Antrim Ballymena GP Federation Quarterly Newsletter Summer 2025
- Northern Federation Support Unit
- Aug 4
- 14 min read
Updated: Aug 5
A note from the Chair - Dr Alan Lewis
Colleagues,
It seems no time since our last newsletter! The last three months have flown by, and no doubt we were all looking forward to the summer. I hope you have all had some time off — or are looking forward to a break in August.
I had the privilege of attending the celebration event for the first Medical Admin Training Academy since our last newsletter. It was great to see all nine participants successfully complete their training and look ahead to roles in general practice. Since the event, a good number of them have taken up jobs in local practices, and we are delighted to have secured new funding to run the academy again.
Following recent discussions and negotiations with Dalriada Urgent Care, we are going to trial three PBL afternoons with DUC cover during the 2025/26 year. This means practices can engage in PBL — either by attending a planned event or holding in-house whole-practice PBL — without needing to provide their own cover.
All from me for now... enjoy the rest of the summer!
Joanne Caldwell & Lyndsey Alexander - Lead General Practice Pharmacists
Welcome to the Team
We're excited to announce some additions to our team! Please join us in giving a warm welcome to our newest colleagues: Mandy Gibson and Amy Best.
Celebrating Achievements and Hard Work
We’re proud to celebrate the achievements of our team members in the following categories:
Foundation Pharmacist 1
Emma Hughes
Independent Prescribing
Diarmaid Graham
Amy Best
MSc Advanced Pharmacy Practice
Joanne Caldwell
Their commitment to growth and excellence is commendable.
Training Events
Over recent months, our GPPs have enjoyed:
Hot Topics training (see photo)
Northern GPP Asthma Masterclass
i2i Menopause Workshop
Coming up in September, further training is planned on Lipid Management.
Fond Farewell
We also say a warm goodbye and thank you to Heather Totten, who is moving on to a new role. We wish her every success in her new position.
As always, thank you to all our GPPs and practices for your continued enthusiasm, professionalism, and support across practices in the Federation.
Dr Susan Sproule - GPP GP Lead
We would like to extend our congratulations to Joanne Caldwell on achieving her Master of Science in Advanced Pharmacy Practice — a truly colossal achievement and one that deserves special recognition.
A heartfelt thank you also goes to Lyndsey Alexander for stepping into the role of Interim Lead GPP, covering Aislinn’s maternity leave. Your support and leadership during this period have been greatly appreciated.
Federation Education
Dr John Goodrich - Educational Lead
We were delighted with the turnout for our Hot Topics event in May — over 75 people attended, and the teaching was top class as always. Attendees now have access to the course handbook and one year of online access to NB Medical resources. A great CPD opportunity and an excellent addition to your appraisal portfolio.
Afternoon of Wednesday 24 September from 2pm-6pm – Protected Educational Time – DUC Cover
We are pleased to inform you that Dr Lewis, along with other Federation Chairs, has agreed for Dalriada Urgent Cover (DUC) to manage phone lines on the afternoon of Wednesday 24 September from 2pm-6pm. Please note that this cover will be for emergencies and urgent care only.
Please ensure appropriate messaging is communicated to patients (updating messages on phones where possible etc), something along the lines of “The surgery is currently closed, in the event of a medical problem which cannot wait to the surgery opens, please telephone Dalriada Urgent Care on 028 2566 3500”. This cover will allow each member practice to schedule and organise an in-house educational afternoon for all staff, providing valuable protected time for personal and professional development.
Please make the necessary arrangements within your practice to make the most of this opportunity.
❤️🩹 Annual CPR Training – Re-Launching September 2025
Annual CPR training is mandatory, and we’ve been exploring ways to provide a local and cost-effective option for practices.
View more details here 📢
We are pleased to be relaunching CPR training with an accredited trainer, to be delivered at the FSU office in Galgorm Castle Courtyard.
⏱ Duration: 2 hours
📜 Certificate of attendance provided
👥 Capacity: 10 people per session
💰 Pricing: £30 per person
If your practice wants to book an entire session, please contact NFSU.
