Dear colleagues,
We are working very hard with our local Trusts to ensure that the primary/secondary care interface works as it should do. NCL is in the process of writing a local version of the attached consensus document (Cheshire Consensus Document and summary) and this will be circulated when finished. In the meantime, we would invite you to send us examples of inappropriate transfer of work from secondary to primary care.
These might include a consultant asking you to do a blood test (instead of giving the patient a form directly), a request to refer a patient back in two years for a repeat endoscopy (these should be kept on the books at secondary care and recalled), or an inappropriate request for the GP to refer elsewhere. Referrals from one consultant to another should be done directly, assuming that the reason is either related to the original referral, or urgent. Please feed these issues back to the relevant Trust, northmid.gpliaison@nhs.net for NMH and for Whittington Health details can be found on the NCL GP website, and cc the email to us at joni.wilson-kaye@lmc.org.uk. If anyone is struggling to get in touch with Whittington Health please contact me via Joni so that we can follow this up.
We are working closely with the ICB as clinical pathways are being reviewed; to ensure update planning include grass root GPs and take into account workload impact and borough resource differences.
Many Haringey GPs will have patients who are registered in other NCL boroughs, particularly Enfield and Islington and it can be very frustrating when referrals get bounced as they are sent to the wrong borough. We are working on this issue, with the aim to standardise referral forms across NCL so that any mis-directed referrals can be passed on rather than coming back to the GP. Watch this space for future updates.
We are recruiting! We currently have vacancies to recruit two GPs in the west of the borough and one co-opted place for a GP (this can be from anywhere within the borough). Also, look out for information about the forthcoming LMC election which is due to begin in April for the new term in September 2023. For any further details about membership please email sarah.ocran@lmc.org.uk.
The LMC is here for you – feel free to contact us with any primary care issues and we will try to help.
Best wishes,
Dr Sue Dickie
Chair
Haringey LMC