NEWSLETTER FOR THE GENERAL PRACTICE LINK OFFICE
SEPTEMBER 1998 ISSUE 53
The General Practice Link Office is always looking for articles to be included in Link News. If there is anyone out there involved in General Practice who would like to submit an article, please contact us with any contributions, which will be warmly welcomed.
STOP PRESS
There are places available for Quality Awareness in G.P. 8th Sept. and Introduction to Practice Books 22nd Sept. Please contact GPLO for details
CONTENTS
MAYDAY CLINICAL AUDIT COMMITEE ANNUAL AUDIT PRIZE
HELP WITH PROTOCOLS/GUIDELINES
AGE CONCERN'S INFORMATION AND ADVOCACY PROJECT
SHARED CARE DEVELOPMENT IN SUBSTANCE MISUSERS FOR CROYDON
The Year 2000 problem in General Practice is not just about computer systems.
…. Increasingly it is recognised that the easiest part of a year 2000 project is to identify computer systems that may need to be upgraded to ensure millennium compliance. Clinical system suppliers are actively helping with this process and gradually costs are being identified in this area.
…or embedded chips.… Any device containing a microchip also has the potential to fail, including medical devices, cars, washing machines etc..
Identifying and testing these is more difficult and we are all very dependent on manufacturers for information in this area.
…or ensuring that key supplies will continue to arrive. Even when you're sure your devices and computers are OK, what about your suppliers? Are the companies on whom you rely for regular delivery of essential goods and services year 2000 ready or are they going to have problems which will eventually cause disruption to you?
It's about understanding the risks your business processes are exposed to.
… If computer systems fail, embedded chip equipment malfunctions or suppliers stop deliveries of various goods and services to your practice, how long will it be before this escalates from irrelevant, inconvenient, delays, critical and eventually to a life threatening situation? What are your key processes, how often do they occur and how dependent are they on equipment and supplies?
…and taking action to minimise their impact. Knowing where your risks are enables you to plan ahead. Where risks are considered unacceptable, contingency plans are needed. Help with tackling the problem is available.
…… Sue Kavanagh, who many of you know through her involvement with the links project, is going to arrange to visit all Croydon practices some time between September and the end of November. Sue's role is intended to be supportive and whilst it in no way takes responsibility from you, she will be able to:
Jane Shaw, Assistant IM&T Manager, Croydon Health 0181 401 3936
Parchmore Medical Centre would like to welcome Sam Alford of the Family Welfare Association where she will be working in partnership with Primary Health Care colleagues. Her role as Family Support Co-ordinator is to deliver a "Well Family Service", offering support, advice and information to everyone registered with the practice and to support the work of the team. The Well Family Service is funded for three years by a National Lotteries Charity Board grant to the Family Welfare Association. This innovative service will provide holistic support to family members of all ages within the primary health care setting. Sam is practice-based to facilitate an easily accessible service in a non-stigmatising way. She is also willing to do home visits as appropriate. The focus of Well Family's work will be to offer support to families to reduce family tensions, prevent crises and maximise their inherent strengths and resources together with a positive sense of well-being. Sam will be undertaking this work by offering families a range of interventions. The project is a three-year pilot and will develop in accordance with the needs identified by families using the service, and by workers in the primary health and social care fields. Sam is aiming to work in an integrated way to complement and support existing services and also to identify perceived areas of need and gaps in provision. The project will be independently evaluated by the University of Manchester and The National Primary Care Development Centre For further information please contact Sam Alford on 0181 683-2312 at Thornton Heath Health Centre (office base) or leave a message at Parchmore Medical Centre on 0181 251-4200.
