Dr Sonali Kinra is a GP Partner at Hucknall Road Medical Centre, Nottingham and our ICS lead for GP Retention.
This is the second of her monthly blog series where she focuses on improving recruitment, retention and joy within General Practice.
This is the second in my monthly blog series as GP retention lead for our ICS.
It was my first opportunity to chair the Primary Care Workforce Group (PCWG) in early October – the remit of this group is to bring together health and care organisations and key stakeholders to support workforce transformation ambitions and design future primary care workforce across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
We also looked at the membership of this group and have decided to expand it to include representation from sessional GPs and Allied Health Professionals. In the near future I hope to be working closely with the three ICPs (Integrated Care Partnerships) and Primary Care Networks around their workforce needs.
I attended an evening networking event organised by Nottinghamshire LMC bringing together GPs from Mid and South Notts and consultants from Sherwood Forest Hospitals. This was an opportunity to meet with each other, find common ground and solutions to issues that we may all be getting frustrated about and inadvertently impacting patient care. Sometimes it’s just nice to put faces to names.
Further information about GP-Consultant twinning scheme and how to get involved is available here.
Following on from, this I attended the Primary Care Delivery Board – this board has been established by the six CCGS to provide a structure through which they can coordinate a number of workstreams to deliver our primary care strategy. We were asked to provide an update on activities of PCWG.
It was the AGM for RCGP Vale of Trent faculty and Helen Garr – @thewellbeinggp – got us all on our feet and spoke about burnout and resilience – please look up the resources on LMC website.
Did you also know about NHS health practitioner programme? It’s a free and confidential NHS service available to all doctors within the NHS to help with issues around mental health or addiction problems.
The LMC launched the revamped sessional GP sub-committee on the evening of 17 October led by Dr Kalindi Tumurugoti. I attended both in my role as LMC committee member but also as GP retention lead.
We had a healthy turnout with very lively discussions focusing on the needs of both locum and salaried GPs which has led us to think about: communication with locums, locum chambers model, new ways of working within PCNs. Our next meeting is planned for January 2020 and I will send you further details on this
If you are a locum GP in Nottinghamshire and not receiving emails from various local organisations then I would highly recommend joining the mailing list on Nottingham TeamNet Clarity. It is a web-based platform to share resources across the health community. It includes newsletters, information about local learning events, PLT, Webinars and pathways and guidelines. All locums are able to access TeamNet via simple registration process here.
Dr James Waldron and I attended a GP workforce co-design event in Brierly and we heard about the work they have done in last year to improve recruitment and retention in their patch and plans for the future including career development leadership programme for mid-career GPs and setting up locum chambers.
It was a rather long drive but we both came back enthused with ideas to bring to Nottinghamshire – more on this in the coming months. James will be publishing his own blog focused on first five GPs very soon.
We have exciting schemes available in Nottinghamshire for trainees, first5 GPs and now also mid-career and senior GPs – preceptorship, GP special interests and fellowship lite to name a few. Explore further on the Phoenix Programme.
The Phoenix Programme is keen to support older GPs to continue their invaluable role in the NHS. If you are or know of a GP considering retirement then please contact the Phoenix Programme. We would be keen to see if there anything we can do to encourage your involvement in the NHS and particular how we can use your wisdom to support younger colleagues. Contact them through info@phoenixprogramme.co.uk
Have you heard about this exciting opportunity for to become Digital GP fellow? We have two funded opportunities for newly qualified GPs locally – click here for more information.
Are you a registered nurse or allied health professional working in primary care, general practice or social care? There is funding available for course fees for approved higher education modules at degree or postgraduate level, commencing before 31 March 2020. Please email alliance.hub1@nhs.net and check out NEMS Partners Facebook page. Also they have exciting CPD session on Don’t be a Dipstick! Book here for 13 November.
For those of you who couldn’t make it to the RCGP annual conference in Liverpool this year – all the videos are available here.
I highly recommend the John Hunt lecture by Sir Michael Marmot @MichaelMarmot on Social Injustice in health – watch here. His book The Health Gap – Improving health in an Unequal world is a must read. He states “The Utopians of today are the realists of tomorrow”.
As the winter months set in I know we are all feeling the pressure in general practice and its multi-factorial not least due to funding but also workforce and workload pressures. My hope and focus is on creating opportunities for your learning and development to ensure sustainability and engagement – if you have any ideas please do get in touch with me.
I have my first Nottinghamshire women’s network meeting on 6 November – I am looking for people who may be interested.
Until next time,
Sonali