389: NHS Primary Care Bulletin - 14 May 2026

Introduction

This article summarises the NHS England Primary Care Bulletin for 14 May 2026, the weekly email update for teams in general practice, dentistry, community pharmacy, and optometry.

This week’s bulletin includes important updates regarding the Spring 2026 COVID-19 vaccination programme, a new dedicated email address for community pharmacy communications, and the availability of unscheduled dental care data in eDEN. Additionally, there are announcements about upcoming webinars and research opportunities for healthcare professionals.

Reminder on Spikevax LP.8.1 vaccine shelf life and stock management

The Spikevax LP.8.1 vaccine has a maximum refrigerated shelf life of 30 days once thawed. Due to distribution timelines, deliveries may arrive with less than 30 days of shelf life remaining. Only order what is necessary for confirmed clinic activities. If a delivery has under seven days of shelf life, prior notification will be provided. Packdown boxes are available via the FDP Supply Dashboard, and patient information leaflets are included with all orders.

Notification for healthcare professionals regarding COVID-19 vaccinations

Healthcare professionals are reminded not to refer patients who are housebound or require specialist allergy support for COVID-19 vaccinations to 119. Local primary care should support housebound individuals, and specialists should manage patients with severe allergic reactions in accordance with the Green Book guidelines.

Infection prevention and control measures for Andes virus

Following an outbreak of Andes virus, guidance has been published on infection prevention and control measures for asymptomatic contacts, suspected, and confirmed cases. The document provides case definitions and risk assessment details relevant to healthcare settings, including primary care. Further information can be found in the clinical pathway actions cards for primary care settings. The risk to the public remains very low.

Dedicated email address available for community pharmacy communications

In line with the changes to the 2026/27 GP contract, GP practices are required to have a dedicated email address for community pharmacy communications. Existing secure shared mailboxes can be used to fulfill this requirement, ensuring smooth communication without the need for new accounts.

Referral to the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme

Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week takes place from 25-31 May. The NHS Healthier You Diabetes Prevention Programme has successfully prevented numerous new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes. GPs can refer eligible individuals, including those with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia and women with gestational diabetes histories.

Unscheduled care data now available in eDEN

The new unscheduled care reporting for 2026/27 is now accessible in eDEN, which assists contractors in monitoring the delivery of mandated unscheduled care requirements. Providers can register for eDEN online, gaining access to a comprehensive dashboard for tracking performance along with various contract performance data.

GP webinar on single point of access

NHS England is hosting a national webinar on 21 May from 5pm-6pm. The session will cover the elective single points of access (SPoA) and discuss how these affect referrals, advice, and collaboration with secondary care. Participants can register for the webinar.

NHS Health Check invite tooling research participation

NHS England seeks participation from practice managers and staff in user research for a potential new NHS Health Check invite and reminder tool. This involves a remote session lasting 45-60 minutes. For more information, please click here.

Upcoming webinars and events

• 20 May, 3pm-4.30pm Modern Service Framework: palliative care and end of life care webinar

• 21 May, 11-12pm Understanding and using the Sickle cell clinical pathway initiative

• 21 May, 1-3pm Measles Epidemiology and Outbreak Response

• 21 May, 5pm-6pm GP webinar

• 10 June, 12.30-1.15pm Primary care pancreatic cancer webinar

• 10-11 June 2026, NHS ConfedExpo

Missed a recent national webinar? View slides and recordings on the 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.