DDLMC WEEKLY UPDATE 3rd SEPTEMBER 2020
It has been a fairly quiet news week as people make the most of the end of summer and the schools start to return. I have taken this opportunity to include a number of information updates and share events and from other organisations.
NATIONAL UPDATES
Fluenz Ordering. PHE have announced that Fluenz is now available to be ordered for the 2020/21 Childrens Flu season (See Attachment A).
LOCAL UPDATES
JUCD Engagement. The Head of Engagement at JUCD has asked us to share the following: I’m getting in touch to let you know that over the next 6 weeks we will be encouraging members of the public in Derby and Derbyshire to tell us about their COVID-19 health and care story. COVID-19 has created some big and potentially long-lasting changes in the way that people across Derbyshire look after their health and care needs.
We want to hear from as many people as possible about what those changes have been, how they have impacted their lives both positively and negatively, and what lessons we can learn moving forward.
We will be asking people to tell us their ideas for how they would like to look after their health and care in the future. We will ask people what they have stopped doing during COVID, what they started doing differently and what they plan to carry on doing. This might be about how they use health and care services or about how they look after their own health and care.
The more people that take part, the more we can learn so please encourage everyone you know to take part in this important opportunity to shape health and care across Derbyshire.
We will be sharing the findings widely, and the work is being overseen by the System Insight Group.
Please share this link for people to take part. https://derbyshireics.uk.engagementhq.com/joined-up-care-derbyshire
If you would like to know more about the project there is a 30 minute drop in session on Zoom with Traverse (who are carrying out the research) next Wednesday 9th at 12.00. You can find out more about the project and get a tour of the platform being used to gather stories and ideas.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87029368019?pwd=a0IvN3hmK3FISms5ZzIrcHZJTWd2QT09
Meeting ID: 870 2936 8019
Passcode: 2R1He6
Any queries to Karen Lloyd on )7789 868346 or by email Karen.lloyd24@nhs.net
CCG Virtual Discussion Sessions 9th and 16th September 2020 (14:00-14:30). A reminder that Dr Avi Bhatia Chair and Dr Chris Clayton CEO from the CCG are hosting two virtual discussion sessions.
Link and details for 9 September: Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86229683706?pwd=Uk1aZWhLOWlTaVpKdDZ4WXdJUnlIZz09 Meeting ID: 862 2968 3706 Passcode: 684182
Link and details for 16 September: Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82024397353?pwd=ajA3eitLQU50M3RBVTBjWVBkekVHdz09 Meeting ID: 820 2439 7353 Passcode: 661908
To confirm your attendance or to request an agenda item for discussion please email ddccg.communications@nhs.net
Accessing Virtual Appointments. Healthwatch Derbyshire have asked us to share: “We are reaching out to Derbyshire residents who have valuable insight and experience around accessing virtual health appointments since the Coronavirus pandemic, especially those who may have had difficulties / have been put off making an appointment. Please encourage all those interested to contact us by 18th September 2020.”
VIRTUAL HEALTH APPOINTMENTS – ARE THEY RIGHT FOR ME?
At the start of the pandemic lockdown, changes were made to health appointments to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Changes included restrictions to face-to-face appointments and the expansion of telephone/video appointments, online correspondence, text messaging – ‘virtual health appointments’.
We appreciate that virtual appointments may be more challenging or not appropriate for some people. We want to understand more about the experience for those affected. The development of virtual health appointments in Derbyshire is ongoing, now is the right time for service providers to hear and understand their patients voice to then appropriately shape their future appointment provision.
- Do you know anybody who has struggled with a virtual appointment during Covid-19?
- Do you know somebody who does not wish to seek medical advice on a virtual basis and is waiting until they can arrange a face-to-face appointment?
- Do you know anybody who would have difficulties in accessing a virtual appointment?
If you do, please ask them to speak to us about their experience / agree to be contacted by one of our engagement team. We anticipate that the telephone call will take between 15 – 30 minutes to cover all aspects of their experience and circumstances. Telephone interviews will take place till 18th September 2020.
Anybody wishing to take part in the survey is welcome to contact us directly by calling 01773 880786. Alternatively with the person’s consent adhering to your organisations GDPR policy / procedures, then please forward their name and telephone number to our team so we can call them direct.
We store all personal information securely and will never, without the individual's consent, pass on any personal details to any other organisation.
Attached is a flyer for your use to pass onto your network / colleagues / volunteers and those interested in taking part.
To take part contact Healthwatch Derbyshire: 01773 880786 enquiries@healthwatchderbyshire.co.uk
GP TASK FORCE DERBYSHIRE
Flu Planning Webinar. As discussed on Tuesday we are aware that there are still a number of unanswered questions about this year’s flu vaccine programme and we will run another webinar when we have an update. Marie Scouse from the CCG kindly provided an update and answers to the FAQs:
- Do I have to notify the CQC regarding my flu clinic plans for this year? If you are providing flu offsite you may have to update your statement of purpose, depending on the specific circumstances (Examples are here ).
