Download this week’s GP Weekly Update here which features the following:
- Changes to MHRA Drug Alerts
- Regulating Medical Devices in the UK – Brexit Update
- The Daffodil Standards – for Advanced Serious Illness and End of Life Care
- NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS) Update
- Protect Yourself from Scams
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Alternatively, you can read the update here:
Changes to MHRA Drug Alerts
The term ‘alert’ will no longer be used for any MHRA safety message which doesn’t meet the criteria of a National Patient Safety Alert (NPSA). The Central Alerting System (CAS) alert reference CH/2021/001 advised that MHRA Drug Alerts will be renamed as follows:
- Medicines Recalls (to replace what were previously Drug Alerts class 1-4)
- Medicines Notifications (to replace what were previously Drug Alert: Caution in Use, Class 4)
These Recalls and Notifications won’t be published on the CAS website. If you’ve been receiving Drug Alerts from the CAS then you will receive email notifications when the MHRA issues these Recalls/Notifications, but the link will take you to where the recall or notification will be published on the MHRA website rather than linking to the CAS website. The email you receive will come from [email protected] to reflect this different delivery route and you should add this address to your email safe senders list (or equivalent) to ensure that these emails reach your inbox.
Regulating Medical Devices in the UK – Brexit Update
Since 1 January 2021, there have been several changes, introduced through secondary legislation, including how manufacturers place medical devices on the market in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). These include:
- The CE marking will continue to be recognised in Great Britain until 30 June 2023
- Manufacturers can currently use the UKCA mark on a voluntary basis until 30 June 2023
- From 1 July 2023, a UKCA mark will be required in order to place a device on the Great Britain market
Therefore, medical devices placed on the Great Britain market must have a UKCA mark or a CE marking, depending on which legislation the device has been certified under. Devices can have both marks present on the labelling prior to 1 July 2023, and dual marking will continue to be accepted on the Great Britain market after 1 July 2023.
The Daffodil Standards – for Advanced Serious Illness and End of Life Care
The Daffodil Standards (also known as RCGP and Marie Curie UK General Practice Core Standards for Advanced Serious Illness and End of Life Care) is a free, evidence-based, structured approach to help you to consistently offer the best end of life care for your patients. It covers eight core areas, with tools, exercises and quality statements to get you started. The Daffodil Standards are recognised by the CQC as a robust framework that evidences the quality of your care, and it also covers the end-of-life care priority in QOF.
This video explains what it’s all about, but to find out more, or sign up please click here.
NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS) Update
- New functionality:
- NHS e-RS is planning to introduce new functionality which will affect both referrers and providers. This will support the management of patients in primary care, avoid unnecessary referrals to secondary care, and improve the interface between primary and secondary care
- Click here for more information and training materials
- Manage your referral (MYR) website:
- The e-RS MYR website was integrated into the NHS App at the end of October 2020. Patients can use the MYR website within e-RS to book, check, change and cancel their outpatient appointments online without help from their GP practice.
- GPs and practice staff can now email referral booking information securely to patients who have an NHS login, and patients can now also manage their referral in the NHS App. Both features help support virtual GP appointments and remove the need to print and post booking instructions to patients
- Click here for more information about the functionality
- Integration update:
- Using e-RS Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) enables e-RS and other systems to ‘talk’ to each other to allow clinicians to spend more time on patient care and less time switching between IT systems. For example, when a triage request (RAS) is received, an API could be used to automatically create or update patient registration records
- APIs already available include the ability for referrers to search for services, create a referral, upload first attachments, and book appointments
- APIs also enable providers to retrieve the Referrals for Review worklist, retrieve clinical referral information from the Referrals for Review worklist, including attachments, accept and reject referrals, and cancel appointments, for admin teams to action later
- Soon, providers will be able to retrieve an advice and guidance conversation and manage their responses, respond to triage requests (RAS), download information about a wider range of referrals, e.g., Appointment Slot Issues (ASIs), and enable referrers to update attachments on a referral
- More information is available here
- CCG mergers:
- A number of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are merging in April this year and there are some important actions that need to be carried out in e-RS to ensure that clinical services remain available to referrers when the new organisations have been formed.
- If your CCG is one of these, please check here
Protect yourself from scams
You need to be vigilant about scams which may mimic government messages as a way of appearing authentic. Search ‘scams‘ on GOV.UK for information on how to recognise a genuine contact. You can also forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to [email protected] and suspicious texts to 60599.
You can also access the National Cyber Security Centre’s new guide on how to stay secure online, and protect yourself or your Practice against cyber crime by searching ‘Cyber Aware’ on GOV.UK.