Welcome to this week's primary care bulletin

Key points this week include:

• new policy: access to weight management medicines in north west London
• TDL – potential strike action, 3–5 September
• Microsoft GP IT PHASE 3 – INTUNE desktop/laptop rebuild
• seasonal influenza reminders
• improvements to sickle cell pathways.

Education and training:

• For Kidneys Sake – latest episodes available
• #AskAboutAsthma 2025 - conference and webinars  

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


Please note the deadline for submissions is 3pm each Monday.

New policy: access to weight management medicines in north west London

NHS North West London ICB has published an interim position statement on access to weight management medicines, including a phased rollout of semaglutide (Wegovy®) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) for patients with the highest clinical need.

The guidance, aligned with NHS England’s interim commissioning framework, sets out eligibility criteria, priority cohorts, prescribing principles and referral pathways.

Practices are asked to review the guidance, identify eligible patients and ensure referrals are made consistently.

Read the full policy and guidance on the ICB website.

TDL – potential strike action, 3–5 September

The Doctors Laboratory (TDL) has advised that strike action by Unite members is planned at some London facilities from 3 to 5 September.

TDL is continuing discussions with the union and has strengthened continuity plans to minimise disruption. Work for GP practices will be prioritised. In the worst case, there may be delays to results of up to one day.

Practices will be kept updated on any impact. For questions or concerns, please contact Shashin Kava at Shashin.Kava@tdlpathology.com.

Seasonal influenza reminders

As we approach the start of the seasonal influenza programme, the NHS North West London Immunisations Team have created a summary reminding practices of start dates, eligibility and other details.

Microsoft GP IT PHASE 3 – INTUNE desktop/laptop rebuild

All practice desktops and laptops that are in warranty will be rebuilt into the new nhs.net environment. 

This is part of NHS England mandate to improve security and standardisation across the NHS.net.
 
You, the user, will sign into the new environment using your personal nhs.net email address and password, as your Windows logon; this will seamlessly log you into the Microsoft applications including:

• Windows
• OneDrive (Phase 1)
• Teams (Phase 2)
• Office including Outlook/Word/Excel.

This phase of the project is now in pilot phrase to extensively test common applications and peripherals used by practices to ensure that they are compatible with the new system.

Your devices will be wiped, so ensure your data is saved to your Teams/OneDrive, as there is no chance of recovery.

Find out more, including about what actions you need to take.

Improvements to sickle cell pathways

London North West University Healthcare (LNWH) is making some changes to sickle cell services across north west London in partnership with Imperial College Healthcare.

Inpatient and emergency care services for patients living with sickle cell in Brent, Ealing and Harrow will be provided by the renal and haematology triage unit (RHTU) at Hammersmith Hospital from 15 September 2025.

The new pathway offers patients access to the dedicated unit, and means they will call its specialist team for advice before having to come to hospital. Doctors from LNWH will join the on-call rota at Hammersmith Hospital, forming part of a wider team that will work in partnership to offer patients joined-up care. 

Patients will receive a detailed information leaflet explaining the new pathway, as well as a letter thanking the patient community for working with the Trust on its development.

The change is one of several being introduced based on feedback from service users about how the existing sickle cell service can be improved.

Patients will continue to receive outpatient care at Central Middlesex Hospital and will see an increase to both the availability and variety of treatments on offer in the coming months.

Learn more changes and further improvements.

#AskAboutAsthma 2025 campaign resources

As the #AskAboutAsthma 2025 campaign week (8–12 September) approaches, NHS England has shared an update highlighting resources available on the campaign website.

This year’s theme: “One year on from the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) report: How can we prevent asthma deaths?” focuses on improving asthma care for children and young people.

The website includes:

• booking links for the virtual conference and webinars
• posters for public/patient areas and for professional/staff areas
• social media assets
• an email banner
• factsheets for schools, youth organisations, secondary care, primary care, and pharmacy resources from previous campaigns for families, schools, and healthcare professionals.

Organisations are encouraged to explore and share these resources widely within their networks to help raise awareness and support better asthma outcomes.

For questions or further information, contact england.cyptransformationldn@nhs.net.