30 April 2025
Bulletin
SMS messaging update; Neonatal BCG vaccination programme; World Immunisation Week; and more.

Welcome to this week's primary care bulletin

Key points this week include:
  • SMS messaging update
  • neonatal BCG vaccination programme
  • Babies, Children and Young People Bulletin 
  • Pharmacy opening hours over bank holidays
  • NHS cervical screening programme – one day ‘digital invitations’ user test - 1 May
  • World Immunisation Week
  • World Hand Hygiene Day
  • WorkWell success story.
Webinars and training, including:
  • Webinar on unscheduled vaginal bleeding
  • new dates released for polypharmacy action learning set workshops
  • North West London Training Hub newsletter
  • Earlier diagnosis for suspected bowel cancer patients webinar
  • Breast Cancer Now - train the trainer opportunity in Westminster
  • Neighbourhood health monthly webinars
  • New Roles in General Practice and Primary Care: Working Together for Health Equity and Patient Empowerment
  • Polypharmacy and pharmacogenomics masterclass 
  • Polypharmacy action learning set workshops.

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

As Monday is a bank holiday, the deadline for submissions will be 12pm on Tuesday 6 May 2025.
SMS messaging update

We are sharing the latest SMS data for March 2025, this is the last dashboard where GP practice SMS fragment allocation is 45p per patient. We have produced the SMS fragment allocation for April - March 24/25 document. This data shows the usage of both Accurx and all messages sent via your clinical system, which includes online consultations suppliers

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 last financial year (2024/25).

From April 2025 the allocation will reduce 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. The reduction is SMS allocation was signed off by the ICB as part of a three-year SMS business case. To support GP practices with this reduction we will continue to send the monthly data dashboard. This will be updated to show the forecast spend of 30p per patient in all GP practices – therefore there will be a new total amount per practice for SMS messages, based on your registered population size as of April 2025. We understand the pressure that this may cause general practice and will continue to send monthly data and insights as well as host training webinars and information from other regions.

Find out further information.
Neonatal BCG vaccination programme

A poster has been published, providing a QR code and guide to the WHO TB incidence country profile list, to assist with identifying infants aged 0-12 months who are eligible for the neonatal BCG vaccination programme. According to the Green Book Chapter 32, this comprises of:
  • all unvaccinated infants (aged 0-12 months) living in areas of the UK where annual incidence of TB is greater than or equal to 40/100,0003 (in London currently, it is only the borough of Newham where a universal service is offered)
  • all unvaccinated infants (aged 0-12 months) with one or more parent or grandparent who was born in a country where the annual incidence of TB is greater than or equal to 40/100,000
  • all unvaccinated infants (aged 0-12 months) who were born, or resided for three months or more, in a country where the annual incidence of TB is greater than or equal to 40/100,000.
If you identify an infant who is eligible, please refer them to the relevant borough BCG vaccination service via these contacts.
Babies, Children and Young People Bulletin 

The latest bulletin has been published. It contains information on a new home service for babies on the hep B pathway, childhood immunisations payments, as well as the latest data.
NHS cervical screening programme – one day ‘digital invitations’ user test 

On behalf of Andrew Barton, Vaccinations and Screening Communications Lead.

As part of plans to introduce digital communications to the NHS Cervical Screening Programme, a one-day user test will take place on 1 May 2025.

What’s happening on 1 May:

We will attempt to send all eligible people, that were already due to be sent an invite on 1 May 2025, a digital invite, starting with an NHS App message. It will also be flagged as an NHS App notification. If the NHS app message isn’t read within 24 hours, they will then be sent an SMS (text) message directing them to a digital invite. Anyone that doesn’t read the NHS app message or where an SMS (text) can’t be delivered (including where people don't have a recorded mobile phone), a letter will be sent as a failsafe.

All invites will still direct people to book in the usual way.

Important notes for providers:
  • no action is required from screening providers at this stage
  • this is a one-day user test only at this point. On 2 May 2025, the system will revert to sending letters only for now
  • the results of this test will help assure the future rollout of digital communications
  • if you do receive any queries from patients about receiving a cervical screening invite via their NHS app, please assure them this is genuine
  • we would be grateful for your continued support in encouraging your patients to download the NHS app and turn on notifications.
The goal is to make screening invitations more convenient, quicker, and cost-effective. This is a step toward a more accessible, agile, and participant-focused service. More detailed information about the wider rollout, following testing, will follow.

For further information, please contact: england.digitalscreening@nhs.net
Pharmacy open hours over bank holidays

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 long weekends.
World Immunisation Week

World Immunisation Week 2025 is taking place from 24 - 30 April 2025, and this year’s theme is “Immunisation for All is Humanly Possible”. The campaign is a vital opportunity to champion the importance of vaccines and the role we all play in ensuring communities are protected from preventable diseases.

Please share materials from the toolkit on FutureNHS portal.

