England NHS structures

Desflurane to be decommissioned by NHS England by ‘early 2024’

NHS England said that desflurane, which has the highest global warming potential of all anaesthetic gases, will only be used in "exceptional circumstances".…

When will England get a ‘Pharmacy First’ service?

Even though details are yet to be announced, a national minor ailments scheme may be on the cards for England. Here is a summary of what we know so far.…

NHS to spend up to £28.6m on campaign directing patients to community pharmacy for minor ailments

The 'Help us, help you' campaign is aimed to support the priorities set out in the 'NHS long-term plan' to reduce pressure on other NHS services.…

Undergraduates may struggle to secure clinical placements owing to low payment tariff, says Pharmacy Schools Council

The Pharmacy Schools Council said it was "concerned" that a higher payment tariff for employers hosting medical students will impact on pharmacy students' ability to secure placements.…

Antibiotic prescribing target hit one year early in England

The 'English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance' report showed that total antibiotic consumption in England declined by 15.1% between 2017 and 2021.…

New RPS standards recommend that community pharmacies should ‘proactively manage’ palliative care medicines

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society and charity Marie Curie propose the development of multidisciplinary team working, so that pharmacy teams are aware of patients' support needs.…

University of Leicester launches first distance-learning independent prescriber course

The university aims to train 250 pharmacists each year through its distance-learning course, which it says was developed following “employer demand”.…

NHS education body to fund training for 210 specialist mental health pharmacists

There will be 70 places available for specialist training for pharmacists on mental health in 2023.…

More than three quarters of urgent care referrals completed within community pharmacy, says NHS England

Speaking at The Pharmacy Show, Rob Proctor, senior policy and pharmacy integration lead at NHS England, said community pharmacies completed 77% of referrals from urgent and emergency care within the pharmacy as part of a pilot scheme.…

Stop recruiting GP pharmacists, community pharmacy negotiator tells minister

Speaking at The Pharmacy Show on 16 October 2022, Janet Morrison said the government should look at workforce planning across primary care.…