No.

304

Clinical Pharmacists

January 2017

Cornwall & Isles of Scilly

LMC Newsletter

NHS England announced that it will be inviting GP practices to

apply for funding to help recruit, train and develop more clinical
pharmacists to meet its commitment of an additional 1,500 clinical
pharmacists in general practice by 2020/21. This is a General
Practice Forward View programme with a 112 million investment
attached to it. The extra 1,500 CPs is in addition to 490+ that are
already working in general practice as part of the 35 million pilot
launched in July 2015 as part of the 2015 GP workforce 10 point
plan.

Practices participating in the programme will receive funding for

three years to recruit and establish clinical pharmacists in their
surgeries.
Applicants will be able to submit applications from 9th January 2017
through an online portal. The first cohort of successful participating
providers will be announced in March.
Details of the scheme and access to the online application portal
(when it is available) can be found on NHS Englands website https://www.england.nhs.uk/gp/gpfv/workforce/cp-gp/
The NHS England press release is here https://www.england.nhs.uk/2016/12/clinicalpharmacy/

The BMA GPC press statement is here https://www.bma.org.uk/news/media-centre/pressreleases/2016/december/bma-responds-to-launch-of-clinicalpharmacy-scheme-for-general-practice

Inside this issue:

Sessional GP Newsletter

Your Chairman writes

Firearms Certificate
SCAM Alerts

Aftermath Shipman

4-5

The Art of Brilliance.

GPC Roadshow postponed.
Training for Practice Staff

Events

Vacancies
Dr Basil Bile

8-12
13

Please find a link to this

months edition of the
Sessionals newsletter

Items for the Newsletter should be

sent to the Editor, Dawn Molenkamp
at Victoria Beacon Place, Room
B314, Station Approach, Victoria,
Roche, St Austell, PL26 8LG
Tel :01726 210141
e-mail dawn@kernowlmc.co.uk

Your Chairman writes ..

I thought I would start the New Year musings not with a resolution but a short history lesson. We have just
had our annual LMC cabinet away day and one of the actions from that day was to remind you, our constituents, what the LMC does.
Local Medical Committees evolved from Local Panel Committees which were established in 1911 by the
National Insurance Act. They came fully into fruition in 1913 as LMCs well before the NHS was established in 1948. LMCs have therefore seen the following come and go: - Local Insurance Committees, NHS
Executive Council, Family Practitioner Committees, Family Health Service Authorities (FHSAs), Health
Authorities, PCGs and PCTs. Our role is enshrined in the NHS Act of 2013 and we will almost certainly
outlast CCGs.
Whereas Kernow CCG is a practice membership organisation that commissions and Kernow Health CIC
is a practice membership provider organisation, the LMC represents all GPs irrespective of their contractual status. This is more important than ever as there is an increasing number of peripatetic GPs with wide
ranging roles. We are funded via practice levy which is compulsory for all GMS practices and voluntary for
PMS practices. The levy has two components, a statutory component that funds the local LMC and a voluntary component that funds the General Practice Defence Fund (which in turn funds the General Practitioners Committee who negotiate nationally). These funds are taken out at source and administered for
NHSE by Capita. The voluntary levy is approximately 5p per patient and the statutory levy is currently
around 42 p per patient in Cornwall.
We exist to represent ALL GPs, safeguard their interests (pay and conditions), to inform, educate, support, mediate and also to lead. Our committee has representatives from constituencies in the North, East,
Central and West of the county in addition to non-principal representation. We have a committee of 21
representatives and a cabinet structure of 7 GPs including Chair and Vice Chair.
We represent GPs at various committees (Area team, CCG, STP transformation board, Secondary Care
Trusts) in contract negotiations both locally and nationally, support GPs with ill health or performance concerns through our pastoral care programme. We advise and mediate in partnership and contract disputes
and interact with media organisations throughout the county. However, most of our work is invisible and
involves keeping GP life on a, hopefully, manageable level. We put out fires and stop madcap ideas from
evolving from organisations both local and national - you wont see this and we wont tell you about it. If
you think something that you have been asked to do seems unreasonable, not routine/normal, we want to
hear about it. So if someone tells you that you have to become part of a super practice, an ACO or an
MCP - you better ask us first as if you havent heard it from us it is unlikely to be true.
Just remember the LMC has been around for over a hundred years and most Health Secretaries are lucky
to survive a parliamentary cycle.
The faces may change but our support wont.
www.facebook.com/kernowlmc
www.kernowlmc.co.uk
@KernowLMC
@Penbrea - Chairs twitter feed

