Representation
The new committee is functioning well (more details regarding the new committee membership further down this newsletter), and we are represented on the prescribing committee by Dr Zahid Ghufoor and on the wider SWL IMOC committee by Dr Paul Alford, Merton LMC vice chair.
I represent Wandsworth on the Local Pharmacy Committee (LPC), where we are excellently kept up to date by the pharmacy members from Wandsworth, and Raj Matharu, CEO Community Pharmacy Southeast London.
With regards to the Primary Secondary care interface (St. Georges), Nasr Khan attends on behalf of the LMC and Shona Biggart, attends with her ICB clinical lead hat on.
Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC), Jeremy and Shona are working to raise the flag for GP in the very complex multi partner system that is UEC – More news to follow.
Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) – We attend the SWL INT steering group and are keeping abreast of the fast-moving INT development. In addition, several of our committee members are on the steering groups of local INTs.
I recently met with Nicola Jones – she has moved from her role as Place medical director in Wandsworth to the wider role of interim chief medical officer for SWL London and will lead us into the new Strategic Commissioning arrangements.
We are lucky to have her waving the flag for primary care and we look forward to inputting into the new clinical services that are coming out of the wide ranging clinically led strategy groups – first up – likely to be – outpatient transformation.
What is the LMC and what do we do? We:
- Are the representative body for General Practice that is recognised in statute.
- Consult with NHS bodies, integrated care boards (ICBs) and local councils, negotiating local contract terms for general practice
- Work for and support individual GPs and practices and are the professional voice of general practice at a local level.
- Support GPs via knowledge of contracts, systems, stakeholders at all levels, including borough, ICB, regional and national.
- Inform and engage with workforce development, planning, education and training for all roles within general practice.
Is community transformation possible?
England’s 10 year health plan: aligning hope with economic reality
The BMJ recently analysed the government’s proposed 10‑year health plan, highlighting a significant gap between its ambitions and the economic reality facing the NHS. The plan sets out a hopeful vision of shifting more care into the community, expanding prevention, and improving productivity through digital transformation. However, the BMJ authors argue that these aspirations rest on assumptions that are unlikely to hold without substantial and sustained investment.
A central concern is the expectation of rapid productivity gains. Evidence shows that community‑based care, prevention programmes, and digital tools can improve outcomes, but they rarely deliver the large, immediate savings policymakers anticipate. The plan also depends on moving resources out of hospitals and into primary and community care — something the NHS has historically struggled to achieve, especially when acute demand continues to rise.
The article warns that the plan risks repeating a familiar pattern: ambitious long‑term goals undermined by short‑term political and financial pressures. Without realistic funding, workforce expansion, and protected investment in community services, the strategy may fall short of its aims.
Denmark is an oft quoted example of the success of community-based medicine, but it took 10 years and required transitional funding of £4.5 billion to achieve – it’s well-recognised that to be successful you have to dual fund both the old and the new pending the changeover.
There is much talk of NHS transformation and left shift. We are all under huge pressure coping with the new digital triage arrangements that many, and especially the BMA think is unrealistic and unmanageable long term. Watch this space.
Constituent engagement
We have recently circulated our constituent engagement questionnaire. If you have not yet been able to complete it, we would appreciate your input, so we can receive your views on what the LMC should be doing to support you in your current role and future career as a GP – see here to complete the survey.
We have also started to visit practices to give a short presentation and take questions about the work of the LMC – so we hope to meet you soon.
The LMC Londonwide Charter.
Londonwide is reviewing the relationship between the Borough based LMC committees and the central Londonwide function. Savita, Wandsworth LMC vice chair, will be attending these meetings over the next 6 months, and we will be canvassing members views about how they would like to see the LMC develop over the next 5 or so years.
Looking for inspiration – new ideas and new ways of doing things can broaden our horizons
I was pleased to see the following in the Guardian today: Book review: Braver New World by John Kampfner: He describes system wide improvements to society’s issues with aging and health care solutions. “Japan and Taiwan have enviable care systems because they had the courage to plan – some solutions are radical; most are hiding in plain sight” See: For three years I scoured the world for answers to Europe’s big problems – here’s what I found.
Dr Jeremy Gray
Chair
Wandsworth LMC
Wandsworth LMC contact details
Surviving the 2026-27 GP contract – webinar recording
A recording of the first run of Londonwide LMCs’ webinar is now available on the 2026-27 GP contract guidance page for those people who were unable to attend either session.
You can find out about the effect on London of the contract changes, with our unique patient population and commissioning arrangements, based on the documentation available at the end of April.
