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Primary care bulletin
24 June 2026 |
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Welcome to this week's primary care bulletin, covering the eight north west London boroughs:
Clinical updates: - new cancer support service - opportunity to shape patient safety in general practice, PCNs and GP Federations - NHS App ‘medicines unavailable’ prescriptions feature enhancements currently being piloted within west and north London GP practices - Harrow Health: Elective service pause - Chelsea and Westminster is proving GP correspondence delivery via NHS MESH - RM Partners cervical screening awareness campaign is now live.
Education and training: - kidney education and training opportunities - Cervical Screening Programme HPV self-sampling workshops - supporting better conversations about school-age vaccinations - RM Partners cervical screening awareness campaign is now live.
If you have any submissions for this bulletin please complete this Google form. Any enquiries regarding the primary care bulletin should be sent to nclicb.communications@nhs.net with "primary care bulletin" contained within the subject line.
The next bulletin will go out on Wednesday 8 July 2026. The deadline for submissions is 3pm on Monday 6 July 2026.
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New cancer support service
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has launched a new service to support patients and families in north west London who are on a suspected cancer pathway or have a cancer diagnosis.
The service provides a centralised, telephone-based point of contact, offering specialist clinical advice and emotional support. As part of a multidisciplinary team arrangement, the service helps guide patients through diagnostic pathways, liaises with clinical teams, and identifies opportunities to streamline communication and improve outcomes. It also coordinates and reviews diagnostic pathways to help ensure patients receive timely investigations and results, escalating delays or risks where appropriate.The team works collaboratively with consultants, clinical nurse specialists, radiology and administrative colleagues to support patient queries and improve the overall experience of care.
The service is available Monday to Friday, 8am - 6pm, and Saturday, 8am - 4pm. GPs can refer or signpost patients via the Cancer Navigator Hub on 020 3313 0303 or via email. |
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Harrow Health: Elective service pause
Harrow Health has temporarily paused new elective referrals for ear, nose and throat, as well, gastroenterology, gynaecology and dermatology. Any existing referrals will continue to be seen and no action is required from referrers. Any new referrals should be made to other providers accessible on ERS.
The ICB and Harrow Health are working together to review alignment with the new ICB structure, and services will be reopened later in the summer. This service suspension has been put in place to avoid long-waiting times, and the ICB can confirm that they are supportive of the approach and recognise the continued high-quality care that Harrow Health offer to the population of west and north London. Services are expected to reopen during the summer, and further communications will be circulated to confirm the reopening. The Harrow Health ADHD Assessment and Treatment service is unaffected by this temporary pause. |
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Chelsea and Westminster is improving GP correspondence delivery via NHS MESH
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is making a technical improvement to how hospital correspondence, such as clinic letters and discharge summaries, is delivered to GP practices via NHS MESH (Message Exchange for Social Care and Health).
This forms part of a wider NHS initiative to improve the reliability, resilience and sustainability of digital communications. Read the full update in a document (PDF). |
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Opportunity to shape patient safety in general practice, PCNs and GP Federations
The Health Innovation Network South London is now inviting registrations for its General Practice Patient Safety Incident Response Framework Programme. This is a unique opportunity to get ahead of upcoming changes, help shape how the programme works in general practice, and strengthen patient safety in your organisation - all with fully funded expert support.
This free programme, which runs July 2026 – March 2027) provides hands-on support to help you embed and drive meaningful improvement in your practice or network. Refer to the poster (PDF) for further information. |
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NHS App ‘medicines unavailable’ prescriptions feature enhancements currently being piloted within WNL GP practices
The NHS App no longer displays the 'prescribed next' date against medicines. Testing during the pilot found the date could be unclear or misinterpreted, so it has been removed while design and supporting content are refined ahead of any potential reintroduction.Users will still see their full list of repeat medicines, including those not currently available to request and the reasons why. The 'last prescribed' date will remain visible.
This change enables national rollout of the ‘medicines unavailable’ feature while reducing potential confusion linked to the 'prescribed next' wording.
A small update has also been made to the guidance at the top of the page, improving clarity on when to order medicines based on GP feedback.No action is required from practices. This update is shared for awareness in case of patient queries.
An image demonstrating before and after the changes is attached (PDF). |
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RM Partners cervical screening awareness campaign is now live
The campaign uses TikTok influencer videos to share tips and advice on cervical screening, promoted across social media, Spotify and local gyms until mid-July.Find all videos and further information on the cervical cancer campaign microsite. Please promote the campaign within your practice where possible. |
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Kidney education and training opportunities
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is offering a programme of kidney education and training opportunities for primary care colleagues across north west London, including GPs, nurses, pharmacists and physician associates.The programme includes the Kidney Talks webinar series – short, interactive sessions designed to support primary care professionals with the latest updates in kidney care. All events are free to attend. Upcoming sessions include: - 15 July 2026, 1 - 1.45pm – Finerenone: what has changed for primary care
- 13 August 2026, 1 – 1.45pm – What primary care needs to know about dialysis and transplant
- 14 October 2026, 8.30am - 1.30pm – North West London Kidney Care Workshop.
View full details and register through the organiser's website.
Furthermore, the For Kidneys Sake podcast offers quick insights into real-world kidney care. Find out more about it on their website. |
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Cervical Screening Programme HPV self-sampling workshops
Two workshops are available on 15 and 22 July 2026, both running 12 - 1pm. As the sessions cover the same content, you only need to attend one.These workshops are aimed at participating GP practices, practice managers, nurses and sample takers, as well as admin staff and screening leads.
The session will include an overview of the HPV self-sampling pathway, learning from effective practice and practical ways to increase grab bag return rates. There will also be time for questions and discussion.
To register your interest, please complete the Team's form. |
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Supporting better conversations about school-age vaccinations
Join an online webinar on Monday 6 July 2026, 7 - 8pm, introducing a new toolkit to support conversations about secondary school-age vaccinations. Developed by University College London’s Disagreeing Well programme with healthcare professionals and parents, it offers practical guidance, reliable information and techniques to support informed decision-making.
The session includes a toolkit walkthrough, interactive discussion and Q&A.
Register through the university's website.
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