Antrim Ballymena GP Federation Quarterly Newsletter - Summer 2026
- Northern Federation Support Unit
- Aug 3
- 18 min read
⭐NEW! Contents⭐
We're pleased to introduce a new interactive Contents section to enhance your reading experience. By clicking on any of the topics listed below, you'll be taken directly to that section of the newsletter.
We hope this makes it easier to find the updates most relevant to you while still allowing you to explore everything happening across NFSU.
A note from the Chair - Dr Alan Lewis
Colleagues,
It feels like the last 3 months have flown by and if you’re like me you’ll be looking forward to some time off over the summer period. I’ve been talking to my new registrar recently about consultation models and the concept of ‘housekeeping’ and looking after our own health and wellbeing so we are able to look after our patients. Hopefully you’ll all be able to get some time off and spend it in a way that, afterwards, you feel refreshed and revived again!
Over the last few months I have attended multiple meetings including a meeting with Trust colleagues as part of the Northern Trust /GP partnership. This was a chance to catch up with primary and secondary care colleagues. Dr David Ross who is employed by the department to champion primary care in rolling out the neighbourhood model of care spoke at this meeting to share some additional information on the planned set up of the integrated neighbourhood teams.
I also attended a workshop, the first of two, which will guide the set up of the Northern Area Mental Health Collaborative. We had a very productive workshop and had representatives from both primary and secondary care and those from community and voluntary sector, along with those with lived experience. We look forward to the second workshop.
We continue to work with our member directors across the Federation area to ensure that our Federation employees are helping out each practice. Our GPP team is well established and we have most practices fully covered with their allocated GPP sessions currently. We are in the process of expanding our General Practice Nurse team and have recently interviewed to fill 2 further training posts.
Our new Northern QI facilitator is getting settled in to her post and will be contacting all practices in the area, including Antrim and Ballymena practices over the next number of months to see if she can assist with QI projects and to identify areas of good QI that can be shared with other practices etc.
At the start of July I spoke at the most recent celebration event for our NFSU Medical Admin Academy graduates! Another cohort of trainees have successfully completed training and hopefully will fill some posts within our local admin teams in primary care.
I think this is all from me. Please get in touch if there is anything you feel that the Federation executive board can help your practice with.
Dr Alan Lewis
Northern GP Federation Support Unit Update (NFSU)
Keeping you up to date with our team.
Feel free to reach out to any of the NFSU team supporting the four Northern GP Federations (Antrim Ballymena, Causeway, East Antrim, and Mid Ulster).
➡️ Check out our NEW staff photos along with our bios to put faces to names and see who does what: Northern Federation Support Unit | Northern Federation Support Unit
Got a question or want to know more about our work? Please get in touch. We have recently updated our bios following a couple of recent additions to our team
Staff Update👥
Appointment of Northern Mental Health Manager
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Sharon McVicker as Northern Mental Health Manager. In this role, Sharon will provide strategic, clinical and operational leadership for GP based mental health services across the Northern Federation areas. She will support the ongoing development of our multidisciplinary mental health teams, work closely with practices and partners, and help ensure the delivery of high-quality mental health care across primary care.
Since joining, Sharon has been out and about visiting many of our practices with Senior Mental Health Practitioners (SMHPs) and will continue to do so over the coming months.
Social Media & Marketing Placement Student
We are delighted to have Lea-Rose Cleland join us in NFSU as our first Social Media & Marketing placement student from Queens University Belfast.
Lea-Rose will be supporting our communications by helping us enhance our current channels, expand our reach, contribute to the development of our communications strategy, and promote the work of the NFSU.
Over the coming months, you may notice us trying some new ways of sharing information and engaging with you. We'll be keen to hear your feedback, so please bear with us as we test new ideas and approaches
Appointment of Northern Quality Improvement (QI) Facilitator
We are delighted to introduce Dr Laura Caul, who has recently been appointed as the Northern GP Federation Support Unit's Quality Improvement (QI) Facilitator.
