COVID-19 UPDATE BRIEFING DDLMC – 23.06.2020
STOP PRESS
Heatwave Plan. It is going to get really hot over the next few days and NHSE have asked us to share the following which is particularly pertinent given the use of PPE in practices. “The Heat Healthwatch system has been back in operation since 1 June 2020 (and will run until 15 September 2020). In addition to the usual Heatwave Plan, there are some additional leaflets and posters for use in relation to Covid also available on this webpage
A summary of the relationship to managing Covid during a heat wave is outlined in the slide deck
CCG UPDATES
The CCG Comms Team collate some of the information for this bulletin and rather than rewrite and reproduce for expediency today, I have included their update as Attachment A (with Associated Attachments 1-3).
LOCAL UPDATES
Covid-19 antibody testing - indemnity arrangements. NHSE have announced: “We understand there has been some concern regarding the indemnity arrangements that apply for primary care staff who undertake antibody testing on other NHS workers. To ensure that indemnity is not a barrier to the NHS supporting the Government’s antibody testing programme, we are able to confirm that where you are not covered for this activity under your existing indemnity/insurance arrangements, the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Coronavirus (CNSC) will provide clinical negligence indemnity cover. This cover is for primary care staff who take blood samples from any NHS primary care contractor’s staff, including colleagues, or other NHS employees for the purpose of a Covid-19 antibody test. A FAQ covering this topic is also published on the CNSC FAQ pages of NHS Resolution’s website.” With this issue now resolved, Judy Derricott from the CCG will contact practices to make the arrangements for the recommencement of primary care testing.
OTHER UPDATES
Trust GPs to Lead. The BMA conducted a survey and have now produced a document that sets out a range of principles and solutions that are needed to enable GPs and practices to manage the ongoing demands of responding to COVID-19. The report highlights what can be done when practices are afforded the trust, autonomy, flexibility and freedom to act as the leaders of the profession in their local communities, acting in the best interests of their patients. Full details are here.
PUBLIC MESSAGES
Face Coverings on Public Transport. Further to the guidance on the update last week the LMC have now written a letter (Attachment Z) which practices may want to use on their websites explaining that there is no requirement for general practice to issue letters for patients who are unable to wear face coverings, as the Government guidance clearly defines the exemptions to this requirement.
AND FINALLY…
As a former (and very short lived (6 months!)) Maths Teacher, I thought I’d share this with you.
A school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a compass, an ancient wooden device called a “slide-rule” and a calculator.
At a morning press conference, Attorney General Eric Holder said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of maths instruction.
“Al-Gebra is a problem for us,” the Attorney General said. “Al-Gebra has terrorized many young people for years. They derive solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values. They use secret code names like ‘X’ and ‘Y’ and refer to themselves as ‘unknowns,’ but we have determined that they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.”
As the Greek philosopher Isosceles used to say, “There are 3 sides to every triangle.'” When asked to comment on the arrest, President Trump said, “If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes.”
White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the President.