The BMA’s annual conference for medical academics will be held at BMA House on Friday 15 May 2020. The main theme will be 'Doctors' Well-being'. Save the date, and express your interest in attending to:- confunit@bma.org.uk and look out for further information here or on the BMA website.

The BMA has published a web page https://www.bma.org.uk/collective-voice/policy-and-research/public-and-population-health/wuhan-novel-coronavirus highlighting key information and links to official guidance from government agencies on Coronavirus, including how to handle queries from patients and how to manage patients who contact or attend GP practices. We are aware that GP practices in England are being contacted by their CCGs, on behalf of NHSEI requesting information regarding practice preparation for Coronavirus. Our advice remains that while there is no obligation to provide this information, unless the Secretary of State issues a direction, we would encourage practices to respond so that NHSEI and Public Health England are aware the national picture for preparations. We remain in close contact with NHSEI and other stakeholder to ensure that any measures they put in place are supportive and do not place any overly onerous burden on GPs and their patients.

The West Pennine LMC are delighted to host the BMA's GP Committee on Thursday 26th March 2020  at 7.00pm at The Village Hotel, Ashton-Under-Lyne, OL7 0PG.  Dr Krishna Kasaraneni, GPC Executive, will be delivering an update on the 2020-21 GP Contract and you are most welcome to join us. This event is open to GPs and Practice Managers across GM.  It would be much appreciated if you could confirm your attendance by emailing Sue at: sue.gilks1@nhs.net

The agenda for the evening can be found by clicking on the link here:-

The BMA’s GP England (GPCE) committee has voted to accept a package of changes to the GP contract for 2020-21, which includes funding to attract more doctors to take up partnership roles and expand the practice team seeing patients in surgeries. The agreement, which builds on the five-year deal announced last year, is the result of months of negotiations between the BMA and NHS England and NHS Improvement and comes three weeks after GPCE rejected an earlier deal.

Draft service specifications for Primary Care Networks (PCNs) – outlining the responsibilities of these groups of practices and community providers in the coming years – have been significantly pared back after widespread criticism from the profession that draft versions published by NHS England and NHS Improvement at the end of last year were unfair, unrealistic and burdened already struggling-practices with unsustainable workloads.