We’re currently trying to identify the best day and time to hold sessions in order to make them as accessible as possible for everyone.
It would be a great help if you could take a moment to answer a couple of quick questions by [clicking here].
Your feedback will help us schedule sessions at times that work best for the majority. Thank you!
💡 We Want Your Ideas!
If there’s any training you’d like to see offered, or if you have suggestions for future sessions, please get in touch with Hannah Wilson at FSU:
Northern GP Federation Support Unit Update (NFSU)
To put a face to our names and for the relevant contact details, click here -
NFSU HR
Cathy Christie - HR Officer
🏃♀️ Federation Teams Take on the Belfast Marathon – Results Are In!
We are incredibly proud of our 20 Federation runners who took part in the 2025 Moy Park Belfast City Marathon on Sunday 4th May — our first time entering relay teams, and it's safe to say they smashed it (and enjoyed themselves in the process)!
💥 Only 7 seconds separated 3 of our 4 teams!
🥇 Congratulations to the winning team:
Mid Ulster GP Federation – Chip time: 3:41:12
(Raising funds for Charis Cancer Care)
Mid Ulster Federation – £1,737 raised for Charis Cancer Care
Niall O’Kane, Mark Donnelly, Mairead Quinn, Nichola Stewart & Anne-Marie Pickering
East Antrim Federation – £848 raised for Stroke Association
Clare Gallagher, Michael Ervine, Pawel Ciunajtis, Ciara Briers & Mark Briers
Causeway Federation – £2,022 raised for Dementia UK
Mary McBride, Karina Duffy, Jenny Chartres, Susie Weir & Donna Campbell
Antrim Ballymena Federation – £905 raised for NI Chest, Heart & Stroke
Joanne Caldwell, Emma Kelly, Heather Totten, Emma Hughes & Lucie Gage
NFSU Project Update
Naomi Hutchinson - Business Support Manager
💷 Economies of Scale – Cost Saving Information Live on Website!
We are delighted that some practices have started referring to our Economies of Scale information on the NFSU website, with several already moving to our recommended “suggested suppliers.”
Here’s what one practice recently had to say after becoming a customer of Restore Datashred for their shredding needs:
“I just wanted to update you on our shredding. We had Restore Datashred here this morning at 7.30 am as agreed and the shredding was completed at 11.00 am – absolutely first-class company to work with. I have taken 3 locked cabinets from them which I am arranging to have emptied (on-site) every 12 weeks. I really could not speak highly enough about every member — it was mainly two Richards I was dealing with, and nothing was a bother to them. We even added additional shredding in the room since it was seen by them, and I did let them know beforehand, but it was no trouble. Hopefully some other Health Centres may follow in our footsteps. Thank you also for being the ‘stepping stone’ in the project.”
We greatly value feedback from practices and encourage you to share your thoughts with us via email. 📩
We are currently evaluating various suppliers — including those for scrubs and heating oil — following multiple practice requests. Once a preferred supplier has been selected for each, we will update the website with the relevant details.
Please take a moment to explore the cost-saving information we have researched and summarised, now available on our website:
We would encourage everyone to bookmark this page for easy access.
To do so, once you click on the link, simply save it to your favourites in your browser, as per the following:
We’ll be continuing to develop this project by reviewing and updating the information regularly — so feel free to visit frequently!
📢 Update: Model Complaints Handling Procedure (MCHP) Roll-out in the Health Sector
***Please note we are hoping to organise a best practice face-to-face event for all Practice Managers regarding this in Sept / Oct. Keep an eye out for further information***
🔍 Key Info for GP Practices
The Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) has launched a major initiative to improve complaints handling across the health sector through the Model Complaints Handling Procedure (MCHP) — officially published on 1 July 2025. This new procedure will replace the Department of Health’s HSC Complaints Procedure Directions and Guidance on 1 January 2026.