Sam Alford - Family Support Co-ordinator
Sue Pache - Nurse Practitioner
Croydon Social Services are promoting a new culture for children's services in the borough, of which Primary Health Care Teams should be aware. This follows a major research project in 1995 after the Children's Act in 1989 to look how Child Protection systems were working in practice. "Messages from Research" concluded that for a small proportion of children identified as abused or at risk of abuse, adequate care plans and monitoring were provided. All in all, in England and Wales systems for abused children and those at risk of abuse were good. For countless other children from families with identified problems and social need, but where abuse was not a factor causing significant harm, systems were not working well. Support services available to improve the welfare of children in needy families were not always forthcoming. As Dr Margaret A. Lynch Consultant Community Paediatrician for Optimum Health Services and Editor of Child Abuse Review so eloquently put it, much time and effort is spent "investigating the deed" rather than "meeting the need". Lack of support often meaning a deterioration of family circumstances with children descending into abuse requiring later referral into the Child Protection process. Government urged local authorities to be more proactive in preventing child abuse, to be less involved in the "who dunnit" policing and investigative approach and offer more constructive family support at an earlier stage. They also suggested improved information sharing and collaborative working practices. In response Croydon have re written their procedures. Since April 1998 new Child in Need and Child Protection Procedures have been operational. In practical terms referrals should be made at an earlier stage where there is concern that a family is not coping, and where this is impacting on the health and welfare of children. No longer do we have to wait until frank abuse is suspected or identified. Social workers will no longer commence a Child Protection investigation immediately post referral. Initially discreet enquiries will be made and only after these are concluded will a course of action be decided upon. This could be, no action, to offer family support services or to proceed with a Child Protection investigation. Child Protection procedures remain very much the same. It is very much a "Lighter Touch" for families and research suggests a far greater compliance with care plans by parents and better outcomes for children as a result. If you would like more information about the shift of focus, a copy of the procedures or a presentation at one of your practice meetings as to how the new procedures will work in the Borough, please contact:
Briony Ladbury Child Protection Advisor, Croydon Health Authority Tel: 0181 401 3162
Mayday Clinical Audit Committee Annual Audit Prize
The Mayday Clinical Audit Committee will award an annual audit prize in January/February of each year. The prize will be worth up to a maximum of £1000 towards the cost of course and travel fees to attend a national or international meeting of medical education. Submissions are invited from all clinical staff (doctors, nurses, therapists etc) and the criteria for inclusion are as follows:- · The audit must have been carried out by an employee of any of the NHS organisations in Croydon and should be completed no longer than one year from the date of closure for applications. · Where more than one person has carried out the audit, only a single named presenter is eligible for the prize. · All submissions must be made on a maximum of two sides of A4. The format should include the title of the project, place of audit, named presenter, methodology, findings, implications and plans for future audit. A panel from the Mayday Clinical Audit Committee will shortlist five projects for presentation at a special meeting in January. At this meeting presenters will be allocated 15 minutes each with five minutes of question time. A specially appointed panel of judges will select the prize winner. The prize must be claimed by submitting study leave expenses within a year. Closing date this year for submissions is Monday 16th November 1998. Application forms are available from Susan Wood, Secretary, Mayday Clinical Audit Committee, c/o Croydon Eye Unit, Mayday University Hospital, London Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 7YE (Tel: 401 3477).
Mr Dilogen de Alwis - Chairman
Age Concern's Information and Advocacy Project
Mid-Project Update
This is a twelve month pilot project funded by the King's Fund, London Health Partnership Primary Care Group. Five General Practices have been involved in this work, the main aims being to raise awareness of primary care staff to the resources available for older people within their local community and borough wide; to give patients at each practice direct access to the full range of Age Concern services and to ensure staff in other agencies are aware of and able to access the services provided by Age Concern. At this mid-way stage all five practices have direct access for staff and patients to Age Concern's services. In addition two surgeries have an Age Concern "Information Desk" on a regular basis and two have appointment systems available in order that patients may be seen at the surgery. To date, as a direct result of this work, Age Concern has been able to offer information and advice to more than 60 new enquirers. Many more older people, their friends, relatives and Carers have been provided with fact sheets and literature at their surgery; information on housing, benefits, transport, health, clubs and activities, and carers support being some of the most requested. An Age Concern notice board has been put in each of the surgeries highlighting the project and providing information on a cross-section of issues of relevance to older people. "Contact Sheets" detailing local clubs, organisations, activities and support groups have been given to practice nurses, district nurses and a health visitor for the elderly to distribute to patients and their carers. Where appropriate a Borough Resource Pack and a Health Resource Pack have been made available to staff who felt they could make use of it. This has included a health visitor for the elderly, a single-handed practice nurse and the staff team of a small single-handed practice. The emphasis of this work has been to ensure that the service provided by Age Concern is tailor made to the needs of each individual practice. Providing older people with information helps them to make informed decisions and therefore to feel more in control of their lives. Providing access to information about services in the borough is often of great significance in determining the quality of life of older people and their carers. Hand in hand with access to information and advice comes the essential role of advocacy; without the opportunity to talk over choices and options such access for some older people become worthless. Many older people live alone and have no one to share major life decisions with; even those everyday worries that affect all of us at one time or another can be overwhelming if not shared. The value of advocacy to older people should not be underestimated.
