Avon LMCs Newsletter on 10-12-25

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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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The Christmas season is upon us once again, bringing its mixed blessings. On the brighter side—particularly if, like me, you enjoy a good gathering—my portfolio career has me circulating through a flurry of work-related festive events. The less-festive side, of course, is the annual wave of respiratory infections that reliably accompany this time of year. Covid and flu are both circulating widely, and while demand inevitably rises, our capacity takes a hit too; our workforce is, regrettably, just as vulnerable as the communities we serve.

It’s more important than ever that we continue to protect ourselves and those around us by sticking to the basics: appropriate use of isolation rooms, mask-wearing where indicated, and sensible infection-control precautions. (Isolating from one’s own children, however, remains an aspirational rather than practical measure!)

A couple of weeks ago I attended a virtual meeting of GPC England, much of which you may have seen reported in Pulse. Although the England LMC Conference passed a motion to move toward an indicative ballot, there was clear appetite to continue negotiations around the 26/27 contract without binding ourselves to rigid timelines at this stage.

In the meantime, I want to acknowledge some of the background “noise” reverberating across our system—locally and nationally. Key concerns include, but are certainly not limited to:

• Consent requirements for HCAs administering vaccines
• Practices’ contractual and statutory safeguarding obligations
• The medium-term planning framework and potential shifts in referral pathways

Avon LMC is actively working with system partners—and national colleagues where needed—to secure greater clarity on all of these points. We aim to share more concrete updates with you in the new year.

For now, I want to take a moment to offer a heartfelt thank you to all clinicians, managers, care navigators, and administrative staff across BNSSG. You show up. You problem-solve. You face immense pressures as frontline workers—and you continue to deliver compassionate, high-quality care to our patients. Your commitment is noticed and deeply appreciated.

I wish you all a very Happy Christmas—and happy holidays however you celebrate them—and a restorative start to the New Year. We will pause the newsletter on 24 December (unless something urgent emerges), and our next update will reach you on 7 January 2026.

Stay well and thank you once again for everything you do.

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” — Albert Camus

Shaba Nabi
Chair: Avon LMC

Immunisation
Updated commissioning guidance is due to be shared with practices to reflect changes to the routine immunisation schedule, including the introduction of MMRV from January 2026. Operationally, MMRV will replace the MMR vaccine, but the new 18?month appointment will require an additional appointment and there will be a catch-up campaign.

The LMC is developing a single, comprehensive immunisation webpage, due to launch in spring, to provide clear and accessible resources.

Consent for unregistered staff remains a priority, and we have circulated example operational guidance to nurses to support safe practice.

Scope of Practice
We are progressing a scope of practice document covering roles from Healthcare Support Worker to Registered Nurse. This will support practices in understanding safe delegation and professional boundaries, strengthening clarity, confidence, and governance across nursing teams.

Wound Care
Following discussions with the ICB, the LMC is refining the wound care audit to capture the impact of wound care delivery in General Practice. Findings may inform commissioning decisions and highlight potential commissioning gaps.

Violence and Prevention
Ongoing discussions between ALMC, ICB & OneCare to provide specialist knowledge regarding contractual requirements and strategic responsibilities as well as generating appropriate information to provide resources for practices.

Imaging for Non-Medical referrers
Updated webpage with further information regarding subcontracted FCPs, imaging entitlements, CQC checklist, IRMER study days and ICE onboarding process. Working with Acute trusts to expand entitlements for Advanced Practitioners working in General Practice.

Question: Does the LMC have any thoughts about providing a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian that practices can link too?  Wonder if this is a service that can be provided at scale as quite onerous and would be dependent on one person.

Answer: While the LMC and the ICB are both points of contact, we cannot serve as the initial point of contact for all Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) queries. As advised last year, practices should have a designated local FTSU Guardian, either at Practice or PCN level.

The FTSU Guardians within the ICB and the ALMC are intended for matters that cannot be handled locally—such as PCN-wide concerns, partnership or practice-level issues—or for situations requiring escalation. To ensure individuals receive the right level of support when raising concerns, a local FTSU representative must be in place.

All ALMC staff have completed the introductory FTSU training, and the Managing Director has completed the full course and acts as the ALMC’s FTSU Champion.

The BMA GP Committee is running a series of focus groups to gather views from grassroots GPs on key issues affecting the profession. These sessions, organised and run by BB Partners, will form part of a wider consultation to inform the Committee’s priorities for upcoming negotiations. BB Partners would like to invite your LMC to nominate participants for one of these focus groups. They are reaching out to LMCs across the West/South West, Midlands, North East, and North West to ensure a broad mix of voices, including GPs who are not usually involved in national policy discussions.

