Healthcare provision

NPA will not recommend collective action that could have limited pharmacy services

The National Pharmacy Association has announced that it will not recommend collective action, following the new pharmacy contract.…

NICE reverses draft guidance to recommend targeted therapy for patients with advanced bowel cancer

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said the treatment should be available on the NHS after the manufacturer provided additional clinical evidence.…

Coroner writes to ICB following death of patient who took too many of their prescribed drugs

The ‘Prevention of future deaths’ report, published on 16 April 2025, was issued following the death of patient who was waiting for mental health support.…

GPhC should consider reduced fees for some pharmacists, says RPS

In its response to the regulator’s consultation on proposed fee increases, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has suggested reduced fees for non-practising pharmacists, such as those on parental leave or with a long-term illness.…

Homecare medicines services need electronic prescribing and access to records, report urges

The General Pharmaceutical Council has suggested that UK national health organisations should ensure that homecare pharmacy teams have the same access to clinical systems as other parts of patients’ care team.…

The pharmacy funding boost is a step in the right direction but it will not go far enough

This month, our health policy columnist warns that while the latest pharmacy contract announcements are good news for pharmacy, the damage from years of underfunding may be difficult to undo.…

Regulators issue warning over prescription-only weight-loss drug advertisements

An enforcement notice has warned that prohibitions include non paid-for content on social media, sponsored searches on search engines and influencer marketing.…

Community pharmacy RSV expansion programme to be expanded four-fold

The Department of Health and Social Care said up to 200 community pharmacy sites could be commissioned to provide the respiratory syncytial virus vaccination in 2025/2026.…

Regulator warns pharmacists to ensure patient safety when selling unregulated products

In a letter to pharmacy technicians and owners, the General Pharmaceutical Council has warned that non-medicinal and unlicensed products being supplied by pharmacies “have potentially caused serious harm”.…

NHS England sets target to save £1bn on medicines by 2029

Board papers published in March 2025 said that using “commercial capabilities” had realised close to £500m in medicines savings in 2023/2024.…