As part of the wider roll-out, NIPSO has been actively engaging with GP practices to support implementation and promote best practice. The MCHP is designed to streamline complaints processes, support early resolution, and ultimately improve patient experience.
Click here to read more
🆕 Recent Developments Include:
Updated guidance materials
New training resources
A renewed emphasis on early and effective resolution of concerns
It is essential that GP practices review and align their procedures with the new MCHP. Early resolution not only benefits patients but also significantly reduces time and resources spent on formal investigations.
📘 Key Document: MCHP for Health & Social Care
This comprehensive guide outlines:
✅ Mandatory requirements (clearly colour-coded)
⭐ Best practice guidance
Key Sections:
The Procedure – Step-by-step process for managing complaints
Organisational Guide – Responsibilities and actions for staff
Key Information for Service Users – Supporting patients and carers through the process
🔗 View the full document here: NIPSO MCHP Health & Social Care PDF
Summary of key differences between the new MCHP and the existing DoH Complaints Procedure Directions & Guidance:
📋 Next Steps for GP Practices:
🔄 Review your current complaints procedures
👥 Familiarise staff with MCHP requirements
🎓 Make use of NIPSO’s training and guidance resources
📅 Stay alert for updates or upcoming webinars
💡 Why This Matters
One of our member practices strongly reiterated the value of engaging with the MCHP early — noting that it is much easier to get it right at the start than to manage a complaint once it escalates.
Putting robust procedures in place now can:
✔ Prevent unnecessary stress and formal investigations
✔ Save staff time and resources
✔ Protect relationships with patients
Early resolution helps avoid the heartache and complexity that can come from letting concerns go unmanaged. A proactive approach pays off.
Medical Admin Academy – Pilot Review & September 2025 Launch
Further to our pilot Medical Admin Academy, which completed in May 2025, we are pleased to report the following:
We are delighted to confirm we have secured funding from LMP Mid & East Antrim Council to run another Medical Administration Academy, commencing on 9th September at the NFSU offices.
🗓️ Duration: 8 weeks
📍 Schedule: 2 days per week — Tuesdays and Thursdays
📌 Commitment: Participants must attend for the full duration of training
Most participants must reside in the Mid & East Antrim area (Boroughs of Ballymena, Larne, or Carrickfergus), however we are hopeful a small number of applicants from outside the area may be accepted pending council approval.
If you know anyone who may be interested, please share this [registration link] with them to sign up for the Information Session on Tuesday 19 August 2025.
🏥 For Mid & East Antrim Practices
We’d be grateful if you could print and display the attached poster in your practice and/or share it on your social media channels.
We anticipate this cohort will provide a strong pool of candidates who are well-placed to apply for medical admin roles towards the end of October. We therefore encourage practices to share any live job opportunities with us for circulation.
⚠️ Please Note:
While we would love to offer similar academies across all Northern Federations, this will unfortunately not be possible in the short term due to council budget commitments.
However, there is a possibility of a future academy in Antrim & Newtownabbey, and we are currently awaiting further information.
Opportunity to Join Our Practice Managers’ Working Group
Over the past few years, Practice Managers have played a vital role in the success of various projects across the NFSU.
In 2024, we launched a pilot Working Group, made up of representatives from across the Northern Federations. A working group is defined as “a group of people who collaborate to achieve a specific goal, task, or project.” Our aim is to foster meaningful collaboration that leads to the best possible outcomes for all our member practices.
🧠 What the Group Offers
The Working Group provides a space to:
Share ideas 💬
Exchange information 🔄
Offer feedback 🗣️
Despite the many challenges we face, the group continues to maintain a constructive and forward-thinking approach.
🗓️ Meeting Structure:
Frequency: Quarterly(Face-to-face meetings at NFSU offices, usually on a Tuesday over lunch)
Attendance: Members are expected to attend at least 3 out of 4 meetings per year
Agenda: Contributions are welcomed; the agenda is circulated 3 working days in advance
We currently have five Practice Managers involved. Participants initially committed to a one-year pilot, with ongoing involvement to be reviewed at the next meeting.
