Skip to main content

Update for Primary Care Clinical Team 26 January 2023

 Public health and NHS topics discussed at our clinical meeting today at Dr Curran and Partners in Clapham, London.

1. Infectious diseases update

After high rates of infectious diseases such as Covid-19, influenza and Streptococcus A towards the end of 2022, we are seeing signs of falls in all these infections. This should help the NHS locally and nationally. However, Covid-19 remains a threat and it is very likely we will experience periods during 2023 when Covid-19 infections are high. 

a. Covid-19 statistics


b. Hospital admission rates in England: Covid-19 and influenza

c. Weekly scarlet fever notifications in England

2. New JCVI recommendations on Covid-19 vaccine boosters

The JCVI has recommended that Covid-19 booster vaccinations should be offered in the Spring and Autumn this year for selected groups of patients at high risk. In the Spring, this is likely to be similar to the programme in 2022 (i.e. the very elderly and immunocompromised). In the Autumn, it is likely to be similar to this Autumn’s programme but further details are awaited on eligibility. It is also likely that primary Covid-19 vaccinations will be stopped for people under 50 years not in a high-risk group. We need to encourage our unvaccinated patients in this group to come forwards for vaccination before this happens.

See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-programme-for-2023-jcvi-interim-advice-8-november-2022/jcvi-statement-on-the-covid-19-vaccination-programme-for-2023-8-november-2022 for further details

 3. Vaccination in pregnancy

Recent research from my department has shown a low uptake of flu vaccination in pregnant women. Rates are also low for other vaccines such as Covid-19 and Pertussis. We need to consider how we improve vaccine uptake in this group.

See https://bjgp.org/content/early/2023/01/23/BJGP.2022.0078

 4. Practice vaccination programme

We need to think how we improve vaccine uptake in our patients as Lambeth is doing particularly badly for all vaccines. It may be possible to get some academic support to improve our delivery and uptake of NHS vaccines.

5. NHS pressures

Discussion about NHS primary care pressures and how the NHS GP contract could be modified. For example, an increase in activity-based funding or changes to the NHS to implement “core” (free) and “add-on” (payable) services. This would be controversial and risk increasing health inequalities.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Protecting Against the "Quad-demic": Influenza, Covid-19, Norovirus and RSV

As the NHS braces for a challenging winter season, it is grappling with a "quad-demic" of health emergencies caused by influenza, Covid-19, norovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This confluence of viral threats poses a significant risk to public health in the UK as well as putting strain on healthcare resources, emphasising the importance of preventive measures to safeguard public health. Public health measures such a vaccination and good personal hygiene are pivotal in reducing the impact of these illnesses, particularly for vulnerable groups. The Four Viruses: What Are They? Influenza: A highly contagious respiratory infection that causes significant illness each winter. It can lead to severe complications, particularly in the elderly, young children, pregnant women, and those with chronic health conditions. Covid-19: Though its most acute phase has passed, Covid-19 remains a concern, especially as new variants of SA...
Post a Comment
Read more

MPH Student Presentations on the NHS Care.Data Programme

As part of a session on primary care data in the Health Informatics module on the Imperial Master of Public Health Programme, I asked students to work in two groups to present arguments for and against the NHS Care.Data programme. Care.Data is an NHS programme that will extract data from the medical records held by general practitioners (GPs) in England. The Care.Data programme takes advantage of the very high level of use of electronic medical records by GPs in England. After extraction, data will be uploaded to the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). The data will then be used for functions such as health care planning, monitoring disease patterns and research. The programme has been controversial with proponents arguing that the programme will bring many benefits for the NHS and the population of England; and opponents arguing it is a major breach of privacy. You can view the two presentations to help inform you further about these arguments: Arguments fo...
6 comments
Read more

How can we work successfully across the health and care system to make a success of Pharmacy First?

Pharmacies in England to begin treating patients for seven common conditions. How can we work successfully across the health and care system to make a success of Pharmacy First? 1. The Pharmacy First scheme aims to provide convenient access to healthcare through community pharmacies. Patients with minor ailments or common conditions can seek advice and treatment directly from their local pharmacy instead of visiting a general practice, urgent care centre or emergency department. The conditions covered by the scheme may vary depending on local funding arrangements and participation of pharmacies.  2, A potential problem with Pharmacy First is pharmacists misdiagnosing a patient's condition. It may also lead to delays in patients seeing doctors when medical assessment is needed. To mitigate these risks, appropriate safeguards and referral pathways should be established, ensuring timely medical assessment when necessary. The scheme will also increase the workload of pharmacies, thereb...
Post a Comment
Read more