409 - Primary Care Bulletin: NHS Updates for 8 October 2026

Introduction

This article summarises the NHS England Primary Care Bulletin for 8 October 2026, the weekly email update for teams in general practice, dentistry, community pharmacy, and optometry.

Summary of main themes

This week’s bulletin highlights important updates related to coding appointments for clinically urgent patients, new vaccination guidelines for people experiencing homelessness, and the launch of the NHS General Practice Staff Survey. Additionally, there are updates on community pharmacy prescribing and the initiation of spinal muscular atrophy screening for newborns.

General practice

'How to' guide on coding appointments for clinically urgent patients

The GP contract mandates that requests identified as clinically urgent must be addressed on the same day. Guidance for recording these appointments is available, including support for TPP systems. An equivalent guide for EMIS systems is in development, with further details on NHS England’s website. A national webinar discussing this topic is also accessible for review on FutureNHS.

Pneumococcal and flu vaccines for people experiencing homelessness

New guidelines have been issued allowing people experiencing homelessness aged 16 and above to receive seasonal flu and pneumococcal vaccinations. It is essential for GP practices to offer vaccinations to eligible patients, regardless of registration status for flu, while pneumococcal vaccinations are restricted to registered patients only. Further details can be found in the Statement of Financial Entitlements.

Payments for the MMRV catch-up programme

A selective MMRV catch-up programme will run from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2028, focusing on children born between 1 January 2020 and 31 August 2022 who have not received the required vaccinations. Details regarding automated payments for administering this vaccine are outlined in the updated GMS Statement of Financial Entitlements.

Housebound and specialist support vaccination appointments

GP practices must ensure that all eligible housebound patients receive vaccinations in accordance with the GP service specification. Practices not participating in seasonal vaccination services should guide patients to local pathways for appointments. For additional information, refer to the autumn/winter 2026 provider guide.

The NHS General Practice Staff Survey

The NHS General Practice Staff Survey is open for responses from 5 October to 27 November 2026. This survey provides an opportunity for staff to share their experiences anonymously, aiming to improve working conditions in the NHS. Further details can be found through the NHS People Promise.

Community pharmacy

NHS community pharmacy prescribing information available

Resources supporting NHS community pharmacy prescribing, including the Professional Assurance Framework and the Prescription Management Guidance, are now accessible on the NHSBSA website. Furthermore, the latest updates to Part VIF of the Drug Tariff have been published, detailing payments linked to prescribing.

Primary care

Rollout of SMA screening for newborns begins in England

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) screening is commencing in England as part of the newborn blood spot test. The evaluation of this service will inform future recommendations from the UK National Screening Committee. More details, including FAQs and an SMA e-learning module, are available for healthcare professionals.

Upcoming webinars and events

Symptomatic patients with learning disabilities webinar

GatewayC will host a webinar on 13 October, discussing symptomatic patients with learning disabilities. This session will cover important topics such as diagnostic overshadowing and care continuity. Registration for the live or on-demand viewing can be done here.

GIRFT webinar: launch of national online pathway for headache care

A webinar will be held on 4 November to introduce NHS England’s new online pathway for headache management. Interested participants can register now.

More events/webinars

• 13 October, 12:30pm – 1:15pm: Symptomatic patients with learning disabilities webinar

• 4 November, 12:30pm – 1:30pm: GIRFT webinar: launch of national online pathway for headache care

• 11 November, 10:30am – 12:00pm: AI Ambassador Network Inaugural conference

Catch up

Recent national webinars

Missed a recent national webinar? You can view slides and recordings of various sessions on 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.Click here for the original email