What’s New

Bookings are now open for the virtual Masterclass running on Thursday 11th September, 2pm – 4.45 via MS Teams. As you will see on the flyer, there are a range of sessions across each ‘track’ which are relevant for different members of the general practice team, depending on their individual roles and responsibilities. To book for this event, please email gmicb-sto.learningdevelopment@nhs.net providing the name, role, email address and the name of the sessions (this will be a maximum of three sessions) required for each delegate. For enquiries please email gmicb-sto.learningdevelopment@nhs.net or call 07393 798115.

The conference will be taking place on Friday 7th November 2025, 9am – 4.15 at MMU Business School, All Saints, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6BH. APs, Trainee APs, Lead on Service Transformation or Service Redesign across GM are invited to attend? It will include: Inspiring presentations; Sharing impact of Advanced Practice; Benefits of the Advanced Practice Role; Showcasing service redesign, the benefits of the conference are: Key updates; System transformation; Implementing best practice, Networking opportunities. Please see click here for further details to register your interest scan the QR code or follow this link.

A recorded workshop can be found on the Section 7a Screening & Immunisation FutureNHS Platform, along with many other national and local resources via this  link. There are no further workshops planned at this time, details will be circulated for further sessions to support the routine 0-5yrs vaccination schedule changes from 1st January 2026 in due course. In the meantime, please be reminded of the next GM GP Practice immunisation leads meeting via MS Teams for Thursday 19th September 2025, 1pm – 1.30, please join via this link – Join the Meeting – Meeting ID: 377 535 026 079 : Passcode: hhML2X .

The Greater Manchester Primary Care Provider Board have arranged the following Conflict training, suitable for General Practice staff:

• ‘Responding Well to Conflict (For front-line staff) – GP and Practice Manager-led online training designed for non-clinical frontline staff. This interactive session covers common sources of patient conflict and provides practical tools for de-escalation and managing the emotional impact:
  • Thursday 25th September 2025, 2pm – 4.30 – Click here to register
  • Thursday 27th November 2025, 2pm – 4.30 – Click here to register
  • Thursday 12th February 2026, 2pm – 4.30 – Click here to register
• ‘Responding Well to Conflict (For Managers) – This session explores effective ways to support staff when they face conflict in the workplace, including instances of abuse from patients. It will also cover the contractual obligations and practical steps involved in managing abusive or violent patients. This session is specifically designed for managers working in General Practice:
  • Thursday 2nd October 2025, 2pm – 3.30 – Click here to register

Are You an Assistant Practitioner or Nursing Associate Looking to Become a Registered Nurse? The RNDA offers a fantastic opportunity to advance your career while continuing to work in a healthcare setting. This programme allows experienced healthcare staff to train as Registered Nurses through practical, on-the-job learning and academic study, ultimately leading to a nursing degree and NMC registration. What is Involved? Work-Based Learning: Earn while you learn in your current role; Academic Study: Gain a recognised nursing degree; Professional Registration: Qualify as a Registered Nurse upon completion. Funding Available: please click here for details. Further details regarding the programme are available here please scan the QR code or click here to express your interest by Friday 8th August 2025. If you have any questions or require further details, please email carla.slater1@nhs.net.

Paramedic’s working in Primary Care who are looking to develop their skills and gain postgraduate qualification, are eligible for this fully funded course. The course fees will be paid via the funding available from NHS Greater Manchester. Available Pathways: PgCert in Clinical Education; PgCert in Medical Education; PgCert in Health Professions Education, if you have already completed a PgCert, you can progress to a: Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip); Full Masters of Science (MSc), starting from a Postgraduate Diploma. Please see the flyer for further details. To express your interest, please click here or scan the QR code on the flyer.

If you are working with population groups more likely to be experiencing health inequalities and are passionate about making a difference, you might want to become an NHS England » Core20PLUS ambassador. You will receive ongoing support for your project, learning and networking opportunities and will need your manager’s agreement to take part. Anyone working in the NHS and across integrated care systems, in local authorities, voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) or in industry who is committed to narrowing healthcare inequalities can apply. Application deadline is Friday 12th September 2025, for the programme to take place in November 2025 – October 2026. If you have any questions about the programme or application process, please email england.core20plusambassador@nhs.net. If you would like to apply, please complete the expressions of interest form.

