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Primary care bulletin
8 July 2026 |
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Welcome to this week's primary care bulletin, covering the eight north west London boroughs:
Clinical updates: - change to urgent suspected cancer (thyroid) referral pathway at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital - North West London Pathology Sunquest upgrade – Sunday 12 July - smartcard software update for GP practices - Cervical Screening Administration Service (CSAS) update - GP feedback of Cancer SMART (Severe Mental Illness Access and Rapid Treatment) - transition to Message Exchange for Social Care and Health for clinical document delivery from 8 July 2026 (London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust).
Education and training: - primary care systems training – SystmOne and EMIS Web - Innovation Associates Programme: Innovation opportunities for clinicians and operational staff - chronic kidney disease workshop.
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 22 July 2026. The deadline for submissions is 3pm on Monday 20 July 2026.
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Change to urgent suspected cancer (thyroid) referral pathway at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Please note that the referral pathway for urgent suspected cancer (thyroid) at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has changed.The Directly Bookable Service has been replaced by a Referral Assessment Service (RAS). Referrals should now be submitted via the following pathway: Urgent suspected cancer – thyroid, Chelsea and Westminster HospitalRAS code: RQM01.
Please ensure this change is communicated to all relevant staff involved in the referral process. |
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North West London Pathology Sunquest upgrade – Sunday 12 July
North West London Pathology (NWLP) will upgrade its Sunquest laboratory information system on Sunday 12 July 2026, 1 - 10am, to improve performance and replace ageing hardware. Pathology orders submitted before the downtime will continue to be processed as normal.For support or queries, email the NWLP Customer Service Team. |
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Smartcard software update for GP practices
NHS England has retired older Series 4, 5 and 6 smartcards. As a result, Gemalto smartcard software is being removed from practice devices and replaced with the supported Oberthur configuration.
Most users will not need to take any action, although some SystmOne users may need to check their smartcard settings. Please ensure devices are left switched on overnight to receive the update. Full details are available in an article (PDF). |
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Cervical Screening Administration Service update
The latest Cervical Screening Administration Service (CSAS) bulletin (PDF) includes updates on cervical screening invitations, reminders and digital communications, alongside findings from a recent customer satisfaction survey. It also covers manual matching figures, key incident management themes, guidance on maintaining accurate patient details, and reminders for colposcopy clinics on discharge list processes and responding to CSAS queries. |
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GP feedback of Cancer SMART (Severe Mental Illness Access and Rapid Treatment)
Cancer SMART is a pilot programme funded by RM Partners, designed to address health inequalities for people with Severe Mental Illness accessing the cancer pathway at St George’s Hospital. The service launched in September 2025 and will run until December 2026. RM Partners are seeking feedback from GP colleagues to understand the impact of Cancer SMART on clinical practice and patient care. Your insights will help inform future service development and support the evaluation and business case for potential continuation or expansion of the programme. Find out more. |
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Transition to the Message Exchange for Social Care and Health for Clinical Document Delivery from 8 July 2026 (London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust)
From 8 July 2026, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust will use the national Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH) system as the preferred method for sending clinical documents to GP practices across north west London.For most practices, there will be no change to existing workflows. However, some EMIS practices that use Docman may need to follow updated processes.
Practices should continue to routinely monitor Docman, as some providers will continue to use it and it will remain part of contingency arrangements.The change aims to improve patient safety by reducing delivery failures and helping ensure documents reach practices more quickly.
Read the full guidance (PDF), including information for EMIS practices using Docman. |
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Primary care systems training – SystmOne and EMIS Web
The Primary Care Systems Training Team is offering a range of SystmOne and EMIS Web training courses delivered via Microsoft Teams. Multiple sessions will be available throughout August and September 2026, covering a variety of topics to help practice staff develop their skills and confidence in using both systems. Course details and booking details are available in the links above. |
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Innovation Associates Programme: Innovation opportunities for clinicians and operational staff
Imperial College Health Partners, the Health Innovation Network for north west London, has launched the Innovation Associates Programme, offering NHS, healthcare and higher education staff the opportunity to get involved in health innovation.
There is no minimum time commitment and no prior innovation experience required. By joining, you can access innovation-related opportunities, expand your professional network, develop new skills, connect with like-minded peers and gain early visibility of innovation projects and activities across the region. The programme is open to anyone working in NHS, healthcare and higher education settings across north west London.
For full details, including how to join and upcoming information webinars, visit the Innovation Associates Programme webpage. |
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Chronic kidney disease workshop 2026
Healthcare professionals are invited to the 2026 North West London Kidney Workshop on Wednesday 14 October 2026 at W12 Conferences, Hammersmith House.
This year's theme, "who benefits from treatment?", will explore how to optimise care for people with chronic kidney disease and improve patient outcomes.
The programme includes a primary care operational update, the latest developments in cardio-renal-metabolic medicine, and small group case discussions.The event also offers opportunities to share best practice and strengthen collaboration across local services.Attendance is in person only and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Register via the organiser's webpage by 30 September 2026, or sooner if fully booked. For further information, email Joana Teles. |
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