East Antrim GP Federation Quarterly Newsletter - Summer 2025

Updated: Nov 3

A Note From the Chair - Dr Ian Lalsingh

Dear Colleagues

I hope you are all keeping well and that you had a good summer, especially as flu and covid vaccination clinics are in full swing and winter beckons.

The implementation of our Multi-Disciplinary Team has started as of September with initially 2 whole time equivalent Senior Mental Health Practitioners taking up post across 4 practices.

Congratulations to our Lead General Practice Pharmacists Nicola and Karen who have completed their Advanced Pharmacy Practice masters, a fantastic achievement!!! On the back of that Nicola has won not one, but two awards at the GPP Recognising Achievement Awards on 25th September 2025 (World Pharmacy Day). Nicola won the “Excellence in Practice” category and the Valerie Baurain Award for outstanding contribution to General Practice Pharmacy.

Our AGM will take place at 1pm on Friday 14th November. Nominations are open for the positions of Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. If any GP director members are interested in the position of Executive Director or GP Lead for GPP, please reach out, I am happy to discuss.

The LMC conference will takes place the following day and I will be interested to see what direction the membership mandate our NIGPC leadership to take, especially with regards to collective action.

Thank you all for your ongoing work & commitment to general practice

Ian

Federation Education

Dr Richard McClean & Dr Aine McNeill - Federation Education Leads

🙏 Thank You

Thanks to everyone who continues to support the FedED Programme through your attendance and feedback.

💻 “Hot Topics” Webinar – Launching the 2025/26 Schedule

We kicked off the 2025/26 FedED schedule with our bespoke “Hot Topics” webinar.The session covered a variety of topics and received very positive engagement — with 95 live attendees and 3 additional viewers who accessed the content on demand after the event.

Notably, 85% of delegates interacted during the session via the Q&A section, demonstrating strong engagement throughout.

🩺 Small Group Learning – Palliative Care in General Practice

Our first Small Group Learning session took place on 22 October at Inver Surgery, Larne.The session focused on “Palliative Care in General Practice”, featuring a presentation by Dr Rachel Keys on “Symptom Control in the Last Days of Life”, followed by case-based discussions.

Engagement was again very positive, with attendees including GPs and trainees at various stages — from PA students to GPST 1–3.

📅 Upcoming Small Group Learning Session

The next Small Group Learning session will take place on 21 January 2026 at Templepatrick Surgery.

Dr Aine McNeill will be teaching on “HRT and the Management of Menopausal Symptoms.”

🍴 Lunch: 1:30pm
🕑 Session: 2:00pm – 4:00pm

If you are interested in attending, please let me know via email, text, or WhatsApp — your early confirmation would be greatly appreciated.

🧠 Upcoming PBL Session

Our next PBL session will take place on Wednesday 26 November, starting at 2:00pm.We have two excellent clinical sessions planned for the afternoon:

Dr Laura Skillen, Consultant Dermatologist at Antrim Area Hospital
Dr Ryan Cherry, Consultant Physician, who will cover a range of topics relevant to the interface between Primary Care and DAU

The session will be held via Zoom, and full joining details will be circulated in the coming weeks.

👏 Final Note

Thank you once again to everyone who continues to engage with and support the FedED Programme. As always, I would encourage you to stay actively involved in the educational opportunities offered by the Federation.

Practice Managers & Admin Update 🗂️

Shauna McKinley & Janice Russell - Practice Manager Education Leads

We recently held the second of three installments of Health & Safety training for Practice Managers at Antrim Castle.

The session was well attended and informative, with the final instalment scheduled to take place during the November PBL session.

Our Nursing and HCA teams also enjoyed a guided tour of the AAH Laboratories, which was very well attended and provided valuable insight into laboratory processes and services.

In addition, Admin teams received an update on the roles of Senior Mental Health Practitioners (SMHPs) and Practice Physiotherapists, in preparation for the extended rollout of MDTs across East Antrim.

Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to these learning opportunities.

Nicola Smyth and Karen Foreman - Lead General Practice Pharmacists

On 9 September, our pharmacists completed CPR training in the morning, before joining colleagues from the North Belfast Federation in the afternoon for a Lipid Management training session.

It was an excellent and engaging afternoon, and we’ve already heard of many new projects starting up in practices as a direct result of the session.

Read more here

Congratulations to Aoife Marley on completing her FP2 training — a fantastic achievement!

Well done also to the following pharmacists who have successfully completed their Independent Prescribing Diplomas:

Gemma McDyre
Katrina Moylan
Cathleen Hanna
Ryan McKinstry

We would also like to acknowledge the Recognising Achievement Awards — congratulations again to all those recognised for their outstanding contributions.

Northern GP Federation Support Unit Update (NFSU)

To put a face to our names and for the relevant contact details, click here -

Northern Federation Support Unit

NFSU Project Update

Naomi Hutchinson - Business Support Manager

Medical Admin Academy

🎓 NFSU Celebrates Another Successful Medical Administration Academy

NFSU is delighted to announce the successful completion of another Medical Administration Academy, delivered in partnership with the Mid & East Antrim Labour Market Partnership (MEALMP) and funded by the Department for Communities.

This innovative programme, which began in September 2025, equipped participants with essential medical administration and employability skills tailored specifically to general practice.

Read more here

The academy concluded with a celebration event on 23 October at the Ecos Hub, Ballymena, recognising participants’ achievements, confidence, and readiness to begin careers within GP practices — with some already progressing into placements or employment.

