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Latest COVID-19 updates from RCGP

Latest COVID-19 updates from RCGP

General Practice is open

As we head into the second lockdown in England, the Royal College of GPs have launched a new resource for GP practices urging patients to continue accessing primary care services when they need to. General practice is open - and has been throughout the pandemic - but because of Coronavirus the way patients are seen in primary care has changed.

Find out more about GP is open

RCGP in the media

The College is in the media almost daily, providing information for GP patients and representing the interests of the profession. RCGP Chair Martin Marshall works with College officers and GPs around the country to ensure that the pressures on general practice are featured on TV and radio programmes, as well as in national and local print media.

Follow @RCGP on Twitter for the latest updates.

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From the RCGP blog

It’s not the operating model that’s at fault, it’s the resource model, Professor Martin Marshall, RCGP Chair of Council (3 September 2021).
Proposing ideas for the Senedd Health Committee, Dr Mair Hopkin, Joint Chair of RCGP Wales (3 September 2021).
As the NHS Recovery Plan goes public, we must fight back against some of the myths around general practice, Dr David Shackles, Joint Chair of RCGP Scottish Council (3 September 2021).
Palliative Care Week, stakeholder engagement and Long COVID, Dr Laurence Dorman, RCGPNI Chair (3 September 2021).
One or two lessons for healthcare leaders, perhaps?, Professor Martin Marshall, RCGP Chair of Council (20 August 2021).

Read older posts on the RCGP blog

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Latest from the RCGP vlog

Find more COVID-19 vlogs on our YouTube channel

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COVID-19 articles in RCGP publications

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Updates from the RCGP Research and Surveillance Centre

GP records and long-term effects of COVID-19

11 March 2021

Coding within GP records is obviously crucial to enable us to understand the true prevalence of this disease, and to ensure adequate funding for general practice.

Our Research and Surveillance Centre has put together this excellent ‘crib sheet’ that we hope will help.

Please start recording Post-COVID-19 syndrome in the records of people with symptoms lasting over 12 weeks. Before 12 weeks, whilst investigating the patient, if you suspect their symptoms are related to COVID-19, a code of “ongoing symptomatic covid-19” should be used.

It is also really important to add both diagnoses as a “problem” and to put in the correct onset date.

Work is underway to understand which patients are most at risk of developing long term effects of COVID-19, with the aim of developing evidence-based, patient-centred interventions which could alleviate some of the burden of this disease.

However, this will be challenging to audit if cases can’t be identified. In addition, if we do not accurately count every patient with long term effects of COVID-19, resources may not adequately be allocated for their ongoing care

Following the national guidance written by RCGP/SIGN and NICE, the medical terminology now in use is as follows:

Acute Covid-19 infection: signs and symptoms of COVID-19: ≤4 weeks.
Ongoing symptomatic COVID-19: signs and symptoms of COVID-19: 4-12 weeks.
Post-COVID-19 syndrome: signs and symptoms that develop during or after COVID-19, lasting >12 weeks and not explained by another diagnosis. (This diagnosis can be considered before 12 weeks if all other alternative diagnoses have been ruled out).

Wherever possible please code as many symptoms as possible.

The RSC is always keen to recruit more practices for its valuable work.

More from the Research and Surveillance Centre.

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