📌 Please note: this group is not intended to add to your workload — rather, it is designed to enhance the effectiveness of our collective efforts for the benefit of all member practices.
📬 Interested in Joining?
We are now looking to slightly expand participation, inviting additional Practice Managers from across the Northern Federations.
If you’re interested, please express your interest by emailing us at info@northernfsu.co.uk by the end of September 2025.
We’ll ensure balanced representation by managing the overall group size and Federation mix.
A sincere thank you to the Practice Managers who have already taken part.
We look forward to continuing to work with you all! 🌟
Practice Index HR Package - Free Access Until January 2026
Further to an email circulated as strictly private & confidential at the start of June, we’re pleased to remind you that all Northern Member Practices now have free access to the Practice Index HR Package until January 2026.
This gives practices the opportunity to explore everything included in the package — including the popular Holiday Manager tool. 🌴
🖥️ On 24 June, Practice Index hosted a webinar (facilitated by NFSU) to demonstrate the scope of the HR Package.
📺 If you were unable to attend, you can view the recording here.
Practices who already use the HR Package have spoken very highly of its functionality and ease of use, so we encourage you to try it out now while access is available at no cost!
🌟 Good News Stories
We know that our Federation staff and Practices carry out excellent work and quite often do not get the opportunity to share the “Good News Stories”.
NFSU would like to encourage each of you to share these with us as — we would encourage each of you to now use our standarised, easily accessed form to submit your stories to us.
👉 Please use the following link (through our website) to share your stories:
We would love to hear from all of you at some point throughout the year.
These stories will enable us to build up a bank of articles which can be used in:
Future Newsletters
Post-project evaluations
Highlight reports (a requirement from SPPG for funded projects)
Future business cases for funding
Promote the work we do via our social media channels
Accurx Scribe – New Product within Accurx
“Accurx Scribe is an AI-powered tool that helps clinicians in the healthcare sector with real-time transcription and summarisation of patient consultations. It aims to reduce administrative burden by automatically generating notes and letters from consultations, allowing clinicians to focus more on patient care. The tool is designed with NHS-grade security and complies with GDPR and ISO27001 standard.”
We recently held a webinar in relation to Accurx Scribe. If you missed this, you can view it here recording of the session .
Accurx have kindly offered a free trial in the near future – if you are interested in availing of this please complete expression of interest form.
📈 Quality Improvement Update – July 2025
We’re pleased to share that the Quality Improvement Facilitator Programme has been re-commissioned by NFSU for 2025. This free service is available to all General Practices and offers tailored advice and support for any stage of your Quality Improvement (QI) work.
🛠️ How Can a QI Facilitator Help?
Support is available for a wide range of QI activities, including:
Planning a QI project – identifying areas for improvement, setting aims, selecting measures, and understanding how to track and assess change
Guidance on QI tools – including process maps, driver diagrams, PDSA cycles, run charts, and more
Troubleshooting underperforming projects
Sharing project ideas and successes
Signposting to additional resources and learning opportunities
This support is open to all General Practice team members, whether clinical or administrative. Practices remain in full control of their project at all times. Support can be one-off or ongoing, and provided by phone, video call, or in-person.
👤 Meet Your Facilitator
Dr Frew Johnston, GP Partner at Seven Towers Surgery in Ballymena, leads the programme. Frew has extensive experience implementing QI projects and also mentors GP registrars completing QI work with NIMDTA.
📩 To enquire or get started, email:frew.johnston@northernfsu.co.uk
🧠 QI Corner: Frequently Asked Questions
Each edition of our newsletter will now include a Quality Improvement Corner with learning resources and practical advice. This month’s focus: FAQs.
❓ Q1: What is Quality Improvement in General Practice?
The RCGP defines QI as “a commitment to continuously improving the quality of healthcare by focusing on the preferences and needs of the people who use the services.” It’s an evidence-based approach that helps free up time, embed change, and deliver better outcomes.
More info: www.rcgp.org.uk/QI
❓ Q2: Isn’t this just what we’ve always done?
