Dear colleague,
Please see our latest round-up of how your LMC team is working for you across North Central London.
Londonwide LMCs guidance in focus
Use and Adoption of AI ambient scribes in general practice
This guidance covers the benefits and risks practices need to consider before using AI to assist with note taking which you can access here.
GP Contract – October Changes
Londonwide LMC latest guidance on the October GP contract changes can be found here.
Local issues
Winter pressures funding
NCL ICB have merged winter pressures and vaccination funding for 2025/26. Whilst we recognise the constraints the ICB is operating within, we have made it clear that this is a significant amount of work for less funding. Practices are consistently asked to do more and continue to outperform in support of the wider system, the true value of General Practice in NCL is perhaps not fully recognised by all. Feedback your concerns/ comments to us at joni.wilson-kaye@lmc.org.uk and we will share these with the ICB.
Interface prescribing
Discussions have been taking place with the ICB regarding the issues related to interface prescribing and the impact it has on the GP workload. Key topics of discussion included:
- Shared care agreements
- Lack of electronic prescribing in secondary and tertiary care
- Difficulty in contacting specific specialisms to discuss prescribing queries
- Lack of awareness in secondary care about the NCL Formulary
Further discussions will be taking place between the LMCs and the medicines management team over the coming months.
Transfer of care from private to NHS services
We have been receiving reports across the NCL area that practices have been expected to refer patients to NHS Services on behalf of private providers. This is a reminder that private providers can make referrals to NHS services, without referral back to the GP, provided the patient would be eligible for NHS referral. The BMA have further guidance on this matter.
NCL Mental Health Interface Update
We continue to meet with North London Mental Health Trust monthly. Conversations focused on:
- ADHD services (shared care agreements, lack of access to specialists via email/ phone, inappropriate discharge of patients back into general practice)
- Practices experiencing unanswered GP advice and crisis lines
- Roll-out of the single point of access for community mental health services
- Merger of the Tavistock and Portman into the NCL Mental Health Trust
North Central London LMCs Strategic Leadership Network (SLN)
The other topics of focus at the LMC Chairs and Vice-Chairs SLN included:
- Links with providers and other stakeholders across NCL
- Updates on Cancer services
- PCN Pilot Improvement Plans – which will be having a more detailed discussion with the ICB about in November
Update on the plans to merge NCL and NWL ICBs
Following Board approval, NCL and NWL ICBs will merge in April 2026. A joint programme team is in place, with implementation plans to be reviewed at the 29 October public board meeting. Mike Bell has been appointed as joint Chair, and Frances O’Callaghan as joint CEO – the new name for the merged organisation has been confirmed as West and North London Integrated Care Board. The NCL and NWL LMC Strategic Leadership Network (SLN), covering 13 boroughs, meets quarterly to support the transition.
Claims for Advice and Guidance
The ICB has sent out a reminder that the deadline for advice and guidance is the 12th of each month. Please note that they will be taking part in an NHSE review later in the year to assess whether practices that have not used, or significantly underused their budget if caps need to be adjusted.
Refreshed Londonwide LMCs Buying Group
Our substantially update 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.
The Londonwide LMC NCL sector team
You can find the details of your LMC Chairs across NCL here. If you have any specific concerns arising about this or any other issue, please contact us via joni.wilson-kaye@lmc.org.uk.
Best wishes,
The NCL Londonwide LMCs team:
Jamie Wright, Director Primary Care,
Vicky Weeks, Medical Director,
Joni Wilson-Kaye, Assistant Director Primary Care – joni.wilson-kaye@lmc.org.uk ,
Sarah Ocran, Committee Liaison Executive – sarah.ocran@lmc.org.uk