Primary Care Dermatology marks first year anniversary
April marks the first anniversary of Primary Care Dermatology, which has received 3,300 referrals in its first year!
We’re proud of the positive impact the service is having, as evidenced by patient feedback. Healthcare Leader has just published a case study about our service which you can read here: Dermatology case study
As a reminder, Primary Care Dermatology provides specialist care for patients with a range of routine dermatological conditions where these cannot be treated within practice. Referrals are triaged via eRS and patients are referred to their most convenient local clinic for treatment. There are 12 clinic sites across the system and we have recently appointed a new GP with Extended Roles to increase capacity in Coventry and Warwickshire North..
If your practice or PCN would like more information about the service and how to refer, please contact swg-tr.primarycaredermatology@nhs.net
Digital Champions news
It’s been an extremely busy time for the Digital Champions.
Workshop: Over 50 delegates from across Coventry & Warwickshire joined Integrated Primary Care’s Digital Champions Team in March to hear how digital tools can help GP practices and Primary Care Networks work smarter. The event combined best practice case studies with mini masterclasses to give practices practical tips and best practice which could be applied in their own areas. You can read more about it here.
Case studies: Case studies covering recent projects are available to help practices and PCNs understand more about how the Champions service can support them. Recent case studies include:
- Enabling consistent NHS 111 appointment availability
- Improving NHS App uptake across Coventry & Warwickshire
We will be sharing more case studies so please keep an eye on the website.
Parkrun pilot: The team has just piloted joining the Leamington parkrun, working with the local parkrun affiliated practice, to raise awareness of the NHS App. The Champions spoke to over 160 people (of which 27 had not yet downloaded the app), providing support to download and make best use of the app. The team’s goal is to have something reproducible where any parkrun affiliated practices/PPGs can have a pop-up event at their local parkrun.
HSJ Digital Award: Last month saw the team present the NHS App uptake campaign to the HSJ Digital Awards judges as part of the final assessment. This was a great opportunity to share the positive work being done to reach different communities throughout Coventry & Warwickshire. The awards will be announced on 19 May 2026.
Spotlight on Primary Care Surge performance
Primary Care Surge is an important and reliable service, supporting practices experiencing workforce pressures.
Primary Care Surge has achieved 100% of its 1,518 contracted sessions this year (to date), helping practices deliver 25,313 appointments. Support is distributed across all practices in Coventry and Warwickshire to ensure fair share across the area and take up is evenly distributed across all four sub-places in line with practice list sizes.
Demand is typically highest towards the end of the week (Thursday and Friday), as well as peak times of the year such as winter months and post-bank holiday periods.
Find out more about Primary Care Surge.
Primary Care Gynaecology Service runs first group clinic
The PCGS ran its first group clinic for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) last month, with positive results.
The session was well attended, and the patients were very keen to share their experiences and journeys. The session focused on providing general information on symptoms, lifestyle approaches, treatment options, and available support designed to support self-management of PCOS.
The interactive session lasted approximately two hours and included plenty of discussion. Anecdotal feedback on the day was positive, and we are in the process of collecting more formal feedback. We plan to run more clinics on other suitable topics in the future.
Ophthalmology update
Since launching the Ophthalmology Coordination Service in May 2024, we have handled over 44,000 referrals.
We now regularly receive over 2,100 referrals each month. Patient feedback remains consistently high, with latest figures showing 95% patients rated our service overall as excellent or very good (Jan-March 2026).
Coventry & Warwickshire Training Hub
The latest Training Hub newsletter is now available to view https://www.cwtraininghub.co.uk/april-newsletter-2026-cwth/
If you don’t receive the newsletters directly and would like to be added to the distribution list, please send a request to cw.traininghub@nhs.net.
