Mid Ulster GP Federation Quarterly Newsletter - Autumn 2025
- Northern Federation Support Unit
- Oct 31
- 6 min read
Dear Mid Ulster Staff/Practices,
We are delighted to publish another Mid Ulster quarterly newsletter. Hopefully you will find much of the content informative and useful.
We welcome any feedback or thoughts with regards to our newsletters, so please feel free to contact us.
📅Federation Education
Our next Protected Learning Time (PLT) afternoon, with Dalriada Urgent Care providing cover, will take place on Wednesday 19 November.
This is a great opportunity to host an in-house PBL session tailored to your own practice’s needs — whether that’s clinical learning, team development, or another area your team would benefit from most.
DUC will provide practice cover from 2:00pm to 6:00pm.
Northern GP Federation Support Unit Update (NFSU)
To put a face to our names and for the relevant contact details, click here -
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
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 - January 2026
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