Healthcare provision

Discussing evidence with patients when prescribing

To facilitate shared decision making, prescribers need to guide patients through the risks and benefits of medicine use and be confident to explain the evidence-base underpinning different treatment options.…

Only one-third of pharmacies will meet new Pharmacy First monthly payment requirements, warns CCA

A report published by the Company Chemists' Association said new Pharmacy First bundling requirements may leave the service “financially unviable”.…

What difference will hub-and-spoke dispensing actually make?

This month, our health policy columnist mulls over the true impact of the roll-out of hub-and-spoke community pharmacy prescription filling between different organisations.…

Pharmacy flu vaccine delivery to over-65s increased by 20 percentage points in five years

Data from the UK Health Security Agency show that since 2019/2020, the proportion of vaccines administered to at-risk patients via community pharmacies rose from 11.4% to 26.7%.…

More than two-thirds of locums have experienced a drop in available shifts, survey finds

The Pharmacists’ Defence Association survey also found that locum pharmacists were working less than they would like to.…

Prescription tracking app to be used by more than 5,000 pharmacies within a year, says NHS England

NHS England said the tracking feature will reduce how long pharmacists spend on the phone and give them more time to offer advice to patients.…

Hospital pharmacists awarded 3.6% pay rise

The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists said the pay award does not go far enough in reversing the below-inflation awards seen in previous years.…

Consultation on prescription flexibility expected ‘by summer 2025’, government says

The consultation is likely to consider whether enabling community pharmacies to change prescriptions should only be in “cases of immediate clinical need", the Department of Health and Social Care said.…

NHS England looks to tender contract for behavioural support for patients prescribed tirzepatide in primary care

The NHS England document said that patients prescribed tirzepatide in primary care settings will receive “high-quality behavioural wrap-around care” as well as clinical support.…

Funding gap: economic analysis paints dire picture of community pharmacy’s sustainability

An independent economic analysis has revealed that the cost of delivering community pharmacy NHS services in England far outstrips the funding available, even after the uplift agreed in the latest contract negotiations.…