Stakeholder Update
Autumn 2026
A Period of Innovation and Impact
Progress in Practice.
The Summer to Autumn period has thrown plenty of challenges our way, with the launch of our Children and Young People’s (CYP) Mental Health services at Crabbs Cross, the Primary Care Unit (PCU) Pilot at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, and further developments of contracts with our PCNs.
We continue to display that previous growth and hard work is paying off, with stronger relations being built between local providers and services to be proud of. Core teams continue to support the progress and development of the aforementioned services, and our PCN teams continue to excel at supporting practices and patients across our neighbourhoods.
Partnerships and Integration
Research opportunities for practices
Vertis has been asked by General Practice Worcestershire (at the request of the ICB) to take on the Research Capability Funding previously held by the ICB.
Historically, the CCG(s) and ICB have held this funding on behalf of general practice. It has previously been invested in GP Research Champion roles hosted by the ICB. However, following the ICB changes, these posts have ended.
Following this year's research funding notification, the proposal is to pass the funding to Vertis on behalf of general practice, for us to invest in our own research capacity, rather than it being held and controlled centrally by the ICB.
What this means for practices
We will recruit a small pool of GP Research Champions who will work across the county to support practices that are research-active with new opportunities, and practices wishing to become research-active. Being research-active has benefits for the practice, including income opportunities.
Next steps
An advert will be shared to recruit to the GP Research Champion pool, and a process to appoint to the pool will be undertaken in October.
Tell us if you are Research active! We have developed a short practice survey to find out whether you are already research-active, or, if you are not, whether you would like a discussion with one of the Champions once they are in post. We will send a separate reminder around to practices in a few weeks time as we’d like to be able to have a full picture across our member practices.
Updates will be provided through our stakeholder newsletter and to the Vertis and General Practice Worcestershire Boards, including introducing the Champions once they have been appointed.
Secondary Care Phlebotomy
We are awaiting payment from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust for the April–June pilot. As soon as the funding is received by Vertis, we will process payments to PCNs for practices to receive. A further update on payments and sign-up from 1st July 2026 will be confirmed as soon as possible. We are grateful to the Local Medical Committee for supporting discussions with the Acute Trust to ensure practices receive payment.
LMC GP event 20th October
We attended the LMC GP event to provide an update on Vertis Health as well as the work we have been doing with the General Practice Worcestershire Board. Thank you to Dr Gemma Moore and Dr Roy Williams for presenting at the event.
Vertis Information Pack and Contact Details
We are working on an updated information pack about Vertis Health, which we will share with our members. As part of this, we are updating our contact database.
If there is anyone in your practice who would like to receive our quarterly update, please let us know by emailing Adam Gourlay, Junior Comms Manager (adam.gourlay@nhs.net) so we can add them to our database and make sure information reaches the right people.
Flexible Working Opportunities
Please visit our Workforce page on our website for further information.
Adult ADHD
As we approach the first anniversary of our Adult ADHD Service, we are incredibly proud of what has been achieved in such a short space of time. From supporting patients across Worcestershire to being nominated for the Mental Health Clinical Improvement Award at the General Practice Awards, the past year has been an exciting and rewarding journey.
The continued growth of the service reflects the dedication of our teams, partners and stakeholders, whose support and collaboration have been invaluable. We are especially grateful to everyone who has taken the time to provide feedback. Your insights help us understand what is working well and where we can continue to improve, ensuring we deliver the best possible experience for the people who use our service.
Looking ahead, we are excited about the next chapter. Feedback received over the past year is helping to shape a refreshed service model, with enhancements to our pathways that will align with newly established services and strengthen joint working across teams. These developments will support smoother, more seamless transitions and create a more connected experience for patients throughout their care journey.
As we celebrate this milestone, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our stakeholders, partners and service users. Your ongoing engagement and support play a key role in helping us grow, innovate and continue delivering a responsive, effective Adult ADHD service for communities across Worcestershire. We look forward to building on this success together in the year ahead.
Children & Young People’s Services
Making a Serious Impact
Patient Feedback
We have received amazing feedback from some of our patients, which we would love to share with you:
“I just wanted to let you know that [CHILD] had his ASD assessment yesterday with Tabitha, and honestly, I was blown away by how warm and lovely everyone was.
The Ops team who were there made such a real effort to come out and make [CHILD] feel welcome, which I really appreciated. Tabitha, who did the assessment, was absolutely wonderful — so professional, calming and just amazing with [CHILD]. Within minutes, she had him calm and chatting, which was something I was really apprehensive about, to be honest.
