Essex LMC Guidance
- Complaints template letter during COVID-19 Complaints fall into the amber category in the BMA/RCGP workload prioritisation document. It advises practices to consider a standard response to delay formal response during COVID-19 outbreak
- Essex LMC Operational Update for GP practices COVID19
- LMC guidance on the requirement for Med3 – Covid 19 Sick Notes
- Template Letter for Patient Use Employer template letter re Med Certs COVID-19
- For patients that require certification when self-isolating – 111.nhs.uk isolation-note
Other Guidance
Mass Vaccination during COVID 19
Royal College of General Practitioners guidance on delivering mass vaccinations during Covid-19. August 2020
PPE portal
Practices are reminded that you can register and place orders for PPE via the PPE portal, which can be delivered within 48 hours, to ensure regular free supplies of PPE in advance of the winter and flu campaign. More information is available on the DHSC PPE portal guidance page and the portal customer service team can be reached on 0800 876 6802 for enquiries or registration support.
Shielding guidance for staff on returning to work (UK)
Shielding is coming to an end in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland today, 31 July, and will come to an end on 16 August in Wales, after which those who have been shielding will be able to return to work provided their place of work is ‘COVID-19 safe.’ Read the BMA guidance on Making the NHS ‘Covid–19 safe’ and supporting return to work, which sets out recommendations on ensuring staff can safely return to work.
Health and care workers to self-isolate on return to UK from high-risk countries
The Department of Health and Social Care has announced that registered health and care professionals travelling to the UK from high-risk countries will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. We have published guidance and advice for doctors planning to travel to or from countries that are considered a COVID-19 risk.
New recommendations for primary and community health care provider
Discharge summaries – workload
Pushing back on workload from secondary care
Pushing back on inappropriate workload
Clinical guidance for healthcare professionals on maintaining immunisation programmes during COVID-19
Staff Risk Assessment in Primary Care – July 2020
Individual Employee Risk Assessment – Covid 19 – Template
Risk Assessments in Primary Care
Referral to treatment (RTT) and re-referral – June 2020
Some patients are declining a hospital procedure for COVID reasons and this is leading to concerns that they would be discharged to primary care. In response, NHSE/I has referred to their document Referral to treatment measurement and COVID-19, which states:
“If a patient cancels, rearranges or postpones their appointment, this has no effect on the RTT clock, which should continue to tick. Patients should not be discharged back to their GP simply because they have canceled or rearranged appointments; this should always be a clinical decision, based on the individual patient’s best clinical interest.”
Richard Vautry, Chair, BMA GPs committee spoke to BBC’s Look North to discuss how COVID-19 has impacted referrals and delivery of other services. He said: “The NHS has geared itself up to respond to the real and unprecedented challenges of coronavirus and it’s done remarkably well at trying to do that, but that’s taken key staff away from other services, making it difficult to provide these in a safe way and avoid the risk of infecting people going to hospital or other venues in order to get necessary investigations. So it’s understandable why we’ve had to do this but we now really need to redouble our efforts to ensure that those patients who need investigations and who need treatments get them as quickly as possible.”
NHS Resolution
Arrangements are in place to indemnify healthcare professionals through state indemnity schemes Read more
Greater Essex Bereavement Support
Bereavement information/counselling links/support
Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service
Link Health Visitors and virtual MDT meetings 30 April 2020
Essex Resilience Forum
Volunteer Good Practice Guide Code of Conduct. 20 April 2020
Its purpose is to provide those coordinating volunteers/volunteering with a common approach, in order to:
- Maximise opportunity for interoperability between volunteer groups
- Minimise exposure to risk for all stakeholders
CQC
- CQC Letter to GPs April 2020`
- CQC Covid19 Update 15 April 2020
- CQC Regulation 16 Form – Myth-buster 13 April 2020
DNACPR
A written confirmation has been received via email from Dr Tom Davis, Medical Director EEAST including the bulletin being sent to EEAST crews today that an electronic signature will be acceptable for DNACPR forms.
These will be valid if completed remotely, and also valid if they are not completed on the EEAST template form (i.e. on an Ardens template). 8 April 2020
WHO – Modes of transmission of virus causing COVID-19: implications for IPC precaution recommendations
- Scientific brief PHE PPE letter dated 28th March 2020
Remote Consulting
- Covid-19: BMJ a remote assessment in primary care
- Red Whale: Updated COVID-19 Pearl and Remote Consulting Survival Guide
- Vulnerable Patients – at-risk-patient-letter-21 March-2020
Vulnerable Patients – Role of General Practice during Covid 19 BMA/RCGP/NHSE
Child Protection Conferences
- ESCB Letter to partners re. CP Conferences 25 March 2020
Self Isolation – Pregnancy
- covid19-pregnancy-guidance-2118 21st March 2020
Workload Prioritisation
Joint guidance from BMA GPC, RCGP and NHSE on what you can safely stop, and what you should continue.
This is a really helpful document Workload Prioritisation
If you start to approach the point of potential practice closure please ensure you contact your CCG Primary Care Team for advice and guidance as well as the LMC office.
Appointments
We recommend that your surgery doors should be closed to patient footfall and that you operate a model of telephone triage first. An overwhelming majority of consultations and need can be addressed remotely. A tiny minority of patients may need to come into the surgery on an invitation-only basis for a defined appointment and reason.
Appointments should be called by admin teams to advise that they may be subject to cancellation or rescheduling and will take place remotely wherever possible. A poster to help you designed by CAMS LMC can be downloaded here
Self-isolation for health workers
- hotel accommodation for nhs staff 20th March 2o2o
Appraisals
- Letter from Prof Powis to ROs and MDs 19 March 2020
Guidance and standard operating procedures Coronavirus (COVID-19) and general practice
- Managing coronavirus COVID-19 in general practice-GP-SOP Updated June 2020
FSRH – Essential Services in Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare
- position essential SRH services during Covid 19th March 2020
NHS England and NHS Improvement
- IMPORTANT AND URGENT Next Steps on NHS Response to COVID-19 17th March 2020
Infection Prevention and Control
- Guidance for pandemic coronavirus
- COVID19 ECDC guidance – wearing and removing personal protective equipment
Death Notification/Certification
This important information has now been moved to its own dedicated page.
NHSE / PHE- Prescription duration
- To make sure that supply chains are maintained and prevent some from stockpiling new prescription guidance has been produced Read more 9th March 2020
Wellbeing Support Services
- The BMA has a 24/7 counseling line for ALL doctors and medical students (not just BMA members).
- As appropriate, callers may be signposted to their Peer Support Service where doctors can speak to other doctors for emotional support. They are actively expanding the capacity of this service to ensure readiness as the crisis unfolds.
- It is important doctors know they are there, and members’ wellbeing is their absolute priority so please actively promote.