Dr Laura's role is to support GP practices in developing and embedding Quality Improvement methodologies that help enhance patient care, improve practice processes and share learning across primary care. Working closely with practices and regional QI colleagues, Dr Laura will provide guidance, practical support and access to improvement tools and resources to help practices identify opportunities for positive change.
Over the coming months, Dr Laura will be building relationships with practices across the Northern area and looks forward to working collaboratively with practice teams to support local improvement initiatives, share best practice and help develop a culture of continuous quality improvement.
➡️If you would like to learn more about Quality Improvement or discuss opportunities within your practice, Dr Laura would be delighted to hear from you via email: laura.caul@northernfsu.co.uk
Quality Improvement (QI) Updates💡
Dr Laura Caul is the Quality Improvement (QI) facilitator for the Northern FSU. She is a GP working in the Northern Trust who has postgrad qualifications in Healthcare Leadership and Digital Health.
Quality Improvement (QI) provides healthcare teams with a structured approach to improving the delivery of healthcare. It brings teams together based on shared frustrations and vision for improvement, and allows learning to be shared by using structured approaches and data.
❓What the Quality Improvement Facilitator can provide:
Individual and team support if you have a problem you want to solve in your practice, either in person or virtually.
Places to share your QI work with other primary care teams.
Training and resources for applying QI as a team.
Opportunities to connect with others interested in QI.
In Tech, teams don't wait for perfection before they act. They build, test, learn, and improve in short cycles. Every version, every piece of feedback, and every failure is valuable because it helps create something better.
QI in healthcare works the same way. Teams make small, purposeful changes, learn from what happens and continuously refine their approach. The goal isn't to get it perfect first time but to create a culture where change is possible, feedback is welcomed, and each iteration brings better outcomes for patients and staff.
We would love for those interested in developing their understanding and application of Quality Improvement to get in contact.
We would also be keen to hear from teams who have used QI tools to make improvement and would like to share their learning.
⭐Quality Improvement Conference For General Practice⭐
We are pleased to confirm the upcoming Northern Ireland GP Quality Improvement (QI) Conference, bringing together primary care teams from across Northern Ireland to share learning and showcase practical QI work.
📅Date: Wednesday 14th October
⏰Time: 1pm to 5pm (lunch included)
📍Location: Glenavon Hotel
The event will focus on real improvement work from practice teams, with an emphasis on what has made a tangible difference to patients, teams, and day-to-day workload.
If you are interested in sharing your work, we would strongly encourage you to get involved — this is an opportunity to showcase your team’s achievements, share learning, and contribute to wider improvement across general practice. We welcome submissions of both current and previous QI work, including projects led or supported by students and trainees.
If you would like to discuss a potential submission or need support, please contact get in contact with Dr Laura Caul, QI Facilitator Northern FSU, who will be happy to assist you in developing your idea and preparing your submission.
NFSU Project Update
Rachael Elliott & Hannah Wilson - Project Coordinators
Medical Admin Academy
We were delighted to celebrate the successful completion of our latest Medical Administration Academy, delivered in partnership with Mid & East Antrim Labour Market Partnership (LMP). The celebration event brought together participants, trainers, guest speakers and stakeholders to recognise the commitment and achievements of those who completed the eight-week programme.
Designed to help address workforce challenges within General Practice while creating meaningful employment opportunities, the Academy develops the participants knowledge and confidence to equip them for career in primary care.
This latest cohort marks another important milestone for the programme, with 70% of participants successfully completing the full Academy. Many are now progressing towards employment, work shadowing and placement opportunities within General Practice
Looking Ahead
Following the continued success of the programme, NFSU is delighted to be in positive discussions with both Antrim & Newtownabbey LMP and Mid & East Antrim LMP regarding the future delivery of the Academy. Subject to final agreement, the team are working towards delivering a joint cohort commencing in late September 2026, with a further cohort planned with both partners in Spring 2027.
If you would like to find out more about the Medical Administration Academy, have a current vacancy, or know someone who may be interested, please contact info@northernfsu.co.uk or call 02896208333.
