PDA criticises pharmacy regulator for ‘failing to use data effectively’ to bridge attainment gap The Pharmacists’ Defence Association said in a consultation response that it was “not confident the General Pharmaceutical Council will use any additional data to deliver meaningful improvement and change to the experience or outcomes for students”.…
Nearly half of locum pharmacists report greater difficulty in finding shifts over past year Exclusive: Out of 144 respondents, 44% said it had become “more difficult” to obtain locum shifts over the past year.…
Pharmacy bodies call on new health secretary to boost funding for sector The joint letter to Wes Streeting called for sufficient funding, holistic workforce planning and improved medicines security to help address the challenges faced by the NHS.…
Funding frozen for Welsh community pharmacy contract A circular published by Community Pharmacy Wales says government negotiators “simply did not have the authority to put more money on the table at this time”.…
Number of calls to Pharmacist Support helpline rises by three quarters in a year The charity reported funding 876 counselling sessions and awarding 23% more financial aid grants in 2023.…
Pharmacies being ‘unreasonably penalised’ for not meeting Pharmacy First thresholds, says Community Pharmacy England The monthly minimum threshold pharmacies must meet to receive the fixed £1,000 monthly payment is set to increase to 30 consultations by October 2024.…
GPs should turn off automatic pharmacy patient record updates, BMA recommends The British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee said it was discussing with NHS England "implications" of software that allows pharmacists to directly update records.…
GP Connect rolled out to ‘most pharmacies’ in England, says CPE The GP Connect Update Record allows community pharmacies to securely update a patient’s GP record following a consultation.…
Two-thirds of pharmacies reduce opening hours owing to funding cuts, says NPA Analysis by the National Pharmacy Association shows pharmacies in England have reduced their opening hours by an average of 6.1 hours per week since 2015.…
Scottish government passes law change to close gaps in regulation of independent pharmacist-run clinics Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Scotland who wish to provide an independent clinic must now register with Health Improvement Scotland.…