2023 was quite the year for community pharmacy, with issues surrounding funding and capacity. This year witnessed multiple Lloydspharmacy exit the high street and an influx of community pharmacy closures.
Let’s not forget about the GPhC exam havoc, which pushed 800 upset pharmacy students to petition. Together with the controversial news about other pharmacists suspended over inappropriate behaviour, this was a year to remember.
Pay has also been a subject of interest this year, with C+D readers curious about how much community pharmacists are paid at Boots and Superdrug.
Take a look at our list of the most read C+D stories of the year and (re)read the content that most interested and engaged you and your peers this year.*
January
Lloydspharmacy to withdraw pharmacy services from all Sainsbury’s branches
Lloydspharmacy chose to remove pharmacy services from all Sainsbury’s stores over the course of 2023, C+D exclusively revealed…
February
Tesco reveals proposals to close eight in-store pharmacies
Supermarket chain Tesco announced a raft of proposed changes to its businesses, including the closure of eight pharmacies…
March
Superdrug newly qualified pharmacist pay to rise 11% to £50k
Newly qualified pharmacist pay at Superdrug rose by 11% to £50,000, the multiple announced…
April
Pharmacist slapped with 12-month suspension for illegal supply of 2m pills
A pharmacist was suspended for 12 months by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) for the illegal wholesale supply of almost two million tablets of prescription drugs…
May
Pharmacist struck off for illegitimate codeine supply after threats to family
A pharmacist was struck off the register following a conviction for fraud and the illegitimate supply of medicines after he was threatened with a gun, knives and “consequences” for his family…
June
Boots reveals plans to close 300 branches
Boots revealed plans to close 300 branches where they were located near each other…
Boots reveals plans to close 300 branches | Chemist+Druggist :: C+D (chemistanddruggist.co.uk)
July
Petition racks up 800 signatures as trainees rail against ‘unjust’ GPhC exam
Trainee pharmacists asked for a review of the June registration assessment, described by some as “highly problematic”…
August
Locum handed three-month suspension for showing colleague picture of penis
A locum pharmacist was suspended for three months after admitting to inappropriate sexual behaviour towards a female colleague, the regulator revealed…
September
Government scraps free flu jabs for 50-64-year-olds in 2023/24 season
People aged 50-64 were not eligible for a free flu jab in the 2023/24 season, under new flu vaccination plans revealed…
October
Locum warned after dispensing error in staffing crisis leads to patient death
A locum responsible pharmacist was issued a warning after a patient died when he dispensed the wrong strength of oxycodone during a staffing crunch, the regulator revealed…
November
Lloydspharmacy confirms sale of all community pharmacies
C+D confirmed that Lloydspharmacy, which in March was the second-largest community pharmacy multiple in the country, had exited the high street…
December
Revealed: How much are Boots pharmacists paid?
The best paid store manager at the multiple could be paid double the lowest paid Boots pharmacist, the pharmacy union revealed…
Revealed: How much are Boots pharmacists paid? | Chemist+Druggist :: C+D (chemistanddruggist.co.uk)
*The information in these articles reflects the situation at the time of publication. Please remember that things may have changed since then.
