April 2024 continued to be a productive month for the interface service. We received over 100 interface queries between January 1 and March 31 2024. We appreciate you telling us about your difficulties. We are continuing to address them for you through our links with Place and provider organisations. We have also been working on implementing our interface strategy.
In the coming months you can expect the launch of a new interface web page which will help you keep up-to-date with interface work Humberside LMCs are doing. We are also creating new promotional materials for the interface service so you can share information about the support available with your colleagues. We continue to work on improving our interface network with mental health, community, and private providers so that we can resolve your difficulties more quickly and more effectively.
A major development for the regional interface strategy is the introduction of a national audit of the primary/secondary care interface. Locally, HUTH and NLAG will report on their progress towards implementing solutions to overcome four common sources of interface difficulties. This is an important step forward for addressing difficulties at the interface between general practice and providers, and Humberside LMCs are supportive of this work. The audit is being completed by HUTH and NLAG but a consensus on how well each type of interface difficulty is being addressed will be agreed collectively at the Primary-Secondary Care Interface Groups.
Key Ongoing Interface Issues
As reported last month, the Death Certification Reforms were published in December 2023. These were due to become a statutory requirement from April 2024. On the 15 of April 2024, the national medical examiner announced that the rollout of the statutory medical examiner process has been delayed from April 2024 until the 9 of September 2024. A link to the announcement is available here. We will continue to keep you updated on any news we receive. If you haven’t already looked at the implications for your practice, and the governance that will be required to manage the medical examiner process, we advise you to do so. Information we have previously shared about the medical examiner pathway is available here.
You can contact the Medical Examiners using the following details:
Hull University Teaching Hospitals
Medical Examiner E-mail: hyp-tr.medicalexaminers@nhs.net
Medical Examiner Telephone:
Hull Royal Infirmary – 01482 482157/ 01482 482158
Castle Hill Hospital – 01482 482156
North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals
Medical Examiner E-mail: nlg-tr.medicalexamineroffice@nhs.net
Medical Examiner Telephone:
Dianna Princess of Wales Hospital – 03033 303226
Scunthorpe General Hospital – 03033 303225
North and South Bank Ongoing Issues
Maternity Services – BadgerNet
In last month’s update, we talked about the launch of a new IT system called BadgerNet which is being introduced by acute trusts across the ICB. We have no substantial update to provide on this at the moment. As reported last month, we initially received reassurance that maternity results would continue to be sent to practices in the usual way. However, we continue to hear of instances where practices believe they have stopped receiving communication from midwifery since the launch of BadgerNet. We advise practices to be vigilant to the possibility that results are not being received. If you believe this may be the case please contact BadgerNet using hyp-tr.badgernet.maternity@nhs.net, the Place team, or Humberside LMCs.
Urgent Treatment Centres
A number of practices across Humberside have reported transfers of work from Urgent Treatment Centres and A & E. This typically relates to Fit Notes and follow-up X-ray requests. We are in conversation with Place colleagues to explore possible solutions to this.
Workload Transfers from Spire
We’ve received some queries relating to workload transfers from Spire Hospital in Anlaby. We’ve been working with colleagues at Spire to address issues such as requests to make onward referrals. Please do continue to share examples of workload transfers.
South Bank Updates
Fit note requests from NLAG
There is an ongoing piece of work looking at addressing the requests, from NLAG, to provide fit notes. Information will be fed down to the clinical teams working at the hospital outlining the requirements to issue these fit notes for the appropriate period of time. Individual cases where this has not been done can be sent to ourselves and we will share these with the hospital contracting team for them to resolve with the team and member of staff.
Tier 3 Weight Management
We’ve been continuing to work with the Place team to explore options for removing the requests to authorise Tier 3 weight management services to refer to Tier 4 services at the hospital. This is un-resourced work and, given the specialist input from the weight management service, potentially unnecessary.
North Bank Updates
Jack Brignall PET-CT Scanner
We’d been forwarded information showing that GPs were being requested to prescribe sedation prior to patients attending for their scans at the Jack-Brignall Suite at HUTH. These requests will now go back to the person requesting the scan, rather than the GP.
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