Gateshead and South Tyneside
Local Medical Committee
http://www.g-stlmc.co.uk
Newsletter April 2017
Next Steps on the NHS Five Year Forward View
NHS England have just published their document on their review of what has been achieved under the FYFV and what needs to be done over the next 2 years. This is a document that all GPs and PMs should read (especially Chapter Three) as it hints at what will be coming your way soon!
Whilst it is easy to pick issues with the way the data is presented in a favourable fashion, it should be recognised that there has been some positives but also that unrealistic expectations still exist within the distant heads of NHSE!
However, within the constraints of the requirement to deliver financial balance across the NHS, the main 2017/18 national service improvement priorities for the NHS are:
§ Improving A&E performance. This also requires upgrading the wider urgent and emergency care system so as to manage demand growth and improve patient flow in partnership with local authority social care services. (Chapter Two).
§ Strengthening access to high quality GP services and primary care, which are far and away the largest point of interaction that patients have with the NHS each year. (Chapter Three).
§ Improvements in cancer services (including performance against waiting times standards) and mental health – common conditions which between them will affect most people over the course of their lives. (Chapters Four and Five).
The LMC and the GPC will be watching the development of this plan locally and nationally and will endeavour to advise our CCGs appropriately on your behalf. See here for the full document.
LMC Open Meeting 24th April 2017 -A Date For Your Diary
The April meeting of the LMC will be open to all GPs and Practice Managers in Gateshead and South Tyneside to witness the work of the LMC at first hand.
In the uncertain medico-political climate the LMC has a key role to play in supporting all GP’s whether in partnership, salaried, sessional or locum.
The LMC is keen to attract new members and hopes that this opportunity will raise its profile, increasing understanding of its role and relevance as the local representative body of General Practice.
The main part of the evening will be an open debate about “The Future of General Practice in Gateshead & South Tyneside” and all attendees will be able to speak.
The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn, Emerson Road, Washington, NE37 1LB commencing 19:00hrs on Monday 24th April 2017.
There will be a buffet with hot drinks beforehand commencing at 18:30hrs.
Please book your places by emailing Maxine at
Sickness Cover Reimbursement for GPs
The latest contract changes have secured that sickness cover reimbursement will no longer be a discretionary payment, but a practice entitlement. The qualifying criteria based on list size, which often prevents a practice from being able to claim a payment to cover locum costs, has been removed.
Payments will be made after 2 weeks of a GP being absent from the practice due to sick leave. As part of the agreement, existing GPs within the practice can now be used to cover sickness, mirroring existing maternity cover arrangements. The amount payable for sickness cover has also been uplifted to £1734.18 per week in line with current maternity cover arrangements. There will be no medical exclusion criteria for this sickness reimbursement. From April 2017 it should also enable practices to reduce practice locum insurance cover expenses.
Indemnity Scheme Extension
NHS England’s Winter Indemnity Scheme has been extended and will now run until Sunday 30th April 2017. Claims for this money is usually done via your MDO so check their websites for further details.
Further details are available here
HMRC IR35 Issues
IR35 is an anti-tax avoidance measure introduced by the Government in April 2000. It is also known as the 'intermediaries legislation'.
It targets individuals who attempt to avoid paying employee income tax and national insurance contributions (NIC) by supplying their services through an intermediary (usually a 'personal service company') and paying themselves dividends.
The IR35 regime investigates the nature of the relationship between the worker and the end-user to determine whether, were it not for using a PSC, that individual would be considered as an employee or office holder (for example, a director) of the client.
If you use locums then make sure you are aware of your responsibilities – please see here
GPC Regional Election
The Electoral Reform Society is in the process of conducting an election for the Northumberland, Newcastle and North Tyneside, Gateshead and South Tyneside, and Sunderland LMC constituency of GPC.
Ballot papers should be arriving very shortly and the LMC would encourage all eligible GPs to exercise their democratic right and vote.
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and Coroner Inquests
Effective from the 3rd April 2017 the deaths of those individuals, who are subject to a DoLS, will no longer be regarded as deaths in State Detention. This means that no inquest will be required unless there are other reasons apparent.
LMC Website Blog
This contains a lot of important information on the following issues:
§ Next Steps on the NHS Five Year Forward View
§ LMC Open Meeting – 24 April 2017
§ GP News from the Chair 23 March 2017
§ GP Forward View – GPC Webpage
§ Sessional GP Newsletter – March 2017
See here
GPC News, GP News from the Chair and local issues.
This months GPC News contains some important information on:
§ Changes to intermediaries legislation affecting GP locums and practices (IR35)
§ Conference on the implementation of the GPFG to manage and support GP workload – England
§ GP Career Plus Scheme – England
§ GPC Firearms Guidance launched - UK
§ GPC regional elections
§ New General Practice Nursing plan published – Recognise, Rethink, Reform – England
§ NHS GP Health Service – England
§ Principles for releasing electronic medical information for insurance under the Access to Medical Reports Act 1998 – UK
§ Return to practice – England
§ Sessional GPs e-newsletter – UK
§ Survey of sessional GPs – UK
For national issues from the GPC with relevant links etc. please see the LMC website: here and here.
Website
We hope that most of the LMC’s communication will be by way of our website and that practices will use the LMC RSS Feed for automatic notification of new information. Sign up to the LMC RSS Feed on our blog page (click on the LMC RSS Feed in the right-hand column and then subscribe)
Ken Megson
Honorary Secretary
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