News | England

Chief executive of pharmacy negotiating body to step down

After three years, Simon Dukes will leave his post as chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.…

Pharmacies need ‘robust plans’ to vaccinate deprived groups against flu, says government

Flu vaccination providers have been asked to develop plans to ensure "equitable uptake" of the vaccine across the population.…

Face masks should remain mandatory in healthcare settings, say professional bodies

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society in England is among the organisations calling for face masks and social distancing to stay in place past 19 July 2021 in all healthcare settings.…

Pharmacies have claimed £6.2m for free lateral flow testing scheme since March 2021

Exclusive: Since its launch on 29 March 2021, pharmacy contractors have claimed for 4 million transactions under the Pharmacy Collect scheme, but have not yet been reimbursed.…

Pharmacies could lose £140m in advance funding if payment scheme closes

Exclusive: Community pharmacies in England could lose £144m per month in early payments if the Pharmacy Earlier Payments Scheme is withdrawn.…

Joint national pharmacy boards meeting: 23 June 2021

This joint meeting of the national pharmacy boards touched on independent prescribing, genomics and personalised medicines, the Society's inclusion and diversity pledge, as well as sustainability and its inclusion in the RPS 2021 business plan.…

‘Vital’ that masks continue to be worn in pharmacies after restrictions are lifted, warns RPS

Thorrun Govind, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's English Pharmacy Board, says face masks worn in pharmacies protect both pharmacists and the public.…

Hospital-to-pharmacy discharge service could have saved more than 17,000 bed days in three months

Between March and May 2021, the discharge medicines service could have helped avoid 17,238 hospital bed days.…

Government proposes raising qualifying age for free NHS prescriptions to 66 years

The government has proposed raising the upper age exemption for prescriptions in England to generate additional revenue for the NHS.…

Drop in NHS use of desflurane cuts CO2 emissions equal to nearly 200 million miles by car

Total use of the anaesthetic gas desflurane fell from 23.1% in 2019/2019 to 10.3% in 2020/2021.…