NO . 3 0 4

Page 2

Firearms Certification
This single issue has probably caused more emails, questions and expressions of anger than any other single
topic over the last 12 months. I think GPs have been placed in an extremely difficult position.
The GPC hopes to release new guidance in the next month, and I hope this will address many of the concerns
that we all have.
There is a balance here because a review carried out in 2014 of deaths caused by shooting where the person
committing the offence held a firearms license, in each case if was found that the person committing the crime
had a significant health issue.
It is important to understand that it is the police who decide whether to issue a Firearms licence or not, the role
of the GP is to supply factual information.
Dr Nigel Watson, Wessex LMC.

Scam Alert 1 Bogus Caller

We have just had this situation reported to us at the office, please make sure all of your practice staff are
aware.
Twice now we have had a bogus caller who claims to be from PCSE asking whether or not a patient is registered with us. She gives an NHS number and when asked for a return phone number which we do routinely
to check the callers identity says she has not got a number as she is on constant outbound dialer.
She just keeps repeating that she is from PCSE and that other surgeries gave her the information. She
phoned me on my direct line, could not pronounce the name of the surgery properly and also called Mount
Hawke Mount surgery.
Needless to say I refused to give her any information and rang PCSE who confirmed they do have a number
they can give and there is no-one called Rita (the name she gave me) in any of their offices that they know of.

Scam Alert 2Bogus emails

Ive just received a very convincing email, allegedly from my Senior Partners Icloud account, asking me
to transfer 16,170 urgently by CHAPS today. Luckily I checked it. Ive just reported this to the Police
too. It was convincing. They used my name in the body of the email as if the GP was writing to me personally. They must be looking at PMs names on practice websites.
Just to let you know I had a very similar thing last week. I had a request, again quite convincingly from
the GPs NHS email to my NHS email asking initially about how we transfer money from one account to
another and what was the limit on transfers. I knew it was wrong because he wouldnt ask that, and he
also signed the email in a way he never would! I emailed back to try and get as much info as possible
saying I needed more details, i.e. name of account, sort code and account number which I actually got a
reply to and asking me to make the transfer asap that day for 19k. I contacted I.T and had to complete
an Action Fraud report, http://www.actionfraud.police.uk which I did and sent off.

Page 3

C O R NW A LL & I S LE S O F S C I LL Y LM C NE W S LE T TE R

Aftermath Shipman
We would like to inform you that a radio programme entitled Aftermath Shipman will be broadcast this Monday 30th January at 8pm and repeated on Wednesday 1st February at 11am.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08bzcd7
The programme (which we have not listened to beforehand) will include who Shipman was, what happened
immediately after he was arrested and then how our practice helped to regain the trust of its patients and the
wider community.
I started as a GP on 2nd October 2000 after Shipman has been arrested and it was clear he would not be returning to his old practice at 21 Market Street in Hyde. This was my first job after I qualified as a GP and 2 days
later the BBC ran an article describing what had happened. The last paragraph is a very important one where
Dr Cumming, our senior Partner, said It is going to be a good practice, a smoothly-run practice and we are going to regain the trust and confidence of the patients, as far as anyone can
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/955009.stm
This was later to evolve into the Partnership of Trust whereby we build confidence and trust by recognising
the expertise the patient (and carer) brings to the consultation alongside the expertise the clinician has and the
full GP electronic health record (Detailed coded data as well as free text) is shared responsibly with the patient.
We started doing this in 2004 at Haughton Thornley Medical Centres (alongside Manor House Surgery and
Hadfield Medical Centre in Glossop). We developed a very specific explicit consent process where the focus
was not just on access to the records but more importantly (and to keep things safe) we also ensure patients
understood what they were signing up for through a simple questionnaire that can take 2 minutes to complete. http://www.htmc.co.uk/GetAccessNow/
We went on to develop a practice-based web portal www.htmc.co.uk whose role was to signpost patients to
practice info as well as local, regional, national and international info. We provide specific guidance for a variety
of conditions to help patients get the best information easily without having to Google search and which relates to what we are doing. We know what is available locally and can build a repository of info with our patients. This was how the practice could extend itself into the online arena where people are and continue to
support the partnership of trust.
Currently, over 6600 patients at the practice now have full access to their whole record which they can share
with whom they like. Here is our case study which shows how we achieved Records Access and Understanding.https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6931026/HTMC%20documents/CASE%20STUDY%20%20Improving%20Patient%20Access%20to%20Records%20And%20Understanding%20at%20Haughton%20Thornley%2
0Medical%20Centres%20-%2012%20years%20experience.pdf Here are some examples of the takeup we
now have for Records Access and Understanding. See http://www.htmc.co.uk/pages/pv.asp?p=htmc0328 for
our latest data