Yes – GPs and practice teams are natural improvers. What’s new is the structured QI approach: it builds on our instincts, focuses on improving systems (not just outcomes for specific cohorts), and embeds change to prevent issues reoccurring.
✅ QI works best when it involves the whole team – especially projects around practice systems like repeat prescribing or admin processes.
❓ Q3: What does quality care look like?
The Institute of Medicine identifies six core domains of quality care, summarised by the acronym S.T.E.E.E.P:
Safe – avoid harm
Timely – reduce delays
Effective – evidence-based care
Efficient – avoid waste
Equitable – fair and consistent care
Patient-centred – respectful and responsive to individual needs
Use these domains to help identify areas in your practice to improve.
❓ Q4: What are the stages of a QI project?
Check out this helpful overview from TURAS QI (NHS Scotland):
❓ Q5: Where can I learn more?
We highly recommend the TURAS QI site from NHS Scotland – no login required, and packed with simple, practical resources.
📣 Keep an eye on future newsletters for more learning resources, practical examples, and QI success stories from across our Federations.
🏥 Upcoming Study Day – Paediatric Ano-Genital Health
📅 Date: Friday, 19th September 2025
🕘 Time: 9.00am – 4.30pm
📍 Location: Lecture Theatre, Belfast City Hospital
🍽️ Lunch will be provided
You are warmly invited to attend a Paediatric Ano-Genital Study Day, designed for professionals involved in caring for children — including GPs, paediatricians, emergency medicine doctors, and gynaecologists.
Read more here
🧠 Topics will include:
Blood in the pants
Unexplained ano-genital injuries
Normal anatomy
Child sexual abuse
A full agenda will be circulated closer to the time.
📩 How to Register:
Please RSVP by 15th August 2025 to:
📧 karen.wilson@northerntrust.hscni.net
Include the following in your email:
Full name
Specialty and professional role
GMC number
Place of work
⚠️ Due to the sensitive nature of this study event, work ID must be brought on the day.
🚨Exciting Update 🚨
Recurrent Funding Secured for GP Fellowship Programme
We are delighted to share that we have received confirmation from SPPG that our GP Fellowship Programme will now benefit from recurrent funding. 🎉
This is a significant and much-welcomed development — particularly as we have faced ongoing challenges aligning the recruitment and selection of GP Fellows with the timelines and reporting requirements set by SPPG.
This funding will greatly support the continued promotion, development, and delivery of the programme, ensuring we can attract and retain high-quality applicants from a wide and talented pool.
We are currently progressing with internal planning and confirming programme details, and we look forward to sharing more information with you soon.
📢 Keep an eye on our website for the latest updates.
🎓 Free Level 7 CMI Courses
We’re pleased to share an excellent fully funded training opportunity through Queen’s University Belfast:
CMI Level 7 – Strategic Management & Leadership in Primary Care (Practice Managers)
This course is designed specifically for those working in primary care who are stepping into leadership roles or seeking to enhance their management skills.
🔗 Find out more and apply here / eligibility criteria:
CMI Level 7 - Stepping up to Leadership & Management in General Practice (GPs)
This module empowers leaders to explore and enhance their personal and professional growth. By reflecting on the synergy between skillset and mindset, leaders will develop strategic leadership capabilities and create impactful development plans.
🔗 Find out more and apply here / eligibility criteria:
Stepping Up to Leadership & Management – Course Info
🖥️ Some learning can be completed remotely, making it more accessible for busy professionals.
We encourage anyone interested to take a look and apply early.
GP Practice Job Advertising - NFSU Website
Did you know we have a section on our website where we can signpost potential applicants to any current live vacancies our member Practices have?
We would encourage all practices to let us know as and when you have live opportunities.
You can view our careers page for practices here:
Use the form below to promote jobs on our site:
Contact us
As always if you have any questions for the FSU, please do not hesitate to contact the Federation Support Unit on info@northernfsu.co.uk or 02896208333
Follow the Federation on:
Date of next newsletter - October 2025
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