Pharmacy sore throat services provide antibiotics less than GPs, study reveals

 
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A study of Welsh sore throat services has found that 24% of pharmacy consultations ended with an antibiotic prescription, compared with 39% of GP consultations.

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Pharmacy group urges BMA to reject ‘short-sighted’ GP vote on pharmacy BP checks

 
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A pharmacy group has urged the BMA to reject a GP leaders’ motion for pharmacy blood pressure checks to be “terminated with immediate effect”, which is set to be debated at the BMA’s annual GP conference tomorrow.

RPS board member resigns over royal college strategy

 
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Previous RPS president Steve Churton has resigned from its England board after taking a “principled stance” over how the body is working towards becoming a royal college.


Pharmacists must not ‘directly engage’ patients in assisted dying debate

 
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The UK chief pharmaceutical officers (CPhOs) have set boundaries around pharmacist involvement in the assisted dying debate, amid calls for a “clear” role for pharmacists in the Scottish assisted dying bill.

Repeat offender online pharmacy warned over weight loss POM ads

 
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The medicines regulator has ordered an online pharmacy to amend its advertising for medication “not licensed for weight loss” following a complaint, it has revealed.

Government to cut pharmacy business rates from 2026

 
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The government has introduced draft legislation to “permanently cut business rates” for pharmacies and other high-street retailers from 2026 as it continues to come under fire over its recent budget tax hikes, it has revealed.


US pharmacies endorse ‘vaccine-sceptic’ new health sec RFK Jr

 
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A US community pharmacy body has welcomed the nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr as health secretary under Donald Trump’s new administration, despite his controversial comments about vaccines.

Superdrug agrees to PDA Union’s bargaining unit proposals

 
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The PDA has taken the next step in securing union recognition at Superdrug after the company agreed to its proposed bargaining unit, despite previous reservations.

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In full - NPA chief exec stands down to join NMC in January

 
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The National Pharmacy Association’s (NPA) chief executive will step down from the organisation and move to the nurses’ regulator in the new year, it has announced.


Collective action: NI minister to meet pharmacists over NPA ballot

 
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Community pharmacists are set to meet with a Northern Ireland Office (NIO) minister to discuss the sector’s funding crisis after the National Pharmacy Association’s (NPA) ballot received near unanimous support in favour of collective action.

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Pharmacy ‘files case in High Court’ over Pharmacy First suspension

 
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A Wembley pharmacy is “actively preparing” a legal case after being suspended from the Pharmacy First service, C+D has learned.

CPE: ‘Financial rewards’ for high performance must include pharmacy

 
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The pharmacy negotiator has called for promised financial rewards for “high-performing” health providers announced as part of a package of NHS reforms to “apply to community pharmacy too”.


Pharmacies to supply vape 'starter kit' vouchers under stop-smoking pilot

 
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Pilot pharmacies are set to offer patients vouchers for a vape “starter kit” and “up to four weeks’ worth of vape liquid” in a bid to help them quit smoking.

‘It adds up’: Pharmacy owner takes out £10k loan to cover NHS drug bills

 
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Facing almost £50,000 in wholesaler fees and NHS clawbacks, one Plymouth pharmacy owner has told C+D that she is still paying back a personal loan used to pay for NHS medicine.

NPA protest ballot: Government ‘committed to working with sector’

 
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The Department of Health and Social Care (DH) has admitted that the system is “no longer supporting” pharmacists, amid overwhelming support for pharmacy collective action.


Ejaculation ‘delay spray’ recalled ‘on safety grounds’

 
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An ejaculation “delay spray” has been recalled as a “precautionary measure” after a company admitted selling the product “containing lidocaine without authorisation” from the MHRA.

Man farming cannabis in ex-Lloydspharmacy dealt 12-month jailtime

 
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A 27-year-old man has been jailed for 12 months for cultivating cannabis plants in a former Lloydspharmacy in Pembroke with an estimated street value of up to £500,000.

GPs to vote on ‘immediate’ end to pharmacy blood pressure checks

 
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GP leaders have called for pharmacy blood pressure checks to be “terminated with immediate effect” ahead of the BMA’s annual GP conference later this month, where the motion and other community pharmacy issues will be debated.


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NPA gives DH ‘time to digest’ results of 99% ‘Yes’ collective action ballot

 

The National Pharmacy Association’s (NPA) ballot has received near unanimous support in favour of collective action, but it will now wait for the government to respond before advising members to act.

Sector slams Mail’s guide to ‘game’ Pharmacy First for antibiotics

 
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The pharmacy sector has deemed the tabloid “irresponsible” for publishing an article that tells patients how to answer Pharmacy First service questions so that pharmacists “give you antibiotics”.