55% of our total patient population

58% of all our patients with diabetes
66% of all our patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
64% of all our patients with low back pain
94% of all our patients with depression or anxiety

Page 4

C O R NWA LL & I S LE S O F S C I LL Y LM C NE WS LE T TE R

Aftermath Shipman contd/..

95% of all our pregnant women

34% of all our patients with learning disability
55% of all our Bengali patients
You can read the impact on patients in their own words here with testimonials they have written http://
www.htmc.co.uk/pages/pv.asp?p=htmc0304
Soon after we set up the Haughton Thornley Patient Participation Group and appointed a Chair for the
group. http://www.htmc.co.uk/pages/pv.asp?p=htmc4 . Since then we have had three PPG chairs Donald
Hunter, Bill Burgoine and the current Chair, Ingrid Brindle. They represented the voice of the practice population and have helped to develop the service both online and in the practice itself. Last year Haughton Thornley
Patient Participation Group was voted the best PPG in the UK by the National Association of Patient Participation. Living in the community, they heard first hand how things affected the people around them and their own
experience too. The radio broadcast is a discussion between us on what happened, the impact on the community and how the practice regained the trust of those around it.
This week in surgery I spoke to a grandson of a lady who was murdered by Shipman. He was one of the 6644
patients with access to his full GP electronic health records. I told him about Aftermath Shipman and asked
he inform his family and that there is help available including the practice, Victim Support, the local mental
health services and of course the wider community. He asked what difference him being able to view the records would be. I explained he now had the opportunity to read what the practice thought, see his own results
and conditions and then when he goes away, learn for himself, understand the care plan and make his own
mind up using his own mind whether it is right for him instead of having to go to another service provider which
increasingly cannot cope. He has a mind and can learn for himself if he wishes. I pointed out to him that he had
gained a stone in weight in the past 10 years by just looking at his weight graph something that was news to
him and which he could easily look at with his smartphone or logging in via his computer. He can continue to
monitor his weight at home even if I do not see him again for another 10 years. He knows the message is in his
record which he can refer to at any time. By sharing with each other, we both gain where he feels more in control of his own health too. He smiled. He got it.
General Practice is at a very low ebb. All of us are feeling the brunt of a system and a government that is adding more and more pressure and blame on us for the wider failures in society. I was with the senior leadership
including Simon Stevens and Jane Cumming and others this week where I also informed them about the
above. Earlier I also contacted Jon Rouse, Chief Officer at Greater Manchester Health Social Care
(DevoManc) too. We must stand united and recognise we cannot do this all on our own. But together we can if
we support each other and re-invest in the parts of the system that can make a big difference. If anybody would
like to know more or would like help to ensure their processes are aligned based on our experience then
please get back in touch. We have amassed a great deal of knowledge and experience. I have just published
an article entitled The Paradigm Shift in Healthcare for Government Computing which describes the transformation needed in the NHS.
http://healthcare.governmentcomputing.com/features/the-paradigm-shift-in-healthcare-5723240
When General Practice succeeds, the NHS will succeed.
Dr Amir Hannan
Full-time General Practitioner, Haughton Thornley Medical Centres, Thornley St,

NO . 3 0 4

Page 5

The Art of Brilliance Friday 24th February 2017

A final reminder and chance to book your place for an enthralling and thought provoking day with
Martin Burder and his Art of Brilliance presentation. Martin is back by popular demand after a
very successful presentation at the LMC Practice Managers Conference in November 2016.
Cost - 35.00 per person to include refreshments and lunch.
Time 9.00am to 3.00pm
Venue Commercial Centre, Victoria (on the same site as our offices) full directions will be
sent to delegates prior to the date.
Booking form attached or email admin@kernowlmc.co.uk to reserve your place/s.