Events
UK LMC Conference
The UK conference of LMCs took place in Belfast, 13-15 May. Dr Savita Ghattaora (LMC vice chair) represented Wandsworth, where a number of key topics and associated motions were debated and a summary of her feedback can be seen here.
Next LMC conference
The next national conference will be the England LMC Conference, which will be held in November in London.
If there are any key issues that you think would benefit from a motion being submitted for this conference from Wandsworth, please contact david.moore@lmc.org.uk.
LMC working on your behalf
Smoking cessation
The LMC is working with public health colleagues in LB Wandsworth to review the smoking cessation locally commissioned service.
A Task and Finish Group has been set up by the ICB to review the enhanced services for 26/27 and the LMC has representation on the group.
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.
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.
Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) – Update on LMC involvement
The LMC represents all GPs salaried and partners as well as locums and retainers. As such we have a seat at the table in the new organisation structures that are developing in Wandsworth. You may already know that there are 4 proposed INT areas across Wandsworth and each has 2 or more PCNs covered. There is also an overarching steering group. The LMC aims to have representatives on all these groups so that we can advocate for the role of GPs going forward.
Your LMC
Elections to appoint the new committee were held last 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 Wandsworth 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
Wandsworth LMC members:
- Dr Soleman Begg (Co vice Chair), St Johns Hill Surgery – Begg Practice.
- Dr Shona Biggart, Grafton Medical Partners @ Trevelyan House Surgery, Lambton Road Medical Practice.
- Dr Savita Ghattaora (co vice chair), Grafton Medical Partners @ Trevelyan House Surgery.
- Dr Zahid Ghufoor, Streatham Park Surgery (Franciscan Road), Streatham Park Surgery (Mitcham Lane).
- Dr Jeremy Gray (Chair), The Falcon Road Medical Centre.
- Dr Farahnaz Jamil, Brocklebank Group Practice.
- Dr Krishan Joseph, The Roehampton Surgery.
- Dr Nasr Khan, Junction Health Centre (Practice Plus).
- Dr Penelope Smith, Grafton Medical Partners @ Trevelyan House Surgery, Lambton Road Medical Practice.
- Dr Harriet Wheldon, Battersea Rise Group Practice.
- Dr Harriet Wingate, Bridge Lane Group Practice.
- Dr Stephen Woolford, Thurleigh Road Practice.
- Ms Natasha Frederick, The Falcon Road Medical Centre.
- Mr Samuel Metcalf, Elborough Street Surgery.
Londonwide’s LMC Team supporting Wandsworth LMC:
- Dr Asiya Yunus, LMC Secretary/Medical Director.
- Kate Hudson, Director of Primary Care.
- David Moore, Committee Liaison Executive.
- Kat Lederle, Committee Administrator.
Other services that Londonwide LMCs provides on behalf of general practice across Wandsworth
GP Support team
The General Practice Support team comprises non-medics (Vicky Ferlia, Jan Swannell, Jacqui Perfect, Yvonne Frank, Vanessa Douglas) and 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. They offer 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:
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PCN Support
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For help or support please contact the GP Support team at gpsupport@lmc.org.uk .
Workforce-Training and Innovation (WTI)
Update from the Workforce, Training and Innovation (WTI) Team
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.
Ann Ayamah (Head of Workforce-Training and Innovation) on behalf of the team.
Tell us about your practice’s purchasing needs and win a £20 gift voucher
Our new survey on what you buy, and why you buy it, will help us improve our offer of goods, services and training. Five respondents will also win a £20 gift voucher. The survey covers several areas, you only need to fill out the ones relevant to you – we know how busy everyone working in general practice is!
- Hillcroft Surgery Supplies – Get next day delivery and industry leading stock availability, thanks to their investment in substantial warehouse facilities.
- Practice Index – Pick and choose what you need out of their learning platform, or software to manage HR, finance, compliance and rotas.
- Hippo Labs – Have your call-and-recall work smarter, reach more patients and improve QOF attainment. Hippo Labs automatically customises many types of message.
- Equity Energies – Reduce energy costs, save time, become greener and remove the administrative burden of managing utilities by having experts do it all for you.
- Surgery Connect – Automates more tasks within your phone system, integrates with clinical records and seamlessly bridges in and out-of-hours.
- MIAB – You existing policies may have more gaps than you think, particularly in developing areas like cyber and ARRS employment. Rely on MIAB’s specialist expertise to ensure you are fully covered.
- Restore Information Management – Whether it you need a room full of records doing or a steady flow of new registrations, Restore take the hassle out of digitising patient records.
- Tickets for Good – Reward yourself and your colleagues with free and discounted tickets to concerts, theatre shows, sports and more!