GPC Report
For East and West Sussex LMCs
Dr Russell Brown
16 May 2018
The GPC met this week. This was a GPC England meeting.
I was not terribly happy with this meeting. Though the Speaker managed our time well and kept us on track, I did not feel that we were given enough opportunity to discuss matters. Many items were essentially “receive” items with a small opportunity to ask questions (and no chance to respond to answers). We also spent more time on a presentation by Dr Masood Nazir of NHSE on IT aspirations and plans than we did on the executive and policy leads’ reports. My own feeling is that should be the other way round. On the upside though, for the first time we have been asked for feedback, almost in the style of evaluation forms after a CPD activity. I have done so. At considerable length.
With regard to the Independent Enquiry that the BMA has organised after the sexism/misogyny scandal, it does appear that it will be properly independent, which provides some hope. It should be starting soon, with a plan to report back in only a few months time.
New intercollegiate Safeguarding guidance has been released and as is often the case is onerous and far too time consuming for the reality of life. As things stand, we will be spending more time on safeguarding training and reviews/reflection than we will on PCNs...
Honoraria issues continue to grumble along. The Meldrum reforms which changed how things work with regard to resourcing your representation have not, in my view, been helpful. for example, I attended the LMC conference in Belfast on your behalf (rather than as an LMC rep). I did not receive any honorarium for either of the two days I attended. I was able to claim for a locum cost on the Tuesday. Wednesday is my day off so I was there in my own time. However, I was fortunate that I am a partner in a practice. If I had been a locum, I could not have claimed any money for the Tuesday to offset earnings lost by attending. BMA rules don’t pay any honorarium until 12 meetings in a year have been attended. This is partly because employed members (such as consultants) are entitled to up to 12 days of trade union time. GPs, often being self-employed, are not able to make use of this of course. For GPC reps, the GPDF pays an honorarium for attendance at GPC meetings. For some reason, that has not been continued for LMC Conference, which to my mind is ridiculous. If you want decent representation, you need to resource it. It’s not a gravy train but if I can’t fund a locum (or afford to take the hit myself) I can’t go and represent you. I also have considerable concern that the arrangements as they stand run the risk of reducing an appropriate diversity of representation: we might end up with a larger than appropriate number or ratio of straight, white, male, semi-retired people on the committee. Oh, wait... (I only conform to some of those categories.) In my view, the only people who can decide whether a person or body represents them is the group of people concerned. I *think* I do a decent job of representing all of you, but please keep the feedback coming.
Anyway, moving on from my own bugbears...
EMIS Amazon Web Services is a work in progress, with EMIS intending to move patient data on to AWS. This is something which we support for reasons of service resilience, delivery and sustainability. There is much work ongoing to tie down the details of any Data Controller liability issues. Practices in due course will need to update their Privacy Notices and inform their patients about changes, which will involve things such as automated text messages and emailing. EMIS will be writing to practices at the appropriate time. One for your radar rather than any action at the moment.
There is a review of the GP trainee contract arrangements as part of wider junior doctors’ contract negotiations. This is currently confidential but I understand there will be more Comms very soon from the relevant committees and subcommittees of the BMA.
As I mentioned above, Dr Nazir presented on IT aspirations and plans from NHSE. While interesting, I feel it would have been better to have that item away from the main committee meeting.
We briefly discussed PCNs, negotiations on the details of the staff groups from year two are beginning and the support that has been put in place this year for ACDs will continue, as there is a recognition that ACDs may well change often.
There was an oral update from Dr Zoe Norris, the outgoing sessional subcommittee chair, who is also leaving the GPC. She has been remarkable in her vigour and tenacity in her relatively brief time on the committee, representing sessionals’ interests consistently and comprehensively. She leaves a legacy of a much more visible part of our profession, one which has historically been somewhat neglected by the GPC and BMA. I will not be alone in missing her contributions.
There were other items in the exec team’s report that were not discussed. A version of that report will be provided by the GPC secretariat soon (usually the Monday after the meeting) and I will ask the LMC office to forward it on when it is available.
The next meeting is Thursday 18 July, another GPC England meeting. After that, we have GPCUK in September. You may recall there are fewer meetings now. I am still unsure whether this is a good thing or not, to be honest and have suggested this is reviewed as I am concerned about the adequacy of representation at a national level. But now I’m at risk of repeating myself.
I hope you have found this report helpful. Please feedback so that I can ensure my reports are useful.
Dr Russell Brown
