Dear colleagues,
This is the first of our regular newsletters from Dr Varendar Winayak, the Chair. We would like to introduce you to your Hounslow Local Medical Committee and keep you updated with our work.
Our committee:
- Dr Alex Gorrie – Chiswick Medical Practice
- Dr Hema Gopaul – Carlton Surgery
- Dr Kapil Kotecha – St David’s Practice
- Dr Parmod Luthra – Spring Grove Medical Practice
- Dr Mohammed Muzafer – Hatton Medical Practice
- Dr Gurcharan Salotera – Little Park Surgery
- Dr Raj Singh – Clifford Road Surgery
- Dr Navinchandra Thakrar – Holly Road Medical Centre
- Dr Varendar Winayak – Locum (Chair)
What is the LMC and what do we do?
The Local Medical Committee (LMC) works on your behalf to represent the interest of all GPs in Hounslow. We are here for partners, salaried GPs, locums and all practice staff. If you have a difficult work-related issue then our GP support team may be able to help – they can be contacted at GPSupport@lmc.org.uk.
What has Hounslow LMC been working on recently?
- The Hounslow LMC is rolling out a ‘Buddy’ system. This is where LMC members above will be available to be contacted by a number of practices, on an informal basis. If you are a GP in one of those practices you will be able to contact your nominated LMC member. This may just be for a chat or if you have an issue, they can advise you on escalating it to the Londonwide LMC sector team or GP support. Please look out for other communications on the ‘Buddy’ system, in due course.
- One of the issues that concern so many practices and GPs is the issues relating to the interface between primary and secondary care. I have been working with Dr Amit Gupta, Hounslow Borough Medical Director, to establish a local interface meeting for West Middlesex University Hospital. We have had the first meetings and there will be regular meetings going forward. I will be working to address the issues of work transfer from secondary care and getting basic information on referral letters. If you have any concerns over interface issues, please let me know -via Ian Oakey’s e mail address below- and I will raise them on your behalf.
- I attend the Borough Primary Care Executive Meetings to ensure the LMC voice is heard, and ordinary GPs’ views are represented.
At NWL ICB level
- Access. The NWL ICB removed the Access offer from the Single Offer and put a pause on their Same Day Access proposals. LLMCs has fed back on a draft Access specification for 24/25 and are awaiting a response and a possible amended specification which should be shared with wider stakeholders for comment.
- NWL ICB Primary-Secondary Care Interface. In addition to the local interface meeting mentioned above there is also a NWL level Interface meeting. There was a meeting of the system interface group on 8 May 2024, which was attended by our NWL LMC leads Drs Kyla Cranmer and Chaand Nagpaul. We were pleased to see a commitment to restart the process to tackle primary/secondary care interface issues affecting GP access, together with the appointment of Claire Hook, the Deputy CEO of the Imperial Healthcare Trust, as Task & Finish Group Chair and interface lead. However, we were disappointed that there were no timescales identified for implementation. There has been no further communication since the meeting.
General Practice Alert State (GPAS) – Anonymised GP led pressures reporting
Over the last year Londonwide LMCs has been rolling out GPAS on behalf of London’s general practice and earlier this year Dr Elliott Singer wrote about why practices should sign up to provide data to GPAS.
Here are some of the reasons why your practice should, absolutely, sign up to GPAS:
- Practices will be reporting on the pressures they are experiencing in an equivalent way to OPEL.
- In July 2023, NHS England announced that there needs to be an OPEL equivalent system for all practices.
- Your data being reported via the LMC will ensure that it is confidential and is about systemwide problems.
- GPAS is simple to use, and submission of the data will take three minutes weekly.
- Every Friday you will receive a report that will show you the trends in the sector, and the LMC will be able to use this to discuss with the ICBs their plans are to support practices.
General practice needs to act now, during this window of opportunity, to implement a system for ourselves led by the LMC. Sign up now via our GPAS sign-up form before you lose this choice.
Resources available
- Patient information videos
- GP and Practice staff training
- Advertise practice vacancies for free
- Safety First – Safety Resource Pack
- Londonwide LMCs Training events
Get in touch!
All constituents can raise any issues of concern with the LMC at any time. It would be great to hear from constituents on any feedback or issue you may have from operational concerns with NWL Enhanced Services Single Offer. Please feel free to contact ian.oakley@lmc.org.uk.
Thank you for those of you who contact Hounslow LMC committee members about issues as they arise. We rely on you to know where support is needed and are grateful for your queries. Please do reach out to LMC members or Ian. We are keen to hear from our local GPs and practice teams about any issues you are facing. We are here to represent your views.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Varendar Winayak, Chair – Hounslow LMC
Londonwide LMCs’ NWL LMC Team
Ian Oakley, Committee Liaison Executive – ian.oakley@lmc.org.uk
Dr Hannah Theodorou, LMC Secretary/Medical Director – contactable via Ian Oakley
Jamie Wright, Director of Primary Care – contactable via Ian Oakley
Lesley Williams, Assistant Director of Primary Care – contactable via Ian Oakley