Avon LMCs Newsletter on 26-11-25

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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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With all the recent noise coming from the Department of Health and Social Care about what was and what wasn’t agreed between the GPC England Executive and DHSC regarding the 2025/26 Contract, tomorrow’s full GPC England meeting feels timely. Colleagues are eager to hear not only the unfiltered position but also our direction of travel: progress toward a meaningful, substantive GMS/PMS contract, and any decision around escalating towards an indicative ballot for collective action.

As winter approaches and workloads intensify within the same unyielding capacity constraints, I am struck again by the quiet resilience required to survive in general practice today. Earlier this week I emailed my practice team, encouraging them to shift certain tasks from scarce GP appointments to carefully worded patient texts. Simple examples – communicating a low ferritin, signposting a family to school for a CAMHS referral – but even as I hit “send”, I felt uneasy. The exercise highlighted just how transactional we have been forced to become. In a system operating at full stretch, there is little space left for the hidden agenda, the unspoken worry, the human connection that so often defines good general practice. It is precisely because capacity is limited that we must work even harder to protect space for those who genuinely need it.

And that reflection dovetails with another moment from this week – a reminder of the profound, irreplaceable nature of the GP–patient relationship at the end of life. It is two years now since the death of a young patient of mine, whose story I shared in this Pulse blog. By coincidence, another young patient I have supported over the last four years, since her stage 4 diagnosis, is now in her final weeks of life. Her reluctance to enter hospice because it would mean losing the continuity of her GP is both heartbreaking and humbling. It underlines the privileged place we hold in people’s lives: keepers of their values, witnesses to their goals, guardians of their trust.

And for me, that is why – despite everything thrown at us – this remains the most remarkable job in the world.

“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived—this is to have succeeded.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Shaba Nabi
Chair: Avon LMC

Question: We have a paramedic who we have been utilising for vaccines only. Can we use the paramedic in a nurse role for dressings, health checks, ECG’s, sutures or staple removals?

Answer: Undergraduate programmes for both nurses and paramedics do not necessarily include the specific skills undertaken in general practice. As such, neither profession is inherently more trained nor experienced in this area by virtue of their background since their roles are distinct.

Competence is developed through training, skill acquisition, and capability building. While it’s not to say a paramedic couldn’t undertake these skills, they would need to complete the same level of training, capability assessment, and supervision as any other registered professional. 
When assigning professionals to roles outside their traditional scope, considerations should include delegation, accountability, and alignment with job descriptions and job plans.

The RCN have some guidance on this https://www.rcn.org.uk/Professional-Development/Registered-nurse-substitution. 

You can find this here.

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

Please note that ALMC has now updated its cancellation process. All cancellations must be submitted using the Cancellation Form.

We will no longer be accepting cancellations by email. Please ensure you fill in the form if you need to cancel your place.

Our 72-hour cancellation policy still applies, meaning that if a cancellation is received less than 72 hours before the session start time, the full fee will remain payable.

• Tuesday 25 Nov General practice bulletin
• Thursday 20 Nov General practice bulletin

Please note the IRMER training dates for 2026 found on this page Radiological Imaging for non-medical referrers – Avon LMC
Please contact nmr@nbt.nhs.uk for more information.

The Practice & PCN Management Development Stakeholder Engagement Survey will close on Friday 28th November. This survey is for:  

• Aspiring or new Practice and PCN Managers 
• Experienced?Practice and PCN Managers 
• Practice and PCN Managers considering succession planning in the next few years 

 
To complete the survey please click here. 
 
For more information please contact Louise Carthy, Project Lead, at L.Carthy@nhs.net. 

Do you have a job role in a community setting such as

• Care or Service Navigator
• Social Prescribing Link Worker
• Health and Wellbeing Worker

 
The City of Bristol College is running a 14-month pilot programme for 20 people to undertake a new Community Health and Wellbeing Worker Level 3 apprenticeship. This is a nationally recognised qualification and is FREE for you and your employer. The apprenticeship starts February 2026. Please see the attached flyer and EoI form for more details.
 
For more information, please contact Karen Burbidge – karen.burbidge1@nhs.net

 
BRIG meeting: Thursday the 27th of November at 1pm. 
Please come and join us to discuss anything respiratory related.

Poster attached.

BHP are delivering an NHS Pension webinar on 3 December with NHS pension specialist, Paul Gordon.

Please feel free to share the attached invite with your members or team (if they wish to attend, they need to click on the word “here” at the foot of invite), there is no charge for attendance.

Join BHP Healthcare Partner, Rachelle Kilpin, Healthcare Senior Manager, Claire Heathershaw, and Medical Specialist Financial Planner from Atomos, Paul Gordon, as they discuss NHS pensions.

This webinar will be recorded for those who cannot attend. Please register to receive a link to the recording afterwards.

Date: Wednesday 3rd December
Time: 12.30pm-2pm
Location: Online, Zoom
Register here

Please find the poster here for details.

Thursday 22 January 2026, 1 – 2:00pm, via Zoom

The Huntington’s Disease Association is delighted to welcome Professor Hugh Rickards for this special webinar aimed at GPs.

Please find the poster here for details.

A certificate of attendance will be available.

To book, please head to our website.

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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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