Encompass Update 🚨
Practices and our colleagues continue to experience challenges with Encompass, and we appreciate the impact this is having on your workload and patient care. Please continue to report any clinical issues directly to the relevant department by ringing the relevant secretaries.
If you experience problems relating to letters or communications from secondary care, please report these via the following link: CLICK HERE
Reporting issues helps ensure they are captured, investigated, and used to support ongoing system improvements. Please be assured that discussions are happening regionally to help resolve any issues that are reported.
Kingsbridge - Direct Point of Contact 🫱🏻🫲🏻
We have recently been liaising with Oonagh, NI Relationship Manager from Kingsbridge Healthcare Group. Oonagh has shared her contact details below for practices to have a direct point of contact when needed.
"As the NI Relationship Manager for Kingsbridge Private Hospital, my focus is building and maintaining strong partnerships with GP practices and Primary Care teams across the region.
I am here to be a trusted point of contact, helping to ensure that GP’s are aware of the services, consultants, and care pathways available through Kingsbridge.
The goal is to support primary care givers, improve the patient experience and develop lasting relationships that make access to specialist healthcare smoother and more connected when needed."
Oonagh Kelly - NI Relationship Manager
📞 Phone Number: 07435768926
EMIS Training Sessions 🖥️
In June, we were delighted to facilitate a series of EMIS training sessions led by Edel at Optum, with Mid and East Antrim Labour Market Partnership being our main funder and Stericycle also contributing towards the training days. We extend our sincere thanks to both Labour Market Partnership & Stericycle for enabling these valuable learning opportunities.
A total of four sessions were delivered, including two tailored for senior EMIS users and two designed specifically for medical administration teams. While the training was primarily funded for practices within the Antrim and Ballymena Federation area, last-minute availability allowed us to open the sessions to other federations.
The training focused on practical, day-to-day use of EMIS, including:
Setting up and managing users, activities and appointment-booking configurations.
Developing an understanding of searches, including useful pre-set searches for areas such as Flu and COVID-19.
Navigating EMIS Web, Care Record and Appointment Book.
Utilising GP2GP processes with test patients.
Building and applying protocols and concepts to support clinical workflows.
Managing documents, referrals and workflows.
We are grateful to Maine Medical Practice, Cullybackey, for kindly hosting the sessions and providing an excellent venue.
Feedback from participants was extremely positive, with 100% stating that the training would be useful in practice. Attendees also rated the trainer, venue, and organisation of the sessions 5/5. Comments highlighted that “Edel was very clear and concise” and that the training session helped them learn “new and better ways of doing things”.
The feedback also demonstrated a strong demand for further EMIS training in the future, should funding become available.
Following the sessions, Edel kindly provided additional resources to support continued learning. Please contact us at info@northernfsu.co.uk if you would like these resources.
Meet the Working Group👥
Established in 2024, the group meets quarterly and brings together representatives from each Northern Federation area. It provides a valuable opportunity to connect, share experiences, and collaborate on ideas that support practices across the Federation. Members offer a valuable practice perspective on initiatives and opportunities, helping to ensure our communications are practical, relevant, and reflective of the needs of our Member practices across the Northern Federation area.
We invited any colleagues to volunteer to be part of the Working Group through our newsletters, and we're very grateful to those who put themselves forward.
· Naomi Hutchinson – Business Support Manager NFSU
· Rachael Elliott – Project Coordinator NFSU
· Hannah Wilson – Project Coordinator NFSU
· Nuala Lamont – Ballymoney Family Practice
· Diane Lavery – Meadowbridge Surgery
· Janice Russell – Templepatrick Medical Practice
· Lisa Thompson – Maine Medical Practice
· Valerie Doherty – Garvagh Health Centre
· Noeleen Johnston – Garden Street Surgery, Magherafelt
If you have an idea or something you'd like the Working Group to discuss, please speak to your local representative or NFSU. Each Federation area has a point of contact, and we'd love to hear your suggestions. Your feedback and ideas help shape our communications and future projects, so don't hesitate to get involved!