You are invited to save the date for the Greater Manchester Primary Care Summit 2025 – “Primary Care in Partnership: Celebrating 10 Years, setting the Vision Future” will be taking place on Wednesday 8th October 2025, 11am – 5pm (lunch provided) at The Village Hotel Ashton, Pamir Drive, Ashton-Under-Lyne OL7 0LY (free parking available). The event has been organised by Greater Manchester Primary Care Board (PCB), the partnership of primary care providers. The PCB brings together the four primary care disciplines of  General Practice, Community Pharmacy, Dentistry and Optometry. This event will celebrate 10 years of Primary Care in Partnership, as well as look ahead to the next decade as we design the Primary Care vision for the future. The face-to-face event will: Celebrate what we have achieved over the past 10 years; Focus on the NHS 10 Year Health Plan and what it means for all four disciplines of Primary Care; Highlight the future vision for Primary Care collaboration and the work of the PCB. It is free to attend, please visit the PCB Website, X and LinkedIn for further updates.

The GM Training Hub are inviting Advanced Practitioners (APs) from across the GM System to submit posters for the upcoming GM Advancing Practicing Conference. This is your opportunity to shine a spotlight on the innovative work you’re doing – whether in service design, quality improvement, research, financial impact, efficiency gains or productivity enhancements – all contributing to improved patient care. They are particularly interested in initiatives that are led by APs and align with the Long Term Plan’s three transformation shifts: taking care from hospital into the community. moving conversations and celebrate the vital role APs play across their system and there will also be awards on the day. Please complete the MS Form here and email your poster submission to bookings@gmfeds.co.uk by Tuesday 30th September 2025. Please note you will be required to print out your poster for the conference (A1 or A2 Size), please let the GMTH know if you have any problems with this.

The GM Dermatology Transformation team will be running a series of summer lunchtime webinars, to support practices to use the new Dermatology SPoA, Accenda Gateway software. The sessions will: Provide and overview of the GM Dermatology Transformation Programme; Demonstrate how to use the software; Answer any questions you may have about the process. All sessions will cover the same content so please attend the session that is more suitable for you. The sessions are for anyone who is involved in GP practice Dermatology referrals including Clinicians, Practice Managers and Secretaries. Further details and a list of the webinar dates along with the MS Teams links can be found here.

This two-day interactive course is designed to provide an overview of the developmental and other common health problems in children. It will be taking place on Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd January 2026 (delegates must attend the 2 full days to obtain a certificate of attendance). Following on from the theory course, practical sessions must be undertaken to cover the full spectrum of the course content. These practical sessions should be undertaken during your general practice placement. Please see the course content for further details. To book your place please complete the booking form, please note there is a cost of £200 to attend this course which is not funded by Greater Manchester ICB (Stockport). Please email stella.matley@stockport.nhs.uk if you require any further information.

This session will be taking place on Thursday 18th September 2025, 12pm – 2pm via MS Teams. The course is funded using national ring-fenced CPD funding from NHSE, therefore only the following roles are eligible to attend – GPNs, ACPs (excluding Pharmacists), Nurse Associates, ANPs, Paramedics, Physiotherapists. HIV Awareness training equips you with the knowledge and skills to support people living with or affected by HIV. Please see the HIV Awareness Poster for further details. Please click here or scan the QR code on the poster to express your interest.

This session taking place on Wednesday 8th October 2025, 9am – 11am via MS Teams, is targeted at those who haven’t had previous experience of note summarising. The aim is to give delegates the knowledge and skills to effectively code and summarise notes to provide a consistent approach across Stockport practices. Please see the flyer for further details, the maximum cost per person for this training is £27.50. To book a place(s) an email must be sent to gmicb-sto.learningdevelopment@nhs.net from either the Practice Manager or Lead GP, confirming the names, roles and contact details of those that require places. By submitting this booking request, you are confirming that you have agreed the process to deduct the agreed costs from your next NHS GM payment.

There are still places available for this course that Dr Baxter will be running, it is suitable for Non-Registered HCSWs e.g. APs, TNAs & HCAs – please see eligibility details on the flyer. It will be taking place over 6 half-days (2 f2f/4 zoom – all 9.30 – 12.45) on: Monday 29th September, Pinewood House, Poplar Grove SK2 7JD; Tuesday 30th September – Friday 3rd October via zoom: Monday 6th October, Pinewood House, Poplar Grove SK2 7JD (all 6 dates must be attended). Bookings should be made via email to gmicb-sto.learningdevelopment@nhs.net.