The waiting room and assessment room looked great too, with all the props and everything so child-friendly. I genuinely felt really proud of Vertis for pulling it all off and creating such a welcoming space for children.
From a mum’s perspective, I honestly can’t tell you how much of a relief it was. After waiting three years for this assessment, finally having someone there to help us meant so much.
So, just wanted to give a massive big up to Vertis! 👏❤️ You’ve created something really special, and everyone we met yesterday made what could have been a very daunting experience feel so positive.”
The CYP team have had a busy summer behind the scenes developing the pathways, assessments and staffing for our Autumn launch. We have welcomed lots of new staff to the service over the last few months and now have a wonderful MDT made up of Paediatricians, Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs), Psychology, OT, SaLT and ASD & ADHD assessors (who primarily come from nursing backgrounds). We are so proud of how well the team has come together and the passion and hard work that the whole team has brought to launch the service.
We started accepting referrals in July and launched for assessments in early September. We have commenced ADHD assessments and have now had our first patients complete all stages of their Autism assessments and have had diagnostic outcomes through the MDT.
We are set to launch our post diagnostic support for children, young people and their families in November following co-production work with local networks, including parent and carer forums.
We have developed a child-friendly hub at Crabbs Cross with a lovely waiting area and clinic rooms, and families that have visited for their assessments have all been very complimentary about waiting times, the quality of the space and the input they have received from all staff involved.
HR & Development.
Investing In Our People.
As Vertis continues to grow, our HR and Learning & Development teams have been strengthening the support available to colleagues and managers across the organisation.
Following the first Employee Forum meeting, expressions of interest were opened to colleagues across different roles, services, PCNs and functions. The Forum is intended to create a constructive route for staff representatives to share collective themes, questions and ideas, helping strengthen employee voice and two-way communication across Vertis.
Work has also continued to improve the recruitment and onboarding journey. HR and operational colleagues are developing clearer live tracking, regular onboarding updates and stronger links between recruitment, onboarding and compliance information. This will help provide a more consistent view of progress and ensure new colleagues receive a well-coordinated welcome.
Alongside this, the team is developing practical resources and more targeted learning for line managers. This includes clearer process guidance, improved access to manager resources and work to connect mentoring with focused HR development. The aim is to give managers useful, accessible support while strengthening confidence and consistency across the organisation.
Finance
Keeping Everything In Check.
Our Finance Team helps keep Vertis Health financially strong, well governed, and ready to support GP practices and Primary Care Networks across Worcestershire.
Led by the Finance Director, the team includes a Management Accountant, Accounts Assistants supporting both core services and PCNs, a Team Leader for Accounts and Pensions, and a Pensions Administrator. Together, they manage budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, accounts, payments, invoicing, payroll, claims and NHS pension administration, while ensuring strong financial governance and compliance.
By combining strategic oversight with reliable day-to-day services, the team helps our organisation and partner networks plan effectively, make informed decisions and continue investing in local healthcare.
Wider Services.
Primary Care Is Our Beating Heart.
Our wider services are designed to keep our heart beating strong.
Community Out of Hours GP Service
The OOH service continues to run seamlessly from a remote GP perspective, with more GPs being onboarded for ad-hoc cover. Existing GPs continue to cover any leave with the only consistent gaps currently being Friday evening and Sunday morning. This is due to a GP being removed from the rota at the request of the Trust. We do have consistent ad-hoc applicants however, and a GP on standby once fully compliant to pick up these shifts on a regular basis moving forward.
UCR
The UCR Service ceased delivery in early September, and the contract was moved across to PPG (Practice Plus Group). We would like to thank all staff involved with the day to day operation of this service, and appreciate our GP practices for their cooperation.
PCU
Discussions with Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust are continuing, with potential changes to service delivery being planned. A pilot is proposed for late August 2026 which intend to streamline the patient journey between A&E and PCU.
Well.
Steady Progress.
Well continues to provide a steady flow of patients with weight loss medication. The pricing model has not changed since our last update, however it remains competitive with other providers. Well is still one of the only providers with a face-to-face element of prescribing available.
With the introduction of the Wegovy pill to the market as an alternative to the injection, Well is scoping out its inclusion in the product range - this is likely to be a more welcome alternative for many potential patients, so keep your eyes open for this product being added to the range.
Thank you for reading, and for being part of the Vertis Health community.
Claire Goodall
CEO, Vertis Health