Sophie Willis

Investigations editor

NHS App to include pharmacy finder

The Department of Health and Social Care said the updated NHS App will include an AI tool to help patients find their nearest pharmacy, as well as best-rated providers of other clinical services.…

MPs call for more patient input to address UK’s medicines shortages problem

A report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy has called for the creation of a national patient advisory panel on medicines shortages.…

Environment Agency scraps plans to charge community pharmacies to register for waste disposal

Following a consultation, the Environment Agency has withdrawn proposals which would have seen pharmacies pay to register for waste exemptions that allow them to dispose of drugs.…

Public backs pharmacy access to weight-loss jabs as Starmer confirms NHS rollout plans

Around 44% of UK adults would support NHS weight-loss services being delivered through community pharmacies, rising to 55% among those aged 16–34 years, according to a poll from the National Pharmacy Association.…

Three-quarters of pharmacists say patient safety is at risk from medicine delays

Responding to Community Pharmacy England’s pharmacy pressures survey, 87% of pharmacy staff also reported daily problems arising from supply issues, up from 67% in 2022.…

Pharmacy First uptake ‘not what we would like it to be’, says minister

Pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock said that the government will work to reform the financial arrangements for Pharmacy First to incentivise pharmacists to embrace the scheme.…

GPhC highlights need to improve performance in five-year strategy

To meet its goals under its strategic plan for 2025–2030, the regulator said it must improve its fitness-to-practise processes, streamline investigations and ensure financial stability.…

UK issues first guideline on post-exposure prophylaxis for syphilis

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV has highlighted research that shows how doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis reduces syphilis cases by 80%.…

UK government says it does not support safe drug consumption rooms

Speaking at a House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee inquiry into the Glasgow safe drug consumption facility, the minister for policing and crime prevention said the Westminster government would “not be amending the Misuse of Drugs Act”.…

Immunotherapy doubles amount of time head and neck cancer patients are disease free, study results suggest

Researchers found that in some patients with head and neck cancers, pembrolizumab stopped the cancer from getting worse or returning for an average of 60 months.…