The World Health Organization’s World Immunisation Week webpage contains background information.
World Hand Hygiene Day

This year, World Hand Hygiene Day falls on Monday 5 May 2025. As this is a bank holiday, we are encouraging you all to celebrate World Hand Hygiene day within your practices for the week of 6 - 9 May 2025. This is a pivotal moment to reaffirm the critical role of hand hygiene in infection prevention and control (IPC). This year’s theme, “It might be gloves. It’s always hand hygiene,” underscores a vital message:

Find out more.
WorkWell success story

When systems work together, lives can change. This is the story of how our collaborative support model is creating real impact for those who need it most. WorkWell, Ealing Council and Shaw Trust 

Education and training
Webinar on unscheduled vaginal bleeding
 
GatewayC are working with NHS England to bring primary care staff a free lunchtime learning webinar on unscheduled vaginal bleeding.
 
The webinar will be place on Wednesday 21 May 2025, 12.30 - 1.15pm. Participants will get to take part in some bite-sized learning and ask questions to specialist speaker Dr Helena O’Flynn.

Register for the webinar. 
North West London Training Hub newsletter

The North West London Training Hub newsletter keeps those working in primary care updated with the latest training offers from the North West London Training Hub. 

Read the latest issue and previous issues, or sign up to receive via email.
New dates released for polypharmacy action learning set workshops
 
The dates for cohort twenty-four are 4 and 18 June, and 2 July 2025.

The National Polypharmacy Programme exclusively invites our north west 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.
Earlier diagnosis for suspected bowel cancer patients webinar

Join Bowel Cancer UK’s first ever primary care virtual education event on Thursday 19 June 2025, delivered online via Zoom, 6.30 - 7.30pm. The session will be led by Claire Coughlan, Clinical Lead at Bowel Cancer UK and Nurse Consultant in colorectal cancer at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. Claire will be joined by Dr Anisha Patel who will deliver a short session exploring cancer care reviews within primary care.

The session will provide an overview of colorectal cancer, its risk factors and red flag symptoms. As well as the use of FIT in symptomatic patients within primary care and the bowel cancer screening programme as a route to diagnosis. The session will also be outlining the diagnostic pathway and addressing the importance of earlier diagnosis. 

You need to register your attendance.
Neighbourhood Health monthly webinars

Neighbourhood Health play a crucial role in delivering coordinated, community-based care across North West London. These multidisciplinary teams work to provide proactive, personalised care that meets local needs.

The Neighbourhood Health programme team would like to promote their  monthly webinar series to keep colleagues informed, share best practices, and discuss key challenges and opportunities in integrated care.

Join the second session on Tuesday 13 May 2025, 12.30 – 1.30pm via Teams at the start of the session. This webinar will cover:
  • key highlights from proactive care for older adults workshop
  • launch of the clinical champions network
  • spotlight on Hillingdon borough
  • next steps on Neighbourhood Health.
The Neighbourhood Health monthly webinars take place first Tuesday of every month. To be added to the mailing list and receive future webinar invites direct to your invites, email planned care.
Breast Cancer Now - train the trainer opportunity in Westminster

Breast Cancer Now are providing a free training opportunity for local health care professionals, health promotion workers, administrative staff and community workers in Westminster to promote breast awareness, breast screening and risk reduction messages. 

The training programme is due to start August 2025 and further information and details on how to apply can be found in the attached poster. To register your interest, please email the organisation directly.
New Roles in General Practice and Primary Care: Working Together for Health Equity and Patient Empowerment 

As part of the personalisation agenda, local GP Dr Clare Etherington has written this practical guide to the evolving roles in primary care. A practical guide that showcases the diverse range of roles within the UK primary healthcare system. The new roles in primary care, such as paramedics and mental health practitioners, are not well understood by medical professionals or patients. This book discusses the full range of current roles and suggestions about how best to support them working within the primary care team to deliver safe, efficient, compassionate primary care. It also includes a wealth of case studies that highlight best practices and shows how common challenges in provision of care can be better handled, making this a must-read for GPs, other NHS doctors, allied healthcare professionals, service commissioners, and patients who want to understand who is supporting their care.

Save 20% with code %ROLES20

You can order via the publisher's website.
Polypharmacy and pharmacogenomics masterclass 

Are you worried that you don’t have a handle on pharmacogenomics and what it could mean for your prescribing?

Imperial College Health Partners would like to invite you to learn about how pharmacogenomics could help to address problematic polypharmacy and how this could work in primary care practice in the future.

The class takes place on Thursday 12 June 2025, 12 - 1.30pm.

Register for the event.

For further information and/or to get involved with the ICHP Polypharmacy Programme please email Cath Caldwell.   
Polypharmacy action learning set workshops

The dates for cohort twenty-four are 4 and 18 June, and 2 July 2025.

The National Polypharmacy Programme exclusively invites our north west 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.