GPC Roadshow postponed

Thank you all who showed an interest in attending the regional GPC Roadshow in Plymouth on Tuesday
(31 January).
The GPCs negotiations with NHS Employers are almost concluded but, due to a number of politically
pressing matters this week for the Government, the process has been delayed. As such, at the moment
the GPC is not able to share the full detail of its discussions and this is unlikely to change before the end
of next week at the earliest.
Unfortunately, this means that the local roadshow has been postponed, as the GPC isnt in a position to
provide details of the 2017/18 contract agreement then.
Those who expressed an interest in attending the event will have first priority to register again when it is
rescheduled and details about the logistics including the venue and agenda will be communicated in
due course.

Training for Practice Staff

Just a reminder please can you let us have any ideas/suggestions for training for Practice Staff
that the LMC can arrange.
We have already had a good response from Practice Managers and thank you for those, so if anybody else has any requirements please can you let us know as soon as possible.
Thank you.
Please email: admin@kernowlmc.co.uk

NO . 3 0 4

Page 6

EVENTS
Time for Care Programme - Launch event
Kernow Health CiC supported by NHS England are organising a number of events to support the Time for
Care Programme, part of the General Practice Forward View.
We have secured support and facilitation from NHS England for two sessions to take place open to all
practices in Cornwall. We are delighted to confirm that Dr Robert Varnum - NHS England GP Clinical
Lead for GPFV, Mark Jennings and Elaine Latham NHS England Development Advisors and Sheinaz
Stansfield - Practice Manager at Oxford Terrace Medical Group will be presenting on the day.
We therefore ask you to save the date in your diaries
Wednesday 29th March 08:30am 12:30pm based in the West of the county
Wednesday 29th March 2:00pm 6:00pm based in the East of the county
Please note the sessions are the same content, but at different locations and times, the location details
will be communicated soon. The events are aimed at GPs and Practice Managers.

Cornwall Stroke Conference

Wednesday 15th March 2017
08.45 16.30
Health and Wellbeing Innovation Centre, Truro
Please see attached flyer for more details.

Time for Care ProgrammeLaunch Event

Kernow Health CiC supported by NHS England are organising a number of events to support the Time for
Care Programme, part of the General Practice Forward View.
Wednesday 29th March 08:30am 12:30pm
Tricky's @ the Tolgus Inn, Tolgus Mount, Redruth, Cornwall. TR15 3TA
Wednesday 29th March 2:00pm 6:00pm
Eliot House Hotel, Liskeard, Castle Street, Liskeard, Cornwall PL14 3AU
(Please note the programme for each event is the same)
How to book a place?
Please follow the following link to book places at the event - http://cornwallpn.co.uk/events/event/timefor-care-programme-launch-event-for-gps-and-practice-managers/

NO . 3 0 4

Page 7

Tamar Valley Health

8 Session GP Partner Vacancy at Callington Health Centre
Job share and Part time also considered

We are based in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Cornwall/Devon border. Close to the market
town of Tavistock and within easy reach of Plymouth there is a good choice of local schools. Between moor,
sea and river, outdoor opportunities abound for sailing, surfing, cycling and walking.
An innovative forward thinking practice:

GMS 16,000+ patients with 9 GP partners, 2 Pharmacist Partners and 5 Associate GPs working over 2
health centres at Callington and Gunnislake
Pharmacy at Gunnislake Health Centre with rising profits and Practice Dispensaries at both sites
Full QOF scores for the last 2 years and Good/Outstanding CQC ratings
Active involvement with the CCG and LMC
SystmOne so paper light
Excellent Clerical and Nursing Teams including a Prescribing Nurse Practitioner and Prescribing Nursing
Team Leader
Medical Student Training
Active in NIHR and RCGP approved research
Close links to Community teams
Start date 1st July 2017 tamarvalleyhealth.co.uk

For further information and to arrange an informal visit please contact Natalie Wilkerson, HR Manager at natalie.wilkerson@nhs.net or telephone 01579 382666.
Closing Date: 20th February 2017

Praze Surgery
An opportunity has arisen for a salaried GP or GPs to join our friendly, rural practice from May 2016.
We would welcome applications from GPs wanting to work from 2 up to 6 sessions per week. We are looking
for enthusiastic, proactive team players with a strong patient care focus.