CPR - Federation Funded Training🫀
Great news!!...On the 7th May your Practice will have received an email to let you know your Federation will be providing funding to support Life Support Training (Including CPR) for 2026/27 across the Northern Federation Member Practices for your practice staff (Antrim Ballymena, Causeway, East Antrim and Mid Ulster).
Each practice will receive an allocated budget of £240 (inclusive of VAT) as a contribution towards one training session during 2026/27. Practices are free to arrange training in a way that best suits their needs, including continuing to use their existing provider if preferred. All training must be booked and claimed by 31 March 2027. Please refer to the email or website for further details on reimbursement and booking.
We have partnered with Bernie McKenna a reputable, local lady who has 22 years experience as a Community Resuscitation Development Officer in the NHSCT. So far, we have 19 training sessions booked with Bernie until March 2027!
Please visit our website or view the email sent on 7th May for details on how to book training or claim reimbursement Economies of Scale - Member Discounts | Northern Federation
My Surgery Website Discontinuation – Research on alternative providers
Following the recent announcement on 1 July 2026 that My Surgery Website (MSW) will be discontinuing its website hosting service. NFSU wanted to help our Member Practices with the impending deadline. We reviewed the websites of 66 GP practices across the Northern Federation area to understand which providers are currently being used and met each of these providers to discuss other providers, services, and pricing.
To find out further information please visit Economies of Scale - Member Discounts | Northern Federation or check your Practice Manager email for communication sent on 23rd July for further information.
Digital Translation Device Grant Help - Vasco V4 🤳🏻
22 Sales so far for our Member Practices
Following the communication issued by SPPG on 21st May, your practice has been allocated a maximum budget of £500 to purchase a digital translation device. The letter advised that devices had been successfully tested and piloted by MDT GP Practices in the Southern Area and proven to work effectively but did not state which device. Following further enquiries and research by NFSU, we have confirmed that the device used during the pilot was the Vasco Translator V4 Vasco Pocket Translator Devices (Please read this original letter from SPPG on how to claim for reimbursement)
Discount: Following discussions with Vasco Electronics, NFSU has secured a 10% discount for practices. This reduces the cost from £529 to £476, bringing the device within your allocated budget. Delivery costs are up to £9 (Additional cost), depending on your location.
There are two versions of the Vasco V4 available:
Vasco V4 Enterprise GDPR Compliant (10% discount) this is NOT on their website (£529, 10% off £476).
Vasco V4 Regular (NOT GDPR Compliant, may be suitable for other companies not handling patient info) on website (£429, 10% off £386)
To receive the 10% Federation discount for Vasco V4 Enterprise, please contact:Nyasha Mazhata, Customer Service Specialist, Vasco Electronics. Email: n.mazhata@vasco-electronics.com. Please mention that you are ordering through the Northern FSU Federation discount arrangement when contacting Nyasha
Economies of Scale Project 💰- Pricing Highlights of the month
Save Big on Printer Ink, Toners & Office Supplies! NEW DISCOUNTED PRICING
This month's Supplier Highlight features KBS Group Office Supplies and Printer Cartridges NI.
Through our Economies of Scale Project, Northern Federation members have access to exclusive discounted pricing on a wide range of office supplies, paper, printer ink, and toner cartridges. By purchasing through our preferred supplier partnership, practices can make significant savings while benefiting from the Federation's collective buying power. If you would like to set up a Federation discounted account or discuss your office supply requirements, please contact:
· KBS Group – Ryan Matthews📧 Ryan.Matthews@kbsgroup.co.uk
· Printer Cartridges NI – John Hendron📧 ballymena@printercartridgesni.com
📌 Important Reminder
If you use these suppliers please check your recent invoices and ensure that, from July 2026 onwards, you are being charged the special Northern Federation pricing in line with the attached pricing schedule. If your pricing does not match, please contact the supplier directly so it can be reviewed. Or alternative if you have a supplier with cheaper pricing please do let us know.
