PJ July 2026, Vol 317, No 8011

Vaccine group directions: what you need to know as a clinical pharmacy practitioner

This article explores the new legal mechanism, which took effect on 1 April 2026, to support pharmacy practitioners to administer vaccine programmes without the need for a prescription.…

Nearly three-quarters of pharmacists concerned about use of AI in practice

The College said that more work is needed to evaluate the real-world impact of AI tools on pharmacy workflows, but that its findings will be used to inform the development of future guidance.…

Pharmacy can play a greater role in national CVD framework, says CCA

The government's cardiovascular disease modern service framework is aimed to help reduce premature deaths from heart disease and strokes by 25% over the next ten years.…

Short-term savings, long-term costs: what cuts to medicines optimisation teams could mean for the NHS

Integrated care boards have confirmed to The Pharmaceutical Journal that they are reducing headcount in their medicines optimisation teams, which are primarily formed of pharmacists. What will this mean for the future NHS?…

Government ‘missing huge trick’ excluding pharmacies from NHS capital investment plan, say leaders

Pharmacy organisation leaders have said the exclusion of pharmacy from the NHS capital investment plan could hinder the expansion of services where patients need them.…

Regulator takes action against Tesco weight-loss advertising

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that the supermarket pharmacy had amended its advertising to ensure that prescription-only medicines for weight loss were not promoted to the public.…

Community pharmacy could help ease £2.7bn delayed discharge bill

King’s Fund analysis of NHS England data has suggested that hospital beds being taken up by someone fit enough to be discharged are costing the NHS £562 per day.…

Geraldine McCaffrey: ‘There’s real positivity about the role we can play as a royal college’

Seven months into her post as director for Wales at the Royal College of Pharmacy, Geraldine McCaffrey reflects on her career to date, revealing what to expect from the College in the coming months.…

NHS employers in England to be measured on staff wellbeing standards

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England have announced standards to address problems in six areas, including workplace racism, violence and sexual harassment.…

NICE recommends non-invasive tests that could speed up endometriosis diagnoses

Two tests have been recommended for the detection of endometriosis: Endotest, which analyses a saliva sample, and Endosure, which measures electrical signals in the gut using sensor pads.…