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Primary care bulletin 19 August 2026 |
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Welcome to this week's primary care bulletin, covering the eight north west London boroughs:
Clinical updates: - ICB plans launch of WNL primary care website for professionals - commissioned community pharmacy bank holiday opening hours - #AskAboutAsthma campaign - HbA1c testing for rare haemoglobin variants - NHS App - updates to GP and patient resources - London opportunistic HPV self-sampling pathway: full roll-out and extended screening intervals - policy alignment update - updated Patient Group Directions and Vaccine Group Direction available now - transition to MESH for clinical document delivery from 15 September 2026 Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust - advice and refer user guides for the Hillingdon Hospital.
Education and training: - reasonable adjustment digital flag training - webinar on understanding conditions commonly associated with ADHD - NHS cervical screening programme webinar - Multi-professional educational forum: Lifestyle medicine in primary care.
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 2 September 2026. The deadline for submissions is 12pm on Friday 28 August 2026.
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ICB plans launch of WNL primary care website for professionals
WNL ICB provides a primary care website (currently for north central London boroughs through the NCL General Practice Website) to give primary care healthcare professionals the essential, local information they need to carry out their role.
By September, the ICB intends to launch a combined WNL General Practice website and include primary care staff across the former north west London boroughs in the audience.
Clinically relevant information is being migrated from the legacy NWL Professionals pages. The legacy pages will also remain available (but not be updated) until 31 March 2027.
If you are receiving the current Primary Care Bulletin you will automatically be signed up for an account on the WNL General Practice Website, which will ensure that you will continue to receive an emailed clinical update.
To support the transition, we will continue to send the NWL Primary Care Bulletin for a short, time-limited period. You will also begin receiving the WNL General Practice Weekly Bulletin for the first time. |
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Commissioned community pharmacy bank holiday opening hours
Community pharmacies are not required to open on bank/public holidays, therefore all London ICBs have commissioned a Bank Holiday opening service. Please find attached the list of community pharmacies (PDF) 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, the hours in the PDF are the hours they are commissioned to open on bank holidays. |
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#AskAboutAsthma campaign
The 2026 babies, children and young people #AskAboutAsthma campaign is now underway As 2026 marks ten years of our #AskAboutAsthma campaign, they're celebrating with a special anniversary theme: Ten years of Asking About Asthma.
The campaign website explains how you can support the initiative. |
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HbA1c testing for rare haemoglobin variants
North West London Pathology (NWLP), which supports residents in all boroughs apart from Brent, Harrow and Hounslow, is currently unable to provide HbA1c results for samples with rare haemoglobin variants following the withdrawal of an external referral service. Fewer than 1% of HbA1c samples are expected to be affected, with normal samples and common variants unaffected.
Practices are advised to consider alternative methods of monitoring in affected patients while NWLP evaluates alternative solutions.
Read the full letter (PDF) for further information and guidance. |
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NHS App - updates to GP and patient resources
The NHS App toolkit has been recently updated and provides a range of ready-made resources to promote the NHS App to patients. Resources include posters, digital images, walk-through videos, message templates and other communications materials that can be used across practice websites, waiting rooms, social media and patient communications. Access the materials on the NHS Digital website.
The NHS App core capabilities guidance pack has also been updated and is now available on the same website. Developed for GP practices, it provides an overview of the six core NHS App capabilities, how they can be enabled, and links to supporting guidance and resources.
Please share with relevant colleagues and stakeholders. Feedback is welcome via email. |
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London Opportunistic HPV self-sampling pathway: Full roll-out and extended screening intervals
Complete roll-out in general practice Opportunistic HPV self-sampling has now been rolled out across London and is accessible to all GP practices in the region.
Extended screening intervals With effect from 7 August 2026, the screening recall interval for individuals aged 25-49 who test negative following an HPV self-sample test will be extended from three years to five years.
This means that HPV self-sampling recall intervals for all ages will now be in line with the routine Cervical Screening Programme. We are updating patient information, clinical system tools and professional guidance to reflect this change.
For more information, please visit the NHS England London Clinical Networks web pages or email the team. |
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Policy alignment update
Following the merger of the former North Central London and North West London ICBs, work has been underway to review and align clinical commissioning policies across the new West and North London ICB.
The first phase is now complete, with 22 aligned policies published on the West and North London ICB website. A further 24 policies require more detailed review before they can be aligned.
Staff and providers should continue to use the policies published on the website. This includes the 22 aligned policies, which now apply across West and North London, and the existing unaligned legacy policies, which remain in use in their current form during the transition period.
