DAILY COVID-19 BRIEFING DDLMC 20.3.2020
KEY MESSAGES FOR TODAY
JOINT DDLMC/ GPA / GPTF / DCHS COVID RESPONSE TEAM
The main focus of the GP COVID-19 Response Team has been the development of the system wide plan to treat COVID-19 cases in the community. We are moving towards managing patients on a PCN footprint with staff pooled from practices in “Red/Green” hubs.
NATIONAL UPDATES
The PM’s update yesterday contained very little new, other than the need to plan for at least 12 weeks. In addition, they have also published:-
- Further guidance on School Closures . “ Critical workers ” includes all practice staff and only 1 parent needs to be classified as a critical worker to qualify for school attendance.
- The Online Self-certification Isolation Note for COVID-19 is now live and is quick and easy to use.
- Self-Isolation. The Government have now updated the guidance which may help ease some practice staffing levels:
How long to stay at home
If you have symptoms
- If you have symptoms of coronavirus, you'll need to stay at home for 7 days.
- After 7 days:
- if you do not have a high temperature, you do not need to stay at home
- if you still have a high temperature, stay at home until your temperature returns to normal
- You do not need to stay at home if you just have a cough after 7 days. A cough can last for several weeks after the infection has gone.
If you live with someone who has symptoms
- If you live with someone who has symptoms, you'll need to stay at home for 14 days from the day their symptoms started. This is because it can take 14 days for symptoms to appear.
- If more than 1 person at home has symptoms, stay at home for 14 days from the day the first person started having symptoms.
- If you get symptoms, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms start, even if it means you're at home for longer than 14 days.
- If you do not get symptoms, you can stop staying at home after 14 days.
GPC SUMMARY OF NHSE LETTER FROM 19th MARCH 2020
The attached letter is a good summary of the NHSE letter and webinar from yesterday. I won’t reproduce all of the detail, but the headline is do what is clinically necessary with the staff (and other) resources that you have available and do not worry about contractual obligations. This is a sea change in mentality (tell don’t ask) for many and the only proviso from DDCCG is please drop them an email to let them know. This includes extended hours and access, having premises physically open and numerous other examples.
LOCAL ACTIONS/GUIDANCE FOR THE NEXT 24 hours
- QoF 19/20. Practices will be paid the higher of the reported 19/20 activity to date and 18/19 actuals. NHSE sent out the request to practices yesterday asking for completion of their returns by 27th and 31st March. Having looked at the time this will take (and the 4 manual submissions will take 30 secs max as the answer should be YES to all of them) we would urge you to complete these as requested. If you are ahead of the game, it will mean you get the higher of the 2 payments and it will also help ensure the figures are not skewed for 20/21. (20/21 income will be protected).
- Appraisal has now been extended for 12 months by National Medical Director (please see attached letter from Prof Powis).
- You can join our DDLMC/GPTF Social Media movement to get patients to stay at home by clicking here.
- We’ve seen a number of marketing type e-mails disguised as a request from CCGs/Your system suppliers (particularly IT). Please beware and anything suspicious please let us know.
KEY MESSAGES FOR THE PUBLIC
We continue to use social media to reinforce the messages that we published yesterday. We have also been on BBC Radio Derby (Dr Susie Bayley) and BBC East Midlands Today (Dr Kath Markus) to get the message home to a wider audience.
AND FINALLY
A heartfelt massive well done to everyone from the team at the LMC/GPTF. We have all never seen anything like this and you have all responded magnificently. The whole system working together in this way means that in Derbyshire we seem to be ahead of the curve. We all need to look after ourselves and please try and get some downtime over the weekend with your loved ones as this is just the start.