Covid19 Daily Briefing 24 March

**Email sent on behalf of the LMC, Clinical Directors and NHS Calderdale CCG**
 
Hi everyone
 
1.    PCN Approach
 
·         Following another meeting, the PCNs are working up the home visiting service; all practices will triage and do remote consultations.
·         Details of the proposed models will be shared by your CD’s.
 
2.    Vulnerable
 
·         We are aware this is a big piece of work to coordinate and we are also aware that GP Practices are on with validating these lists.
·         Debbie R is working with partners from the council to ensure we have support from other sectors to follow people up appropriately – further details to follow.
 
 
3.    Key Workers and childcare provision:
 
Calderdale Council have provided some information around the provision of childcare for key workers:
 
All children should stay at home wherever possible, it’s the safest place for them to be
Vulnerable children may be safer at school, there is national guidance on who fits into the vulnerable category
If all adults in a household are key workers, then those children can also attend school
In two parent houses, if one adult is a key worker and the other isn’t then the adult who is not a key worker should be caring for the children in the home environment
Again the national guidance is clear in terms of what sort of workers may fit into the key worker category
By definition, key workers are likely to be working in a riskier setting – which is not a reason to exclude their children from school.  That’s the point – they need to work in that riskier setting to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
I recognise schools are the ones who are dealing with angry parents at the school gate, and have suggested that if parents are not happy with the decision they can raise with the Council.
 
 
4.    PPE Issues
 
The issues and concerns raised around PPE availability have been escalated at WY&H level and we are expecting an update on what additional PPE will be coming out to General Practice.  In the meantime, below is the most current information for ordering:
 
Practices and Trusts should contact the National Supply Disruption Response (NSDR) unit on:
Freephone number in the UK: 0800 915 9964
Direct line: 0044 (0) 191 283 6543
Email: supplydisruptionservice@nhsbsa.nhs.uk
Hours of Operation: Mon – Fri, 8am – 6pm
 
If you have not done so already please register to the daily webinars from NHS Supply Chain. These occur at 3.00pm every day and a recording/PDF is available following the webinar. Please cascade to anyone else in your organisation that you feel appropriate:
 
Registration Link: Daily COVID-19 Webinars
This is a single link that will register you for the series of daily webinars.
 
PRIMARY CARE - Further stocks from the pandemic stockpile have been made available to the following primary care wholesalers. Please contact these wholesalers to purchase PPE:
Organisation
Health Sector
Alliance / NWOP
Pharmacy
Phoenix
Pharmacy / GP Surgery
Mckesson / AAH Pharma
Pharmacy
DCC Vital / Williams
GP Surgery
Henry Schein
Dentist
DD Group
Dentist
Wright Health Group
Dentist
 
Should your supply arrangement fail with no immediate resolution available, you should report it to the National Supply Disruption Response (NSDR)
 
 
5.    Covid-19 Testing for Health Care Workers
 
·         Plans are being established for community testing to commence asap and we are currently liaising with CHFT around lab capacity for testing.
·         This will be staffed by CCG nursing colleagues and likely to be a ‘drive through’ approach.
 
 
6.    Coronavirus infection and pregnancy
 
·         Latest guidelines are that the large majority of women will experience only mild to moderate flu like symptoms and that there is currently no evidence of increased risk of miscarriage.
·         Antenatal appointments are an essential service. Women should be advised to attend routine antenatal care unless they meet current stay at home guidance.
·         However, those who fall into the high-risk category should not be invited into the surgery where possible.
·         If maternal obs or tests are unlikely to be required, appointments should be by phone/video conference where possible.
·         As most antenatal care requires obs/test, a shift away from direct contact is highly unlikely. Practices to work with their Community Midwives to put arrangements in place for antenatal appointments.
·         Practices to advise Linda.Hill@cht.nhs.uk or michelle.jones2@cht.nhs.uk if they have capacity to phone pregnant women with pre-booked appointments to screen them to check they have not developed acute respiratory symptoms. The Community Midwife will do this if practices do not have capacity.
·         Pertussis Vaccinations: primary care to continue with pertussis vaccinations for pregnant women
·         Information for health professionals to share with pregnant women and their families: https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/guidelines-research-services/guidelines/coronavirus-pregnancy/covid-19-virus-infection-and-pregnancy/
 
 
 
7.    PriDerm

·         Routine referrals are still being accepted at this time but managed as much as is clinically appropriate by telephone/video consultation
·         Follow ups will be managed as is clinically appropriate by telephone/video consultation.
·         This also include female isotretinoin patient, where video consultations are possible
·         Urgent referrals will be triaged by a GPwER and acted upon as appropriate
·         As much as possible all consultations will take place via telephone or video consultation
·         All Minor Surgery has been postponed until resumption of normal business
·         All telephone/video consultation are carried out remotely or within the amber zone of Blackburn Road Medical centre to minimise footfall/impact on out stations
·         POC nick.gwatkin@nhs.net or Tel: 01924 351090
 

8.    Diabetes Prevention Programme

·         Temporary changes to the NHS DPP: From 20.03.20, group-based face to face services have stopped – see attached
·         Temporary, remote arrangements have been made for the continued delivery of the programme.  Providers will communicate these details over the coming days
·         Providers will tell participants about the cancellation of in-person sessions and
·         arrangements for establishing new remote sessions
 
Moving forward, the daily bulletins will come out towards the end of each day as it is taking some time to collate the information and look into issues.
 
Thanks very much.
 
Dr Caroline Taylor CCG, Dr Seema Nagpaul LMC, Dr Fawad Azam CD, Emma Bownas

Attachments are here