Please note the deadline for submissions is 3pm each Monday.
Learning from Incidents - Varicella (chickenpox)
A recent incident was been reported on the Learn From Patient Safety Events service, whereby there was a delay with an immuno-suppressed patient receiving a varicella vaccination. The delay was caused by confusion around the process and re-imbursement. Please refer to the 'Green book' in the first instance. We have also compiled a table.
Changes to CLCH Single Point of Access - inner London booking process
From Monday 4 August 2025 we are changing our booking process for patients referred to podiatry, bladder and bowel, specialist weight management, falls prevention and diabetes services within the triborough - Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster
The patients referred to these five services will now have seven days, instead of 14 days from the date they receive a welcome letter to make contact and book/agree an appointment date.
Once accepted by the service, the Single Point of Access (SPA) admin team will contact the patient using the contact details available on the referral. If they are unable to make contact, the SPA admin team will send a welcome letter which allows them seven calendar days from the date on the letter to make contact either by calling 020 8102 5555 or emailing on CLCHT.BookingSupport@nhs.net. They will then be added to a waiting list.
Finally, SPA admin will call the patients on this waiting list on day seven to try and offer/book appointment or will leave a voicemail and/or text to alert that they will be discharged the next day (day eight), allowing them the opportunity to make contact asap.
If patients still do not make contact, they will be discharged back to the referrer on day eight.
Assessing soft tissue and bony lumps and when to be concerned
July marks Sarcoma Awareness Month. Gateway C's new Cancer Keys delves into how we can support raising awareness and vigilance of sarcoma in primary care to significantly reduce diagnostic delays and improve patient outcomes.
Sarcomas can be grouped into soft tissue and bone sarcomas. Currently there is no accurate staging data, however, early diagnosis is widely acknowledged as a crucial factor in improving survival outcomes. 1 in 3 patients receive a sarcoma diagnosis more than six months after their initial consultation with a healthcare professional, and many are not diagnosed until the tumour has reached 10cm in size.
Therefore, raising awareness of concerning symptoms and suspicious lumps is essential.
Primary care and ICU survivors - experiences and observations
Patients who survive an ICU admission often face significant and long-lasting physical, psychological, and cognitive challenges after discharge — a syndrome known as Post-Intensive Care Syndrome. These effects are not always immediately visible or well recognised in primary care, yet they can have a profound impact on recovery and quality of life.
We would appreciate your time in completing some or all of a survey which aims to gather information on the attendance of patients in primary care who have had an ICU admission
The North West London ICB Critical Care Network will be delivering an education event with the North West London Training Hub based on the survey outcomes and their own intelligence locally.
Education and training
For Kidneys Sake podcast - Red urine, yellow urine, red urine, yellow urine: Managing Haematuria This podcast features nephrologists Prof Jeremy Levy and Dr Andrew Frankel discussing the evaluation and management of microscopic haematuria in primary care. They highlight when to investigate, when to refer, and the importance of long-term monitoring for potential kidney disease.
