Primary Care E-bulletin (Issue 34) - 13 May 2020

Support with day to day issues

Mid and south Essex broadcast teleconference notes

Please click on the button below to download the notes from today’s broadcast teleconference (13 May 2020).

Note: the next teleconference will take place on Friday 15 May at 13:00. Details for joining are as below:

• Telephone Number: 0330 336 4321
• Audience code: 50467364#

UPDATE: Health Information Exchange (HIE) password

In Monday’s bulletin item on HIE/GP Connect you were asked to contact the IT desk for a subdomain and password to access the Health Information Exchange (HIE). This was incorrect - apologies. The confidential username and password for the HIE configuration has now been sent directly to practice managers.

You do not need to call the CSU IT Service Desk for a username and password unless you require support in how to implement the changes as described.

All information is available on the Digital Primary Care and IT Support section of the new website.

Remote interpreting for deaf patients

NOTE: The Royal Association for Deaf People can support deaf patients to continue to access their appointments and surgery triage via video call - all the surgery needs is a telephone and the deaf patient the facility to accept video call (e.g. skype, zoom, face time etc).

For more information please contact: [email protected] or phone: 0300 688 2626

Updates from the wider mid and south Essex system

Referrals to specialist health learning disability services in Essex during COVID-19

Please find below a briefing from the Essex Learning Disability Partnership summarising their offer during the current COVID-19 situation.

Mid and south Essex radiology department

The Mid and South Essex Radiology department would like to confirm that query COVID-19 patients cannot be seen at St Andrews, they will either need to attend at Orsett or the main Basildon Hospital (BTUH) site.

Community bed capacity: Mid and south Essex community bed bureau

Due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak, community providers (Provide, NELFT and EPUT) and partners have been working together to consolidate community beds in mid and south Essex, in order to cope with the expected demand to treat more patients.

The Community Bed Bureau website provides ‘live’ and up to date information to help inform decision making when a patient has to be referred to a community hospital:

• Ward names and region/location
• Ward type and specialism
• Total beds in ward / occupied / reserved / available / queueing

In the near future it will also integrate with some social care and hospice beds.

For those encountering difficulty accessing the healthcare professional website, information about the Community Bed Bureau can be found here: www.provide.bed-bureau.co.uk

For information

A COVID-19 response action - diabetes management in care homes

New guidance has been published designed to support clinical decision making re. diabetes in care homes. As such, the guidance will take into account the availability of skilled personnel, access to monitoring of blood glucose (sugar) and ketones, fluid administration limits, and overall level of care likely to be available.

Survey on the impact of COVID-19 on BAME healthcare workers

According to the British Medical Association the most recent figures evidence that 94% of clinicians who have died due to the virus were from a BAME background.

A survey has been developed which aims to collect data on basic socio-demographics, work details, details of possible or confirmed COVID-19 infection, and exposure to COVID-19 during day-to-day work (i.e. work environment and PPE use) for UK healthcare workers.

The survey is aimed at all UK-based healthcare workers working in hospitals (secondary care) or in the community (primary care and social care).

Take the healthcareCOVID survey here

Education and Training

NHS England webinars

Starting out as a social prescribing link worker.

• Wednesday 13 May
• 1.30-2.30pm

This webinar aims to help new link workers understand the basics of their social prescribing link worker roles within PCNs.