22 October 2020

Action: Read the latest guidance here about what a GP staff member should do if they develop covid-19 symptoms

Key points for a staff member who tests positive include:

• They should follow the stay at home guidance
• While at home (off-duty), they should not attend work and notify their line manager immediately
• While at work, they should put on a surgical face mask immediately, inform their line manager and return home.
• They should comply with all requests for testing .
• If the staff member develops symptoms at work, the room they were in should be cleaned following the NWL SOP for cleaning.
• At this current time, all cleans following cases AND routine end-of-day cleans should be using detergent followed by a hypochlorite solution, or a combined detergent and disinfectant product.
• Please inform the London Coronavirus Response Cell (LCRC) of all cases of positive staff members. They will then coordinate the Track & Trace process but the initial call has to come from the Practice. The contact number for LRCR is 0300 303 045.
• An outbreak is 2 or more cases linked in time and place. However, LCRC would like to know about all cases, including individual ones.
• For patients that are positive Track and Trace will identify contacts.

Further guidance can be found on the attached NW London guidance letter and also on the government website.

Action: Read this week’s information around flu vaccines and stock guidance

Key highlights include:

• Progress on the Flu WSIC dashboard
• The full range of flu system searches and templates are now available
• A reminder to regularly update pharmacy flu data to your clinical system
• Orders for next year’s flu vaccine stock are now open (2021)
• A notice from the Department of Health and Social Care about ordering additional adult flu vaccine stock for this year

Action: Read the guidance below on how to make direct referrals for Ultrasound in NW London

We would like to remind you of  the following process for GP direct referrals for ultrasound:

• Referrals via ICE are recommended as these are processed within 24 hours
• However  for any paper based  requests these will require the doctor’s details and signature. This could then be scanned in and sent from the generic practice nhs.net email
• If physically unsigned, they will need to come from the GP’s personal nhs.net email address

• Request appears on Trust’s or Healthshare vetting list
• Vetting by a sonographer within 24 hours, using the NW London ultrasound guidance which was developed and agreed by primary care and hospital consultants
• A&C staff retrieve request from scheduling list and make appointment.

Please note if a request is not justified based on the clinical information provided it will be returned. Both you and your patient will be informed by letter or email at the time the request is returned.

If you have any queries about the referral process please email the NW London Radiology Transformation Programme Lead faizal.mohomed-hossen@nhs.net

Action: Submit your PCN workforce planning template to nwlccgs.localservices@nhs.net by 31 October 2020

Thank you for your hard work on submission of the PCN Workforce Templates which was fully completed with 100% compliance for all NWL PCNS by 31 August 2020. Your support is much appreciated and gives us and NHSEI, an invaluable insight into primary care workforce needs and intentions for the short and medium term.

The  PCN workforce planning template for the 2021-24 submission is now available on the FutureNHS website via this link. Further information on this template can be accessed on the FutureNHS workforce planning workspace. The templates once completed should be sent to nwlccgs.localservices@nhs.net  by 31 October. After this they will be collated by locality and submitted to NHSE. As per the previous submission for 2020-21, there will be scope for changes to the submissions post 31 October. 

Please note: All previous versions of the template/ tool should be disregarded as these new versions incorporate the new nursing associate and trainee nursing associate roles.  If you or anyone in your region have any queries regarding October/November’s submission deadlines please contact nwlccgs.localservices@nhs.net  or Maggie Neale on Maggie.neale@nhs.net and we will endeavour to answer your queries.  

Action: Read through the depository to help you plan the next phase of the PCN workforce recruitment process

We have refreshed the NW London PCN Workforce Transformation digital repository to help support the next phase of the recruitment processes. Please visit the page to find:

1. Links to job descriptions, case studies and toolkits for the new roles of Clinical Pharmacist, Pharmacy Technician, Dietician, First Contact Physiotherapists, General Practice Assistant, Health and Wellbeing Coach, Mental Health Practitioner, Nursing Associates, Occupational Therapist, Community Paramedic – Currently under review, Podiatrists, Social Prescribing Link Worker, Physician Associate, Advanced Practitioners (level of practice)
2. Templates and guidance
3. Audio and video resources
4. Recorded webinars
5. Updated ARRS recruitment data
6. Examples of recruitment activity across NWL

 If you have any content you would like to share and upload to the NWL Workforce Digital Repository please contact Deborah Harris our communications lead on: deborah.harris14@nhs.net  

Action: For celebrating! Read the full CQC review here

The Network Learning Forums run by West London Training Hub have been highlighted by the CQC as one of 11 areas of best practice selected from STPs across the country.

“To support patients in the community with the management of long-term conditions, the STP developed a COVID-19 learning forum that supported a wide range of clinicians to understand the impact on how to deliver safe and effective care remotely.

Led by primary care networks and specialists across secondary care, weekly webinars were developed on the rapidly changing disease, particularly focused on the tailored needs of primary care and the issues affecting patients in the community. There were 17 weekly sessions delivered with live questions and answers; 5,000 hours of training had been achieved, with more hours planned.

Attendees said that a range of high impact points were taken away from each session. There was effective access to specialists including those in diabetes, respiratory and musculoskeletal, which was critical and helped to change working practices for the benefit of patients who couldn’t be seen in hospital.”

An incredible amount of work goes into putting of these sessions and it is great that this has been acknowledged by the CQC. A special thanks to Dr Yasmin Razak, Donna Hislop and Elaine Fallon for the continued provision of these excellent sessions and all those that have contributed and taken part.

Action: Read the key messages from the NHS and primary care in NW London here

Action: Read the latest COVID-19 IFC guidance from our NW London Integrated Care System Chief Executive, Lesley Watts

Action: For H&F, West and Central London GP practices only - continue to refer appropriate patients to the community heart failure service, using the email addresses below

Heart failure admissions often result in lengthy hospital stays. Heart failure patients are at high risk of becoming very unwell if they do then develop flu/coronavirus symptoms so with winter pressures/increase in coronavirus cases please do continue to refer patients with symptomatic heart failure and raised NTproBNP levels to the community heart failure services so that these patients can be well supported and optimised on effective heart failure therapies. This should help avoid unnecessary hospital admission and reduce urgent GP consultations at this time of increased pressure on the health service.

Refer via:

ICHC-tr.HFCommCardioResp-Referrals@nhs.net (Hammersmith & Fulham)

ICHC-tr.referrals-communitycardioresp@nhs.net (Central & West)

If you wish to discuss potential referrals please contact the heart failure nurses for advice on:

imperial.hfu@nhs.net

For upcoming training sessions related to Covid-19 please visit the NW London CCGs website here

Additional resources are also listed below:

1.NHS West London CCG Training Hub

• Where can I access it? https://bit.ly/389O0oo
• Do I need a password? No password is needed, although you can only join with an nhs.net email address
• Which staff can use this? This resource is for the whole of NW London primary care staff
• What resources does it provide? NHS West London CCG runs online NHS training webinars for all NW London NHS staff. The hub is a site where all NW London staff can access resources from each of these webinars. For example, you’ll find slides used in the respective webinars, Q&As and any other useful links that were circulated after the event or at the request of attendees.

2. NHS NW London Clinicians Whatsapp group

• Where can I access it? https://chat.whatsapp.com/LdBROVnwHu60NGcvUOodMj
• Do I need a password? No password is needed
• Which staff can use this? This resource is for the whole of NW London primary care staff
• What resources does it provide? The WhatsApp group is for all clinical members of NHS NW London. It is to keep members updated on forthcoming  training events organised in NW London and any relevant community discussions.