Contents
In this month's newsletter:
- GP contract changes 2025/26: key requirements from 1 October 2025
- GP Appointments and Rising Patient Satisfaction
- Winter Vaccination Update 2025 Webinar – for vaccinators
- New Free Tool to Help Patients Choose Local Pharmacy Care
- Update on YAS Management of Patient Deaths
- Did you know you can refer patients for ABPM fitting in Community Pharmacies?
- RDaSH Publishes Live Wait Times
- Third series of podcast concludes with a dive into dental care delivery
- SY Innovation Hub launches bitesize webinar series
- Yorkshire & Humber Maternal Medicine Network Study Day – 21 November
- Sheffield Parkinson’s Support Group – Updated Resources for Patients
- Call for Respondents - Help Shape the Future of Lung Technology – Looking for patients/carers and health care professionals
- Clinical Alert: Botulism Linked to Aesthetic Procedures
- UKHSA Declares National Incident Response for Measles
- New HSIB Report: Medication Not Given
News
GP contract changes 2025/26: key requirements from 1 October 2025
Following the letter of 28 February 2025 about agreed changes to the GP Contract in 2025/26, NHS England has sent a reminder to GP practices of three key requirements taking effect from 1 October 2025. These are:
- online consultation tools must be switched on for the duration of core hours
- You and Your General Practice must be on practice websites
- GP Connect Access Record (HTML and Structured) and Update Record must be enabled within GP Practice clinical systems.
NHS England has published guidance for GP practices to support the implementation of You and Your General Practice.
GP Appointments and Rising Patient Satisfaction
GP teams in England delivered a record 383 million appointments in the past year, seven million more than last year, with patient satisfaction steadily improving. In June alone, 31.4 million appointments were made, nearly one-third higher than pre-pandemic levels. NHS England highlighted progress but stressed the need for continued workforce and access improvements.
GP teams in England delivered seven million more appointments in the past year amidst rising levels of patient satisfaction, NHS data has shown.
‘Hardworking’ GP practices carried out 383.3m appointments in the last 12 months, compared to 375.7m in the previous year, figures show.
In June alone, GP teams delivered a record 31.4 million appointments a 31.9% increase on the same period before the pandemic.
Overall 44.2% of appointments took place on the same day they were booked and 44.7% were carried out by a GP and 19% by practice nurses, the figures show.
Releasing the latest data, NHS England pointed to an Office for National Statistics (ONS) report on patient experience of healthcare services published last month, showing 72.4% of people found contacting their GP practice easy – up from 60% in September 2024.
In addition, 72.9% of people rated their overall GP experience as good, compared with 67.4% last year, the ONS found.
As reported by Pulse, patient satisfaction measured in the NHS GP Patient Survey has been rising steadily following a six-year low in reported in 2023.
Those figures show that 53% found it easy to contact their practice by phone – up from 50% – and 49% found the NHS app easy to use, a figure that has doubled since the year before.
Amanda Doyle, NHS England national director for primary care and community services, said general practice teams had been ‘working exceptionally hard to boost access’ and turn our services around, with the data showing important progress.
‘While services improve and patient satisfaction has started to rise, we know more needs to be done to improve access, which is why we remain committed to working with the government on delivering the 10-year plan to boost access and improve primary care services for patients.’
RCGP chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne said the figures showed just how hard GPs and their teams were working to make sure patients get safe and timely care.
‘But we can’t keep doing more with less. Whilst we’ve delivered a record number of appointments over the last year, general practice is stretched to breaking point following decades of poor workforce planning and underfunding.
‘Our patient lists have grown significantly, and with an ageing population with more chronic illness’, we’re delivering millions more appointments and the care we’re providing has become more complex, but over the last few years GP numbers barely increased.
‘These figures show just how much pressure the current workforce is under and are exactly why the recruitment and retention of GPs – and tackling the paradoxical situation whereby GPs are struggling to find appropriate work upon qualification – must be an urgent priority for the Government.’
Winter Vaccination Update 2025 Webinar – for vaccinators
This webinar is delivered by the South Yorkshire Primary Care Workforce & Training Hub and is open to General Practice staff working in South Yorkshire.
You need to register individually for the event and complete an evaluation form in order to be sent a certificate of attendance for your records. Book via the links below.
The webinar is for vaccinators and will cover the flu vaccination update, as well as relevant updates about other winter vaccinations.
There are 4 dates available (please click the dates to book a place):
New Free Tool to Help Patients Choose Local Pharmacy Care
Community Pharmacy South Yorkshire would like to offer you the use of a free tool for your practice website to give patients more choice in how they receive care.
In addition to your current process for digitally referring patients for all minor illnesses, you can now use this tool to signpost patients who prefer a face-to-face appointment at their local pharmacy, where they may receive immediate treatment, if appropriate.
Visit: mylocalpharmacy.org
The site provides:
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Clear information for patients on the seven most common conditions treated in community pharmacies, plus contraception services and blood pressure checks.
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Direct links to the NHS Service Directory, enabling patients to easily choose their local pharmacy.
You can display the attached banner and link to the site on your practice webpage - completely free of charge. We have included an example of how the banner looks on our own website here
By adopting this, you’ll give your patients full choice when selecting a pharmacy and help them access timely care.
If you have any questions, please contact info@cpsy.org.uk.
Update on YAS Management of Patient Deaths
Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) has shared an update on how patient deaths are managed following 999/111 calls. NHS Pathways triages cases, with ambulance attendance only where resuscitation may be appropriate. Processes for Verification of Death (VoD), electronic patient records, and communication with GPs are outlined, alongside challenges with data transmission. Associate Medical Director and GP, Dr Martin Sutcliffe has issued the following letter to GP practices. Read the letter here.