To view all of our current Economies of Scale partnerships and exclusive member discounts, please visit the Northern Federation Member Discounts section of our website. Economies of Scale - Member Discounts | Northern Federation
Your printer or ink isn’t listed? please contact NFSU to negotiate on your behalf
AccuRx Update📲
85% of practices in the Northern Federation are now using AccuRx, with several more currently on free trials as they transition from Vision to EMIS. The Federation held contract gives practices a large discount plus a single point of contact for support. In 2026/27 alone, practices in the Northern area have saved a combined total of over £75,000.
We recently held a training/refresher session for existing and new practices on Wednesday 24th June. Thank you to the 67 people on the training session. A recording is available on our website: Economies of Scale - Member Discounts | Northern Federation
As always, NFSU are here to support you if you have any questions. If there are any Practices who have transitioned to Emis from Vision and wish to join our find our further information, contact rachael.elliott@northernfsu.co.uk
Turning everyday feedback into real life product improvements –Here is 5/18 of the improvement released in the last two weeks. Release notes (Beta)
· Sorting conversations by created time, not just latest activity
· SNOMED codes can now be added to individual messages
· Assign healthcare professional replies to other team members
· Show the open/closed status of triage forms in the inbox
· Practices can now edit & create teams in their inbox
Did you know? Many of our practices use the live chat function on the AccuRx website and rate it as a fantastic resource.
Any suggestions for improvement? If you have tips on how AccuRx could better serve GP practices in Northern Ireland, let NFSU know, we'll raise it directly with the implementation team.
Is your links taking up characters in your messages? Try a link shortner – shorturl.at or bitly.com
Practice Toolkit 🔨
You will have received an update email from us on information on Practice Toolkit on 25th June on their Northern Ireland rollout. Following feedback from practices and ongoing discussions with the supplier, it appears that a number of issues are still being addressed, along with the development of additional functionality. Our priority is to ensure that practices have confidence in the reliability, functionality and suitability of any system before making a commitment to adopt it. We also understand that Practice Toolkit has currently paused the promotion of new pilot sites while these improvements are being implemented.
At this stage, we do not feel it is appropriate to share any more information of the software until we have greater assurance that it is fully functional and meets the needs of practices in Northern Ireland. We will continue to engage with the supplier and monitor feedback from practices and keep you updated as further information becomes available.
Joanne Caldwell & Aislinn Carey - Lead General Practice Pharmacists
📣 Recruitment News
A warm welcome to Ciara, who joined the GPP team on 5 May 2026. We're delighted to have you on board and hope you've settled in well. We wish you every success in your new role.
We're pleased to share that two new General Practice Pharmacists will be joining the Federation during August and September. We look forward to introducing them to everyone over the coming months.
📅 Upcoming Training & Development
Our commitment to developing clinical excellence continues into the next quarter with sessions on:
Lymphoedema
Migraine Management
Further details, including dates and joining information, will be circulated soon.
📅 Encompass - Reporting Issues
As more practices continue to use Encompass, we're keen to understand any issues you're experiencing. If you encounter problems, please ensure these are reported using the designated reporting link (more info and link can be found in the NFSU section above).Your feedback helps identify common themes and supports ongoing improvements.
Recognising Achievement Awards 2026
A reminder that nominations for the Recognising Achievement Awards 2026 are now open. This is a fantastic opportunity to recognise colleagues who have gone above and beyond in supporting patients, practices and fellow team members. We encourage everyone to consider entering to showcase the excellent work that you are doing in practice. The awards are due to take place this year on 22nd September 2026. If you would like further information, please contact Aislinn or Joanne.
Congratulations Mandy and Kevin! 🎉
Congratulations to Mandy on successfully passing her Foundation Programme 2 (FP2) Portfolio—a fantastic achievement and a testament to all of her hard work and dedication.
Congratulations also to Kevin on submitting his Foundation Programme 1 (FP1) Portfolio. We wish him every success as he awaits his results.
Federation Education
Dr John Goodrich - Educational Lead
📖 Hot Topics GP - 20th May
On Wednesday 20th May 2026, Antrim Ballymena GP Federation welcomed 96 delegates to the Tullyglass Hotel, Ballymena, for the latest NB Medical Hot Topics education event. A total of 101 delegates registered for the event, comprising 81 GPs, 12 Practice Nurses and 8 GP Pharmacists.
