England NHS structures

Use community pharmacies to combat falling vaccine uptake, report urges

A report published by the Company Chemists’ Association on behalf of the Pharmacy Vaccinations Development Group has suggested that community pharmacies are well placed to increase vaccine uptake, raise patients’ confidence and prevent ill health.…

Whooping cough cases increase by 1,600% in a year, data show

Data from the UK Health Security Agency show that in 2024, the total number of pertussis cases exceeded the total cases observed during the 2012 whooping cough outbreak in England.…

First non-cannabis treatment for rare form of epilepsy made available on NHS

Fenfluramine is a non-cannabis treatment for patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome who do not respond to existing treatments or clobazam owing to its side effects.…

ICBs may commission community pharmacies to offer diabetic eye screenings from 2026, says NHS England

NHS England has proposed a diabetic eye screening programme that could be commissioned from community health centres, high street opticians and pharmacies to accommodate local community needs.…

Inclisiran prescribed to 7% of expected target population in three years, NHS data reveal

Exclusive: The Royal College of General Practitioners and the British Medical Association maintain that caution should be taken when prescribing inclisiran since long-term trial data on the drug will not be available until 2026.…

Inhaler return to pharmacies part of updated NHS ‘Green plan guidance’

The updated guidance encourages trusts and other NHS organisations to renew their sustainability plans for the next three-year cycle in order to help achieve NHS net zero carbon emissions.…

NICE approves gene-editing sickle cell therapy for NHS in England

Exagamglogene autotemcel, also known as exa-cel, is now recommended for NHS use, reversing previous draft guidance.…

What we learned from the REACT palliative care service

Marie Curie, based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, shares the findings of its Responsive Emergency Assessment and Community Team service, which is aimed to identify issues concerning palliative medicine access and supply in an NHS trust emergency department.…

NICE recommends first ever treatment for severe dust mite allergy

Results from clinical trials have revealed that 12 SQ-HDM SLIT benefits patients with dust mite allergy symptoms that cannot be treated with steroid nasal sprays or antihistamines.…

Why England’s Pharmacy First sore throat service needs point-of-care testing

Over the past few years, there has been a sore throat test-and-treat service implemented in Wales and, more recently, in Northern Ireland, based on their pilots. In England, we still have a sore throat service that does not include a point-of-care test (POCT) component. Results from pilots in Nor…