Cheshire and Merseyside ICB has published its primary care action plan, setting out a roadmap for key digital programmes and priorities across the region.
Rolling out digital triage and online consultations will continue and ambient voice technology will be piloted in selected practices as part of a system-wide trial, the ICB states. By the end of 2026/27, the board expects to have realised a “demonstrable reduction” in clinician admin burden, and an improvement in the quality and consistency of consultation notes. It also hopes to achieve associated improvements in clinician experience and patient-facing time.
The plan outlines expectations to increase use of the NHS App, with registrations at 69 percent, below the national average of 74 percent, and to introduce additional digital metrics for 2026/27. Emphasis will be placed on promoting the NHS App as the main digital front door to primary care, with practices to be supported in enabling appointment booking, and push notifications to be the primary method of contacting patients. For NHS Notify, the ICB shares plans to limit ICB-funded SMS fragments to 20 per registered patient, per year, as well as to continue training sessions for practices to support them to transition to NHS App notifications.
The ICB states a move to progress a place and share care record for pharmacy, and to tackle a “big blind spot from digital data” for dentistry, with plans to explore use cases, systems and next steps.
There will be a focus on understanding demand and capacity to support new contract asks, amending GP contract regulations to align with existing cloud-based telephony requirements, and requiring practices to provide timely data and information relating to online or video consultations.
An access improvement and variation plan submitted to NHSE in June 2025 will be refreshed by the end of Q1 2026/27, it states, to promote the use of data and local intelligence in identifying and addressing unwarranted variation and practice progress.
Wider trend: Digital primary care
HTN was joined for a recent HTN Now webinar by an expert panel to discuss AI in primary care, covering successes and challenges with implementing AI in primary care, governance, adoption, and other practical learnings. Katie Baker, Director UK & Ireland of Tandem Health; Mateen Ellahi, GP and member of NHSE primary care advisory group, South Stockton PCN, Elm Tree Surgery; and Paul Miller, head of IT at Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB made up our panel.
A pilot of the Connected Health Network model at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust is using video call functionality to bring specialist rheumatology input into primary care, with the ambition of reducing “unnecessary referrals to secondary care”. The model includes a GP with a special interest in rheumatology and dermatology triaging patients; a lead consultant joining the last part of the clinic by video call to discuss and advise on investigations, management and referrals; and direct access for patients to physiotherapy, weight loss programmes, social prescribing, and mental health support.
European AI and digital health company Doctolib, has announced an investment into Medicus with commitments of over £100 million to hire 150 people and establish a full R&D centre in London. “Doctolib and Medicus will build on the strong product, team and understanding of NHS primary care that Medicus has built, while bringing Doctolib’s AI and technological expertise and track record with more than 40,000 GPs in Europe,” Doctolib stated in the announcement. Medicus will continue to operate with its team, including CEO and founder, with an aim to grow following being the first new GP clinical software system in the NHS in 25 years.
