NHS England

Social prescribing staff numbers double in one year

The number of social prescribing staff being employed across clinical commissioning group areas has doubled over the past year, a Freedom of Information request by The Pharmaceutical Journal has revealed.…

Almost 40% of hospitals do not offer non-drug therapies to distressed dementia patients

Nearly 40% of acute trusts in England do not offer any non-pharmacological therapies to help manage symptoms such as distress, aggression and agitation in patients with dementia while they are in hospital, The Pharmaceutical Journal can reveal.…

More than 70 new advanced therapy medicinal products could be available in the UK by 2024

As many as 72 new advanced therapy medicinal products could be available in the UK by 2024, according to horizon scanning by the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service.…

Government to consider offering pharmacists fast-track training to become doctors

Pharmacists could be able to retrain as doctors on a fast-tracked course following the UK’s exit from the EU, the government has confirmed.…

Government opens talks on cutting delays to provision of medical cannabis

The government is considering whether licensed wholesalers could hold reserve stocks of medical cannabis to reduce delays in patients receiving their medicines.…

Primary care networks to be fully reimbursed for pharmacists under updated GP contract

Pharmacists employed by primary care networks will have their salaries fully reimbursed as part of an updated GP contract agreement, published on 7 February 2019.…

PCNs forced to recruit pharmacists with less experience owing to shortages, says NHS England director

Some primary care networks have been forced to hire pharmacists with less experience than they wanted because there are not enough working at a senior level, NHS England has confirmed.…

RPS urges new approach for training pharmacists, following reports of pharmacist-to-doctor conversion courses

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has said that it would like to see “a new approach to training early careers pharmacists at foundation level, so that they can take up new roles across the NHS”, following press reports that pharmacists could be given the chance t…

The community pharmacy referral scheme is a new way to make the most of pharmacists’ skills

In response to the editorial ‘ Community pharmacy referral scheme is not a new concept’ — which suggested that the NHS community pharmacist consultation service (CPCS) is ‘recycled’ from previous minor ailment schemes — it may be helpful to clarify wha…

NHS England could expand number of minor illnesses covered by pharmacist consultations

NHS England is considering expanding the number of minor illnesses covered by the community pharmacist consultation service, if it is successful, a senior NHS England official has said.…