DDLMC WEEKLY UPDATE 20th August 2020
A very short update this week, although it feels as if this might be the lull before the storm. I hope everyone is managing to get away and I’ve heard some practices have been a bit stretched as they have insisted on staff taking pre-planned leave. This is fantastic as 5 months into this pandemic, general practice has been running hot and who knows what the next 5 months will bring. Looking after each other and ensuring people take leave and are really taking a break away from phone calls and e-mails is important for everyone’s long term resilience.
NATIONAL UPDATES
DVLA. It has come to our attention that DVLA are apparently behind with licence renewals so are advising people they may be able to continue to drive under section 88 of the Road Traffic Act. This may allow you to continue driving even though you do not hold a current driving licence. In practice, this will be when you have applied to the DVLA to renew your licence, but the licence expires while they are processing the application. However, DVLA are advising people that in order to meet these criteria a GP must document their fitness to drive and a number of practices have received such requests. You are most strongly advised NOT to complete such declarations, for the following reasons:
- The declaration that they are fit to drive must be made by the applicant NOT the GP, (s92 of the Road Traffic Act).
- Any medical decision about fitness to drive is made by the DVLA in house medical team.
- There is a large medico-legal risk to any GP who signs such a declaration, should the applicant go on to have an accident/incident.
- It is not GPs responsibility to help DVLA clear their backlog.
We have raised this nationally and it is being pursued with DVLA.
LOCAL UPDATES
Review of Clinically Extremely Vulnerable Children/Young Adults on the SPL. Hopefully you will have seen the CCG clarification that the review of this cohort of patients will largely be completed by the specialist caring for the patient. Those few children that practices did place on the Shielded Patients List will need to be reviewed and where required contact made by the practice with an appropriate person to notify them that they are being removed from the SPL. For clarification this applies to under 18s.
COVID Support Fund for General Practice. The CCG have asked us to clarify that any queries about the COVID Support Fund for General Practice comms should be sent to the ddccg.lcsf@nhs.net email account so they can be logged by a member of the team.
GP TASK FORCE DERBYSHIRE
A reminder of a couple of upcoming events:
DEN Adult Safeguarding: Thursday 10th September 2020 13:30 – 15:30 – Click here to book.
DEN Basic Life Support Update: Wednesday 16th September 2020 19:00 – 20:30 – Click here to book.
OTHER UPDATES
What 3 Words. If and when we are able to start physically meeting up, I have come across a great app called what 3 words that divides the world into 3 metre squares and allocates three random words to the square. As we always struggle to give directions to our office the what 3 words for our front door are flame.slip.useful.