GMS practice with 6,100 patients covering a wide rural area.

Dispensing Practice in modern, purpose built premises at Praze and our branch surgery at Connor Downs.

Consistently high QOF Achievement

Microtest Clinical Systems

Nurse Led Chronic Disease Management clinics

Actively involved in Clinical Research

Please send expressions of interest and a copy of your current CV to:
Anne Craig, Practice Manager, on 01209 833001 or email: anne.craig3@nhs.net
Informal enquiries/Practice visits are welcome: Contact Anne Craig or Dr Hugh Fairlie (hugh.fairlie@nhs.net).
NO . 3 0 4

Page 8

VEOR SURGERY - Camborne, Cornwall

General Practitioner
Our Practice is located in the historic mining town of Camborne which is part of the World Heritage Site, some
of the most beautiful beaches in the Country and an idyllic place to live and work.
We are an innovative and growing Wellbeing Centre in West Cornwall. We are establishing a range of exciting
new services including social prescribing, young peoples clinics and a range of other wellbeing services.
We are looking for a range of new team members to join us as we turn our exciting vision into reality. A key
role in this is a dynamic and innovative GP looking to practice embracing all of our new approaches. We are
flexible to create a role that builds on your clinical interests. You will be joining a friendly and supportive team
that includes a Clinical Pharmacist, Paramedic and Social Prescriber.
To give you a flavour of what we are doing Veor is a Centre of Wellbeing, learning and education. This month
we are introducing social prescribing, working with a range of voluntary sector partners, and in the very near
future we will start a young persons wellbeing clinic working with a well-known voluntary sector organisation.
Education and learning is at our heart eg we have been approved for the training of nurses and soon to be a
GP training practice.
We will provide, in addition to your salary, your indemnity insurance and time off for CPD as well as supporting
you in Academic Research etc.
We would welcome a discussion with you about our exciting plans, please phone 01209 611199 or email
amanda.menear@nhs.net If you would like to join our team please send us a copy of your CV and a brief
statement on how you can help us achieve our ambitions.

Three Spires Medical Practice, Truro

Salaried GP 4 sessions - Maternity cover
We are a highly regarded training and research practice, looking for enthusiastic and dedicated GPs to
join our forward-thinking, supportive and friendly team. The Practice is located in new purpose-built
premises at the Health Park in Truro, Cornwall. Our list size is approximately 15,000 with a clinical team
of 8 partners, 4 salaried GPs, 4 practice nurses and 7 phlebotomists/HCAs.
We require a salaried GP for four sessions per week to provide maternity cover for up to one year.
Together with our existing Salaried GPs, you will be responsible for a shared patient list and provide cover accordingly. The post will involve managing your own workload, completing paperwork, home visits,
and being part of the duty rota. Experience in Womens Health will be advantageous.
Informal enquires are welcome; please contact Katy Roussel, Operations Manager on 01872 272272 or
email katy.roussel@nhs.net
Please apply in writing to Sarah Boon, HR Manager, email sarah.boon2@nhs.net

NO . 3 0 4

Page 9

Senior Clinician/GP - Care of the Elderly

Based at Liskeard Community Hospital
Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust are a mental health and community care provider committed to delivering
compassionate holistic care for the people of Cornwall within their local communities.
Liskeard hospital is a community rehabilitation hospital and receives patients from Derriford and works closely with
the local community trust in Plymouth, Livewell.
Locum cover on a short term basis is required to provide day to day clinical cover for the in-patient Oak and Willow
wards (25 and 19 beds respectively)
If you are interested in providing locum support in full or in part during February, March and April 2017 please contact Anita Cornelius or Tracy Dilworth in the first instance on 01579 373500/ a.cornelius@nhs.net /
tracy.dilworth@nhs.net

