_____________________________
nlmc
Northumberland Local
Medical Committee
_____________________________
Minutes of Northumberland LMC
9th May 2013
Stannington Village Hall 2.00pm - 5.00pm
1. Welcome and Introduction – JL welcomed the new committee
2. Attended: Jane Lothian, Cath Dixon, John Warrington, Tony Sproston (Northumbria
healthcare), Mark McCaldin, Peter Sanderson (in attendance), Hilary Brown,
Victoria Bastain, Suzanne Renner, Richard Glennie, Stephen Haywood, Frances
Naylor, Andy Bell, David Brown, Bruce Dickie.
Apologies: Peter Yeoman, David Gill, Alison Oxby, Derek Thomson, Alistair Blair
(Northumberland CCG)
3. LMC Executive officers and membership: Members elected and voted the following
offices and roles:
a. Nomination of Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer:
Chair: Dr David Brown
Vice Chair: Dr Andrew Bell
Treasurer: Dr Alison Oxby
b. Ratify membership of Executive group – (Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer,
Medical Secretary, and Ex-Chair of LMC) – the committee ratified the
members of the Executive Group.
c. Co-opt Practice Manager representative on to LMC – the committee
supported Hilary Brown in continuing as Co-opted Practice Manager
d. Confirm new meeting time and dates for remainder of 2013 and excluding
July meeting:

The committee agreed to reinstate the July meeting of the LMC. This will
take place on the 11th July 2013. A venue is to be confirmed.

The committee agreed that from July onwards meetings will now start at
2.30 – 5.00 (with the potential to run to 5.30). The later ‘start time’ will
allow committee members to more easily attend the start of the meeting
following other clinical commitments.
e. Note and confirm representatives from local Partner Trusts, Area Teams,
CCG and North East Commissioning support will attend as requested, (in
attendance): The committee agreed that representatives from partners
Trusts, Area team, Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group would
attend as required.
1
4. Minutes of LMC Full meeting March 2013 draft (previously circulated and attached)
– following a couple of minor amendments these were accepted as a correct record
of the meeting.
5. Matters arising
a. Health Checks – Hilary carrying out audit in North.
b. Frail Elderly Pathway (FEP) – copy sent to JL for comments, although noted
that this is similar to last year’s scheme. This is not part of the risk profiling
DES but is a separate payment. Action: JL to circulate paper for comments
and await further clarification from David Shovlin and Pamela Leveny. Action
update: JL circulated paper on 16th May. This paper we believe clarifies and
responds to many of the issues raised.
c. Dosette Boxes – this issue will be taken to the LRC meeting on the 28th May.
Action: JL/DB to raise at LRC meeting.
d. Morpeth X Ray – noted that this service has not opened yet. Action: JL/DT to
check current situation.
6. Presentations: Dr Peter Sanderson on Elderberries from Alnwick Garden
PS informed the Committee that he had been asked to liaise with GPs about "Garden
Clinics" at the Alnwick Garden (in his role with NHCT as non-exec clinical adviser).
NHCT is putting on monthly consultant led events (e.g. in May "Falls and fall
prevention).
There is a wish that GPs might have some involvement, and there could be an
invitation to attend a social event to hear the Duchess' views.
There were four points PS wanted to raise:
1. Do GPs know about the Garden Clinics?
(no)
2. Is there any interest in having some involvement?
(possibly)
3. Is the LMC happy for PS to liaise?
(yes)
4. Any interest in a social event? - A suggestion was made that it might be helpful to
have such an event in conjunction with the LMC meeting on July 11th, at Alnwick.
Action: PS looking to investigate the potential of the 11th July LMC meeting taking
place at Alnwick Gardens.
7. LMC Incorporation: It was noted that this issue had been discussed by the
Executive Group in November and that a decision to pursue incorporation could
only take place following election of the new committee. Following discussion it was
agreed to ask BD to pursue, on behalf of the committee, incorporation for
Northumberland LMC. Action: BD to proceed with Incorporation of Northumberland
LMC.
8. Contract issues
a. NEPCSA Liaison meeting 25th April 2013 – BD highlighted some of the
discussion that took place at the liaison meeting. Action update (minutes
attached).
