Welcome to this week's primary care bulletin

Key points this week include:

• Flu alert
• RSM alert 11-25/26 GP email spoofing 
• Annual general practice electronic self-declaration (eDec)
• Advice on consent to immunisation
• How to email patients individual appointment self-book links
• NHSE London region Controlled Drugs Newsletter - Winter Edition 2025
• Medicine supply notification
• Bank holiday opening - commissioned community pharmacy bank holiday opening 
• London regional roadshow 2026
• Webinar: changes to the routine vaccination schedule.

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.

Please share the following message through your practice channels  - our A&Es are very busy.

Instagram link to share. Text below for other channels: 

Flu cases are rising.

If you have symptoms of flu: coughing, sneezing or fever - help stop the spread. 

Stay home if you can and wear a mask around other people. 

Look after yourself, rest, keep warm take paracetamol or ibuprofen to lower your temperature and treat aches and pains. Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. 

If you need medical help or advice use NHS 111 online or over the phone from home. 

Please do not travel to our hospitals or emergency services. 

Help stop the spread. 
More information➡️ www.nhs.uk/conditions/flu

RSM alert 11-25/26 GP email spoofing 

Our counter fraud provider has alerted us to fraudulent payment requests targeting GP practices. Fraudsters are contacting practices, purporting to be doctors, requesting an urgent payment is made. The doctor’s name will appear on the email as the sender, but the actual email address will not link to them or the NHS. Most recent examples include emails made up of doctor (.) and then random numbers, such as:doctor.8938935893589@libero.it and doctor.8949889428948@libero.it

GP practices should review any request for payment thoroughly; to ensure the goods or services were ordered and provided, prior to making payment.

We also recommend verifying any requests with the doctor in person, prior to making payment and implementing a two-stage system that requires a secondary check to be made before any payments are processed.

Any false payment requests received should be reported to the ICB's local counter fraud specialist team: nhsnwlccg.lcfs@nhs.net.

Annual general practice electronic self-declaration (eDec).

In February 2025, NHSE informed general practices that there is a requirement to have 'due regard' to the primary care patient safety and for practices to sign up for an administrator account with the Learn from Patient Safety Events system (LFPSE) and that this would become a contractual requirement in 25/26. 

The attached document is a tool provided by NHSE to help practices understand where they are on their patient safety journey and what actions they can take to improve. This is also a useful tool to demonstrate evidence for forthcoming CQC inspections to demonstrate good governance and patient safety.

Use of the matrix is not mandatory but could help demonstrate compliance with the new contractual requirements described above that are part of the eDec.

Advice on consent to immunisation

Further to a number of enquiries regarding consent to vaccination, please see the attached advice on which healthcare professionals can seek consent to vaccination and vaccine administration.

If you have any queries, please contact the London Immunisation Team directly at ENGLAND.londonimms@nhs.net.

How to email patients individual appointment self-book links

This guidance outlines how general practices can send patients individual appointment self‑booking links via email as an alternative to SMS, helping manage costs. It covers functionality across different systems (SystmOne, EMIS, Accurx, PATCHs, NHS App, and eConsult), highlighting when email is supported, how replies are handled, and the pros and cons of using email versus SMS.

For full instructions and system‑specific details, please see the linked document.

NHSE London region Controlled Drugs Newsletter - Winter Edition 2025

The NHS England London region Controlled Drug Accountable Office (CDAO) team is pleased to share the Winter 2025 newsletter. This edition will once again be circulated to LIN members, community pharmacies, and general practices across the London region.

A PDF version of the newsletter is attached for convenience.

The newsletter, along with previous editions, can also be accessed via the resource centre on the CD reporting website.

The next edition is scheduled for release in summer 2026.

Medicine supply notification

A Tier 3 Medicine Supply Notification (MSN) for: Rivastigmine 4.6mg/24hours and 9.5mg/24hours transdermal patches.

The contents of this MSN can be viewed here. The tool also details any changes to resupply dates and updates to the entries. 

Bank holiday opening - commissioned community pharmacy bank holiday opening 

Community pharmacies are not required to open on bank/public holidays therefore all 5 London ICBs (NEL, NCL, NWL, SEL and SWL) have commissioned a Bank Holiday Opening Service.  

Please find attached the list of community pharmacies which are open for the commissioned Bank Holiday Opening Service.  Please note there will also be other community pharmacies which are open on Bank Holidays, however these are not part of the commissioned service and are opening voluntarily. Also, there may be some pharmacies on the list which are open longer than those listed on the attached list, the hours on the attached sheet are the hours they are commissioned to open on bank holidays.

Full list available here.

London regional roadshow 16 January 2026

You are invited to the upcoming Neighbourhood MDTs for CYP Regional Roadshow, a face-to-face workshop designed to bring together professionals across London to explore and strengthen multi-disciplinary models of care for children and young people.

Location: Wellington House, 133-155 Waterloo Rd, London SE1 8UG. Room - LG19/20/21

Date and time: 16 January 2026, 9:30am–3:00pm, with networking over lunch

Audience: BCYP Leads, GPs, acute paediatricians, mental health practitioners, commissioners, ICB colleagues and local authority partners.

Register via Eventbrite and find further event details here.

Webinar: changes to the routine vaccination schedule

This webinar is being delivered as a follow‑up to the UKHSA childhood schedule changes session held on 3 December. It will provide a recap of the changes due to be implemented from 1 January 2026, including details of the eligible cohorts for the MMRV vaccine. Participants will have the opportunity to post questions during the session.

Date and time: Thursday, 18 December 2025 12:30 - 13:30 

Joining link

The webinar will be recorded for those unable to attend, with the recording and slides circulated afterwards.

The invitation may be forwarded to colleagues who would benefit from attending. For general practices, the session is aimed at the practice immunisation lead, practice nurse and practice manager.

Further information on the introduction of the MMRV vaccine is available in the GOV.UK resource: MMRV vaccination: information for healthcare professionals.