These virtual updates are suitable for GPs, Nurse Practitioners, Practice Nurses and Nurse Associates, who provide menopause care. Taking place on: Wednesday 1st October, 1pm – 1.45 (Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) & Genito-Urinary Syndrome in Menopause); Wednesday 5th November, 1pm – 1.45 (Bleeding on HRT & Other Side Effects); Wednesday 17th December, 12.15 – 1pm (Complementary & Alternative Therapies & Common Referrals). Please see the flyer for further details. These are pick & mix and there is no need to attend all of them, all taking place via MS Teams. Bookings should be made via Ticket Tailor, using this link – https://buytickets.at/nhsgreatermanchesterstockport/1768735 where there will be an option to choose the date(s) you would like to attend. Enquiries can be made via gmicb-sto.learningdevelopment@nhs.net or 07393 798115.

Taking place on Thursday 9th October 2025, 1pm – 3pm at Mastercall, International House, Pepper Road SK7 5BW, this session is predominantly aimed at GPs and PNs who can do speculum examinations and cervical smears. However, the session is also of benefit to those who cannot do examinations and smears but plan to change pessaries in nursing home. All delegates should be competent to perform vaginal examinations prior to attending this training. The aim is to provide delegates with the theoretical and practical knowledge and skills to enable them to change Ring, Shelf & Gelhorn Pessaries. Please see the flyer for further details, bookings should be made via Ticket Tailor using this booking link – https://buytickets.at/nhsgreatermanchesterstockport/1769954. Enquiries can be made via gmicb-sto.learningdevelopment@nhs.net or 07393 798115.

As colleagues will be aware, the GMS (General Medical Services) 2017 contract and the HSCA (Health and Social Care Act) state that general practice is required both contractually and legally to provide their workforce data. This data collection is in the form of the National Workforce Reporting system (NWRS) which practices are expected to review monthly and amend accordingly. It is the only national collection of General Practice workforce data. This data plays a pivotal role in terms of understanding numbers of different direct patient care roles in GM and understanding how this benchmarks against other regions. The NWRS system also helps us understand our system position on areas such as turnover and how we may improve retention. The data supports workforce planning at both a national and local level and where we may need to improve workforce supply and entry into different roles. The completeness of the NWRS dataset also has a bearing on funding allocations for continuing professional development (CPD). It is therefore important that allocations are aligned to accurate workforce numbers. Further details around how the data provided is used can be found here. Last logged in and last modified dates from the NWRS are published in the GM Data Quality Dashboard each week, which we will be monitoring more routinely going forwards. We are asking all practices to review their NWRS workforce data submissions and where information has not been updated in the last 6 months, practices will be contacted separately. Whilst we recognise the current pressures practices are under, given the importance of this data, please can we ask that updating the information is made a priority. For any practice manager/nominated personnel that is not registered on the system, you can register here. The email address for NWRS support for PCN and practice staff is ssd.nationalservicedesk@nhs.net, where there is a dedicated helpdesk team. Please quote “NWRS” in the subject line. The next NWRS webinar will take place on Thursday 31^st July at 12.30pm. Please join the webinar via this – link – Meeting ID: 383 499 632 125 5 – Passcode: f52mX2gt 

Answer Cancer – Greater Manchester’s cancer screening engagement programme are holding free online training, including: Planning & Measuring Success; How to Run Brilliant Cancer Screening Awareness Sessions; NHS Cancer Screening Programme; Difficult Conversations – Talking about Cancer: The Why and How to do it; Workplace Wellbeing: Cancer and Cancer Screening. To register in advance and find out more, please click here and follow the relevant links. If you have any queries, please email actraining@uni.uk.net.

Stockport MBC are offering new dates for their popular Suicide Awareness for Professionals training, which is free of charge for anyone working or volunteering in Stockport.  The next available sessions are scheduled for Tuesday 8th July 2025, 9.30 – 12pm and Wednesday 30th July, 9.30 – 12pm both via zoom. The aim is to: Develop understanding & compassion; Tackle myths, stigma & barriers; Introduce concept that suicide is not inevitable – people can be helped & module includes the latest research & evidence; Help delegates understand how distress develops & how people can best be supported; Gives delegates the confidence & the skills practice of talking to someone in distress; Develop a compassionate approach for demanding & time-pressured environments; Equip the delegate with the knowledge of how to use www.StayingSafe.net.  No prior experience required. To book your place please complete the Suicide Awareness for Professionals Booking Form, for further details attached or email info@wellbeing@stockport.gov.uk. Important: Please only book a place if you can be sure to attend as this is a very popular course and is always oversubscribed, they are unable to run without majority of delegates attending. New training dates are offered monthly but for anyone not able to attend, yet still wanting to avail themselves of relevant online self-study options, please see a list of alternative training options here.

The Greater Manchester Training Hub will be running some Docman training, that will be available until the end of July 2025. The session will cover: Hints & Tips – Sign on, clinical system linkage, user guides and Home screen functionality; Docman Process: Efficient methods for using Docman in general practice including a step by step process following the path of a letter/document; Docman Filing: Guidance on managing scanned letters, EDTs and NHS Email, including who should file them and when; Docman Non-Clinical & Clinical Tasks: Best practices for assigning tasks within the system and understanding which documents require attention including Docman coding; Docman Back Office: Exploring changes to the back office and how they can improve workflow; Further Hints & Tips; Q&A. To book this training, please email laura.howson@oneadvanced.com, please ensure you state whether you are booking for a PCN or a Practice.

Two sessions have been arranged to take place on Wednesday 10th September 2025, 9am – 12pm and Tuesday 11th November 2025, 1pm – 4pm at the Northwest Heart Centre, UHSM, Southmoor Road, Wythenshawe M23 9LT. This course is suitable for Practice Nurses, Nurse Associates, Assistant Practitioners and Health Care Assistants looking for practical ECG training, the aim is to provide a short tutorial on how to do good quality 12 lead ECG and troubleshooting. Followed by hands on practical ECG clinic – further details can be found on the flyer. The cost to attend this training is £75pp for delegates employed by a Stockport General Practice. However, for a session to be viable we need 2 delegates to attend (total cost of £150). We will match up individuals wanting to attend so practices can just book one place. Please bear in mind, if we cannot fill the second place, we will contact you to re-arrange the training date or cancel your place (or alternatively give the opportunity to cover the full session of £150 to enable the session to run). The cost of this training will be deducted from the next practice payment for NHS GM (please see the flyer for further details)

To support changes to the childhood vaccination schedule from 1 July, a communications resource pack is now available here. This includes a range of supporting communications materials in one place to support healthcare professionals including signposting to training materials and patient leaflets as well as communications materials to support queries and conversations with patients. A webinar was hosted by UKHSA, with key spokespeople from UKHSA and NHSE on 11th June which was attended by thousands of GPs and ICB colleagues. If you missed the webinar, or want to refresh yourself with the information, the session was recorded and can be watched here . Resources:

• A set of guidance and resources have been produced to implement the changes to the routine childhood vaccination schedule and the selective hepatitis B programme.
• Childhood immunisation eligibility calculator to be downloaded (MS Excel file).
• Red book inserts for the changes to the routine childhood schedule 2025/2026 are free and can be ordered from sales@harlowsolutions.co.uk or by phone 0191 455 4286.
• PDF versions of the Red Book inserts and instructions on how to use them for the changes to the routine childhood schedule 2025/2026 –  p20a – Version 5.0 – Section 4 – immunisation (PHASE 1) – 1st July 2025; p21a – Version 5.0 – Section 4 – immunisation (PHASE 1) – July 2025; p22 – Version 5.0 – Section 4 – immunisation (PHASE 1) – 1st July 2025; 29-04-25_Page21_12 months; 356148 – Immunisation pages Instruction leaflet A4; p18 – Version 5.0 – Section 4 – immunisation (PHASE 1) – 1st July 2025; p20 – Version 5.0 – Section 4 – immunisation (PHASE 1) – 1st July 2025
• To order resources shown in the publications slide set, [please visit the health publications website. Register as a health care professional and you can order 500-1000 leaflets free of charge including delivery.

Greater Manchester Screening & Immunisation Team are facilitating several online workshops to support you through the planned changes taking effect from 1st July 2025. The workshops will be open to all healthcare professionals working in Greater Manchester, with a role in immunisation particularly those working in primary care, health visiting and community teams, including hospital and trust-based staff. To note, this is a workshop for health care colleagues only and not open to members of the public. It is hoped that, by attending one of these workshops, you will gain further detail on the changes with a chance to ask questions. There is no need to join all sessions as the core content of the workshop will be repeated at each session, with opportunity to ask questions at the end. Each question and answer will be added to a Q and A paper after each session, this will be available to view on FutureNHS platform (link below). A full list of available dates along with the link to join a meeting of your choice, can be found here. These are workshops for health care colleagues only and not open to members of the public. For those who are unable to join one of the sessions, the initial GM Workshop with Q&As will be recorded and uploaded via FutureNHS platform: IMMUNISATION WEBINARS – Greater Manchester Screening & Immunisation – FutureNHS Collaboration Platform. For any healthcare professional enquiries, please email england.gmsit@nhs.net and include ‘Webinar/Workshop Question’ within the subject text box.

The South East Region is hosting a national webinar to celebrate sustainability in the NHS during the Net Zero Week. Join them for a full-day virtual event showcasing how NHS colleagues across the country are making sustainability part of everyday healthcare. From decarbonising estates to embedding sustainability in clinical care, engaging staff, and applying for green funding – this is your chance to learn, share, and take action. With 30-minute sessions on Wednesday 30th July, from 8am to 6pm, you can jump in and out of the showcase when it works for you. Expect practical tips, inspiring case studies, and expert insights from across the country. Click here to find out more and reserve your space.

Dr Lisa Adams and Dr Sara MacDermott are back with the latest episode of the Primary Care Knowledge Boost podcast. They are joined by Paediatric Ear Nose and Throat Consultant, Dr Simone Schaefer for a focus on nasal obstruction in children. This is episode four on Paeditraic ENT. They use examples of typical cases to discuss an approach to assessing these patients, discussing who ENT might want to see urgently and differentials for these presentations. The podcast includes options for management in primary care and what ENT can do. Listen in to the podcast via the Podbean website.

If you haven’t already done so would you please take a couple of minutes to complete the GM Primary Care & Community Nursing Forum survey, via this link. As you are aware there has been a reduction in the nursing leadership capacity within NHS GM and they are looking at ways Practice and Community Nursing can be supported moving forward. Your input/feedback would be welcome to help understand what is needed and how this could be delivered.

Taking place via zoom on Wednesday 24th September 2025, 12.30 – 1.30, this session is part of CPD training and is suitable for Primary Care AHPs and Nurses. Basic Sign Language (BSL) is a rich and expressive language that combines hand gestures, facial expressions and body movements. In this engaging 60-minute taster session you’ll gain insight into BSL and start developing basic signing skills, please see the flyer for further details. Bookings should be made via email to gmicb-sto.learningdevelopment@nhs.net. Enquiries can be made via gmicb-sto.learningdevelopment@nhs.net 07393 798115.

Live Well training sessions are scheduled to run in each Stockport Neighbourhood and are open to you and anybody that lives or works in your area. The sessions run for 3- hours and aim to bring together people from across all sectors for a fun and informative training programme, designed to connect you to the heart of the community! Each session will provide: Community Connection: It brings people together, connecting and sharing the strengths of your neighbourhood/community; Opportunities to Make a Difference: It shows us the opportunities that may pass us by, where we can make a difference; Practical Tools: It provides the tools that we can use in our work and our daily lives that are quick, easy and don’t add to the to-do list. What to Expect: Build relationships: Connect and form relationships across our collective workforce; Explore Strengths: Explore the strengths and assets of your neighbourhood; Gain knowledge: Acquire tools and knowledge to help you in your work; Make Every Contact Count: Gain understanding and confidence to Make Every Contact Count – a really quick, easy and useful way to support the people of Stockport. Who Should Attend: Perfect for anyone in the Private, Public or Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise sectors in your neighbourhood. Book your spot using this link – CLICK HERE FOR LIVE WELL DATES and please spread the word. More dates will be added, so please check back regularly as more sessions become available.

Stockport College run Functional Skills Qualifications classes in Maths and English, which are fully funded upto level 2, as part of their ‘Live Well, Learn Well’ Adult Learning courses (new for September 2025). The next courses start in September 2025 and they are running assessment and enrolment sessions over the summer at the College Campuses on: Tuesday 24th June, 4pm – 8pm; Tuesday 26th August, 11am – 3pm; Thursday 28th August, 11am – 3pm; Thursday 11th September, 4pm -7pm. For more information please see the flyer  or contact Stockport College at community@tscg.ac.uk or call 0161 886 7047.

This 3-day palliative care face-to-face training programme taking place on Wednesday’s 20th August, 27th August and 3rd September (all 3 day’s must be attended) in Little Hulton, is aimed at Health and Social Care staff who want to enhance their knowledge and skills in palliative and end-of-life care. There is a cost of £210pp to attend (this is for all 3 days). Please see the agenda for further details, if you are interested in attending please email education@sah.org.uk.

Recruiting has now started to the latest cohort of Student Nursing Associate (SNA) Programme for the Spring 2025 intake, with the University of Salford and the University of Greater Manchester. The SNA (previously know as the Trainee Nursing Associate) is a support role in England that bridges the gap between healthcare support workers and registered nurses to deliver hands-on, person centred care as part of the nursing team. What funding is available?: For each SNA, employers will be eligible for a total funding sum of £8,323 over two years; PCNS have the option to utilise ARRS funding to cover the SNA salary. For further details please see the Launch Letter and Principles or email GMTH@GMFeds.co.uk.

The British Menopause Society (BMS) have developed a series of short videos covering some of the key topics in menopause care by leading specialists in their field. The videos can be accessed via this link – BMS TV – British Menopause Society.