362 - NHS Primary Care Bulletin - 23 October 2025

Introduction

This article summarises the NHS England Primary Care Bulletin for 23 October 2025, the weekly email update for teams in general practice, dentistry, community pharmacy, and optometry.

Summary of main themes

The focus of this bulletin includes the promotion of the NHS App as a primary communication tool, the encouragement of pharmacy participation in the Pharmacy First campaign, and the upcoming World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week scheduled from 18 to 24 November. The updates highlight the ongoing vaccination efforts and improvements in service provision across various healthcare sectors.

General practice

Acknowledgement and thank you for seasonal vaccination programme

NHS England has expressed gratitude to all primary care professionals for their hard work on the 2025-26 Autumn/Winter seasonal vaccination programme. The organisation acknowledges the challenges posed by recent changes in eligibility criteria and appreciates the feedback received from healthcare teams. To date, over 10.4 million individuals have been vaccinated against flu and nearly three million against COVID.

Flu vaccinations for school-aged children in clinical risk groups

Recent flu surveillance indicates a rise in flu cases among school-aged children. With half term approaching, general practices should be prepared for parents seeking flu vaccinations for their children who are in clinical risk groups.

NHS App survey for feedback on messaging

The NHS App team is conducting a survey aimed at GPs and practice management staff to gather insights on how practices can better respond to feedback from NHS App users regarding messages received through the App. Interested parties can participate in the survey.

General Practice Staff Survey 2025 now live

The General Practice Staff Survey (GPSS) has launched, providing an opportunity for staff to share their experiences and suggest improvements. Invitations are being sent directly to staff from picker_surveys@picker.org. Colleagues who have not received an invite can contact gpss@surveycoordination.com. The survey will close on 28 November 2025.

Continued access to inclisiran (Leqvio)

NHS England has renegotiated access to inclisiran, a cholesterol-lowering treatment for patients at risk of cardiovascular disease, effective from April 2025. This agreement ensures comprehensive lipid management pathway coverage for patients not adequately managed by statins or ezetimibe. More information is available on lipid management including access to inclisiran and updated funding arrangements.

Annual declaration reminder

The 2025 Annual Electronic Practice Self-Declaration (eDec) is now open for submissions. Practices are encouraged to complete their submissions ahead of the deadline on 21 November. Guidance for completing the eDEC is available through the Strategic Data Collection Service (SDCS). For support, practices can contact the ssd.nationalservicedesk@nhs.net with "eDEC" in the subject line.

Community pharmacy

Promotion of the Pharmacy First campaign

Community pharmacies are reminded to actively promote the Pharmacy First campaign, which is part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) 2025/26. The campaign commenced on 20 October and will run until 9 November 2025. Pharmacies can promote the service through various channels including promotional materials, their websites, and social media.

Updates to the NHS New Medicine Service

The NHS New Medicine Service will expand to include depression as an eligible condition from 29 October 2025. Updated service specifications have been published, and pharmacies should prepare for these changes. The current service specification remains available until the commencement of the new service. Further details can be found on the NHSBSA website.

Ask Your Pharmacist Week – 3-10 November

Ask Your Pharmacist Week is taking place from 3 to 10 November, with this year’s theme focusing on NHS Services Close to Home. Community pharmacies are encouraged to engage with this initiative and utilize free campaign materials provided by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA). More information is available on the NPA's website.

Primary care

NHS App-first messaging initiative

NHS England is committing to a digital-first approach for communications, whereby all appropriate messages will be delivered to patients through the NHS App initially. SMS and email will follow suit when necessary. This initiative aims to enhance patient experience and promote efficiency in service delivery. More details on how to onboard to NHS Notify can be found here.

New service for updating home addresses

A new digital service has been launched to allow patients to update their home addresses easily. Patients with an NHS account can access the 'change your address' service, which will update their information in the Personal Demographics Service (PDS).

Infected Blood Psychological Service referral pathways

The Infected Blood Psychological Service (IBPS) has introduced an online referral form and regional telephone referral pathways for individuals seeking assistance. More information can be found on the IBPS website.

New courses in cancer care

The ACCEND programme has launched three new courses aimed at general practice staff and those in Primary Care interested in enhancing their expertise in cancer care. Details about course offerings are available from University of West England (UWE), Teesside University, and Birmingham City University (BCU).

Get involved

World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week

AMR Awareness Week is scheduled for 18–24 November, highlighting the importance of responsible antibiotic use. Healthcare professionals are encouraged to attend free, expert-led webinars to enhance their understanding of AMR.

Report on obesity in West Yorkshire and surrounding areas

A report titled 'More Than Weight: Exploring the human, social and economic cost of obesity' has been released, focusing on the impact of obesity in the populations of West Yorkshire, Humber, and North Yorkshire.

Upcoming webinars and events

• 4 November, 17:30 - 18:30: A Fireside Chat with Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England

• 5 November, 9:30 - 12:00: Antimicrobial Stewardship for Nurses Across the Continuum of Care

• 5 November, 15:00: Health Insight Survey: an introduction

• 6 November, 17:00 - 18:00: General Practice webinar

• 11 November, 12:30 - 14:00: National Infection and Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) data symposium 2025

• 12 November, 10:00 - 11:30: NHS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) improvement plan: two year review

• 19 November, 12:30 - 13:30: GIRFT webinar: Introducing the GIRFT chronic pain workstream

Catch up

Missed a recent national webinar?

Slides and recordings from previous national webinars can be accessed through the General Practice 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.

You can view the original email here.