GP State of Emergency
The BMA have produced letter templates to help GP practices push back on inappropriate workload from ICBs, prescribers, hospitals and your area team. Find these here: https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/gp-practices/managing-workload/pushing-back-on-inappropriate-workload
To help practice staff to manage the increasing workload, Londonwide LMCs has produced some emergency guidance to manage requests for unresourced work and identify and communicate to patients activities that aren’t covered by your core contract.
Practices can adapt these to suit their policies on such issues. We would suggest that the impact on the doctor/patient relationship is also considered when making decisions and patient vulnerablities are also taken into account.
Resources include:
- Emergency guidance
- Housing Applications - (See also Wessex LMC webpage)
- Prescribing guidance
- Share Care Protocols
- DWP Appeals - (See also Wessex LMC webpage)
- Flying when Pregnant
- Patients Presenting with Dental Issues - (See also Wessex LMC webpage)
- Letter templates designed to save you time when responding to frequent requests
- Letter and invoice to Local Authority regarding Collaborative Arrangement fees for medical reports in relation to safeguarding
- Patient referrals - what to expect handout (simple)
- Letter to hospital provider regarding discharge of patients after missed appointment
- Response to secondary care work transfer
- Letter for request to complete non-contractual administrative task
- Letter to area team regarding delay to information request or payment
- Letter to CCG regarding inappropriate workload transfer
- Template response for missed appointment - BMA Quality First
- Template response for delayed discharge summaries - BMA Quality First
- Template response for delayed clinic letters - BMA Quality First
- Template response for follow-up of results and investigations - BMA Quality First
- Firearms support guide (BMA)
- Template letter from practices to schools regarding administering medicine to children
- Letter and invoice to Local Authority regarding requests for Collaborative Arrangement fees
- Patient referrals - what to expect handout (tri-fold)
- Response to inappropriate prescribing requests
- Response to requests for post-operative checks
- Response to requests to follow up investigations performed in other settings
- Response to requests for work absence sick notes for less than seven days
- Suggested letter to schools regarding requests for verification for school children sickness absence (See also Wessex webpage)
- Letter to empower practices to refuse to take on more shared care work
- Template letter for practices to send to hospitals regarding contractual actions
- Template response for onward referral - BMA Quality First
- Template response for provision of medication following discharge - BMA Quality First
- Template letter from practices to CCG, informing them of the breach by the provider - BMA Quality First
With thanks to Londonwide LMC, GP Survival, Resilient GPs, GPC and Practice Index for their support and shared materials.
