National pharmacy contracts

Lessons community pharmacy could learn from the junior doctors’ strike

The Pharmaceutical Journal's health policy columnist considers what pharmacists can take from the junior doctors' approach to industrial action.…

Less than 70% of GP practices are actively referring patients to community pharmacy, suggests health minister

The figures come after financial incentives designed to encourage GP practices to sign up to the Community pharmacist consultation service were removed for 2023/2024.…

Warm words cannot mask the true picture of pharmacy neglect

The Pharmaceutical Journal's health policy columnist looks at why ministers keep talking about Pharmacy First in England, but there is a lack of progress when it comes to its implementation.…

MPs urge health secretary to fund a ‘Pharmacy First’ service to ease wider NHS pressures

In letters to health secretary Steve Barclay, MPs and members of the House of Lords called for urgent funding to stabilise the community pharmacy sector and a “fair and fit for purpose funding model”.…

Transitional payments worth £2.5m per month for community pharmacy to end from February 2023

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee said in a statement that the government had decided to end transitional payments “based on the latest monitoring and analysis of funding delivery”.…

‘Thousands’ of pharmacies at risk of closure without additional government funding, warns report

Authors of a report on NHS community pharmacy have warned that the sector is facing an "economic crisis".…

Government shelves plan for ‘Pharmacy First’ service in England

The delayed agreement for the remaining two years of the 'Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework' confirms an excess margin write-off, meaning pharmacies will keep £100m they would otherwise have had to repay.…

Isolated, but not alone: how pharmacies are supporting older patients during COVID-19

Community pharmacy is providing a vital connection to support older and clinically vulnerable patients during lockdown in the UK.…

Bolton pharmacy shuts after almost a century following funding cuts, owner says

A Bolton community pharmacy has closed after almost a century of trade and, according to the branch’s superintendent pharmacist, government cuts to the community pharmacy budget are responsible.…

2019: trending topics in pharmacy

We take a look at the biggest stories of the year and summarise some of your reactions to them.…