Londonwide Local Medical Committees (Londonwide LMCs) is the clinically led independent voice of general practice in the capital. We aim to secure the future of general practice in London through our work with all partners in the health and social care sector and beyond, and by supporting and representing over 7,000 GPs and 1,100 practices in London through the 27 locally elected committees that we serve. We ensure that London’s GPs and their practices have access to the information and support they need to help them provide the best possible service to their patients.
Local Medical Committees (LMCs) are a stable part of the NHS landscape and have been in place, supporting GPs, for over a century. Recognised in statute under the NHS Act as the representative organisation for NHS general practice, LMCs remain the only independent, elected, representative body for local GPs, providing advice, guidance and support on a range of issues that affect general practice. They are made up of practising GPs and practice staff elected by local GPs.
A central Londonwide LMCs’ team provides support on three main levels:
Londonwide
We ensure that London GPs and their practices have access to the information and support they need to help them provide the best possible service to their patients.
Leading the development of Londonwide LMCs as a key strategic delivery partner influencing the capital’s health and social care landscape, we provide stakeholder and advocacy support – raising contractual and strategic issues on behalf of LMCs and GPs across the Capital with local authorities, the Mayor and London Assembly, Parliament, bodies such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and commissioners including NHS England and integrated care boards.
Locally
We frequently negotiate at local and pan-London levels to seek agreements that help practices and primary care management organisations to work together to improve patient care.
Our local medical committees are split into five integrated care system (ICS) areas, encompassing the following:
- North West London covering Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hounslow, Harrow, Hillingdon, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.
- North Central London covering Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington.
- North East London covering City and Hackney, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. Note: Barking and Dagenham and Havering are represented by Barking and Havering LMCs.
- South East London covering Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark.
- South West London covering Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth. Note: Kingston, Richmond and Croydon are represented by Surrey and Sussex LMCs.
Darker shaded parts of each ICS area are represented by Londonwide LMCs, the lighter ones by neighbouring LMCs.
Each committee consists of Chair and Vice Chair roles as well as elected members. GPs who work in an LMC area are eligible to stand for election to the committee covering their place of work. Committees are often supplemented with co-opted members with special interests, GP trainees and colleagues from other professions within the practice team such as practice managers and general practice nurses.
LMCs tend to meet bi-monthly but a significant amount of work is led by members, local GPs and staff from Londonwide LMCs outside meetings. LMC members often meet with integrated care system (ICS) officers, public health leads at local authorities, local councillors, MPs and other key stakeholders.
Individually
We provide support for individual GPs who may be experiencing problems at work through the expert advisors and practising GPs in our GP Support team.
We also provide training for practice staff through our subsidiary Londonwide Enterprise Ltd (LEL). LEL provides services that go beyond our core work, such as supporting practices that require enhanced GP support, help with business planning or advice on saving money on supplies through the Londonwide Buying Group.
Leaflet form
A condensed version of this information on this page is available as an A4 leaflet.