Avon LMCs Newsletter on 12-11-25

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The ALMC Newsletter

Welcome to our weekly newsletter, sharing the latest news and topics of interest for practices.

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– LATEST NEWS –

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I hope this finds you safe and well. As someone who no longer has very young children but still has “accident-prone ones,” I had a brush with healthcare services yesterday and am incredibly grateful to still be on the receiving end of NHS care.

Yesterday afternoon my daughter accidentally punched a metal pillar and came home with an icepack and a vigorously expanding purple swelling that might have made even the most exaggerated cartoon character wince. I am deeply grateful for the care she received: a swift ride to the Minor Injuries Unit in Yate, prompt assessment, an X-ray and treatment, all in less than two hours. A huge thank you to the Sirona team for such excellent service, delivered with a smile and in full recognition of the human behind the casualty—reminding me that the NHS remains at its heart about real people and real lives.

It has been another eventful week across our region and beyond. I’m pleased to report that our elected representatives from Avon Local Medical Committee attended the England LMC Conference 2025 in Manchester on 7th November. At that conference, Avon LMC successfully proposed two emergency motions, both of which were overwhelmingly passed, demonstrating not only our region’s determination but our collective will to act when required.

Perhaps the most notable headline from the conference is the motion around the possibility of undated resignations—a measure that has been floated sporadically since the 1960s, but, as far as I’m aware, this is the first time it has passed as a formal conference motion. It raises more questions than it immediately answers: ‘when,’ ‘how,’ ‘why,’ and ‘what next?’ But it signals a profession less willing to simply acquiesce. Let’s watch how this plays out in the negotiations to come.

Another motion, equally significant, concerned the new access mandates from 1st October, which require practices to keep online consultation tools open during core hours irrespective of capacity. The conference voted in favour of refusing compliance with these mandated access requirements unless capacity safeguards could be implemented.

Which leads me to a broader reflection: winter is fast approaching, and with it often comes increased workload. At the same time, complaints and patient frustration grow when waits lengthen or care seems to slip. Your first duty of care is towards your staff – because without them, we cannot care for patients. We cannot keep increasing our productivity without more funding and more staff, so step off the hamster wheel and ensure staff wellbeing is the priority.

“Caring for the person who cares for others is not an indulgence, it’s a necessity.”
— Sir Michael Marmot

Dr Shaba Nabi
Chair: Avon LMC

Avon LMC attended the Conference of England LMCs last week. The meeting in Manchester was dominated by concerns around the new contractual changes introduced in October and existential threats to the survival of general practice. 

The clear steer from the conference was that GPC England and LMCs are united in signalling that the status quo is not acceptable. Practices across BNSSG need to recognise that, in order for local negotiations and national campaigning to succeed, we must be aligned and organised. 

Conference also backed moves to increase collective leverage. LMCs called on GPC England to begin collecting undated contract resignations from GP contract-holders as a “trump hand” should escalated action become necessary. 

At a time when neighbourhood models and integrated care are gaining traction, the conference underlined the importance of GP practices standing together to protect the contractor model, preserve professional autonomy, and ensure the voice of general practice is heard in system redesign.

Question: We have been having some issues with NHS specialist care within independent treatment or community settings. They often ask us to make onward referrals, and we do not often receive histology results back from biopsies. Whose responsibility is this?

Answer: (from GPCB Planned Care Lead, Dr David Peel)

Onward referrals form part of the specialist team’s responsibility to ensure appropriate and complete care – in other words, to take all necessary actions to resolve the presenting issue. This process falls under collective action and should therefore be directed back to the Provider.

Independent Treatment Centres (ITCs) are covered by the BNSSG Access Policy, which clearly states that consultants must make appropriate referrals for the same condition. They are also permitted to refer to other organisations where the required service is not available within their own. Patients should only be referred back to their GP when the condition is entirely unrelated to the original reason for referral. These requirements mirror those in place for the main NHS Trusts.

We have identified a systemic issue in histology reporting following endoscopic procedures across the area. Work is underway to seek clarity and to reduce risk across all providers and care pathways.

The New to Practice Programme is a ONE YEAR programme for any nurse that is new to general practice (Registered Nurses and Nurse Associates). We also offer preceptorship for newly qualified nurses.

The flyer can be found here.

BNSSG Training Hub

We are glad to announce that the scheduled training dates will go live on November 17 (Mon). If you are looking for the training scheduled between January 26 and March 26, please visit our webpage at https://avonlmc.co.uk/events-calendar/.

Furthermore, delegates already on the waiting list will be moved to the additional training scheduled for upcoming months. A separate email will be sent out for confirmation.

• Tuesday 11 Nov General practice bulletin
• Thursday 06 Nov General practice bulletin

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– LATEST TRAINING AND EVENTS –

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Please see the attachment for Learning Hub events here. 

For further information, please contact almclearninghub@almc.co.uk.

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