9 April 2025
Bulletin
Primary care webinar recording; Hep B pathway actions; Update on MSK service; Education and training opportunities; and more.

Welcome to this week's primary care bulletin

Key points this week include:
  • Primary care webinar recording
  • Home service for babies on the hep B pathway  - actions to complete
  • Tips for relocation of GP practice Equality, Health inequality Impact Assessments (EHIAs)
  • Update on North West London Musculoskeletal (MSK) service
  • Rhinitis management guideline and pathway published
  • SMS patient messaging
  • Pharmacy opening hours over Easter
  • WorkWell
  • Delay in processing immunology auto-immune results (from from Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services only)
  • London secure data environment (SDE)
  • Delay in processing immunology auto-immune results (from from Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services only).
Webinars and training, including:
  • North West London Training Hub newsletter
  • Rethinking pain management: a practical guide to opioids in chronic non-cancer pain
  • Invitation to practical pain science
  • New dates released for polypharmacy action learning set workshops
  • Primary care systems training
  • Cervical Screening Forum session
  • Future of primary care webinar.

If you have any submissions for this bulletin please email them to the communications inbox - nhsnwl.communications.nwl@nhs.net. View previous editions.

Primary care webinar recording

A webinar took place on 19 March 2025. It focused on ambient hearing products and digital clinical safety.

View the recording and the accompanying slides.

Home Service for babies on the hep B pathway  - actions to complete

A new home service for babies on the hep B pathway started in September 2024. It is already making a difference to the families of these babies. The home service liaises with the families directly to provide the hep B four-week dose, the one year booster dose, and the Dried Blood Spot test all at home.

Please check whether your practice responded to our initial communication (sent in August 2024 by NHSE London) about the new service.
 
The original letter that was sent is attached, providing all the details about the service.

Please check the letter and go to a webpage to answer a few short questions to opt into the service.

If you have any questions about the service, please contact jane.ritchie1@nhs.net.

Tips for relocation of GP practice Equality, Health inequality Impact Assessments (EHIAs)

A guide has been created to support colleagues who are preparing an EHIA for relocation of a GP practice to different premises. 
Update on North West London Musculoskeletal (MSK) service

We are aware a number of practices have had difficulties referring into the the service owing to some systems changes that have been implemented to unify the service. Apologies for the inconvenience this has caused.

The documents below contain more information, but all referrals now need to be completed on e-RS and full guidance is enclosed. As there is a move to a new SYSTMONE unit for the MSK service any previous record sharing will not carry forward so practices will need to enable this through the usual mechanisms. This is essential to ensure our records are fully visible to you.

The contact details for the service and self-referral details are also included so please update your records if you have anything different on file.

Central referral pack
Hammersmith and Fulham referral pack
West referral pack
Rhinitis management guideline and pathway published

An updated guideline and pathway for the management of rhinitis in London is now available on the London Elective Improvement Future NHS page.

Rhinitis is common in children and adults and is a significant cause of morbidity. Symptoms can affect quality of life, sleep, school and work performance.

Created as a pan London resource through the London ENT network for the diagnosis and treatment of rhinitis, our guidelines help staff manage the condition in pharmacy, primary and secondary care. They contain practical tips and guidance such as which steroid to use, or when to send a patient for allergy testing.
SMS patient messaging

The December 2024 and January 2025 SMS fragment data spreadsheets are now available. This data shows the usage of both Accurx and all messages sent via your clinical system, which includes online consultations suppliers. Please note that there is also information about the number of messages that have been sent via the NHS App.

We have received additional national funding to support GP practices with SMS fragment costs for this financial year. This means that GP practices will not be charged for SMS fragments for 2024/25. This is excellent news, however, where possible, please still send information to patients via email and continue to be ‘SMS smart’ with the messages. 

As you’re aware the SMS allocation for 24/25 was set at 45p per patient. From April 2025 the allocation reduced to 30p per patient. This has been noted on the GP practice graph to show when GP practices are likely to reach the new allocation. Find out about the background and reasons behind this. 
Pharmacy opening hours over Easter

Bank Holidays can affect the opening hours of local pharmacies.