Did you know you can refer patients for ABPM fitting in Community Pharmacies?
Through the NHS Community Pharmacy Hypertension Case-finding Advanced Service, GP practices can refer adults of any age, with or without a prior diagnosis of hypertension, for clinic and/or ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, in line with locally agreed processes.
For more information about the service and referring patients to pharmacies for ABPM checks, please see GP Implementation Guide or contact Claire Thomas, Strategic Pharmacist for Community Pharmacy SY ICB. Email: Claire.thomas47@nhs.net
NB: Pharmacy contractors are advised to have a written agreement with practices on how patients will be referred for post-payment verification purposes.
RDaSH Publishes Live Wait Times
RDaSH now publishes up-to-date wait times by service on its website, showing how long a new referral would wait to be seen. This aims to support GP teams, improve patient experience, and reduce practice queries. Data will be updated monthly. View current wait times here.
Third series of podcast concludes with a dive into dental care delivery
The third series of the Transforming Primary Care podcast, which explores the improvements that make it easier for patients to access the help they need while also reducing workload for primary care teams, concluded last week with an exploration of the work underway in our region to increase access to dental services.
This 4-part series supported our current focus on the 10 Year Plan and the three shifts.
SY Innovation Hub launches bitesize webinar series
The South Yorkshire Innovation Hub, in partnership with South Yorkshire ICB, has launched a new bitesize webinar series, highlighting research and innovation best practice across the region. These events are aimed at those in academia, healthcare, VCSE and/or local authority and open to all regions/nationally.
These free online events will run weekly from September 2025 – January 2026, with each month focusing on key priorities and the Bold Ambitions outlined in the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Strategy and aligning with the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan. Each session will run for 45 minutes and will feature guest presentations and a live Q&A.
Our 5 themes are:
- Cancer (Sept)
- Children and Young People (Oct)
- Prevention (Nov)
- Workforce (Dec)
- Economy (Jan)
Join professionals and innovators in the healthcare sector to gain insight into their developments and successes in South Yorkshire. We will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn about research and innovation delivery, hear case studies and take away tips you can use in your local workplace or system.
Book your place here: https://www.syinnovationhub.net/events/
Yorkshire & Humber Maternal Medicine Network Study Day – 21 November
The Yorkshire and Humber Maternal Medicine Network (MMN) is hosting a free, face-to-face study day on Thursday, 21 November at The Bridge Conference Centre, Leeds.
The event is open to all members of the multidisciplinary team involved in caring for women with complex medical conditions.
Book your place here: Maternal Medicine Network Study Day – Eventbrite
Please share this link with any colleagues who may be interested.
Sheffield Parkinson’s Support Group – Updated Resources for Patients
The Sheffield branch of Parkinson’s UK has published an updated leaflet outlining the wide range of classes and activities available for local people affected by Parkinson’s.
GPs and primary care teams are encouraged to share this resource with patients where appropriate, and to make leaflets available in practice for those who may benefit. View the updated leaflet here. Printed copies can be ordered via nicky.rowen@yahoo.co.uk.
Call for Respondents - Help Shape the Future of Lung Technology – Looking for patients/carers and health care professionals
The HERON project aims to identify the most pressing unmet needs in respiratory health and explore how new or improved technology could better support patients, carers, at-risk groups, and health professionals.
Our team has launched a survey to find out more about respiratory health needs and ideas related to technology for chronic lung conditions. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete, doesn’t require any tech skills, and can be anonymous.
We are interested in hearing from people who:
- Are living with a chronic lung condition
- Believe they might be living with a chronic lung condition based on symptoms or tests
- Think they may be at high risk for developing a chronic lung condition (e.g. due to smoking, family history, exposure at work or poor housing)
- Are caring for someone who is living with a chronic lung condition
- Are a healthcare professional caring for adults and children living with chronic lung disease. The survey is open to professionals working across all care settings, all disciplines, and all stages of patient journey.
If you are a health professional interested in completing the survey, please follow this link: HERON: Survey for health and care professionals — NIHR HealthTech Research Centre – Community Healthcare
Patients, carers, and individuals at risk can complete the survey here: HERON: Survey for patients and the public — NIHR HealthTech Research Centre – Community Healthcare
Attached is a poster which we would be grateful if you could display in any settings which would be visible to patients/carers and health care professionals. This can include NHS settings e.g. GP practice or clinic noticeboard, community pharmacies (see details below regarding ethics).
Updates
Clinical Alert: Botulism Linked to Aesthetic Procedures
A case of iatrogenic botulism has recently been identified in Doncaster following a botulinum toxin injection for aesthetic purposes. The UK Health Security Agency (Yorkshire and Humber) has shared a briefing note regarding cases nationally.
Clinicians in primary care are advised on recognising potential cases of botulism linked to aesthetic procedures and the actions required to minimise harm.
Read the full letter here.
UKHSA Declares National Incident Response for Measles
On 10 July 2025, UKHSA declared a national standard incident response to manage the rising number of measles cases across England. This coordinated approach aims to limit further spread and ensure multi-agency collaboration.
Between 1 January and 30 June 2025, there were 529 confirmed cases, compared with 2,911 cases in 2024. Most cases (68%) occurred in children under 10, with confirmed cases reported across all UK regions. London and the North West currently have the highest activity, with outbreaks noted in under-vaccinated communities.
International measles activity remains high, increasing the risk of further importation and a potential surge in autumn. Read the briefing here.
New HSIB Report: Medication Not Given
HSIB has published its final investigation report on risks when patients are discharged from acute hospitals without prescribed medication. The report explores system factors, including ePMA and EPR use, and offers local learning prompts for NHS Trusts and ICBs. Read the full report here.