The event featured a programme of expert-led presentations from NB Medical, providing practical, evidence-based updates on a range of conditions commonly encountered in General Practice. The teaching was of the usual high standard, equipping clinicians with the latest guidance and practical learning to support patient care. Delegates also received the latest NB Medical Hot Topics course book, together with one year's access to the accompanying online learning resources, enabling them to revisit the content following the event.
Alongside the educational programme, the event provided an excellent opportunity for clinicians from across the Federation to network, share experiences and learn from colleagues.
The event received excellent feedback, with delegates praising the quality and relevance of the presentations and the practical knowledge gained throughout the day.
A sincere thank you to NB Medical, our sponsors and everyone who attended for contributing to another successful education event.
Supporting Protected Learning Time
One of the biggest challenges this year has been securing sufficient medical cover through Dalriada Urgent Care to enable these Protected Learning Time events to take place. A minimum of four GPs is required to provide cover, and we were only able to commit to delivering this year's Hot Topics event thanks to the prior agreement of four GPs who volunteered to act as 'providers of last resort'.
Dalriada advertised the Wednesday afternoon PLT shifts in the usual way and, encouragingly, three of the four shifts were filled, meaning that only one provider of last resort was ultimately required to work while the remaining three were able to attend the education event.
Ahead of Hot Topics, delegates were informed of this arrangement and, following the event, two additional GPs kindly volunteered to become providers of last resort for future education sessions. We are extremely grateful to those colleagues who have put their names forward. Education events require significant planning, investment and collaboration between multiple stakeholders, and having reliable DUC cover gives us much greater confidence when planning future programmes.
If you would be willing to support a future Protected Learning Time session by acting as a provider of last resort on one occasion, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact Hannah Wilson at hannah.wilson@northernfsu.co.uk.
Looking Ahead – 2026/27 Education Programme
The proposed Protected Learning Time dates for 2026/27 are:
Wednesday 23rd September 2026 – In-house Education Day
Wednesday 18th November 2026 – Education Event (details to follow)
Wednesday 24th February 2027 - TBC
We look forward to welcoming you to future Antrim Ballymena GP Federation education events.
See More for printable flyer >
ℹ️ Free Educational Session: CMPA
An invitation to a free educational session on the use of hydrolysed rice formula for infants with cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA).
Following the inclusion of hydrolysed rice formula within the Northern Ireland guidance as a first-line option, we are keen to support education and awareness within primary care.
Gillian Drew, Paediatric Dietitian at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, will be delivering two sessions, one in Derry on Wednesday 16 September and another in Belfast on Thursday 17 September. Please refer to the two invites attached for further information.
General Practice Nurse Update
Anne Witherow - Lead Nurse
Antrim and Ballymena Federation are delighted to have successfully recruited two new trainee General Practice Nurses who start will commence with Antrim and Ballymena in September.
This brings the number of Federation employed general practice nurses to 10.
Both recruits will be undertaking the one year post graduate certificate in General Practice Nursing staring mid-September.
Training Resources 📚
As part of our commitment to supporting learning and development across our member practices, we'd like to highlight two excellent training resources available to general practice teams.
GPNI (General Practice Northern Ireland) provides an array of webinars covering a variety of topics relevant to general practice. These sessions are a great way to keep up to date with current practice and enhance professional knowledge.
CEC (Clinical Education Centre) offers a range of webinars and training courses for both clinical and non-clinical primary care staff, supporting ongoing learning and professional development.
Please note that these training opportunities are delivered independently of NFSU. Some courses or webinars may incur a fee, so we recommend checking the details before registering.
ℹ️ Useful Resources
NI Direct: useful for employment rights, holidays, minimum wage, contracts
Law Centre NI: independent advice, employment advice, discrimination concerns, understanding rights etc.
Labour Relations Agency: mediation, employment rights guidance, employer / employee support.
Equality Commission NI: Challenge discrimination and promote equality in NI. A non-departmental public body.
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 028 9620 8333
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