- Does the vaccine licence allow the mass transportation and administration of the flu vaccine at a site away from the practice premises? Yes, if administering to your own patients.
- Can HCA’s administer the flu vaccine at an offsite location, or to care home and housebound patients? This will depend on individual practice policy and indemnity.
- Can an electronic PSD be added in bulk for eligible patients and act as sufficient evidence for HCAs to administer in and outside of practice? Provided the electronic PSD’s has evidence of individual clinical assessment.
- When will the local PGD for this year’s flu vaccine be published? Published on 24th August (Attachment B).
- In terms of resource provision – does the CCG have the following standardised documents that could be used by practices if required: Communication to the patients summarising this year’s flu campaign, eligibility, and time frames. There will be a national campaign to follow.
- PPE protocol specific to flu clinic and mass administration. Updated guidance is here
- IPC checklist and risk assessment tool for practices to use, including where hand washing facilities are unavailable. Latest RCGP guidance is here.
- Where additional PPE resources will not accommodate a mass vaccination clinic, does the CCG have any offer of support for supplementary PPE and assistance with clinical waste collection? The new guidance on PPE means this is not anticipated to be a problem, but if you do require PPE you should use your normal supplier, the PPE portal or the emergency supply if necessary. All mass clinics will utilise normal clinical waste systems and if off site arrangements need to be made to incorporate it into normal clinical waste processes
- Can the flu vaccines be stored in a licenced cool box at an alternative location without the need for a temperature control facility on the cool box? Understanding is that you don’t need temperature control on cool boxes but practices will need to evidence temperature control. This needs to be referenced in the risk assessment.
- On average what is the recommended time slot to be allocated per adult vaccine administration? Average now predicted as 1 min to 4 mins per patient with most of this time around social distancing the patients on arrival than administering the vaccine. What would be the maximum time recommended for a clinician to be seeing face to face patients during the flu campaign without a break, considering any risks related to viral load? Marie Scouse will investigate the extant hospital guidance and let practices know.
- Is there any offer of CCG support to cover the cost of an indemnity ‘top up’ to allow practices to perform peer vaccination, where practice staff have been unable to obtain. No additional finance will be allocated by the CCG as the service is commissioned by NHSE not the CCG. This has been raised with NHSE in relation to how to support delivery. The NHSE response was that there is no funding allocation as primary care should recognise that funding has been guaranteed throughout COVID along with EA funding and that this could be used to support delivery of flu in primary care. The Green Book specifies that “only staff providing direct clinical care are eligible for flu vaccinations through the system”. This means other staff need to obtain the vaccine from their own registered practice, through community pharmacy or practices can choose to vaccinate their own staff at their own cost, providing they have additional indemnity in place since this would not be covered by CNSGP.
- Is there any update on the process, ordering of vaccines, and timing of the additional cohort of >50yrs? No. But pharmacies should not get the vaccines before general practice.
- Offer from DHU will be to vaccinate care homes on behalf of general practice – This discussion needs to be taken up with DHU as per the recent communication DHU will vaccinate the whole home – practices will need to discuss with other practices if homes are shared. DHU are not being paid additional funding for this work it is from existing funding.
OTHER UPDATES
Information for Practice Nurses during COVID-19. Wessex LMC and Julia Taylor from Lister House in Derby have produced a really useful guide for nurses. It can be seen here. here.
PCSE. The demise of Open Exeter is imminent with the launch on 28th September of the new Pensions and Payments Service by PCSE. The full details are here.
NHS App and Managing Student Registrations. The NHSX Implementation Team are running a webinar to provide a refresher for practice staff to inform practices how to take on safe and remote patient registration, specifically among university students at the start of the new academic year. These will also include shared learning from Leeds Student Medical Practice, who actively promoted the NHS App to the registered practice population in 2019 and now have the highest number of registered NHS App users.
Webinar 1 – 09 September 2020, 12:30 – 13:30
Webinar 2 – 16 September 2020, 12:30 – 13:30
AND FINALLY…
I have now got over my lockdown addiction to chocolate, marshmallows and nuts. I won’t lie, it was a Rocky Road.
And as I get older I find I only need three shops, Specsavers, Boots and Greggs. My like is just specs and drugs and sausage rolls.
My daughter came home from school today and said. “I was awarded the ‘Leslie Nielsen Badge’ at school”.
I asked. “What’s that?”.
She replied. “It’s a big building full of teachers and pupils, but that’s not important right now.”