Retention of staff is a key theme of the interim NHS People Plan and is a crucial factor in securing a skilled and sustainable workforce for the future. In addition to our retention support programme, we regularly publish retention improvement guides and case studies from organisations across the country to help spread successful initiatives and ideas. Recent additions to our collection include:

• New starters questionnaire from Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Promoting your preceptorship offer from Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
• Improving midwifery preceptorship with a midwifery development pathway from University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

This briefing is for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across the NHS, including those working in acute, mental health and community services. It outlines how the primary care network (PCN) model allows secondary care pharmacists to work across primary and secondary care — encouraging a system-wide approach to pharmacy service provision.

Please cascade to your Chief Pharmacist, so they can begin talking to CCG heads of primary care and PCN clinical directors about how to engage with PCNs.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced in October 2017 that NHS staff would be offered first refusal on affordable homes built on surplus land disposed of by NHS estate owners, with an ambition to benefit up to 3,000 staff.

This policy aims to increase access to affordable housing for NHS staff and relates to NHS estate owners disposing of surplus land, where residential development is planned.

Please consider how best to apply this policy to your surplus land disposals.

The NHS Parliamentary Awards shortlist, made up of individuals and teams chosen as regional champions, was announced this week. From more than 600 entries submitted by almost half of all MPs in England, senior NHS experts have chosen 70 outstanding nominations, which exemplify the best of what the NHS and its partners do day in, day out.

The champions — including NHS volunteers, patients, local council health teams and the creators of extraordinary digital innovations — are in the running for a national award to be presented at a ceremony in the Palace of Westminster in July.

Join us at Expo this year to hear about bringing the NHS Long Term Plan to life and to meet the people leading transformation across the NHS.

Expo unites people from right across the health and social care sector to share perspectives, learn from one another, and find solutions. It inspires leaders and clinicians to make improvements for patients and service users — almost three-quarters pledge to start new projects or initiatives after visiting.

• Provider bulletin: 19 June 2019