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In this month’s podcast, I’ll be talking about dementia with Jackie Pool, QCS’s Dementia Care Champion.Dementia is a condition that has touched so many of our lives. It affects 850,000 people in the UK. Astonishingly, according to the Alzheimer’s Society, 1 in 6 people over 80 have dementia, and 70 percent of people in care homes live with dementia, or have severe memory problems.Jackie, who recently joined QCS, has worked with people living with dementia for almost 40 years. An occupational therapist, and an acclaimed author in the field of dementia care, Jackie has vast experience having worked in healthcare, social care and in academia.In this Podcast, we’ll be focusing on: How GP services can ensure that people living with dementia receive an excellent standard of support.Fresh insight and perspectives on how GPs can best provide support.The role of collaboration and creating more joined-up servicesThe protocols that the CQC expects to be in place.How GPs can not only demonstrate the requisite policies and procedures to a CQC inspector, but also evidence best practice steps that go over and above what is expectedThe crucial role Patient Participation Groups can play in effecting positive change.The importance of creating dementia-friendly GP surgeries by thinking about space and adapting signage and colour schemes.The PAL tool: What is it and how can it make a difference

In this episode, we are joined by Kiran Johnson who is the co-founder of Primary Care Direct to talk about workforce, relationships, wellbeing and tools that are available to support Primary Care Networks (PCNs).  Later in the episode, we talk about the Additional Roles Reimbursements and how PCNs can gain support to recruit those roles. You can also find out how to embed the people in these roles within the PCN and what support is available nationally.  Free Event, Primary Care Direct - A Wellbeing Occasion for Practice Management StaffIt’s fair to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has left many practice management staff feeling drained, overwhelmed and even stressed to breaking point in some roles. Practice managers and PCN leads have told us that they have experienced feeling helpless, feeling anxious or depressed, and feeling ‘guilty’ for taking time out when you know your team are stretched.Without good wellbeing, there cannot be good patient care.  Strong, resilient wellbeing is needed now more than ever in primary care and our free ‘All About You – A Wellbeing Occasion for Practice Management Staff’ could be just the treatment you need and deserve.Sponsored by Quality Compliance Systems, Moodbeam and Circular Wave, Primary Care Direct are inviting you to the launch of our Wellbeing Service on Thursday 19 November 17.30-19.00 via Teams.  Take 5 minutes out with some mindfulness, play our wellbeing bingo game and win some great prizes along the way whilst finding out more about our service including how we can support you with our Well Being Buddy’s, Help in a Crisis line, our partnerships with digital wellbeing services and how to deal with difficult patients and situations.Sound good?  Book your free place by Monday 16 November 2020  here.To find out more about Primary Care Direct or to contact Kiran Johnson please either call,  01482 649900, email: kiranjohnson@primarycaredirect.co.uk or visit www.primarycaredirect.co.uk

In this episode, Tracy and Alison discussed mandatory training and how practices can ensure that all of the team have adequate training to meet regulations. They also talked about what the CQC looks for as evidence to prove that the practice is meeting the key lines of enquiry with training being delivered and monitored according to people’s roles.Topics covered: Mandatory trainingTraining requirements to meet your practiceTraining matrixHow QCS can help with a policy and skills matrix 

In this month's podcast, I’ll be talking with my colleague, Alison Lowerson about the Care Quality Commission’s Key Lines of Enquiry and its 2021 strategy. As everyone listening today will no doubt be aware, the CQC was established in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. It refreshed the way it inspected practices in 2014.We know, for example, that the CQC has focused largely on the WELL LED KLOE over the last couple of years. Why? Well, because it recognised that when a provider is ‘well led’, generally speaking  - everything else follows. However, the COVID-crisis has inspired yet another sea-change in thinking in the CQC’s approach. While it remains a regulator and an inspector, it also wants to engage more closely with practices and to provide a supporting role.In this podcast we'll discuss;What does phase 3 include?Why are they setting up COVID-19 Provider Collaboration Reviews (PCRS) and what are the objectives of this work?What happens in phase 4?What do we think may change for practices?What would you recommend practices do now to be compliant and evidence the fact that they are safe?What are inspectors expecting to see as evidence?

As we're all aware, this year, health workers are facing the nightmare scenario of dealing with both flu and Coronavirus at the same time. The government’s response has been to launch “the most comprehensive flu programme in UK history”. It announced that it would offer flu vaccinations to 30 million people this winter.  The expanded programme will be available to: people aged between 50 and 64; households of those who are shielding, and; children in their first year of secondary school.What’s less clear is how such a large programme will actually be delivered on the ground. There are many unanswered questions, which could create a number of unforeseen compliance challenges. In this episode, Tracy Green, Head of Primary Care at QCS will be discussing some of these compliance challenges with QCS's GP Policy Lead Alison Lowerson.To find out more about QCS' GP Management System please visit: www.qcs.co.uk/gppodcast