Politics

MPs: Pharmacists must not be ‘criminalised’ over vapes as quit aid

 
• By 

MPs have called for clarifications of advertising restrictions for nicotine vapes to ensure pharmacists don’t find themselves “on the wrong side of the law” for promoting vaping as a “stop smoking device”.

‘A challenging case’: PM pledges to review dispensing at a loss

 
• By 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to review the ongoing issue of pharmacies dispensing at a loss after the topic was raised at PMQs last week, when one MP stated that a local contractor had been “forced to pay over 100 times more” for certain medications.

‘Significant disappointments’: DH rejects generic substitution recs

 
• By 

CPE has said that while it is “positive” that the government has “partially” accepted the majority of recommendations in the health and social care committee’s (HSCC) pharmacy report, there are still “some significant disappointments”.


GPhC and NHSE announce ‘unique’ new pharmacy tech fellowship

 
• By 

The GPhC has announced that it is “co-hosting a national pharmacy technician fellowship” with NHS England “for the first time”, with applications opening this month.

MP: GPs need ‘financial incentive’ to engage with Pharmacy First

 
• By 

MPs have called for “financial incentives” to be introduced to encourage GPs to "work with pharmacies” and engage with the Pharmacy First service, amid new plans for Pharmacy First ear, nose and throat (ENT) services.

Government set to ‘introduce’ hub-and-spoke legislation in 2025

 
• By 

The pharmacy minister has revealed government plans to implement hub-and-spoke legislation this year.


Pharmacy ‘may not survive winter’ as pharmacist MP urges govt to avoid 'past 14 years' of mistakes

 
• By 

CPE data shows 96% of pharmacy owners are “concerned” or “very concerned” that “their business may not survive this winter” as Sadik Al-Hassan MP is “eager to see this government avoid mistakes made during the past 14 years that have brought our sector to a crisis point”.

Streeting and Kinnock say it will be a ‘New Year’ start for pharmacy contract negotiations

 
• By 

Health secretary says funding negotiations will begin “shortly in the new year” as pharmacy minister says the delay is because negotiations “did not get over the line before the general election”.

Parliamentary group calls for pharmacists’ views on medicines shortages

 
• By 

The pharmacy all party parliamentary group (APPG) has launched a “vital” inquiry into the impact of medicines shortages in England.


Trump calls for investigation into link between vaccines and autism

 
• By 

The US President-elect Donald Trump has called for an investigation into the link between vaccines and autism – a debunked claim – and has said his health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr will be “working with” drug companies to find out “what’s happening”.

‘Our daughter would still be alive’: Campaign launched over MPharm suicide after wrong exam results

 
• By 

The mother of a pharmacy student who died by suicide after her university wrongly told her that she had failed her second year is campaigning for universities to have a statutory duty of care to prevent more student deaths.

exclusive

Pharmacists risk being ‘sidelined’ by pharmacy techs, Streeting told

 
• By 

A pharmacy group has warned that pharmacists have been “inadvertently undermined” and are at risk of being “sidelined” by recent government policies aimed at “upskilling pharmacy technicians”.


CPE ‘united in anger’ as pharmacy contract negotiations ‘stuck’

 
• By 

CPE has expressed “severe frustration and intense anger” as it reveals that pharmacy contract negotiations are “stuck” between the Department of Health and Social Care (DH) and NHS England (NHSE).

GPs and pharmacies must work in ‘joined-up way’, says BMA

 
• By 

The BMA has urged GPs and community pharmacies to “work in a joined-up way” after GP leaders last week voted “overwhelmingly” for pharmacy blood pressure checks to be terminated immediately.

Pharmacy contract limbo: Have negotiations finally resumed?

 
• By 

The pharmacy sector has been left in limbo since its five-year funding deal came to end in April, but after delay upon delay to negotiations, are we any closer to a new deal?


Change legislation so pharmacists can amend prescriptions, says RPS

 
• By 

The RPS has called on the government to change legislation to allow community pharmacists to amend prescriptions when medicines are in short supply, a new report published today (November 26) has said.

NHSE 'really very tight’ on pharmacy, Hancock reveals

 
• By 

The previous health secretary revealed NHSE’s “lack of enthusiasm” in supporting community pharmacy is “inbuilt” and it is “by tradition, really very tight on pharmacists” during his evidence at the latest Covid-19 Inquiry hearing.

Pharmacy collective action ‘will put immense pressure’ on GPs

 
• By 

Pharmacy collective action would put strain on GPs who are “already struggling to keep up with appointments”, a GP practice has told C+D.


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

 
• By 

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.

Government to cut pharmacy business rates from 2026

 
• By 

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.