Prescribing

Extra funding announced for community pharmacy independent prescribing

Scottish community pharmacies that employ an independent prescribing pharmacist will also be able to claim for Pharmacy First Plus services without meeting the 25 hours per week availability threshold.…

An increased focus on calculation competency as a regulatory requirement has never been more critical

A senior lecturer in pharmacy at Kingston University discusses the importance of pharmacy students being able to demonstrate calculations competence before joining the General Pharmaceutical Council prescriber register.…

Credentialing for newly qualified pharmacists: a patient advocate’s perspective

I recently attended the Royal Pharmaceutical Society workforce summit, where delegates from around the UK and across different care settings discussed the need for a structured support pathway and credential for newly qualified pharmacists as they enter the workplace as prescribers. In my role…

How will a single national formulary change medicines provision?

The NHS ten-year plan, published in July 2025, includes the intention to create a single national formulary within two years. But what would a national formulary do and what difference would it make to patients?…

‘Record number’ of prescriptions dispensed in England in 2024/2025 despite reduction in number of pharmacies

Data from the NHS Business Services Authority show that 2024/2025 was the fourth consecutive year that the number of prescriptions dispensed from community pharmacies in England has risen.…

Health news round-up: community pharmacy services, medicines, obesity and ageing

Senior clinical reporter Joanna Robertson summarises some important developments in health news.…

Community pharmacy independent prescribing consultations triple in two years

Digital Health and Care Wales data show that there were more than 75,000 independent prescribing consultations carried out in the first five months of 2025.…

Almost two-thirds of pathfinder pilot site consultations have been for minor ailments

NHS England data also show that by the end of July 2025, more than 40,000 consultations were delivered by 180 community pharmacy pathfinder sites across England.…

Health Innovation Network’s polypharmacy programme comes to an end

The National Polypharmacy Programme has supported over 2,000 healthcare professionals to address overprescribing since its launch in 2022.…

Less than half of pharmacists who can prescribe do so daily

Exclusive: One in ten community pharmacist respondents to The Pharmaceutical Journal's 2025 salary survey said they had never prescribed, despite holding an IP qualification.…