Primary Care Bulletin - February 2025

Secondly, there have been some changes to the way Coronary Artery Calcification (CAC) should be dealt with. The summary is that mild CAC is no longer actionable. The national team at NHSE have changed the guidance. Mild CAC will still be reported on the CT scan – so patients will be able to view it on the NHS app – but primary care is not expected to action it. Most LCS patients will have a raised QRISK2 score (and, roughly, it’s all men and women over 62) so primary prevention will still be needed, but it is NHSE’s opinion that with no evidence mild CAC makes a difference to coronary outcomes, they feel it does not need to be actioned at this time. From a LCS point of view, we will no longer be informing patients (or GPs) by letter that they have mild CAC. This is about 60% of patients with CAC (approximately 30% of the overall population), so that should reduce your workload. However, it is still recorded on the CT scan, which will be in your notes. This problem has been highlighted to NHSE, but they still made this the final decision. 

Finally, we continue to move around South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, engaging new patients who have moved to the area or have become old enough to be eligible for LCS. Therefore, we will need to request updated patient lists from you every two years for the time being, as this is the only way to get the necessary smoking information. We will continue to pay for the work on the patient lists for the foreseeable future. We also welcome any support in sending text messages to patients. Recent work in Bassetlaw showed that a text message coming directly from the practice lead to a significant increase in uptake. 

Thank you to everyone for your support so far and ongoing in the future. 

Dr Jason Page
Clinical Director LCS SYB
jason.page1@nhs.net 

Comms and engagement information  

As Jason mentioned, the rebranding to Lung Cancer Screening is underway. We have posters/flyers available on our updated website (www.lungcancerscreeningsyb.co.uk) if you’d like to print them off and display them in your practice – we also have them translated into 12 languages, so if any are relevant to your patients, please do use them. There’s also a simple image you can use on your screens or print and display that explains the name change. 

Once all the promotional assets are ready, I’ll be getting in touch to arrange coming in to see you.   

Please also consider someone from your practice whose name and email address you could send across to me (h.young11@nhs.net) to act as a point of contact for LCS information.  

If you would appreciate LCS comms and engagement support via me presenting or chatting at any of your meetings, events, or training sessions either in-person or on Teams, please just let me know and we can arrange something.  

Useful contacts: 

• For patient bookings and general queries, please call Xyla on 0330 2368484 or email xyla.ctlhcadmin@nhs.net  

• For patient scan result queries, please email Xyla on xyla.ctscanshef@nhs.net  

• To contact the Lung Cancer Screening team, please email syicb-doncaster.sybtlhc@nhs.net  

Thank you – and please don’t hesitate to get in touch if there’s anything I can do for you. 

Hannah Young
Lung Cancer Screening Senior Communications and Engagement Officer  

The programme offers benefits to: 

• patients (greater choice of when and where to access appointments for medication reviews and prescribing services),  
• community pharmacy (pharmacists working in community can now have an enhanced role enabling them to fully utilise their clinical knowledge, consultation and prescribing skills) 
• general practices (additional capacity for clinician appointments within the community pharmacy setting can help free appointments at practices increasing access for more patients). 

Weldricks Superintendent Pharmacist Richard Hackett said: ‘’Joel Blakemore held his first Independent Prescribing clinic in January, where he saw patients who needed their high blood pressure managing. These clinics are part of a wider pilot scheme to understand how Community Pharmacists can prescribe medication to patients in an integrated care pathway. Joel’s clinic was one of the first in England to be set up and is a major step forward for Pharmacists. It is a great opportunity for Pharmacists who are also Independent Prescribers to use their skills and reduce the burden on local GP practices. Joel had some great feedback from his first patients and is looking forward to expanding his clinic to more patients in the near future.’’ 

Hamza Ashraf, Independent Prescriber, Dearne Valley Pharmacy reflected on participating in the pathfinder: “Starting this service was daunting as it was a pioneering effort in our area. The responsibility felt immense, but thorough planning and foundational work helped us navigate this new territory. Once we got going, we adapted quickly. Utilising our clinical skills in this new context has been rewarding. The positive patient feedback has been affirming, showing us that our efforts are making a tangible difference. It also provided us with insights to refine our processes for better efficiency and patient satisfaction.’’ 

Patient feedback from several patients at Dearne Valley has included how relaxed they had felt having their appointment at the pharmacy. 

Adil Hussian, owner of Dearne Valley Pharmacy added "The transition to a more clinically focused role from the pharmacy has not only been fulfilling but has also shown immediate benefits for patient comfort and engagement. The relaxed and convenient setting of the pharmacy has made all the difference in how patients perceive and interact with their health management." 

Strategic Pharmacist for Community Pharmacy at SY ICB and lead for the programme Claire Thomas said: “It is fantastic to see our first NHS prescriptions being issued through community pharmacies in SY. This is a huge and much-needed step forward for the sector as well as our patients. What is also great to see at these two sites in particular is the strong collaboration with their local GP practices. A huge thank you to all the pharmacy contractors and stakeholders who have been involved in getting the pathfinder off the ground, developing the clinical models and working through the challenges and national delays. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this progresses at each site, building a strong evidence base for commissioning prescribing services through community pharmacy and the support our pharmacists should have to deliver high-quality patient care”. 

Dr David Crichton, ICB Chief Medical Officer. “The rollout of the pathfinder programme is fantastic news; for residents of South Yorkshire, the pharmacy profession and making the best use of NHS services. The benefits are clear to see with people being able to have greater choice and improving access closer to home.” 

Over the next couple of months The Wicker Pharmacy (Sheffield), Your Pharmacy (Sheffield), Vantage Pharmacy (Sheffield), Kiveton Pharmacy (Sheffield), Seven Hills Pharmacy (Sheffield), and Clarks Chemist (Barnsley) will also go live with the programme.

These sites will be offering one to two services per site, including Hypertension Management, Minor Illness (escalations from the Pharmacy First service), Medicines Substitution and Asthma Management. Dearne Valley will be expanding to provide an additional lipid optimisation service, and Weldricks will offer an oral contraception service.  

It is part of a wider government campaign to encourage veterans who may be silently struggling with their health to seek help and let their GP practice know they've served in the Armed Forces and raise awareness of the support available to them.  

Common health issues related to former military personnel can include musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders, pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, mental health problems, drug and alcohol misuse, hearing issues and difficulty making the transition to civilian life, as well as injuries sustained in action.  

Dr David Crichton, NHS South Yorkshire Chief Medical Officer and a military veteran himself said: “We are delighted that so many of our region’s practices have received veteran-friendly status. This recognition not only reflects their commitment to delivering personalised care but also shows their dedication to those who have served in the Armed Forces.  

“Being part of the Veteran Friendly programme allows practices to provide tailored support, ensuring that veterans within our communities receive the care they deserve.  

"If you are a veteran or know someone who may benefit from our veteran-friendly services, please do not hesitate to reach out if you need any support for your physical or mental health."   

Armed Forces veterans registered at South Yorkshire GP practices are being encouraged to inform their doctors of their former military service if they haven’t already done so. 

Adult patients seen by an NHS dentist in the last 24 months and child patients seen in the last 12 months as a percentage of the population for local authorities in South Yorkshire and England overall.