Category: Comms News
NEL ICB Board recruitment – Primary Care partner member
NEL primary care practices are invited to nominate a primary care partner member of the ICB Board, by Friday 2 May, 2025.
Academic GP Advanced Fellowships – NEL ICB & QMUL
Recruiting: 20 academic GP Fellows to work 50:50 in academic and clinical practice, for up to 5 years.
PGD extension Hepatitis B
Any registered healthcare professional due to administer vaccinations under this PGD should be aware of this Notice.
New Patient Safety Section added to the primary care portal
Tools, guidance and key links included.
Spring Covid-19 vaccines: information for practice staff
The Spring 2025 Covid-19 booster programme runs from 1 April to 17 June 2025.
NHS Lateral Flow Device Tests Supply Service extension
Community pharmacy NHS Lateral Flow Device (LFD) Tests Supply Service extended for another year, starting 1 April 2025.
Sullivan review: process change for re-assigning gender and sex identity in medical records
Immediate stop to changing NHS numbers and gender markers for children and young people under 18.
National outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul (t5.945) in England
25 confirmed cases.
GP contract changes 2025/26
NHS England has now published further details of the changes to the GP contract for 2025/26.
NEL General Practice Protected Learning Time (PLT) policy
Read the policy and start using the proforma to apply for practice closure.
Series 4, 5 and 6 smartcards are due to expire – action required
Action required if you use a series 4,5 and 6 smartcard.
Mpox: Clade I mpox is no longer classed as a high consequence infectious disease (HCID) UKHSA2025/001PH
Details of actions the NHS, independent healthcare providers and clinicians should now take in response to an mpox case.
Update to EBI policy (spinal injections amendment)
Current NEL policy deviates from current NICE guidance on spinal injections. NEL ICB is issuing an amendment to the policy which all providers should note.
Serious Shortage Protocols for Cefalexin – extension/end
SSPs 079, 080 and 081 currently in place for Estradot® 50mcg, 75mcg and 100mcg patches. SSP079 due to end on 21 March; SSP 080 and 081 to end on 14 March.
NHS England High Alert: Air Pollution in London
High pollution indicated by monitoring in London for Monday 10 March 2025.
Biochemistry testing delays
Delays in biochemical testing for The Royal London Hospital and across North East London GPs expected until evening of 13 March.
Action Required: NHS Screening and GP Registration Process
NHS England has contacted patients who have missed a cancer screening due to registration issues. Practices do not need to do any proactive patient communication, but support with reactive queries and offer timely screening catch up.
UKHSA Health Protection Briefing Note: 2025/010 Case of Lassa Fever with Travel to UK
be alert to the possibility of Lassa fever in unwell patients presenting where there is a history of travel to Nigeria, or to other countries where there is a risk of Lassa fever, or a link to a suspected or confirmed case, within 21 days before onset of illness.
2025/26 GP contract changes agreed
Agreed GP contract changes for 2025/26 amounting to an overall funding uplift of £969m and pause to collective action.
Extension of Estradot SSP
DHSC has extended the Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP079) for Estradot 50mcg patches which will now end on Friday 21 March.
Updated PGD and a Notice of extension of validity
Updated PGD and a Notice of extension of validity: NHSE UKHSA Hep B Renal PGD v5.00 and NHSE UKHSA Notice of extension of validity Men ACWY PGD
Fake invoice supplier fraud
Important: We’ve been made aware of a new fake invoice supplier fraud, specifically using the Sage accounting platform.