NFSU extends sincere thanks to all participants, facilitators, partner GP practices, and practice managers who supported the programme by offering placements, attending events, or contributing in other ways.

It is also worth noting that income generated through initiatives like the Medical Administration Academy contributes positively to our Federation’s financial reserves.

These funds allow us to reinvest in our Member Practices by supporting future events and programmes, such as “Understanding the New MCHP.”

Your continued support and engagement in these initiatives enable us to deliver meaningful opportunities and value across the Federation.

💷 Economies of Scale – Cost Saving Information Live on Website!

🖨️ Printer Cartridges NI

Our Suggested Supplier, Printer Cartridges NI, is offering Member Practices an excellent deal on Zebra ZD410 labels:

Product Details	Specification
Size	57mm x 32mm (White)
Quantity	1,000 per roll · 10 rolls per pack
Price	£55.00 (inc. VAT & delivery)

That’s just £4.58 per roll! 🎉

Click here to add to your favourites

Take a moment to explore the other cost-saving information we have researched and summarised, now available on our website:

🔗 www.northernfsu.co.uk/economies-of-scale

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!

🏥 Best Practice Session: Understanding the New MCHP

We were delighted to welcome Julie Healy and Michaela Mackin from NIPSO to Ecos Hub on Wednesday 22 October 2025 for an engaging Best Practice Session on the new Model Complaints Handling Procedure (MCHP) for the Health and Social Care sector.

Julie and Michaela guided attendees through what the new procedure means for GP Practices and how it will change existing processes.The MCHP will replace the Department of Health Complaint Directions and become a statutory requirement in January 2026, giving Practices an opportunity to begin preparing early.

During the session, a letter from SPPG, dated 10 October, was mentioned — one which NFSU and NIPSO had not yet seen.

On behalf of Northern Member Practices, NFSU (Naomi) kindly offered to respond to this letter to seek further clarity on the steps SPPG are considering as part of their “Honest Broker” role.

Practices are keen to be involved in these discussions to ensure statutory obligations are met while keeping processes efficient and manageable in an already demanding environment.

NFSU has since submitted a formal response (as of 30 October) and will keep Practices updated once a reply is received.

Read more here

We were delighted with the excellent turnout:

56 people registered from 47 Northern Practices (71%)
46 attended on the day, representing 35 Practices (53%)

A big thank you to everyone who took part and contributed to the discussion!

If you register for an event but are later unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible — this helps us keep costs low and plan future sessions effectively.

📄 Additional Resources

Attached are the materials shared during the session:

You can also find more details and resources on the NIPSO Website.

👥 Staff Update

🩺 Appointment of Northern Governance Lead

We are pleased to welcome Anne Witherow as the new Northern Federations Governance Lead.

Anne brings extensive experience in governance from her time working within the Western Health and Social Care Trust. In her new role, Anne will support consistent and robust governance arrangements across Federations, including within GPP, MDT, ANP, and GPN services.

This role has been developed to strengthen governance structures at a Northern Federation level and build on the good work already in place within individual Federations. Federation governance leads will continue to operate locally, with Anne providing coordination, support, and assurance across the region.

We look forward to working with Anne as she settles into her role.

💼 Appointment of Project Coordinator – NFSU

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Hannah Wilson as Project Coordinator within the Northern GP Federation Support Unit (NFSU).

Hannah will play a key role in coordinating and delivering a range of projects and workstreams, providing expert business support across the four Northern Federations — Antrim Ballymena, Causeway, East Antrim, and Mid Ulster.

Her work will support the implementation of new services and initiatives and ensure the smooth and timely delivery of project outcomes.

Watch This Space

📝 Upcoming Member Survey

We are in the process of developing a Member Survey that will soon be shared with all Northern Member Practices.

The aim of this survey is to gather valuable insights to help us better understand your priorities and ensure that NFSU’s work remains aligned with the needs of your Practice — while taking into account the practical constraints we operate within.

For example, we are currently exploring training requirements across Practices and assessing whether there are opportunities to support cost savings through centralised training options.Your input will be essential in shaping how we move forward with initiatives like these.

💻 Practice Index Learning Update

Following a meeting with our Practice Index Account Manager at the end of September, we are currently exploring a range of options, which will be discussed further with our Executive Team.

At this stage, it is likely that the Federation will not continue funding Practice Index Learning.

This decision is being considered as 47% of Practices have never completed a course through the platform, and only 11% have completed more than 100 courses over the past three years.

However, we are in discussions to secure the most competitive pricing possible for Practices that actively use several components of Practice Index.

Please keep an eye on our general communications and upcoming newsletters for further updates.

Accurx Scribe in Northern Ireland –

Demo & Live Q&A

Join Accurx for an exclusive session introducing Accurx Scribe, their exciting new product designed to transform the way you work. A member of the Accurx clinical team will be in attendance to provide expert insight and answer your questions.

In this interactive session, you’ll:

Discover what Ambient Voice Technology (AVT) is and how it can benefit your practice
Learn how to get started with Accurx Scribe
Watch a live demo showcasing its features and how they can add value to your workflow
Find out about our free trial, how it works, and what’s next
Take part in a live Q&A with the Accurx team

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore how Accurx Scribe can enhance your day-to-day clinical practice.

Click to register for the Demo & Live Q&A

Wednesday 26th November 12-1pm

Wednesday 3rd December 12-1pm

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

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