This report is a flexible summary, with the aim of sharing and highlighting a wide range of data and policy information relating to London general practice published in a given week. Where we view information to be of significant interest it is reproduced directly below the links to make the key points quicker to digest.
Please feel free to share any useful stats/links you think we could include in future reports.
Official bodies
NHS Digital
- All recent data releases can be seen here.
- Guidance:Community Dental Service guidance to complete the amended waiting list data collection from August 2025[5/8].
- Guidance: How to improve care navigation in general practice [6/8].
- Guidance:Guidance to support implementation of the Mental Capacity Act in acute trusts for adults with a learning disability [7/8].
Department of Health and Social Care
- Guidance: DHSC public appointments: 2025 to 2026 [4/8].
- Press release: NHS begins roll-out of world-first gonorrhoea vaccine programme [4/8].
- NHS and local authorities begin roll-out of world-first gonorrhoea vaccination programme across the country.
- Guidance:Survey of adult carers in England 2025 to 2026 [5/8].
- News: New chief executive appointed at UKHSA [7/8].
UK Health Security Agency
- Guidance: Emergency healthcare workers: exposure prone procedures [4/8].
- News:Public advised to stop using certain non-sterile alcohol-free wipes [4/8].
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
- Press release:New review highlights untapped potential of the vaginal microbiome in women’s health [7/8].
- Press release: Patients will receive medicines 3-6 months faster under 10-Year Health Plan, as regulators set out plans [6/8].
- Press release: MHRA designated as WHO-Listed Authority: a milestone for UK life sciences and global health [8/8].
UK National Screening Committee
- Guidance: UK NSC consultations – the UK NSC is currently consulting on adult screening for dementia [7/8].
BMA
- Press release:Resident doctors meet with Wes Streeting to agree window for negotiations [6/8].
- Press release: BMA responds to GMC workplace report: if you don’t value staff, they will continue to leave [7/8].
Policy, think tanks, charities, and representative bodies
The King’s Fund
- Digital triage in GP: enhancing access to care or increasing inequalities? [6/8].
- This blog explores how digital triage in GP practices, using online tools to assess and direct patient care, can improve efficiency but risks deepening health inequalities. While some systems help manage GP workloads and streamline care, they can be difficult to use for patients with low digital literacy, limited internet access, or language barriers.
- The blog compares two practices: one using clinician-led digital triage and another with a first-come, first-served booking system. Both had strengths and drawbacks, highlighting that no single model fits all communities. The author advocates for blended triage systems—combining digital, phone, and in-person options—to ensure more inclusive and equitable access to care.
General Medical Council
- Marginal improvement in doctors’ wellbeing but many feel unable to progress careers, warns GMC [7/8].
- The GMC’s latest survey shows a slight improvement in doctors’ wellbeing, but many still feel unable to progress in their careers. One in three doctors report barriers like heavy workloads, competition, and lack of senior support. Those who feel in control of their career paths are more satisfied and less likely to burn out. The GMC calls for reforms in training, better support for GPs, and action to reduce disparities in workplace experiences. Without these changes, the NHS risks losing valuable talent.
The Health Foundation
- Growing towards health [6/8].
- This blog argues that local growth plans should treat health as a key driver of economic success. It highlights that poor health limits economic participation and deepens inequalities, yet current policies often overlook this. The author proposes five tests to ensure health is central to growth strategies, including tracking progress, involving communities, and investing in housing, jobs, and transport.
- Could the Life Sciences Sector Plan be more transformational for the NHS than the 10-Year Health Plan? [5/8].
- The Life Sciences Sector Plan (LSSP) is seen as more promising than the NHS 10-Year Plan because it focuses on practical implementation, regulatory reform, and linking innovation with economic growth. It aims to overcome long-standing barriers to adopting health innovations by improving infrastructure, procurement, and accountability across the NHS.
Nuffield Trust
- Moving care out of hospital: what can England learn from other countries? [7/8].
- This blog highlights that England can learn from Denmark and Ireland in moving care out of hospitals. Both countries succeeded by investing in community services without cutting hospital budgets, offering clear plans, and reforming staffing. England risks falling behind unless it addresses funding and implementation gaps.
Digital Health
- ChatGPT announces changes to address mental health concerns [7/8].
- OpenAI is updating ChatGPT to better support users’ mental health following concerns that people are using AI chatbots as substitutes for therapy. New tools will help detect signs of emotional distress and guide users to evidence-based resources. Studies from Stanford and King’s College London warned that chatbots can miss serious symptoms or worsen conditions like psychosis. OpenAI acknowledges these risks and is working with over 90 medical experts globally to improve responses during critical moments. ChatGPT will also offer gentle reminders during long sessions and help users reflect rather than give direct advice.
London Trusts
Barts Health NHS Trust
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust