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Spring newsletter 2026

Last Updated: Friday, 27 March 2026

Welcome to our Spring 2026 newsletter. As we move into lighter days and (hopefully!) warmer weather, we have several updates about our services, staffing, and upcoming national health campaigns.

📧 Help Us Reduce NHS Costs: Move to Email & NHS App Messaging

SMS messages are becoming one of the most expensive communication methods for the NHS.
In Cheshire & Merseyside, more than £1.5 million was spent on SMS messages in 2025 alone - and that does not include platform licence fees.

Email, by comparison, is free.

To reduce unnecessary NHS spend, and support better communication, we’re moving towards an email first approach, soon to be supported by the NHS App for results and notifications.

Why this matters

  • Lower cost to the NHS, so more funding is available for frontline patient care
  • Better messaging as emails can be longer and include more information

✔️ How you can help

Please:

  • Make sure we have your up-to-date email address
    • If you need to update us, you can do this online via our Digital Front Door:
      👉 https://blinx.uk/fcEaS
    • You can check the email address we have is correct through the NHS App
      • NHS App ➡️ Profile ➡️ Contact and login details ➡️ Contact details
  • Add our messaging address to your email’s safe senders list so you don’t miss any message incorrectly marked as Junk or Spam: no-reply@blinxhealth.com
  • Download and enable notifications on the NHS App, if you haven't already

Thank you for supporting this important transition.

☎️ Coming soon - Babblevoice TriageLine – Our New AI Supported Phone System

We’re excited to be working on the introduction of Babblevoice TriageLine, an AI powered telephone answering system that helps us manage calls more efficiently.

What this means for patients:

  • Faster call-handling during busy periods
  • More accurate routing to the right service through improved information gathering
  • More time for our Care Navigators to support patients with complex needs

The system is currently undergoing testing by our Patient Participation Group prior to going live. This forms part of our broader digital improvements alongside the Digital Front Door.

🎙️ Reminder: Heidi Ambient Voice Transcriptnno

A reminder that most of our doctors are using Heidi, a secure, AI powered transcription tool that creates consultation notes. The benefits of this include:

  • Reducing the doctor’s need to type during consultations, so they can listen to you
  • Improves accuracy and completeness of records
  • Helps the doctors run on time (or at least less late than they did!)

Important things for you to know:

  • The AI does not make any decisions, it simply turns sound into text
  • No audio is stored – it is deleted immediately once the text has been generated
  • You can opt-out or decline at any time before or during your consultation

💉 Spring & Autumn COVID 19 Vaccinations for Over 75s

From 2026 onwards, Grassendale Medical Practice will be delivering COVID 19 vaccinations for all patients aged 75+ during both the Spring and Autumn booster campaigns.

Invitations will be sent by SMS, email, and NHS App messages (where enabled), please keep an eye out for your invitation if you’re eligible.

👋 Staff Update

Two staffing changes this spring:

  • Nathan has left the Care Navigator team – we thank him for his contribution and wish him well in his new career in the film and entertainment industry.
  • Dr Alice Nancarrow has returned from maternity leave, we know many patients will be delighted to see her back.
  • Sadly this means that Dr Patel’s time with us nears an end, we’d like to thank her for fitting into our team so well and we hope to see her back again soon.

🏥 PCN Pop Up Clinics

Our Primary Care Network (PCN) has been hosting pop up health clinics across the area, which included an amazing event supporting The BEAT cardiovascular screening event.

  • 380 people screened
  • 10 new hypertension diagnoses
  • 6 new atrial fibrillation cases discovered
  • 6 new cases of heart failure identified
  • All these cases were diagnosed and started on treatment the same day!

You can attend if you:

  • Are aged 40 or over, and
  • Have ongoing breathlessness, fatigue, ankle swelling, or a chronic cough.

You do not need to see a GP first.

The next events are:

  • 2nd April at the South Liverpool Homes Easter event at GROW Speke
  • 26th May at the South Liverpool Homes Arden Drive event
  • 28th May at the South Liverpool Homes Family Fun Day event at Garston Skate Park

📲 Cervical Screening – Digital First Results via the NHS App

From 24 March 2026, the NHS Cervical Screening Programme is moving to digital first results for patients whose test requires referral to colposcopy.

What patients need to know:

  • If you have the NHS App, your result will be delivered to the app first.
  • If a colposcopy referral message is not read within 24 hours, a letter is posted automatically as a failsafe.
  • For all other screening communications, if the message is not read within 72 hours, a letter will be posted.
  • Some patients may also receive an SMS update.

Since mid 2025, over 3 million digital invitations have been sent nationally, with around 90% delivered digitally.

What we need from patients:

  • Please ensure you have the NHS App downloaded if you wish to receive your results digitally, with Notifications enabled.

To download or update the NHS App: 👉 www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/

📅 National Health Campaigns This Spring

🌿 Hay Fever & Allergy Season (April–August)

Now is the ideal time to think about taking a regular over the counter antihistamine and other self care strategies. Your local pharmacy can offer advice, or see this leaflet from the Self-care Forum [PDF].

☀️ Sun Awareness Week (6–12 May 2026)

Sun Awareness Week 2026 from the British Association of Dermatologists

🧠 Mental Health Awareness Week (11–17 May 2026)

Read more about the Mental Health Foundation’s Take ACTION campaign.

Our website also has links to local organisations that can offer help: Grassendale Medical Practice - Mental Health

👨‍👩‍👧 Carers Week (8–14 June 2026)

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don't think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support. We encourage carers to make themselves known to the practice so we can offer tailored support and vaccinations that will protect those you care for. Visit our website Carers page: Grassendale Medical Practice - Support for carers

👥 Patient Participation Group (PPG)

Our PPG welcomes new members throughout the year. If you’d like to influence how the practice develops and be involved in new services such as the automated telephone service, please let get in touch.

📅 Upcoming Bank Holiday Closures – Spring/Summer 2026

Please remember that the practice will be closed on Bank Holidays, but help remains available via NHS 111 online or by calling 111.

Our upcoming closures this spring are:

Date Bank Holiday
Friday 3 April 2026 Good Friday
Monday 6 April 2026 Easter Monday
Monday 4 May 2026 Early May Bank Holiday
Monday 25 May 2026 Spring Bank Holiday

Please ensure you order repeat prescriptions in advance to avoid running out of medication over the long weekends.