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Primary care bulletin 5 August 2026 |
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Welcome to this week's primary care bulletin, covering the eight north west London boroughs:
Clinical updates: - SMS usage dashboard - Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme personalised care roles survey for PCNs - delay to adrenocorticotropic hormone test results affecting Ealing, Hillingdon, Hammersmith and Fulham, Central London and West London - Bedfont Smokerlyzer infection prevention and cleaning guidance - North West London Integrated Care Coordination Hub: Supporting urgent and emergency care.
Education and training: - positive behaviour support education session - infection prevention and control refresher training - NHS Resolution webinar on women's health.
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 19 August 2026. The deadline for submissions is 3pm on Monday 17 August 2026.
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SMS usage dashboard
The north west London general practice SMS usage dashboard for April 2026 is now available for practices to access and review. The dashboard provides visibility of SMS messaging activity across platforms, helping practices monitor usage against their SMS allocation and support effective management of messaging volumes. View the dashboard (Sharepoint).
If you have any queries regarding the dashboard or SMS allocation arrangements, please email the Digital First Team. |
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Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme personalised care roles survey for PCNs
The Coalition for Personalised Care is seeking feedback from PCN staff, including Clinical Directors and PCN Managers, on employing personalised care Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) roles such as social prescribing, health and wellbeing coaching, and care coordination. Findings will help build a national picture of recruitment trends, the impact of ARRS funding decisions, and how these roles can support the future implementation of Neighbourhood Health.
Complete the survey (Google Docs) by 15 August 2026. |
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Delay to adrenocorticotropic hormone test results affecting Ealing, Hillingdon, Hammersmith and Fulham, Central London and West London
North West London Pathology (NWLP) is experiencing delays in reporting adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) results due to a national reagent supply issue. Until normal supplies are restored, NWLP will operate an urgent-only service for ACTH samples. Routine samples will be stored and analysed once the supply issue has been resolved.
For urgent requests or further information, email the endocrine duty biochemist (Monday–Friday, 9am – 5.30pm). NWLP will provide further updates when available. |
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Bedfont Smokerlyzer infection prevention and cleaning guidance
Updated infection control and cleaning guidance has been issued for users of Bedfont Smokerlyzer carbon monoxide (CO) breath testing devices. The guidance reminds providers to replace D-Pieces at least monthly, use only alcohol-free cleaning wipes, and keep alcohol-containing products away from devices to help maintain patient safety, device integrity and measurement accuracy. Read the full guidance (PDF) for detailed instructions and recommended cleaning products. |
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North West London Integrated Care Coordination Hub: Supporting urgent and emergency care
The North West London Integrated Care Coordination (ICC) Hub is a single hub operating seven days a week, coordinating an urgent and emergency care response for patients based on their condition. Hosted by London Ambulance Service, it brings together a multidisciplinary team of senior clinical decision makers providing rapid access to remote clinical consultation, advice and guidance. The Hub supports improved patient outcomes, reduces unnecessary conveyance to ED, and helps optimise access to community services. It also enhances access to patient records, supports referrals to appropriate services, and ensures timely, appropriate communication with primary care on patient care and follow-up.
Find out more on their Powerpoint slides. |
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Positive behaviour support education session
On behalf of Rhianna Mobile, Lead Behaviour and Wellbeing Practitioner, South East London STOMP Team, we invite you to a free pan-London education session on positive behaviour support (PBS) on Tuesday 8 September 2026, 12.30 - 1.30pm.
This introductory session will provide an overview of PBS, including what PBS is, the principles that underpin the approach, and how it can be used to support people with learning disabilities. The session will also include practical case studies demonstrating how PBS can be applied in practice to improve wellbeing and reduce behaviours that may challenge.
Who should attend: Primary care teams and those interested in deprescribing psychotropics for people with a learning disability. The session will be recorded for those unable to attend, and we encourage you to share this invite with relevant colleagues.
Register via the Teams event page. |
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Infection prevention and control refresher training
The NHS England Public Health Infection Prevention and Control Team has supported GP practices across four London systems through infection prevention and control (IPC) audits, training, advice and guidance, and would like to thank practices for their engagement, collaboration and commitment to improving infection prevention and control standards.
As this programme comes to a close, the team is offering a final infection prevention and control refresher training session for practice staff on Wednesday 30 September 2026, 1 - 3pm.
The webinar will provide IPC training, advice and support for all staff working in GP practices. Book your free place via Eventbrite.Practices can also continue to access support via email for general IPC queries and advice relating to new builds and refurbishment projects. All queries will be addressed by members of the team in a timely manner. |
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NHS Resolution webinar on women's health
Join us for a free informative webinar on learning from practice, policy and patient safety in women’s healthcare in the NHS. The event aims to spotlight challenges and disparities across women’s health using NHS Resolution’s unique claims data insights, and discuss how listening to patients, addressing clinical challenges and improving primary care are helping to transform women’s health services across the NHS.
The webinar takes place at Wednesday 30 September 2026, 1:30 - 2:30pm. Register for this event via Eventbrite. |
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