9. Reports from partner organisations
a. Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group – Hilary Brown updated LMC
on behalf of Alistair Blair.
i. Full complement of staff now in place
ii. All service contracts for 2013/14 have been signed
iii. Quarterly monitoring reports will review these contracts over the next
12 months.
iv. Each Clinical Domain now has a work plan for 2013/14 and it derives
from the CCG Strategic plan. Each work plan has measurable
targets.
2
v. Financial position – extremely tight as inherited a challenging and
difficult financial position.
vi. Practice Activity scheme – a draft paper had been circulated to the
LMC for initial comments by Tuesday 14th May. JW/FN/HB outlined
this proposal for most practices across Northumberland (dependent
upon their current referrals patterns) to be looking to reduced
referrals in to acute services. This reduction will be in-line with aiming
to meet a Northumberland-wide average. Katharine McHugh will be
meeting practices and offering support. Action update: JL/DB/BD
provided comments to Katharine McHugh, Head of Commissioning
for Planned Care.
vii. Recovery plan - financial plan in place with achievement date
planned for the end of summer, currently predicting £3.5m short.
viii. New Epidemiologist in CCG currently reviewing outliers.
ix. Berwick Maternity Unit – the consultation is now complete and a
decision is to be made a public board of the CCG’s Joint locality
Executive Board (JLEB) on the 22nd May. This meeting is to be held
in public.
b. Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trust
i. New hospital build still on plan for completion of commissioning
phase by end of 2014, with opening to patients in spring 2015.
ii. GP referral letters being returned to ‘named doctor in practice’.
Detailed discussion took place on the problems of the hospital PAS
system and its inability to automatically record the originator of a GP
letter with a specific patient. Some practices have also requested that
letters are returned to the ‘practice’ as opposed to the named doctor.
Further work to take place on this action. This was also discussed at
the Clinical Leads meeting.
iii. Rheumatology services – noted that there are 2 new consultant
appointments (Ian Gough and Liz Coulson). This was welcomed by
the LMC.
10. Northumberland LMC Election 2013 members update – noted that Dr Ian Morgan
who had been nominated as a Salaried GP had had to resign as he takes up a new
post in Cumbria. Noted this letter of resignation. Action: Requested that North East
Sessional Group be asked to look for potential representatives. Action update:
Duncan Johnson from Bondgate Practice is now LMC member representing the
North constituency.
11. Practitioner matters
a. National LMC Conference Agenda - “Conference of LMC Representatives
23/24 May”. It was noted that Northumberland LMC had been successful in
the submission of conference motions. JL and DB will attend the conference
and present these on 23/24 May. Action update: BD sent email on 13 May to
LMC members with copy of original conference submissions and Annual LMC
Conference agenda.
b. Alcohol and Learning Disabilities DES – noted comments submitted.
12. For Information
Area Team structures – Action: attached to papers for information. Action update:
papers sent out by email 20th May.
13. Any Other Business
a. Measles – update and discussion.
b. Locum payments – issue raised on additional costs to be incurred by
Practices for locum cover. Noted that smaller practices pay a
disproportionately larger amount of superannuation costs, estimated at
3
£1200-£1500. Action: JL to raise issue on LMC list server and/or on
‘Soapbox’ opportunity at the LMC Conference.
c. 111 services – noted JL still attending 111 Clinical Governance committees
as Northumberland and Regional LMC representative. Any further issues
please contact JL and feedback of Northumberland experiences especially
welcomed. Action: ALL LMC members.
d. CQC death notification – RG raised issue and noted that this was discussed
at recent Regional LMC meeting.
e. LMC Buying Scheme – HB noted that her practice has made some savings
on a recent purchase using the Buying scheme. Some other practices have
also highlighted potential savings too.
f. Referrals to Neurology in Newcastle – noted referral wait times were 4
weeks. Suggested that this issue is taken through the CCG Locality Manager.
14. Date and time of next meetings:
Month
July 2013
September 2013
November 2013
Full LMC meetings
11th
12th
14th
4
Venue
To be confirmed
Stannington Village Hall, 2.00pm
Stannington Village Hall, 2.00pm