The next phase of work will focus on reviewing the remaining policies, taking account of clinical evidence, national guidance, equality impact, clinical safety, operational implications and financial considerations. This will support a consistent, evidence-based approach to commissioning policy across the new ICB.
This work is supported by the Improvement and Integration team, which leads the development and assurance of commissioning policies. The Individual Funding Request (IFR) team will continue to manage requests for treatment outside commissioned policy where exceptional clinical circumstances apply.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this work so far. Further updates will be shared as the programme progresses. For queries, email the IFR team. |
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Manage patient registrations webinar for TPP SystmOne practices
Manage Patient Registrations (MPR) is now available for TPP SystmOne practices through the NHS England Register with a GP Surgery Service. The new functionality can support 50-65% of new patient registrations, helping reduce manual administration and streamline registration processes.
Join a webinar to learn how MPR works, how it complements automated registration routes, and the steps your practice needs to take to get started. The sessions are relevant whether you already use auto registration or rely on manual workflows. Multiple dates are available. Register via the trainer provider's website. |
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Updated Patient Group Directions and Vaccine Group Direction available
NHS England London has published four updated Patient Group Directions and a new Vaccine Group Direction on its website. Healthcare professionals involved in immunisation programmes are encouraged to review the latest documents to ensure they are using the most up-to-date guidance. |
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Transition to MESH for clinical document delivery from 15 September 2026 The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Trust
From 15 September 2026, hospitals across North West London will begin using MESH as the preferred system for sending clinical documents to GP practices. Most practices will see no change, although EMIS users with Docman will need to update their workflows and should review the attached guidance.
Practices should continue to monitor Docman, which will remain in use for some providers and as a fallback route.
Full details are available in the attached details (PDF) and image (PDF). |
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Advice and refer user guides for the Hillingdon Hospital
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Trust has issued user guides to support GP practices with the new advice and refer pathways for:
The trust has received feedback that some practices are unable to locate the services on the NHS e-Referral Service and is working directly with practices to provide support. The guides have been produced to help referrers access and use the pathways.
Practices experiencing any issues during the transition are encouraged to email the GP Liaison team for assistance. |
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Reasonable adjustment digital flag training
The session will be delivered by Patricia Handley, Health Improvement Senior Manager - Learning Disabilities, of NHS England London region. The session will provide a practical introduction to the reasonable adjustment digital flag, including how reasonable adjustments can be recorded, shared and viewed across services.
It will also explore how the flag can support more personalised care and improve healthcare experiences for people with learning disabilities. You will have the opportunity to put forward any questions in a Q&A.
The training takes place on Wednesday 16 September 2026, 12.30 - 1.15pm.
Register for the session via Teams Events. It will be recorded and available online for those unable to attend. |
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Webinar on understanding conditions commonly associated with ADHD
Healthcare Central London is hosting a webinar for GPs and healthcare professionals on 8 September, 12 - 12.45pm. The session will be led by Dr Balu Pitchiah, Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Lead at Healthcare Central London, and will focus on conditions that commonly co-exist with ADHD, drawing on his experience supporting neurodiverse patients, including people with ADHD, high-functioning autism and neurodivergent women during perimenopause.
Through real-world clinical case studies, attendees will get support to: - identify the most common conditions that co-exist with ADHD
- distinguish ADHD from overlapping mental health presentations
- recognise when ADHD may be contributing to poor treatment response
- understand how comorbidities influence management decisions
- refer appropriately for specialist assessment
- apply learning to everyday primary care practice.
Register via Teams events. |
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NHS cervical screening programme webinar
As part of ongoing efforts to improve access to cervical screening and support the ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, the NHS cervical screening programme is introducing an initial HPV self-testing offer for eligible women and people with a cervix who have not attended cervical screening following previous routine invitations.
A webinar will be held on Wednesday 9 September 2026, 12 – 1pm to provide an overview of the new pathway, including the clinical pathway, operational arrangements, training and implications for primary care. Register to attend on the NHS England Events webpage. |
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Multi-professional educational forum: Lifestyle medicine in primary care
Central London Community Healthcare Training Hub is hosting the session on Wednesday 30 September 2026, 1pm – 2pm.
Suitable for all primary care professionals, this evidence-based session will explore the role of lifestyle medicine in preventing and managing chronic disease and improving long-term patient outcomes.
Attendees will learn about practical lifestyle intervention strategies and tools that can be integrated into routine clinical practice to support patient care.
Find out more and register on the provider's website. |
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