Merton LMC newsletter – January 2026

Dear colleague,

I hope that you have managed to survive the Christmas and New Year “break”.

We all know how busy General Practice is throughout the year, but somehow the onset of Winter seems to just make things even more challenging. And yet….and indeed yet, the profession meets the challenge year on year, even when we receive proportionally less and less “Winter Funding” support than NHS colleagues across the system.

2026 will be an interesting year, if you consider “interesting” to be synonymous with “challenging”. There are massive changes that are and will continue to be affecting the way we work and the environment within which we work. ICB upheaval, financial deficits, NHSE dissolution, Neighbourhood working, Primary Care Alliances, Provider Alliances, GP contract negotiations ….the list seems endless.

The one constant amidst of all these remains the LMC.

Your LMC.

I have had the pleasure of greeting new colleagues on to the Committee (see details of the new committee membership later in this newsletter), at the same time bidding farewell to those who have left. However, I remain supremely confident that the colleagues you have elected to the Committee will continue as they always have to support and represent colleagues across Merton.

We continue to engage with a multitude of third parties, whether that be those who hold our contracts, or those who provide care for our patients as well as those who provide services for our practices.

Merton LMC is currently in the process of negotiating the suite of Locally Commissioned Services across Merton with the ICB. We are also in the final stages of completing the review of the GP LARC contract, held by the Local Authority.

We continue to contribute to the development of the Primary/Secondary Care Interface consensus document, which will underpin our working relationships with the Acute Trusts.

Merton LMC plays an active role in the discussions taking place within the Merton Provider Alliance as well as the Merton Place Primary Care Collaborative.

We are also acutely aware of the fact that Merton forms only part of South West London, and as such we maintain close ties with our Londonwide LMCs -affiliated colleagues in Wandsworth and Sutton, as well as with our Surrey and Sussex counterparts who support Kingston, Croydon and Richmond.

If this appears to be complex and perhaps rather distant to the daily reality of being a GP in Merton, then that is something that we would like to address.

To this end, Merton LMC committee members will be offering to come to your individual practices to listen to your concerns and challenges, and perhaps also to offer you some insights into what we are doing on your behalf. We will in due course be approaching you to arrange a convenient time and date to visit you in your practices. I sincerely hope and believe that you will find this series of meetings useful.

Of course, all of this is taking place in the context of national challenges, for example the GP Contract negotiations that should be taking place between the GPC and the Department of Health. There is no doubt that the outcome of these will have a material impact on us all. I am not going to pretend to know what this outcome will be, but I can promise that whatever it is, the LMC will continue to provide support and effective representation for you.

As a final reflection, I would like to note that the profession we have now is vastly different to the one I entered into over 3 decades ago. Practices have evolved and expanded. The range of services offered has increased and the expectations and demands have ballooned. Patient numbers have increased, and patient profiles have changed, with the population ageing and its health needs multiplying. All in the context of the General Practice proportion of NHS spend being steadily reduced.

Despite all of that, our patients still talk about “their” GP. General Practice remains at the heart of the communities we serve. Partners or salaried doctors, freshly minted or long in the tooth, registrars or locums, we all serve our communities to the best of our ability.

Circumstances and the environment may change, but our mission remains the same:

to provide the best possible care with the resources we have to the patients who have entrusted themselves to us.

Merton LMC is and will continue to be there to support you to deliver that care to your patients.

Dr Marek Jarzembowski
Chair
Merton LMC

What is the LMC and what do we do?

• We are the representative body for General Practice that is recognised in statute and are the professional voice of General Practice at a local level.
• We are the only directly elected body representing all local GPs, regardless of their career position or employment status.
• We consult with NHS bodies, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and local councils and any other potential commissioning bodies, negotiating local contract terms for General Practice.
• The LMC works for and with individual GPs and practices, providing support through our knowledge of contracts, systems and stakeholders at all levels, including borough, ICB, regional and national.
• We inform and engage with workforce development, planning, education and training for all roles within General Practice.
• Merton LMC works closely with neighbouring LMCs in SW London, as well as with LMCs across London, under the umbrella of Londonwide LMCs.

LMC Engagement – What’s the best way to contact you?
Merton LMC is currently looking at how it engages with our colleagues in general practice across Merton, and we would be grateful if you would let us know the most efficient way(s) of reaching you. We are open to any method of communication and would appreciate your feedback regarding the methods we could adopt. These could include (but are not limited to):

• Local Newsletters
• Social media (utilising established channels)
• Local Practice visits
• Attending meetings/events
• Clinical group meetings
• PCN meetings
• PLTs
• PM forums
• Email alerts
• Regular drop in sessions
• All/some of the above

In addition to the above we would be grateful if you could let us know how regularly you wish to be updated, we are aware that practices receive multiple communications throughout your working week, so we do not wish to over burden you, but are keen to keep you as up to date as possible with the work that the LMC is carrying out on your behalf.

If you want to provide feedback regarding the above questions, please contact David.Moore@lmc.org.uk and we will feed this into our comms plan, in order to enhance engagement with our constituents.

What has Merton LMC been working on recently?

UK Conference of LMCs
The UK Conference of LMCs will be held in May, and Dr Marek Jarzembowski will be representing Merton LMC at the conference.

The conference is the primary forum for creating and influencing policy related to issues affecting general practice. These policies form the basis for the work that is delivered by the General Practitioners Committee, England (GPCE).

