Politics
0A representative body has taken legal action against the government following MPs’ rejection of a bill amendment that would have exempted pharmacies from next week’s employer NICs hike.
6The pharmacy minister has urged the NPA to “reconsider” its call for member pharmacies to take collective action from next week, arguing that it will be “detrimental to patients”.
4Seven in ten Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) members who took part in the ballot have voted in favour of controversial plans for the body to become a royal college and register as a charity.
0A health and social care think tank has revealed that the “elevated and troubling level” of medicine shortages in the UK can be blamed on Brexit.
1A Westminster think tank has said that the government’s proposed Neighbourhood Health Service, which plans to scale up general practice, could put community pharmacies at risk of being “deprioritised”.
19Ministers have stressed that the core hours of pharmacies will “not be affected by the proposed action by one trade body” – and revealed that the government has “concluded” contract negotiations.
4The RPS has responded to a legal letter sent by members calling for clarity over the voting process to change its charter, as well as PDA and C+D questioning on the controversial reforms.
0Members of parliament have admitted that they “have probably not spoken enough” about the assisted dying bill’s “impact on pharmacists”.
7The pharmacy minister and pharmacist MPs Sadik Al-Hassan and Taiwo Owatemi have all voted against exempting pharmacies from the upcoming national insurance hike.
5This huge roll of the dice will either make Wes Streeting one of the greatest Health Secretary’s we’ve had who saved community pharmacy, or another one who re-arranged the deckchairs on the Titanic and watched it fade.
1The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has revealed that its director for England James Davies left the organisation in December, with the director for Wales covering the role in the interim period.
8Pharmacies will not be exempt from the upcoming rise in national insurance after MPs rejected an amendment to the law.
2MP and pharmacist Sadik Al-Hassan has said the promised community pharmacy prescribing service is “deliverable” but not ready yet.
8As the dust settles on the announcement that NHS England (NHSE) is set for the scrapheap, questions on what a 50% headcount cut means for local commissioners remain…
5C+D rounds up some of the immediate pharmacy reaction to news that NHS England will be abolished, with more control moving back to the government and local leaders…
4Wes Streeting has revealed that the DH is “immediately” working to scrap NHS England (NHSE) and put a new “transformation team” in place – adding that it is in the “very final stages” of concluding a new pharmacy contract deal.
5Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that NHS England will be abolished to bring the management of the NHS “back into democratic control”.
4The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has responded to criticisms of its plans to register as a charity and gain royal college status, stressing that it followed a “democratic process”.
0The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has called for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) to “abandon its hastily convened ballot” on royal college status, while others called for a dissenting board member to “resign immediately”.
0Members of parliament have argued that the government has not “properly considered” the effects of the upcoming National Insurance Contributions (NICs) hike on community pharmacies.