GP locums to receive H1N1 vaccinations from their employing practices
There’s only one sensible way for locums to get their H1N1 jab, and that’s as soon as possible in one of their upcoming sessions at their next GP surgery. The BMA’s forthcoming advice on this will be quite clear:
Locums should seek vaccination at the practice at which they are registered in the first instance. However, if it is more practical for their vaccination to be administered at the practice at which they are working, they should ensure that the practice with which they are registered are informed that this vaccination has taken place.
The General Practitioners Committee of the BMA has been working on this in order that we can get our vaccines done and just get on with treating our patients. Experience is showing that practices are being really supportive and open-minded about this, and always remember that when it comes showing appreciation a packet of Hobnobs for the staff always goes down well.
There will be a tiny number of intransigent and short-sighted practices, so we’ve prepared some rebuffs for you:
- “We can vaccinate you, but it’ll cost you £5”
- Politely refuse to pay, stating that the BMA has issued strict guidance on this that locums are not to be charged, and locums are considered as part of the practices own occupational health policy. If this doesn’t throw them off then suggest they contact their LMC first!
- “It’s against good practice to vaccinate locums”
- No its not, and the BMA has obtained specific advice from the medical defense organisations stating that GPs are ‘covered’ to vaccinate their employees with this vaccine.
- The BMA has advised to make sure your own GP is notified of you having had the vaccination, in line with the policy that if you treat family/friends always make sure their GP is given a record of what you’ve done.
- “You’ll have to go to your own GP because we’re so busy/haven’t got enough for our own staff etc”
- GP locums are front-line staff and sending them to their own GP just moves the problem elsewhere. And deploying this logic means that the practice will have to vaccinate its own “GP locum-patient” so still have not solved any problems, only created them.
Time to define and refine OOH skills for GPs
We’ve absolutely no idea what the stats are on this, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that a significant number of GPs working Out of Hours are Freelance GPs. Exactly how many isn’t the issue (but it would help to know), it’s the quality of care they’re able to provide within the context of the support thay’re able to receive to practice as GPs in as risk-free way as possible.
To help us understand more about this, the NASGP has set up a working group of 3 Out of Hours Freelance GPs to construct a ‘core competencies’ document to first deconstruct, then define, the skills required to work as an OOH GP. On the basis of this we then hope to be able to look at any necesssary training and development needs for OOH GPs.
And we’d love your help! We’re looking for any OOH GPs to help us with this so if you’re interested then please leave your comments on this Blog, or email us at info@nasgp.org.uk, and we’ll get back to you.
Revalidation: it’s all about how many different practices you work in
Five years ago the National Association of Non-Principals, as we were then, changed our name to the National Association of Sessional GPs. The reason being that although an extremely accurate title, the term ‘non-principal’ defined us by a negative association – by what we were not, rather than what we were. Which is why the term Sessional GP works so well in that respect.
But the term Sessional GP isn’t without it’s critics, and me for one. Everywhere I go I hear or see the term misused. When we adopted the phrase, it having first been suggested by Dr Andrew Dearden at one of our national NASGP conferences, it was then a catch-all term for any GP working as a salaried or locum or retainer GP. But it still seems to be being used to define just one or the other, often interchangeably or without reference to any other. So, one document about just locums refers to locums continually as ‘Sessional GPs but without actually saying that salaried GPs are Sessional GPs too.
The biggest danger, however, lies in its actuall application where actually it’s just not helpful. The specific case here is in terms of Revalidation, where Sessional GPs are often cited as being a problem. But that’s a huge oversimplification, and the issue here is not whether they’re employed (salaried) or self-employed (locum), but whether they’re actually practice-based or not practice-based. Indeed, one often comes across locums who seem to have been working 5 sessions regularly in the same one practice for the last 5 years (obviosly without the knowledge of the Inland Revenue!).When it comes to Revalidation, by far the most important factor we need to get our collective heads around is the complexity of collecting useful evidence if you work in more than just a few practices.
Although i’m not for a second suggesting we turn our selves into the National Association of Non-Practice Based GPs and some Practice Based GPs On A Salary (NANPBGPPBGPOAS), we should be more careful before we start to dictate missives about one or other contractual group of GPs when actually the contract has liitle at all to do with it.
How has the nature, complexity and length of your consultations changed?
Here’s an opportunnity for you to have your say @Pulse-today. The survey only takes a couple of minutes to complete.
John Pike, NASGP blogger
Feedback for locums could work if more practices completed them
Version 2 of the @RCGP guide to revalidation states that locums will be able to use feedback forms from practices as an alternative to MSF. Furthermore, RCGP lead on revalidation, Professor Mike Pringle has said that locally-designed forms will be acceptable provided they ask specifically about all of the domains in the GMC’s “Good Medical Practice”. In July, in preparation for appraisal/revalidation, I asked 17 practices at which I work regularly to complete feedback forms for me. 9 replied and the responses was very favourable; no doubt this will be adequate when the time comes round. However, it bothers me that nearly half (8) of the practices cared so little about my appraisal/revalidation that they could not be bothered to complete a simple questionnaire that takes only 1-2 minutes to complete.
Do any of you have experience of using feedback forms? If so, NASGP would love to hear from you at info@nasgp.org.uk, on the discussion forum or please leave your comments on the blog..
John Pike, NASGP blogger
@RCGP reservations about GMC MSF
@Healthcarerep today reports that the RCGP have reservations about the only MSF tool that they have so far approved, that from the GMC. They advise doctors not to use it just now and the article reveals that a tool specifically for sessional doctors is being developed at its test site in Scotland. This is welcome news indeed and may, at least in part, demonstrate that the RCGP are listening to feedback they have received. You can read more about my reservations about MSF on the NASGP blog.
John Pike, NASGP blogger
Rate your PCT or PCO here
From NASGP blogger Stephanie Franz
GP Newspaper is running a survey on PCTs, so here’s a good opportunity to give them some feedback from the Sessional GP side of the fence. And it only takes less than a minute, promise!

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