NICE to work with NHS Race and Health Observatory to de-bias clinical guidance The two-year partnership will examine clinical guidance across maternal and neonatal health, mental health, genomics, sickle cell and hypertension.…
Community Pharmacy Scotland announces first part of funding deal for 2025/2026 Under the funding deal accepted by Community Pharmacy Scotland, in 2025/2026, the guaranteed minimum for reimbursement will increase to £120m.…
Hub-and-spoke dispensing expansion set to begin in October 2025 Hub-and-spoke dispensing between different legal entities will be permitted from 1 October 2025 under draft amendments to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.…
Medicines optimisation teams need to showcase their value to withstand ICB funding cuts With integrated care boards soon to have lost 65% of their funding over two years, now is the time for medicines optimisation teams to ‘be noisy’ about their work.…
Chief pharmacists call for medicines leadership to be ‘fundamental component’ of strategic commissioning system In a letter to NHS England, four integrated care board chief pharmacists said that they must shape and lead on medicines at a time of NHS change.…
PJ view: Strengthen the pharmacy frontline to secure the future of NHS healthcare This month, The Pharmaceutical Journal is launching a dedicated campaign aiming to champion solutions for the pharmacy workforce crisis.…
Lost days: the unstemmed rise in mental health-related absences There has been a significant rise in sickness absence for mental health reasons among hospital pharmacists in England over the past five years. What needs to change and where can NHS pharmacists access help in the meantime?…
No increase in NHS prescription fees for the first time in three years The government has announced that the single item prescription charge for 2025/2026 will remain at £9.90.…
NICE reverses draft guidance to recommend targeted therapy for patients with advanced bowel cancer The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said the treatment should be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.…