PJ view: There are still reasons to be optimistic about pharmacy in 2025, despite a challenging 2024 A turbulent 2024 has left the pharmacy profession with many uncertainties, but there are still opportunities to come in 2025.…
Pharmacy owners vote to reduce services in protest against funding levels In a ballot of National Pharmacy Association members, 98% of those representing pharmacies in England expressed a willingness to close outside the minimum hours required by their contract.…
Increase in Pharmacy First monthly payment threshold delayed to January 2025 The minimum monthly activity requirement will increase to 25 in January and February, before being increased to 30 consultations by March 2025, “as planned”.…
NHS England launches community pharmacy technician apprenticeship programme The programme aims to support the community pharmacy workforce by addressing recruitment issues.…
Pharmacy First monthly payment threshold cut for a second time The monthly threshold to qualify for a £1,000 payment was due to be increased to 30 consultations in October 2024, but this has been reduced to 20 consultations.…
National Pharmacy Association to ballot members on work-to-rule action The ballot will be open for six weeks, with the potential for action to be taken before Christmas.…
NHS England to fund 80 places on accuracy checking pharmacy technician programme Up to ten funded places — which usually cost £330 — will be available each month from August 2024 to March 2025.…
Nearly half of locum pharmacists report greater difficulty in finding shifts over past year Exclusive: Out of 144 respondents, 44% said it had become “more difficult” to obtain locum shifts over the past year.…
Pharmacy bodies call on new health secretary to boost funding for sector The joint letter to Wes Streeting called for sufficient funding, holistic workforce planning and improved medicines security to help address the challenges faced by the NHS.…
Funding frozen for Welsh community pharmacy contract A circular published by Community Pharmacy Wales says government negotiators “simply did not have the authority to put more money on the table at this time”.…
