Greenwich LMC – Newsletter August 2024
Introduction by the LMC Chair
As Chair of Greenwich LMC, I am delighted to provide a brief introduction to this inaugural newsletter. I have only ever worked in Greenwich since becoming a GP in 2006 and have seen changes and upheaval in the local healthcare landscape, but nothing like the funding and workload pressure over the last couple of years.
It does feel that positive change needs to come, and it cannot come soon enough. The overwhelming result of recent GPC England non-statutory ballot has clearly illustrated this.
Greenwich LMC is taking every opportunity to help commissioners and other local health and social care partners understand the immense pressure general practice is under.
The LMC are eager to hear from you and the challenges you are facing. This will provide evidence that general practice needs more financial and organisational support, if it is to deliver the quality of care that it desperately wants to, and what our patients truly deserve.
Please see details of the next LMC drop-in-session (below) which all practices can attend virtually and have direct discussion with LMC members.
We aim to send regular LMC newsletters to practices so please do keep an eye out for these and provide any feedback regarding content to us so that we can ensure these are helpful for you.
The LMC is here to represent your views.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Tuan Tran
Next drop-in-session for Greenwich constituents
Friday 27 September between 1.00-2.00pm via Teams. A link to add this to your calendar can be found here.
Greenwich LMC committee members
- Dr Tuan Tran, Chair, Valentine Health Partnership
- Dr Nayan Patel, Vice-Chair, The Blackheath Standard Surgery
- Dr Niraj Patel, Thamesmead Medical Associates
- Dr Shikha Singh, Manor Brook Medical Centre
- Dr Rebecca Moore, Vanbrugh Group Practice
- Dr Vijay Sivapalan, Everest Health Partnership
- Dr Lindsey MacLeod, Vanbrugh Group Practice
- Dr Moushumi Baruah, Burney Street Practice
- Dr Caroline Hollington, The Fairfield Centre
- Helen Oakley, Practice Management Rep, Everest Health Partnership
- Lindsey Wood, Practice Nursing Rep, Manor Brook Medical Centre
What is the LMC and what do we do?
The Local Medical Committee (LMC) is a Statutory Body of elected members from Greenwich that works on your behalf with commissioners and other stakeholders at both local and SE London level to represent the interests of all GPs in Greenwich.
The LMC meets regularly with the ICB, Local Authority and broader system stakeholders and actively participates in negotiations on local General Practice contracts. We also influence national contracts via engagement with the General Practitioners Committee (GPC) of the British Medical Association (BMA).
The LMC is here for partners, salaried GPs, locums, and all practice staff. We are supported by staff from Londonwide LMCs:
Dr Sara Riley, Medical Director
Kate Hudson, Director of Primary Care
James Winstanley, Assistant Director of Primary Care
Barry Christie, Committee Liaison Executive
Katerina Lerdele, Committee Administrator
If you have any queries or questions please contact the LMC via barry.christie@lmc.org.uk.
GP Support Team
Greenwich practices can also access confidential support and advice about practice specific issues via Londonwide LMCs GP Support Team GPSupport@lmc.org.uk.
For further information upon what the GP Support Team can help you with please see this link to slides presented the Greenwich LMC Development Meeting held on 24 May.
GP partners vote for collective action
The BMA non-statutory ballot of GP contract holders has taken place with over 98% voting to undertake some element of collective action. More information can be found here.
Londonwide LMCs is supporting the BMA in disseminating a weekly local action tracker survey to to help understand the actions being considered by Greenwich practices.
South East London LMCs have also written to all local Hospital Trusts to advise of the BMA recommended action and provide information to them upon potential impact.
Synnovis
The LMC, working collectively with all other South-East London LMCs and supported by Londonwide LMCs have negotiated payment to practices for work undertaken to review patients lists following delayed /cancelled pathology results. There has also been successful negotiation upon income protection for locally commissioned services which will be confirmed in writing by the ICB shortly.
The LMC continues to work closely with ICB colleagues to influence NHSE national decision making in relation to income protection of national contracts, such as QOF and IIF, and aim to provide further updates upon this in future newsletters.
In addition, the LMC are actively highlighting the numerous and on-going concerns that have been raised by practices in relation to the return to usual Synnovis pathways which is scheduled over the coming weeks and the ongoing challenges that this may pose for general practice.
Primary and Secondary Care Interface Forum – Greenwich & Bexley
Dr Nayan Patel (LMC Vice Chair) attends the Greenwich and Bexley Primary and Secondary Care Interface Forum, the last meeting of which was on 23 July 2024. A summary of the main point of the meeting are below:
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital confirmed that they are monitoring the release of ward discharge summaries and embedding change across all ward systems/processes/staff.
- Lewisham & Greenwich Trust agreed to develop a template letter (on LGT letterhead) which will be shared with all local GPs so that they can use/adapt this when responding to consultants when they wrongly ask the GP for onward referral, private referral into LGT or tests
- ICB to look at discharge summaries to improve the quality and efficiency of discharge summaries, making it easier and clearer for GPs to see what actions are required of them/their teams.
- ICB to review referrals of diabetic patients to the District Nursing service for insulin administration when this could be completed by the patient or family member/s with support.
- Oxleas/QEH –will do a deep dive at ward level to reduce patients being discharged from QEH without a catheter passport as this is causing an unnecessary pressure on workload.
Further updates will be provided in future newsletters on this important work.
Other current Greenwich LMC work:
- EMIS data sharing between health visitors and Greenwich practices – this was discussed at the last LMC meeting with practice considerations explained by the LMC to proposer.
- Interface with Greenwich Healthwatch – Recent contact and discussions in relation to Healthwatch projects and local issues/feedback.
- Work on NHS 111 local procurement – LMC members engaged in discussions with ICB/System stakeholders in relation to potential opportunities/risks for general practice of ICB proposed Same Day Access/Integrated Delivery Unit models.
General Practice Alert State (GPAS) – GP led pressures reporting
Londonwide LMCs has been rolling out GPAS to all Londonwide areas and we would like to involve all practices in Greenwich.
Sign up now via our GPAS sign-up form.
Please see link to article by Dr Elliot Singer, Medical Director, Londonwide LMCs here.
Useful resources for Practices: