Issue 380: NHS Primary Care Bulletin - 12 March 2026

Introduction

This article summarises the NHS England Primary Care Bulletin for 12 March 2026, the weekly email update for teams in general practice, dentistry, community pharmacy, and optometry.

This week’s bulletin addresses several significant themes, including analysis of patient experiences within GP services, new resources for suicide prevention, and updates regarding NHS prescriptions and support for care leavers. Additionally, NHS England is promoting upcoming webinars aimed at improving urgent care services and enhancing digital health practices.

Experiences of GP services in England

The latest figures from the Health Insight Survey indicate a positive upward trend, with 76.8 per cent of respondents reporting that contacting their GP is easy. This figure marks the highest level since the survey's inception and is a crucial indicator of access improvements as stated in the Medium-Term Planning Framework. The Office for National Statistics has also released a thematic analysis of GP service experiences along with an interactive dashboard for further exploration of the data.

New updates to the online form for GP patient registrations

The online GP registration form has been revised to better identify past and present armed forces members. This modification asks patients if they or a family member have served in the UK Armed Forces, enhancing data collection for tailored support for veterans and their families concerning NHS priority services. Further details can be found in the updated article on Register with a GP surgery.

Clinically urgent same day webinars

Two upcoming national webinars hosted by NHS England will focus on the GP contract requirements for clinically urgent patients. The ICB webinar is scheduled for 25 March at 4 PM, and the Practice webinar will take place on 26 March at 5 PM. The sessions will offer practical guidance on appointment categorisation and data quality improvements.

Webinar on implementing the Single Point of Access model

A webinar on bringing the Single Point of Access model to life is set for 19 March from 12 PM to 1.30 PM. This session aims to assist general practice and operational teams in implementing SPoA effectively, with discussions on enhancing patient access and referrals.

Breast screening digital digest

A recent Breast screening digital digest is now available, which includes information on digital products used in breast screening. The focus of this month’s issue is on clear messaging in appointment reminders. To receive future editions, please fill in the form.

Raising GP awareness of trauma linked to historic forced adoption

GP teams are encouraged to acknowledge the long-term trauma associated with historic forced adoption practices as informed by the Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry. Awareness here includes recognising how this history affects patient interactions and accessing existing NHS mental health pathways when necessary.

Structured learning placements for GP specialty training

Structured Learning Placements (SLPs) are part of GP specialty training and involve an educational programme aligned with the GP curriculum. More information about SLPs can be found here.

Update on care leavers' entitlement to free NHS prescriptions, dental and eyecare

New government support for care leavers includes free NHS prescriptions, dental, and eyecare, with implementation expected by the end of 2026. Until this is in effect, care leavers should continue to pay typical NHS charges unless exempt. Additional information about health cost help is available on the NHS website.

Suicide prevention learning resource published

NHS England has launched an initiative called Opening Doors, a learning resource designed to aid staff in identifying signs of suicidal distress. It includes an animation and is accessible via the NHS Learning Hub.

AI Ambassador Network and Responsible AI NHS Champions co-hosted meeting

A meeting of the AI Ambassador Network is scheduled for 1 April at 10.30 AM. This meeting will discuss AI strategies within NHS processes and how organisations can effectively implement AI technologies in their services.

Opportunity to join the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson programme

Applications are invited for the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson programme. This partially funded programme supports individuals in primary care and related sectors transitioning towards community-based services. Applications close at 5 PM on 23 March. For queries, contact the programme team at england.la-anderson-prog@nhs.net.

Community of practice national neighbourhood health webinar

The next community of practice webinar for the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme is set for 18 March from 9 AM to 10.30 AM, focusing on updates regarding data and digital metrics.

Upcoming webinars and events

Several webinars and events are on the calendar:

• 19 March, 2 PM-3.30 PM: NHS England and City of London Police Cyber Griffin Primary Care Cybersecurity Webinar - Cyber Baseline Part A

• 25 March, 4 PM-5 PM: Clinically urgent same day webinar: ICB webinar

• 26 March, 5 PM-6 PM: Clinically urgent same day webinar: practice webinar

• 26 March: Social Prescribing Day

• 14 April, 12 PM-1.30 PM: Growing occupational health and wellbeing together

• 14 April, 2 PM-3.30 PM: NHS England and City of London Police Cyber Griffin Primary Care Cybersecurity Webinar - Cyber Baseline Part B

• 22 April, 12.30 PM-1.15 PM: GatewayC webinar on supporting earlier breast cancer diagnosis

• 10-11 June 2026: NHS ConfedExpo

Records of recent national webinars are available for review:

• General Practice webinars

Content in this article is drawn from the NHS England Primary Care Bulletin. Patient.info edits and formats the updates to provide a clear, accessible archive for professionals. For the original email, see this link.