Find full details of the opening arrangements for pharmacies in north west London, including details of those who have been asked to open over the holiday period.
WorkWell 

WorkWell is a free service that supports residents with health issues that might make it hard to find work or stay in a job.

Find out more about the service.

You can also share this positive story with patients.

London secure data environment (SDE)


The London secure data environment (SDE) provides secure access to data and a range of services to accelerate research and innovation leading to improved patient care. Find out more about details of the programme, public deliberation that has been carried out regarding the programme and also some of the intended benefits.

London SDE has two major components – London data service and London Analytics Platform, the data sharing agreements for both these are now available on the data controller console for practices to review and sign-up to.

Please email nwl.infogovernance@nhs.net if you have any problems accepting the invite on data controller console or have any queries regarding the programme and the team will support.
Delay in processing immunology auto-immune results (from from Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services only)

The Immunology laboratory analyser that runs the allergy and a large proportion of our autoimmune testing has had major operational issues over the last seven days. They are running at a significantly reduced rate and have started sending some of the older samples away to a referral laboratory.  

Find out more about which sites and tests are affected.

Education and training
North West London Training Hub newsletter
 
This newsletter keeps those working in primary care updated with the latest training opportunities from the North West London Training Hub. 

Read the issue and previous issues, or sign up to receive via email.
Rethinking pain management: a practical guide to opioids in chronic non-cancer pain
 
Join Dr Graham Dunthorne (Appraiser and Pain Physician, Connect Health) for an engaging webinar, “rethinking pain management: a practical guide to opioids in chronic non-cancer pain”, on Wednesday 23 April 2025, 12 – 1.30pm. 

This interactive session covers a NICE update on chronic pain treatments, practical steps for reviewing high-risk prescriptions, strategies for positive patient consultations and collaborative approaches to medicine tapering. 

You will have the opportunity to put forward any questions in a Q&A.  

Find out more and register for the session.
Invitation to practical pain science

Connect Health and Flippin’ Pain in partnership with Imperial College Health Partners would like to invite you to the upcoming north west London practical pain science for healthcare professionals on Wednesday 30 April 2025, 12.30 - 5pm. 
 
Led by leading experts, this informative and interactive session will explore the biological, psychological, and social dimensions of pain. Developing confidence in understanding pain science can lead to more effective patient support, particularly in medication management and prescribing. 

This will be an engaging professional development event suitable for all health professionals working in pain management in north west London. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. 

Please click here to register for the session.  

Feel free to circulate to other colleagues who may be interested.  

Gain insights, network with experts, and enhance your skills.

For further information and/or to get involved with the Chronic Pain in Primary Care and Opioid Harm Reduction Programme please email Cath Caldwell.
New dates released for polypharmacy action learning set workshops
 
Cohort twenty-four takes place on 4 and 18 June 2025, as well as 2 July 2025.

The National Polypharmacy Programme exclusively invites our NW London prescribers to join the Action Learning Set (ALS). The programme aims to build GP and prescribing health care professionals’ confidence in and understanding of the complex issue surrounding and stopping inappropriate medicines safely. Delegates need to attend all three sessions. The ALS with also help PCNs deliver the medicines optimisation elements of the new Directed Enhanced Services contract and contributes to the QoF.

Learn more about Polypharmacy ALS and sign up now.
Primary care systems training
 
The NHS North West London Primary Care Systems Training Team offer both online and on-site clinical systems training tailored to the needs of your primary care organisation.

Our expert-led sessions ensure your team stays up to date with the latest best practices, enhancing patient care and operational efficiency.

Find out about the range of training available.
Cervical Screening Forum session
 
The next session takes place on Wednesday 30 April 2025, 1 - 2pm.

These quarterly sessions discuss north west London cervical screening uptake, challenges and strategies with everyone involved in the provision of the national cervical screening programme.

They are aimed at practice managers, administrative staff, practice cervical screening leads, PCN women health leads, as well as everyone involved in the call/recall and appointment aspect of the programme. 

Find out more.
Future of primary care webinar
 
The webinar will focus on building primary care infrastructure.

It takes place on Wednesday 16 April 2025, 7 - 8pm. Register for the event.