DAILY COVID-19 BRIEFING DDLMC - 14.04.2020
JOINT DDLMC/ GPA / GPTF / DCHS COVID RESPONSE TEAM
NATIONAL UPDATES
CQC. It has been brought to our attention that in some parts of the country CQC inspectors have written to practices notifying them that the regulations had changed, and the practice needed to inform CQC of every COVID-19 related death. CQC have now this is NOT the case. Nigel’s Surgery 97 contains the actual CQC guidance:
You do not need to notify us about every death of a registered patient.
GP providers must notify us if the death occurred whilst they were responsible for carrying on the regulated activity and were actually providing care. For example:
- while a patient was in consultation with a healthcare professional
- while at your health centre, practice or surgery
- during a home visit
You must also notify us of deaths that occurred within two weeks of a clinical interaction with practice staff if the death:
- was, or may have been, as a result of the care or how it was provided, and
- could not be attributed to the course which the illness or medical condition would naturally have taken if the deceased had been receiving appropriate care and treatment.
LOCAL UPDATES
Pharmacy updates.
- We published some guidance yesterday about AMBER DRUG MONITORING medication which we understood had been nationally endorsed. This is not the case; this was local guidance from another part of the country so please disregard it. The Derbyshire Guidance (first referred to in the daily update on 26th March) is now awaiting sign off by the CCG Medical Director and we hope to publish tomorrow.
OTHER UPDATES
Wellbeing.
- Dr Gail Walton has made some minor amendments (attached) to the presentation which we sent out yesterday. It provides a good summary of everything that is available and might be useful for sharing with staff.
Clinical Updates:
- Marie Curie have published some excellent palliative care guidance which can be found here 6. (Please note I have written to them pointing out that their guidance about verification of death is incorrect and can be done by anyone, not just a” “doctor or a registered nurse who has been specially trained in verifying death”. Our meeting with the Derbyshire Coroner is tomorrow so expect an update).
COVID-19 Cervical Screening Programme. NHSE Public Health have published the attached guidance about sample taking for Cervical Screening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Emergency Dentistry. We are receiving an increasing number of queries from practices about patients contacting them for emergency dentistry. The NHS website directs patients to their own dentist or NHS 111. It also states: “Do not contact a GP, as they will not be able to offer emergency or out-of-hours dental care.” We have also been provided with an interactive map showing the availability of dentists, optometrists and pharmacies. However, we are aware that patients are being advised to contact GP practices by NHS111 as the telephone waits for contacting emergency dentists are very long. We have raised this with NHSE.
DVLA medicals. The DVLA has now confirmed that they have ceased requesting any form of medical examinations with effect from 24 March. If practices have any outstanding requests, they are able to refuse to complete them and refer the patient back to the DVLA.
NHS 111 isolation notes. These are issued by NHS 111 Online to individuals with symptoms of COVID-19 or those (self-isolating because they reside with someone who is symptomatic). Employers have received clear guidance that these Isolation Notes are acceptable evidence for absence from work for all COVID-19 related illness and there is NO requirement for employees to get a fit note from a GP in these circumstances.
CCAS/NHS111 Direct Booking. We were hoping for an update today on when this might be rolled out but despite chasing, we have still not seen the formal directions.
IT Updates.
- Away from my Desk. 106 license requests have now been approved and the system should be available for use from tomorrow morning for those who have applied.
- VDI. This is also being rolled out only for those practices that have been migrated onto the new virtual network. It is the same in principle to AFMD but offers enhanced functionality and will become the system of choice over time.
- Laptops. 117 laptops have been/are being delivered to practices and there are more in build and expected to be delivered to the CCG in the next week, so hopefully remote working pressures will ease.
KEY MESSAGES FOR THE PUBLIC
The ONS information and community deaths will lead us to discuss preparedness for admission and advanced care planning. The GPTF coronavirus mini-site https://gptaskforce.com/coronavirus/ will be updated as our messaging continues.
AND FINALLY…
An amazing book for children (and some adults who believe everything they read on social media) which explains the virus in a way that even I can understand. Coronavirus: A Book for Children by Nosy Crow. And its illustrated by Alex Scheffler of Gruffalo fame.
https://issuu.com/nosycrow/docs/coronavirus_ins/1?ff&hideShareButton=true