Europe

Government to consult pharmacies on plans to ask patients in Wales to phone before attending A&E

Community pharmacy in Wales will be consulted by the government over plans to ask patients to “phone first” before attending A&E in an effort to curb demand during winter 2020/2021.…

Unsafe methotrexate prescribing remains common in England, study finds

Unsafe methotrexate prescribing has gradually reduced but is still common, with substantial variation between general practices in England, a study in the British Journal of General Practice has found.…

Welsh government confirms £18m increase in community pharmacy funding over three years

Community pharmacies in Wales will receive an additional £18.3m over a three-year funding settlement with the Welsh government.…

NHS Pharmacy First service launch rescheduled for end of July 2020

The rollout of NHS Pharmacy First has been rescheduled to launch across Scotland on 29 July 2020, Community Pharmacy Scotland has confirmed.…

Video consultations will be available to all Scottish community pharmacies by the middle of June 2020

All community pharmacies in Scotland will have access to video consultation technology by the middle of June 2020, the government has said.…

Video consultations to be piloted as part of future plans for community pharmacies

Pharmacies in Wales will be piloting the use of video consultation software as part of the government’s plans for returning to business as usual following the COVID-19 pandemic.…

Video consultation system could be offered to all Scottish community pharmacies

Community pharmacists in Scotland have begun trialling the ‘NHS Near Me’ video consultation service, and talks have taken place with the Scottish government on how the system could be deployed across community pharmacy.…

Pharmacies urged to stay open seven days per week in the face of COVID-19

Pharmacists in Scotland have been urged to do what they can to ensure that pharmacies stay open for seven days per week during the COVID-19 crisis.…

Nikki Kanani: ‘Shortages of the right pharmacists in some areas has been an issue’

The director of primary care at NHS England speaks about growing up in a pharmacy, her hopes for the sector and how to protect pharmacists from burnout.…

Underfunding has hit my community pharmacy hard, but we’re determined to provide new high-value services

Community pharmacist Eoghan O’Brien explains the impact of underfunding on the sector in Northern Ireland, and what he’s doing to continue providing a valued service to patients.…