Issue 9 - 2 December 2005

Introduction

Welcome to Issue 9 of HOS@PCC

Our aim is to keep you fully updated on all developments relating to the implementation of the new Home Oxygen Service on 1 February 2006. We also aim to share best practice and actively welcome your views, experiences and questions. Please contact  hos.newsletter@pcconline.info

The bulletin will be emailed directly to SHA and PCT oxygen leads, new oxygen supply companies and other key stakeholders but please feel free to email it to any colleague you think might be interested in the information it contains.

Activity

The HOS news bulletin now goes out weekly to nearly 1,750 subscribers.

The HOS pages of the website have had the following hits:

Peter Williams

Please note that Peter Williams is back from annual leave on Monday, and his email should be back in working order then. Please submit any queries in the meantime to the email address above.

Subscribing & unsubscribing

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Previous Issues

If you have missed any previous issues click here.

News and information

In this issue …

• British Thoracic Society advises ...
• Patient information leaflet
• Service specification and contractual issues
• Home oxygen order and consent forms
• F cylinders
• Contract management seminar
• Sharing best practice

• Key deadlines
• Key documents including FAQs
• Key links

British Thoracic Society advises…

The British Thoracic Society has asked that we qualify comments made in last week's newsletter regarding oxygen assessment and provision in a secondary care setting. The BTS has advised all along that patients should be assessed on the same equipment (same technical specification) as they would be using at home. Therefore if Assessment Centres do not use equipment supplied by the regional oxygen provider it is likely that the equipment will be different and that this will cause confusion. This would not be an issue if all the providers used the same ambulatory equipment but the fact is that they do not.

Therefore, although Assessment Centres are under no obligation to use the regional oxygen company it is strongly advised that they do so in order to assess patients accurately and safely.

For the BTS assessment guidelines, click here.

Patient information leaflet

We continue to receive requests from many PCTs for supplies of the patient information leaflet. We are therefore having the leaflet reprinted and will announce availability details shortly.

We have also had many queries expressing concern that the leaflets sent to pharmacies and general practices are not reaching patients because they're not being displayed properly. Could we ask PCT oxygen and comms leads to do all they can to make sure that GP surgeries and pharmacies are displaying the leaflet clearly on – rather than under – their counters.

Service specification and contractual issues

The answers to many of the queries we have been receiving via the news bulletin can be found in the HOT service specification. We have published a short version on the website and would ask everyone who hasn’t yet seen it or read to do so. Please click here.

The general FAQs have been updated. Click here.

We are preparing a set of patient-specific FAQs to help PCTs field 'phone calls from patients. These will be available early next week.

We are also preparing a set of FAQs that address the most commonly received queries regarding contractual issues, eg out of hours prescribing, emergency orders etc, which will be available via next week's news bulletin. Please also see contract management seminar below.

Home oxygen order form (HOOF) & Home oxygen consent form (HOCF)

We had hoped to publish detailed guidelines for the new forms this week but they have been slightly delayed and will now be published next week.

To see a sample of the HOOF please click here.

To see a sample of the HOCF please click here.

F cylinders

Concerns continue to be expressed by patients and pharmacy contractors about the use of F cylinders.  Issues have been raised about their stability, and due account will need to be taken in individual risk assessments.  BOC has advised that it can provide trolleys (part number 888816) and that cylinder stands are available from:

• www.bristolmaid.com
• www.parrs.co.uk
• www.medisave.co.uk

Contract Management Seminar

If you are interested in attending a seminar aimed at clarifying contract management and development of respiratory assessment procedures please let Peter Williams know at prwill@onetel.com . Please note Peter is back from annual leave on Monday.

Sharing Best practice

Many thanks to Rachel Tovey from Cornwall PCT who sent us her excellent local communications plan strategy. We are adapting this to incorporate one or two other helpful suggestions from PCTs and will publish it on the website next week.

Key deadlines for PCTs

• 24 December 2005   * THREE WEEKS TO GO *
PCTs to have gained concentrator and cylinder patient consent for transfer of data to new suppliers.
• 6th January 2006
Handover of all patient data to new suppliers for those patients who have consented.
• 1st February 2006
The new home oxygen service begins.
• 11th November 2005 *** OVERDUE ***
Completion of data collection on current cylinder and concentrator patients

NB If you have not yet completed your data collection please make sure your new oxygen supplier is aware of the situation and has been advised when it will receive postcode and usage information.

• ASAP
Pass core patient data (postcode and usage information - see toolkit ) to supplier to allow them to undertake logistics planning. Please note no patient identifiable data should be passed to the supplier at this stage.
Things are moving well. Please keep up the good work.
 
 

Key documents

Click here for full details of your new regional oxygen supply company.

Click here for comprehensive FAQs

Click here for letter to LPC secretaries

Click here for Drug Tariff letter to GPs

Click here for letter to GPs and pharmacists to accompany patient information leaflet

Click here for Patient Data Collection Template

Click here for Patient Data Collection Toolkit

Click here for model letter for patient consent to transfer data

Key links

British Thoracic Society clinical guidelines

www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/c2/oads/oxygenserviceaug05.pdf

British Lung Foundation

www.lunguk.org

Cystic Fibrosis Trust

www.cftrust.org.uk

Long Term Medical Conditions Alliance

www.lmca.org.uk

Guidance on DPA and consent

www.doh.gov.uk/consent

www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

If you have any comments about HOS@PCC, please email them to: hos.newsletter@pcconline.info

HOS@PCC is produced by the Primary Care Contracting Team