For more information contact Carmen Hagel - Development Worker or Diane Lockwood - Development Manager at Age Concern on 0181-680 5450.
Do you need help developing or updating your protocols/guidelines?
Help is at hand with the assistance of the Locality Development Nurses who offer a practice based service to help you with any of the above.
Please contact your locality nurse via the GPLO on 401 - 3995.
Purley & New Addington - Sue Baden
Norbury & Woodside - Debbie Chamberlayne
Central - Janette Swift
This information has been brought to you via the Practice Nurse Group Committee.
Shared Care Development in Substance Misusers for Croydon
For the past year I have been visiting surgeries in Croydon to discuss issues relating to patients presenting with substance misuse problems (illicit drugs, alcohol and prescribed medication). The Oaks Resource Centre is a specialist community drug and alcohol team which provides assessment and treatment of patients referred with substance misuse problems. There are occasions when stable patients could, and have been successfully treated by the GP or myself on a shared care basis. The above arrangement has in the main been very successful for those who meet the established criteria. If there are any interested primary health care team members who would like further information and basic awareness training on drugs and alcohol, or who would like to discuss a particular issue, please contact me. Alternatively, please refer to the blue "Working Together" folder on your shelf!
Jane Haywood Specialist Primary Health Care Liaison Nurse/ Deputy Team Leader The Oaks Resource Centre, 843 London Road Thornton Heath Croydon CR7 6JH Tel: 0181 700 8600 - Fax: 0181-665 0795
| The Woodcote Group Practice 32 Foxley Lane Purley Surrey CR8 3EE 0181 660-1304 |
Brigstock Medical Centre 141 Brigstock Road Thornton Heath Surrey CR7 7JN 0181-684 1128 |
Broughton Corner Medical Centre 87 Thornton Road Thornton Heath Surrey CR7 6BH 0181-683 1277 |
| (Branch Surgery) 140 Chipstead Valley Road Coulsdon Surrey CR5 3BB 0181 660-1305 |
Dr. G. Jupp Woodside Health Centre 3 Enmore Road South Norwood London SE25 5NT 0181 655-1223 |
Drs Clarke & Singh 23 Broom Road Shirley CR0 8NG 0181-777 5511 |
| Dr N Cambridge Greenside Surgery 88 Greenside Road Croydon Surrey CR0 3PN 0181-240 0072 |
Selsdon Park Medical Practice 97 Addington Road Selsdon S. Croydon Surrey CR2 8LG 0181 657-0067 |
Dr Wesson & Partners 59 Addiscombe Road CR0 6SD Croydon 0181-688 1213 |
| Portland Medical Centre 184 Portland Road South Norwood London SE25 0181-662 1233 |
Dr W Barclay & Partners 231 Violet Lane Croydon Surrey CR0 4HN 0181-688 0333 |
|
| Parkside Group Practice 27 Wyche Grove South Croydon Surrey CR2 6EX 0181-680 2588 |
Norbury Health Centre 2b Pollards Hill North Norbury London SW16 4DH 0181-679 1700 |
The GPLO does not necessarily endorse or support any of the positions, products or people advertised herein.
Linden Lodge Medical Practice - Experienced Practice Nurse part time to work 12 hours per week with additional hours to cover study leave, sickness and holidays. F/G Grade according to experience and qualifications. To work in a modern busy three doctor practice. Enthusiasm essential, experience preferred. For application please apply in writing with accompanying CV to: Mrs B Brook, Linden Lodge Medical Practice, 519 London Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 6AR. Hours preferred Monday evening, Tuesday morning and Thursday morning and evening. Current full time practice nurse is on a nurse practitioner course on Wednesdays. Morning and evening will be required during her term time
Part-time Practice Nurse Thornton Heath area. We are six-partner, progressive, fully computerised (Meditel) practice. We offer the opportunity of working in close liaison with the doctors and as part of a longstanding nursing team. Whenever possible we offer a one-stop service so that a patient needing nursing procedures as well as medical treatment and/or advice will be seen by doctor and nurse at the same appointment. Successful applicant will be RGN, able to provide wide range clinical abilities. Professional development encouraged. Salary: Grade F, commensurate with skills and experience. Hours: 14.5 to include three evenings per week. Telephone:0181-665 7112 for job description and application form.
Receptionist/Administrator required approx 25 hrs per week. Experience preferred. Please send CV to Mrs V Bernard, c/o Woodside Health Centre, 3 Enmore Road, South Norwood, SE25 5NS (or telephone Vicky on 0181-662 1233).