Dear colleague,
Introduction by the LMC Chair and Vice Chair
We are pleased to present the first newsletter of the new 2025-28 Bexley Local Medical Committee.
Bexley LMC is committed to upholding LMC values and supporting General Practice particularly at this time when we face unprecedented challenges financially and contractually with new neighbourhood working. We need to join forces and actively embrace these changes so that we may consolidate the future of general practice for patients and for us. We need to lead and shape the neighbourhood conversation to ensure that its primary driver is general practice.
Bexley LMC Membership and Contact info
Bexley LMC committee members
Following the LMC elections held over the summer, the newly elected members commenced their roles on 1 September, marking the start of the 2025–28 term.
- Dr Sushanta Bhadra, Principal, Riverside Surgery, Chair of LMC
- Dr Rik Fijten, Principal, The Albion Surgery
- Dr Mugunthan Guruswamy, Sessional, Bexley Medical Group
- Dr Ethan Harris-Faulker, Principal, Crayford Town Surgery
- Dr Jhumur Moir, Principal, Westwood Lane Surgery, Vice Chair of LMC
- Dr Mehal Patel, Principal, Bursted Wood Surgery
- Dr Mohammed Asad Rahman, Principal, Barnard Medical Group
- Dr Hardip Samra, Salaried, Bexley Medical Group
- Dr Huw Williams, Principal, Lakeside Medical Practice
- Ms Lisa Vernon, Practice Manager, Bursted Wood Surgery
We welcome your thoughts in how Bexley LMC can help you. Please feel free to approach any one of the LMC members or if you have any queries or questions, please contact the LMC via Committee Liaison Executive, Aisha.riaz@lmc.org.uk.
If you have any queries or questions for the LMC, please do reach out to an LMC member or Aisha via Aisha.riaz@lmc.org.uk.
GP Support Team
Bexley practices can access confidential support and advice about practice specific issues via Londonwide LMCs GP Support Team GPSupport@lmc.org.uk. For further information upon what the GP Support Team can help you with, please see this link.
What has Bexley LMC been working on recently?
GSTT Cardiology Referral Wait times
LMC has raised the significant wait times for cardiology referrals at GSTT. GSTT has implemented actions to reduce the wait times which has seen improvements in some of the cardiology speciality waits. There is now additional capacity within GSTT cardiology specifically for Bexley. Bexley LMC together with Londonwide have some planned meetings with Dr Stephano Svab, Cardiology Lead at GSTT, to continually improve secondary care cardiology service availability.
We have asked for the ICB to provide information on what GPs can advise patients in the meantime during the long waiting periods. Please feedback on any issues related to this.
Varenicline prescribing update
The LMC raised the commissioning gap in the Public Health stop-smoking service which saw prescribing and additional responsibilities being passed onto GPs. The LMC had asked Public Health colleagues to review the current pathway, explaining GP workload, safety concerns and the absence of a commissioned prescribing service as key considerations. We are pleased to confirm that Bexley Health Neighbourhood Care (BHNC) will assume responsibility for prescribing Varenicline and Cytisine from January 2026. BHNC will develop a local prescribing model in collaboration with PCNs and practices. Practices that wish to remain involved may liaise directly with BHNC.
Primary/secondary care interface
LMC meets regularly with Kent LMC Reps and Darent Valley Hospital (DVH) colleagues. The team at DVH is led by Professor Seshadri and he would like to hear about any interface concerns from GPs.
If Bexley GPs are experiencing any interface issues with DVH, please email dgn-tr.gpinterface@nhs.net and copy in sushanta.bhadra@nhs.net. We will develop and share a list of examples of issues that you can raise via this interface email.
We have successfully pushed back on unnecessary referrals by the orthopaedic department for blood test requests and follow ups. We suggest that a standard template letter from Londonwide LMCs or BMA is used citing interface sign up and emailed to the concerned department. See the Londonwide LMC template letter here and the BMA Safe Working letter templates linked here.
As part of the ongoing work with LGT, there is a Trust-specific letter signed by the LGT Medical Director that may also be completed and returned to the appropriate department/clinician for inappropriate workload transfer. The letter can be accessed via DXS by typing in ‘inappropriate’.
Gynaecology pathways
Bexley LMC has been engaged in helpful formal discussions with LGT gynaecology department to support and facilitate the development of GP referrals and effective pathways. It was a collaborative exercise, our feedback and suggestions have been incorporated.
Integrated neighbourhood working
This remains major ongoing work. The LMC has raised concerns with the ICB regarding the expectation of the time commitment and funding for PCN Clinical Directors for integrator work, including attending integrated neighbourhood working meetings. Bexley LMC attends the Community Care Board meetings which are aimed at establishing neighbourhood work and we are committed to General Practice having a strong voice in these discussions and neighbourhood working going forward.
GP Premium
Bexley LMC continues to be involved in negotiations with the ICB to determine the new Premium matrixes, due to go live in April 2026. We will update practices in the next LMC newsletter.
Updates from the Bexley LMC November meeting
- The LMC received updates on the UTC. BHNC and LGT have gone into partnership and were awarded the tender for the UTCs in Erith Hospital and Queen Mary, Sidcup, going live on 1 October 2025. The next step will be to embed social prescribing into the two UTCs.
- The LMC continues to work on the 26/27 GP Premium, with several LMC members formally representing Bexley GPs on the Premium Task & Finish Group.
- We raised the issue of schools requesting parents to obtain medical notes for toilet passes from GPs. We have asked the ICB to send comms to schools reminding schools to not request toilet passes from GPs, unless medically required.
- The LMC discussed ongoing issues with midwife requests to GPs to prescribe for pre- and post-natal midwifery community-based patients. This has been discussed with all other SEL LMCs and there was agreement that this practice was no longer safe and a safer and more effective pathway was required from the SEL midwifery services. Work is being undertaken by SEL ICB to review the pathway, and a timeline has been requested for this work. Depending on the outcome, practices may be contacted by the LMC to jointly sign a letter (if they wish) outlining a plan to withdraw this GP prescribing service, giving three months’ notice.
Londonwide LMCs SEL updates
We are aware of communications from Synnovis on 6 October regarding Synnovis transitioning to a new-generation assay effective from 7 October 2025, which may produce a positive bias (increase) of 0 – 5 mmol/mol, with a mean difference of approximately 2 mmol/mol compared to previous results.
Londonwide raised concerns with Synnovis regarding this and has now received a response. Comms have been sent out following Synnovis consultation with GSTT and CESEL colleagues. Synnovis have reported their planned intent to seek input from primary care and Trust colleagues for future comms.
Refreshed Londonwide LMCs Buying Group
Our substantially updated Buying Group offer is now live, bringing high quality products, service, opportunities and offers to London general practice at the best prices and with the best possible deals.
The offer now includes a supplier for each of these areas: consumables, insurance, training and practice support and wellbeing (including free and discounted tickets to music, theatre and sports events). In addition, we have four suppliers for digital and tech services covering: cloud telephony, records digitisation, call-and-recall automation and patient registration automation.
Londonwide LMCs Training
Londonwide’s Workforce-Training and Innovation (WTI) directorate provides key training courses for GPs and their practice team. The New Year will see the continuation of their Aspiring to partnership programme and Group coaching circles. They have also partnered with SEL Workforce Development Hub to provide Oliver McGowan training, which is NHS England’s preferred training to meet the requirement that GPs have been trained in understanding the needs of people with learning disabilities and autism.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Sushanta Bhadra, Chair, Bexley LMC
Dr Jhumur Moir, Vice Chair, Bexley LMC