352: NHS Primary Care Bulletin - 14 August 2025

Introduction

This article summarises the NHS England Primary Care Bulletin for 14 August 2025, the weekly email update for teams in general practice, dentistry, community pharmacy, and optometry.

Main themes of the week

Key updates this week include a message of thanks from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to general practice teams, reminders for community pharmacies to register for the childhood flu vaccination service, and an ongoing consultation regarding proposed changes to the NHS dental contract.

General practice

Secretary of State thanks general practice

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, expressed gratitude to all general practices in England for their efforts in enhancing access to and the overall experience of general practice for patients. The letter referenced the positive findings from the 2025 GP Patient Survey, which indicated that over three-quarters of patients reported a good overall experience with their GP practice. This progress is expected to be further built upon through the 10 Year Health Plan.

NHS Cervical Screening Programme – digital results launching September 2025

Starting in September, the NHS Cervical Screening Programme will begin sending results digitally via the NHS App. Patients with negative results will receive notifications through the app, while abnormal results will still be communicated via post. Cervical screening providers are advised to inform patients of this change and encourage them to download the app and enable notifications.

New maternity services finder launched

A new maternity services finder is now available on NHS.UK, allowing women to self-refer directly into maternity services. This tool enables expectant mothers to complete an online form for direct access to local maternity services, facilitating earlier engagement with midwives and NHS pregnancy care.

Improving NHS Health Check invitations

The NHS Health Check online team is seeking input from GP practices to enhance the process of sending and reporting invitations for the NHS Health Check service. Interested parties are invited to participate in a 30-minute conversation by filling out a recruitment survey.

Research to improve NHS App appointment booking

NHS App researchers are looking for practice staff to join 45-minute virtual research sessions aimed at optimising the appointment booking journey within the NHS App. Participants can complete a short survey to express interest in joining these sessions.

Primary care

Clarification on NHS commissioning role for weight loss medication

NHS commissioning for tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) remains restricted to individuals with a BMI of 40 or more, alongside four or more qualifying comorbidities, as per NHS England’s interim national commissioning guidance. Those who accessed treatment privately may continue with NHS support only if they meet eligibility criteria during assessment.

Community pharmacy

Register for the community pharmacy childhood flu vaccination service

To enhance flu vaccination uptake among children, NHS England is introducing a new vaccination service for two and three-year-olds, commencing 1 October 2025. Community pharmacy contractors must register by 31 August to receive vaccine supplies.

Antimicrobial stewardship clinical audit guidance

NHS England has published guidance for contractors participating in the 2025/26 Pharmacy Quality Scheme. The guidance outlines the clinical audit process aimed at promoting responsible antibiotic use and improving clinical practices. The audit must be completed by 31 March 2026.

Report on medicine supply resilience

A new report titled Managing a robust and resilient supply of medicines from the Department of Health and Social Care outlines strategies to enhance transparency and resilience in the UK medicine supply chain, including a consultation on allowing pharmacists more flexibility in supplying alternative formulations.

Dentistry

Consultation on NHS dental contract changes

Healthcare professionals in NHS dentistry are encouraged to submit feedback on proposed changes to the NHS dental contract before the consultation closes on 19 August. The changes aim to improve access to urgent care and enhance preventative services for children, as part of the NHS dental contract quality and payment reforms 2026.

Get involved

NHS launches official WhatsApp Channel

The NHS England social media team has introduced an official NHS WhatsApp Channel. This channel will provide the public with trusted health information, including health alerts and updates on public health campaigns, and can be accessed by searching ‘NHS’ in the WhatsApp ‘Updates’ tab.

Cardiovascular disease detection research

The latest research summary from the NIHR highlights new methods using data and AI to identify cardiovascular risk, which could prevent or delay related health issues. Read the evidence and watch the webinar for further insights.

Upcoming webinars and events

• 20 August; 27 August: Automatic patient registration available in NHS profile manager webinars

• Various dates: National cardiac webinar series

• Various dates: RCN general practice nursing forum webinars

• 4 September, 2 - 3pm: BMJ Best Practice and state-of-the-art care for asthma in adults

• 10 September, 12 - 1pm: Realising the potential of primary care provider collaboratives: Surrey Downs Health and Care

• 10 September, 12.30 – 1.30pm: GIRFT webinar: From first contact to secondary care: optimising pathways for patients with spinal conditions

Catch up

Missed a recent national webinar? View slides and recordings here:

• General Practice webinars

• Primary Care Network webinars

• Recovering Access to Primary Care webinars

Content in this article is drawn from the NHS England Primary Care Bulletin. Patient.info edits and formats the updates to provide a clear, accessible archive for professionals.

Click here for the original source.