Dear colleagues,
In our February meeting we sought answers to a number of questions relating to digital and IT issues: EPIC, ongoing problems with pathology results, AccuRx, ICB plans to charge for SMS fragments, the future of Okta tokens, Ardens and EZA. Sadly, there ae not as many good answers as we would like but be assured that we continue to lobby and make our concerns heard both at borough level and at ICB level with the support of Londonwide LMCs.
At this time of year, contract renewals are very much on our mind. Your LMC representatives and PCN CDs have been in discussion with Public Health at Lambeth Council about how NHS Health Checks and LARC services could work at PCN level. We have had detailed conversations with Medicines Optimisation about tasks and targets for 2024-25, and also the Long-Term Conditions elements of our local schemes. There will be some changes, mainly to simplify. Other elements of our local schemes should be little changed, apart from planned updates to the breast screening work. We hope that practices will find this stability supportive.
On more operational matters, we send LMC representatives to the Lambeth Training Hub meetings, vaccinations and immunisations meetings and digital meetings, as well as the Lambeth Together Care Partnership (LTCP), LT Primary Care Commissioning Committee and LT Primary Care Transformation and Operational Delivery Group.
At national level, there is still uncertainty about our contracts. As Michelle explained in her MWord 110, GPC England (which includes Michelle and myself) voted not to accept the offer as it existed at that point. GPC England executive are seeking further talks, and the offer, whatever it is at the end of February, will be put to a referendum in March. Unlike the recent survey of all GPs, you will need to be a member of our trade union – which is the BMA – in order to be able to vote in this referendum and any subsequent ballots. There is more information here.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Penelope Jarrett
Chair
Lambeth LMC