriate workload on GP practices, and also improve...
QOF / GPES and enhanced service payments - March 2017
We received the following communication from the BMA on the 24th March 2017 regarding QOF/GPES and Enhanced Service Payments: Dear LMCs, We are writing to make you are aware of the timings of...
LMC policy on the Multi-specialty Community Provider Contract
Please follow the link below to see Kent Local Medical Committee's policy on the draft MCP contract.
Prescription of prophylactic Tamiflu to the residents of nursing homes
Kent LMC are aware that some practices in Kent and Medway have been approached by Public Health England to prescribe prophylactic Tamiflu to the residents of nursing homes. Of course it is up to...
Publication of Voluntary MCP Contract
NHS England has now published and is consulting on a draft version of the voluntary Multi-specialty Community Provider (MCP) model contract. We encourage you to take up the opportunity to...
GPs Seek Support for Collaborative Working (December 2016)
Adequate support must be given to GP practices seeking to work collaboratively, the BMA has warned – following the latest findings of the GP...
GMC laments loss of 'reflective' general practice (December 2016)
This report is the culmination of 18 months of events and conversations with the medical profession, from GPs, consultants and trainees who work on the ground, to royal colleges, training...
A mini-guide to the General Practitioner Defence Fund
The GPDF has issued the following brief introductory guide to its role and work.
Advice for GPs on Military Veterans attending with concerns on use of Mefloquine
Dear all, Please find attached information from NHS England relating to Mefloquine, an anti-malarial which was prescribed to military personnel who were operating or training in Sub-Saharan...
Update on meeting between GPC and PCSE (10 August 2016)
The General Practitioner Committee (GPC) of the British Medical Association (BMA) recently met with Primary Care Support England to discuss how the performance of the service is impacting upon...
General Practice Resilience Programme
NHS England has published details of its General Practice Resilience Programme. This document sets out the extent of NHS England's commitment to supporting and stabilise practices in difficulty....
New Care Models Programme Monthly Stakeholder Bulletin - March 2016
New Care Models Programme's Monthly Stakeholder Bulletin
Weekly Newsletter from Chaand Nagpual: Financial uncertainty a stark reality for one third of GP practices
Latest Update from BMA GPs Committee Chair
Reminder - Indicators no longer in QOF
Please note the GPC email below relating to retired QOF indicators: Dear LMCs Practices in some areas have been asked again to accept requests within the Calculating Quality Reporting Service...
Kent LMC's response to the imposition of the Junior Doctor Contract - February 2016
Kent LMC's response to the imposition of the Junior Doctor contract - 12th February 2016
BMA Urgent Prescription for General Practice
General Practice is facing some of its toughest challenges. The BMA's Urgent Prescription for General Practice highlights the issues and provides some practical advice on how to meet the...
Primary Care Support England (PCSE) - Medical Records Transformation Project Update November 2017
NHS England and PCSE have agreed the ‘go live’ date for Phase 3 of the medical records transformation project which includes the Kent practices. Please find attached the documents that have been...
Meningogoccal B for Infants FAQs
Dear colleagues Meningococcal B for infants FAQs NHS Employers have updated their vaccs and imms FAQs in relation to meningococcal B for infants to explain the eligible age cohort (2 - 13...