Primary care

Community pharmacies have administered more than 8,000 RSV vaccines in east of England

Exclusive: NHS England has said that 8,187 respiratory syncytial virus vaccinations have been delivered between October and November 2024 across 37 community pharmacies in Essex and Suffolk.…

Number of online job adverts for pharmacists fell by one-fifth in 2024

There was a 21% drop in online job adverts for pharmacists in England, Wales and Scotland between the second quarters of 2023 and 2024.…

How to conduct a health assessment for pharmacists

As pharmacists take on more clinical tasks than ever, this article outlines what to consider when undertaking a health assessment.…

Weight loss drug pilot rollout ‘paused’ in England, says Obesity Health Alliance

A report by the Obesity Health Alliance also revealed waiting lists for overweight and obesity management services were “routinely reaching three to five years”.…

More than 1.5 million people could be given tirzepatide for weight loss under NHS proposals

Priority will be given to patients with the highest clinical need, identified as those with a BMI of more than 40 and at least three specific weight-related health problems.…

Cardiac chest pain: identification, referral and management in primary care

Chest discomfort is a common symptom with several possible causes. This article outlines how pharmacists can differentiate symptoms and identify when patients are likely to be experiencing myocardial ischaemia.…

Scottish government to replace paper prescriptions by 2026

The ‘Digital prescribing and dispensing programme’ is aimed to introduce an advanced electronic signature that will replace the wet signature on prescriptions.…

Number of Pharmacy First consultations dropped for first time in June 2024, data show

Community Pharmacy England attributes the 2.3% fall to June being a shorter month and reiterated that NHS England should market the service effectively and ensure GP referrals are taking place.…

GP collective action has led to fall in Pharmacy First referrals, according to CPE poll results

Just under half of respondents to the survey of pharmacy owners said it was taking longer to issue repeat prescriptions since the collective action started in August 2024.…

COVID-19 Inquiry must consider pharmacy resilience in case of future pandemics, says RPS

A statement from the RPS emphasised how much the complexity and fragility of medicine supply chains were exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to widespread shortages.…