Policy is formulated at Conference through debate and voting on motions submitted from the Local Medical Committees (LMCs), motions that are relevant to all nations are addressed at the UK Conference of LMCs. Motions that are relevant to all branches of practice or are of wider interest are submitted to the Annual Representative Meeting (ARM) for consideration and have the potential to become policy across the BMA.

Merton LCS review
LMC representatives are on the ICB Task and Finish Group reviewing the Locally Commissioned Services for 26/27.

LARC service
The LMC has been working with public health colleagues in LB Merton to review the LARC commissioned service.

The LMC has been asked to comment on the following pathways and referral forms:

• Heart failure pathway
• South London Rapid Access to Chest Pain Clinic referral form
• ABPM referral pathway to community pharmacists
• ESTH chronic cough pathway

Interface working
The LMC is represented on the SWL Primary Care/Secondary care interface group comprising representatives from primary care and the acute trusts. This group has been involved in the development of a consensus on the primary/secondary care interface working and the LMCs has commented on the draft.

The LMC continues to raise issues outside the interface group and has recently written to St George’s Hospital to express its concern that in recent years, some clinical pathways and service configurations have appeared to limit access for patients registered with practices in the periphery and surrounding areas querying how this fits in with patient choice.

A SWL primary care/mental health interface group will shortly be established and the LMC will be represented on that group.

SWL Clinically led strategy programme
SWL ICB is developing a clinical strategy as a mechanism to deliver the 10 year plan. As part of this work the ICB has set up specific clinical workshops and the ICB has invited LMC representation on the following groups: frailty and end of life care, LTCs and multi -morbidities, mental health, planned specialist care, maternity and neonatal, unplanned care.

The LMC role on these groups will be to ensure that General practice should not be expected to absorb additional work or fill gaps created by changes or reductions in other services or commissioning decisions and any new asks must not erode core GP capacity and practices cannot be expected to do more without additional funding.

LMC representation

Elections to appoint the new committee were held in the summer, following the end of the previous term which concluded at the end of August. The successful candidates are listed below, and have formed your new Merton LMC committee, with their term running until 31 August 2028. If you need to speak to any of the LMC committee members about any issue impacting general practice, please contact them using the details below, or alternatively via: David.Moore@lmc.org.uk.

Merton LMC Membership and Contact info

Londonwide’s LMC Team supporting Merton LMC:

• • Dr Asiya Yunus, Medical Director, Asiya.yunus@lmc.org.uk
  • Kate Hudson, Director of Primary Care, Kate.Hudson@lmc.org.uk
  • Nicola Rice, Assistant Director of Primary Care, Nicola.rice@lmc.org.uk
  • David Moore, Committee Liaison Executive, David.moore@lmc.org.uk
  • Kat Lederle, Committee Administrator, katharina.lederle@lmc.org.uk

GP support team

The General Practice Support team comprises 6F/T non-medics (Vicky Ferlia, Jan Swannell, Jacqui Perfect, Yvonne Frank, Vanessa Douglas) and 4 P/T Medical Directors (Dr Elliott Singer, Dr Kirsa Morganti, Dr Sara Riley, Dr Lowri Kew).

The team operates at different levels providing – Confidential, tailor made, expert advice and assistance to individual doctors, practices and PCNs in difficulty. Contractual support to our primary care teams. Feedback/responses to papers & briefings to LMC reps. Policy influence at London level e.g. NHSE/ICBs, CQC. Attendance at Performance Advisory Group (PAGs) and Performers Lists Decision Panels (PLDPs). General Practice support includes:

Individual doctors

• Performance, conduct, health
• NHSE investigations, records reviews
• Advice on GMC referrals, Performers List action
• Liaison with MDOs where necessary
• Appraisal & revalidation
• Educational & clinical supervision, peer support, mentoring, coaching etc through our GP Prof. Support Network.
• Pastoral and emotional support
• Generic employment relations advice (sessional Drs)

Individual practices

• Contract, performance, QOF.Remedial/breach notices & contract termination
• Practice closures, list dispersal, procurement
• Partner retirements, succession planning
• Practice mergers, super-partnerships
• Practice finances, capacity, sustainability
• Practice premises – leasehold and freehold
• Facilitation of partnership disputes
• CQC – RI & Inadequate ratings, action plans, enforcement action

PCN Support

• Facilitation of PCN disputes
• Practices leaving/moving PCNs, practice expulsions & allocations, PCN splits, reconfiguration and creation of new PCNs
• Advice on Network Agreements, governance, financial processes and accountability, practice engagement, ARRS roles, voting/decision making
• Premises for ARRS staff
• Personal & confidential support and advice to CDs and PCN management teams
• Advice on structures and incorporation, collaboration, maximising skill mix, impact on IIF targets
• Support in managing different personality styles, aiming for shared vision and ethos

Workforce-Training and Innovation (WTI) – and the Buying Group

Our refreshed Buying Group offer was relaunched in October, and we encourage you and your practice teams to explore the wide range of high-quality products, services, opportunities and offers now available to London general practice—at competitive prices and with excellent deals.

There is no sign-up required. Simply let the supplier know that you are a practice within the Londonwide LMCs area when placing an order.

Visit the Londonwide LMCs Buying Group to start benefiting from opportunities to:

• Save – access exclusive discounts, offers and deals
• Earn – benefit from rebates and funded projects, including research opportunities
• Sustain – support staff wellbeing and environmental sustainability

We also invite you to explore our training offer in the events brochure.

If you have any questions or ideas, please get in touch at WTI@lmc.org.uk — we would be delighted to hear from you.