News Anne Hartley (1936–2025)On 3 March 2025, Anne Hartley MPharmS, aged 88 years, of Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire. Ms Hartley registered with the Society in 1959.…Published: 11 March 2025
News Only 4% of pharmacies offering smoking cessation service claimed payment in three months Exclusive: Of the 4,721 pharmacies registered to provide the service, 203 claimed payment for a consultation between July and September 2024.…Published: 10 March 2025
News Fewer people reporting problems obtaining prescriptions in England, show ONS data Survey results have revealed that 88.1% of patients said they experienced no issues accessing medicines from their pharmacy in January 2025, compared with 79.9% in August 2024.…Published: 10 March 2025
News Boots parent company sold to private equity firm in US$24bn deal The acquisition follows Walgreens Boots Alliance originally planning to sell Boots in January 2022 but halting the sale owing to a lack of suitable offers.…Published: 7 March 2025
News Ian Irving (1940–2025)On 6 March 2025, Ian Irving MPharmS, aged 84 years, of Leyburn, North Yorkshire. Mr Irving registered with the Society in 1963.…Published: 7 March 2025
News Call for Society Fellowship NominationsThe Panel of Fellows will be holding their next meeting in May 2025. Nominations for Society Fellowship must be received by the Secretary of the Panel of Fellows by 23 April 2025 to be considered at this meeting. Nominations need to be made by a current member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society …Published: 7 March 2025
News Rapid on-site genetic sequencing could help curb antimicrobial-resistant outbreaks, says MHRA Researchers found that rapid on-site genetic sequencing detects bacterial infections within two days, which is “significantly faster“ than traditional methods.…Published: 7 March 2025
News NHS England to commission whooping cough vaccination service through community pharmacies The respiratory syncytial virus and pertussis vaccination service is aimed to help supplement vaccination programmes delivered by GPs and NHS trusts.…Published: 6 March 2025
News Community pharmacy offers ‘key opportunity’ for increasing flu vaccination uptake in children, says NHS England chief Amanda Pritchard said exploring the use of other flu vaccination providers — including community pharmacy — to expand convenience was one of three “key opportunities to go further” identified by NHS England.…Published: 6 March 2025
News GP practices must ensure IT systems allow pharmacy staff to record consultations, new contract says The 2025/2026 GP contract says GP Connect must be enabled to allow pharmacy staff to send consultation details into the GP practice workflow.…Published: 5 March 2025