Practice Business ManagerChasewater

37.5 hours per week

Pay: Negotiable subject to experience

Due to the retirement of our practice manager we are looking for an experienced and motivated manager to join our
stable, successful practice.
We are looking for the right candidate to work collaboratively with the partners to lead the practice through a period
of significant change in the landscape of an evolving NHS, whilst developing closer working relationships at a strategic level with our two neighbouring practices.
We are a four partner semi-rural dispensing GMS practice with 5,800 registered patients. We provide high quality,
personal primary care in beautiful central Cornwall. We perform well across a variety of outcome measures including
QOF, CQC and patient surveys and we are an active member of NHS Kernow CCG.
As well as overseeing the development of our practice, responsibilities will include the overall day to day operation
and delivery of our primary care services. Candidates will need a sound knowledge of business management, finance and IT as well as excellent leadership and communication skills. Experience of working within the NHS would
be an advantage.
For further information or to arrange an informal visit please contact:
Debbie Berryman
d.berryman@nhs.net or 01872 560346
Susan Gunn
susangunn@nhs.net or 01872 560346
Closing Date: Friday 10th February 2017

PRACTICE NURSE REQUIRED ISLES OF SCILLY

We require a motivated/enthusiastic part-time Practice Nurse (20hrs/week by negotiation) to join our team commencing 1st June 2017, to be responsible for Chronic Disease Management, Dressings, Vaccinations, Phlebotomy,
ECGs etc. and to be computer literate. Salary dependant on experience/qualifications.
Closing date for applications: 31st JANUARY 2017
Please apply in writing with CV to: Alison Jenkins, Practice Manager, Health Centre, St. Marys, Isles of Scilly, TR21 0HE
Or telephone 01720 422628/email: alison.jenkins9@nhs.net
for job description/personal specification
NO . 3 0 4

Page 10

VEOR SURGERY - Camborne, Cornwall

NURSE PRACTITIONER
Our Practice is located in the historic mining town of Camborne which is part of the World Heritage Site, some of the
most beautiful beaches in the Country and an idyllic place to live and work.
We are an innovative and growing Wellbeing Centre in West Cornwall. We are establishing a range of exciting new
services including social prescribing, young peoples clinics and a range of other wellbeing services.
We are looking for a range of new team members to join us as we turn our exciting vision into reality. A key role in
this is a dynamic and innovative Nurse Practitioner looking to practice embracing all of our new approaches. We are
flexible to create a role that builds on your clinical interests. You will be joining a friendly and supportive team that
includes a Clinical Pharmacist, Paramedic and Social Prescriber.
To give you a flavour of what we are doing Veor is a Centre of Wellbeing, learning and education. This month we
are introducing social prescribing, working with a range of voluntary sector partners, and in the very near future we
will start a young persons wellbeing clinic working with a well-known voluntary sector organisation. Education and
learning is at our heart eg we have been approved for the training of nurses and soon to be a GP training practice.
We will provide, in addition to your salary, your indemnity insurance and time off for CPD as well as supporting you
in Academic Research etc.
We would welcome a discussion with you about our exciting plans, please phone 01209 611199 or email amanda.menear@nhs.net If you would like to join our team please send us a copy of your CV and a brief statement on
how you can help us achieve our ambitions.

Dr Bridger Ball Campbell Purchas Lin & Murthy

Probus Surgery
Lead Nurse/ Practitioner
(37 hours per week available)

The post is for 37 hours per week worked over 4 days per week.
We recently have a vacancy for a Lead Nurse/Nurse Prescriber to join our team at Probus Surgery.
We are a rural GP training practice with approx 9000 Patients and attached Surgical Centre.
The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate excellent leadership skills and lead the dedicated and
enthusiastic team of 3 nurses and 4 HCAs in working alongside the clinical and administrative staff throughout the
practice.
Probus Surgery has always prided itself on consistently being high achievers of high QoF and this post will require
the successful candidate to show clinical excellence in all areas of QoF, Enhanced Services and Chronic Diseases
along with the ability to lead and supporting the Nursing team in meeting the targets required.
Salary dependent on experience and qualification
Informal visits are welcomed.
For more information please contact
Debbie Barnicoat, Practice Manager on 01726 882745

Email Debbie.barnicoat@nhs.net

th

Closing date for this post: 27 January 2017

(Ideally to start immediately, but will wait for the right candidate)
NO . 3 0 4

Page 11

Experienced Business Manager

Penryn Surgery
Penryn Surgery is a Progressive and growing practice of 19,500 patients. Cornwall lead for the Pharmacist in
Practice pilot.
Dispensing to 98% of our patients either through our dispensary or our two wholly owned pharmacies
Lead practice to Falmouth and Exeter University
Experienced Business Manager Full or Part Time Position
Previous NHS experience not essential
Taking over from our retiring manager the ideal candidate will:

