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GP Bulletin - September 2015

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  Whittington Health GP bulletin   September
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This bulletin is emailed each month to GP practices in Islington and Haringey. It contains useful information and updates from our GP medical director about Whittington Health. If you have a news item, event or update you would like to share with other GPs through this bulletin, please email communications.whitthealth@nhs.net
In this edition
img A note from Dr Greg Battle
img Spotlight on...
enhanced virtual ward
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Fax numbers out of service -
new referral system
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Bariatric guidelines updated
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Maternity email address for GPs
img Pathology feedback questionaire  
 
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A note from Dr Greg Battle
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Welcome to the September edition of Whittington Health's GP Bulletin.

I am pleased to say that we will soon have a full range of dedicated email address for all key GP services offering consultant support and advice. This builds upon the success of askpeadiatrics.whitthealth@nhs.net  that has had positive feedback from GPs.

We have now launched a GP email for obstetrics, more details in the bulletin below. I hope these email addresses will be very valuable for our local GPs. I am interested in your feedback on these email addresses and the support you are getting. Please email me on the address below. 

We have been notified by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that they will be carrying out a formally announced inspection on hospital and community services throughout the week commencing 7 December 2015. We are beginning to prepare for the visit and the CQC will be speaking directly to the CCGs on our services. 

Latest waiting time data for August is now available on our website. 

Best wishes,

Greg

Dr Greg Battle
greg.battle@nhs.net      07808 174 569
img Spotlight on… Enhanced virtual ward   1
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img The enhanced virtual ward (EVW) is an innovative service that supports vulnerable Islington patients at home to avoid unnecessary emergency department (ED) attendance or hospital admission or facilitate early discharge from hospital wards. 

The team is made up of local GPs who work in partnership with the ambulatory care team and community matrons. They provide a rapid response to patients in the community and hospital. The EVW provides supported intervention during the acute phase only. It is an excellent example of integrated MDT working across the primary/secondary care interface.

Referral
Patients can be referred  by their own GP, inpatient wards or the ED.  

To refer patients contact the hospital switchboard 02072723070 and ask for the ambulatory care consultant to be bleeped (Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm). 

The service is funded by Islington CCG and for patients registered with a GP in Islington. EVW is a pilot scheme. 

Further information
Nathalie Richard,  clinical lead for the EVW Nathalie.richard@nhs.net 
Rebecca Owen, service manager Rebecca.owen3@nhs.net
2   Fax numbers out of service - new referral system
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Fax numbers for referrals to all Whittington Health adult community services* have been taken out of service - the numbers have ceased to be operational. Please use the following emails: 

Administrative Referral Team Islington (ARTI) – Islington patients
arti.centralbooking@nhs.net

Central Referral Team Haringey (CRAT) – Haringey patients           
haringey.adult-referrals@nhs.net

The following community services are affected by the change: 

*Please note that  Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) in Haringey will continue to use fax referral and is not part of the above change. Islington IAPT is provided by Camden & Islington Mental Health Trust. 

This is part of our ongoing work to strengthen information governance and safeguarding patient information.

Please share this important update with all colleagues.

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img New bariatric guidelines published   3
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The Trust has new guidelines to support  GPs with patients undergoing bariatric surgery who have type 2 diabetes on antidiabetic drugs without insulin, and starting liver shrinking diet. They also cover the post-operative period and first months.
 
The guidelines have been developed as patients often experience a reduced need for antidiabetic medication - this occurs in advance of significant weight loss.
 
You can find the guidance on the GP pages of our website.
 
For more information about this policy, please contact bariatric dietitians on 0207 288 5989.
 
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Dedicated maternity email address
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From the end of this year all services will have a dedicated email address for GPs. These email addresses will offer consultant advice and support.

The latest service to develop this approach is obstetrics. You can email them on askobstetrics.whitthealth@nhs.net. 

A response will be provided to your email query within three working days by an obstetric consultant. 

Paediatrics already offer this service which has received very positive feedback: askpeadiatrics.whitthealth@nhs.net 

These dedicated GP email addresses should be used for non-urgent queries only. 
 
Further updates on the full range of advice email addresses for GPs will be sent out in the next couple of months. 
 
 
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img Pathology feedback questionnaire    5
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Our pathology department provides a wide range of services to GPs.

To support us in getting a better understanding of how you use our services and your needs and requirements we are undertaking a review.  This feedback will be directly used to improve our services. 

Please support us by completing a short  questionnaire .
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Study dates
 
Whittington Education Centre, Magdala Avenue, London N19 5NF.
img Women's health update - Thursday 1 October 
img Dermatology: skin care study day - Wednesday 14 October
 

If you would like to attend any of these study days, please email carolobrien@nhs.net
 
Feedback
If you have any feedback about a Whittington Health service, please feel free to email me. I’ll find the right person to help you.
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Last updated29 Sep 2015