Key details:

• Format: Focus group – virtual
• Timing: Before Christmas (exact dates to be confirmed)
• Participants: Number of GPs per session between 4-8 – sessions to include partners, salaried GPs, locums, and registrars where possible
• Output: Findings will feed into a final report for GPCE officers ahead of upcoming negotiations
• NB: this would be on a voluntary basis – no honorarium will be available.

Please direct any volunteers to tommy@bbpartners.co.uk. Please also include your availability. Further details will be shared in due course.

Your support in helping BB Partners hear from a wide range of grassroots voices is vital to ensuring this consultation reflects the realities of general practice across England. 

In a recent UK?wide survey conducted by UKHSA, parents were asked for their views on the routine immunisation programme. The findings showed high levels of trust in General Practice and highlighted the important role of registered healthcare professionals in shaping perceptions and influencing decisions to vaccinate. One issue raised was that some parents reported not receiving invitations for immunisation appointments. This was not explored in detail, so it remains unclear whether factors such as incorrect contact details or country of residence were contributing factors.

Although not specific to BNSSG, we thought we would take the opportunity to remind practices that, under the GMS contract, a robust call/recall system for immunisations is required. Practices must make at least one initial call and two recall attempts to contact eligible patients, using a variety of methods, such as phone calls, text messages, letters, or emails, to maximise engagement and ensure patients are fully informed of their vaccination opportunities. Practices should ensure that these are fully documented to evidence that contractual obligations have been fulfilled.

For further information on General Practice immunisation contractual requirements, please visit NHS England guidance.

Activations for the OpenSAFELY service now stand at around 45%! We need to reach 100%!

Use the link https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-tools-and-services/data-services/opensafely/how-to-activate-access

Practices are obliged to activate under the Health and Social Care Act as a data direction has been issued.

This can be found here.

From all of us at Avon Local Medical Committee, thank you for your continued trust, collaboration, and support throughout the year. It has been a privilege to work alongside our colleagues and partners in supporting general practice and strengthening our local healthcare community.

As we reflect on the past year, we are grateful for the dedication and commitment shown by everyone we work with. Your efforts make a meaningful difference, and we are proud to stand with you.

Wishing you a joyful Christmas, a peaceful holiday season, and a successful year ahead.

Warm regards,
Avon Local Medical Committee

• 3 March 2026: Virtual LMC drop in, 1pm – 2pm
• 5 May 2026: Virtual LMC drop in, 1pm – 2 pm
• 7 July 2026: Virtual LMC drop in, 1pm – 2pm

Discover a world of knowledge with ALMC Learning Hub! Our monthly newsletter is your backstage pass to course updates and expert insights straight to your inbox.

Subscribe now and stay informed, you would find out what additional training will be coming up and know more about our trainers. 

• Tuesday 09 Dec General practice bulletin
• Thursday 04 Dec General practice bulletin

Please find the UKHSA letter here.

Please see the new patient leaflet on vaccine safety that the MHRA have produced with the CDG for information. See: Vaccine safety – patient factsheet – GOV.UK

Following the Practice & PCN Management Development Project launch event on 23rd September, the BNSSG Training Hub, IGPM, Avon LMC and One Care are inviting all general practice and PCN management staff in the BNSSG area to our next quarterly meeting.
 
This invitation extends to Practice Managers, PCN Managers, Deputy & Assistant Managers, and anyone aspiring to work in practice or PCN management.
 
Date: Wednesday 21st January 2026
Time: 14:00 – 15:30
Venue: MS Teams webinar
 
The attached flyer contains agenda for the day and the link to register.
 
For further information, please contact Louise Carthy, Project Lead, at L.Carthy@nhs.net.

 
BNSSG Training Hub are launching a new General Practice Workforce Project. The aim of the project is to drive improvements to the quality and accessibility of workforce information, enabling General Practice to be better represented and better supported in workforce planning at a neighbourhood, locality and system-wide level. 

An engagement survey is now live, to gather insights from practice and PCN management colleagues on their workforce information and workforce planning processes. To complete the survey please click here.
For more information please contact Louise Carthy, Project Lead, at L.Carthy@nhs.net.

The NHS Leadership Academy is offering some free and partially funded places on the following leadership programmes:

• Mary Seacole: entry-level leadership training for practice managers, nurses, PCN managers, community pharmacists and early-career GPs
• Rosalind Franklin: mid-career leadership training for practice managers, lead nurses, PCN managers, community pharmacists, and mid-career GPs
• Elizabeth Garrett Anderson: advanced leadership training tailored for senior leaders in primary care including PCN Clinical Directors, senior GPs, practice managers, and system-level leaders.

Places are limited; please see the attached document for further information and to register an interest.

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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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