Be numerate and have basic management accounting skills

Be able to negotiate complex contracts

Have a basic legal knowledge

Working with, and leading the GP Partners, to manage the complex juggle of:

Working alongside the team to continue the outstanding patient care and meeting or exceeding Care Quality Commission requirements
The practice remains soundly viable and always meets financial targets
Chair and lead Partners meetings alongside the Practice Manager
Establish medium and long term strategies with other practices and NHS organisations
Initiate and lead high level projects within the practice and pharmacy
Please send you CV with a short covering letter to:
Emma Berry
Practice Manager
Penryn Surgery
Saracen Way
Penryn
TR10 8HX
emma.berry2@nhs.net
Closing Date 3rd March 2017
NO . 3 0 4

Page 12

Dr Basil Bile
I very nearly choked to death on my Waitrose Luxury Muffin when I spotted some wellheeled marchioness banging on in the Daily Torygraph about how disgraceful it was that her GP
wanted to charge her forty quid for a shotgun certificate. She was photographed standing in her
expensively furnished and lavishly decorated living room in a distant wing of her country pile, surrounded by Ming vases, whilst cuddling some highly strung and ludicrously coiffured pedigree
pooch. The heavy-duty renaissance tapestry curtains were casually pulled back to reveal acre
upon acre of lush grassland, all part and parcel no doubt of a centuries old rolling estate. Whilst
posing gracefully amongst her lace doilies and gloomy family portraits, she had the bally gall to
moan about parting with forty smackeroos for what most definitely is not an NHS family doctor
task.
Providing shot gun certificates for the idle rich so they can blast seven bells out of poor defenceless birdies pottering innocently across the skyline certainly doesnt fall into the category of
either health promotion or the investigation and treatment of disease. Perhaps Jeremiah Stunt
could doff his Secretary of State for Health cap in a suitably deferential manner and inform her
haughtiness of the duties and job description of us much maligned and put upon community
quacks. If she were to seek a certificate of any sort from a lawyer it would cost her a damn sight
more than forty pounds. She probably spends that daily on dog shampoo.
Ironically, forty smackeroos is exactly the sum that patients (including marchionesses) will
have to stump up in order to jump the queue to see a GP for a fifteen minute appointment. Needless to say Dear Readers, this only applies if you live in London or the Home Counties, rather
than in the far flung territories of the Empire here in the forgotten-but-not-gone South West. The
Doctaly service has been trialled in the capital (London, not Truro) since the summer. It allows
family docs to provide private care to patients not on their NHS lists. They see them outside of
their NHS working times. Frankly my dears, Im not sure there is any time outside of our NHS
working times at the Abandonhope Surgery. However, the germ of an idea has just festered in my
fevered brain.
Suppose we all looked after the neighbouring practices patients, charging them as they
were not on our lists, with the neighbouring docs looking after our flock, who likewise would have
to fork-out for the privilege. We could all cut our NHS commitment to one day a week, when we
could concentrate on vital work such as issuing shotgun certificates, whilst in the process making
appointments even harder to get, thus driving up the demand for the Uber service which we
would be providing.
In London 50 GPs have signed up to provide the service and about 100 patients have
used it. The maths doesnt sound very encouraging, as it works out at 2 patients per doctor, unless of course the same patients keep coming back daily as they are part of the worried-well population. A bit of patient dependency would oil the wheels nicely.
The wishy-washy brigade will doubtless complain that this is leading to creeping privatisation, that it favours those with the ability to pay to jump the queue, and creates a two-tier NHS.
Well there have been plenty of tiers lately, most of them shed by stressed and over worked GPs.
And you can forget about creeping. A stampede might be more appropriate. With so many practices struggling financially and going to the wall following deliberate government underfunding
over the last few years, Uberdocs may well be the way forward. You scratch my patients and Ill
scratch yours. The GMC warned recently that the pressure of 10-minute consultations were undermining GP compassion. Its amazing how much compassion one can provide with an appointment that is 5 minutes longer whilst at the same time clearing the Visa card debt. I might even be
able to afford to take up shooting

Page 13

C O R NW A LL & I S LE S O F S C I LL Y LM C NE W S LE T TE R