Minimum wage increase ‘may prove unmanageable for some pharmacy owners’, leaders warn Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in the autumn budget that the minimum wage for people aged over 21 years will increase to £12.71 per hour from April 2026, while the hourly rate for people aged 18–20 years will rise to £10.85.…
Lead paediatric palliative care pharmacists should be part of local plans, says RPS In its updated palliative care policy, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society advised that families and medical colleagues would benefit from the medicines expertise of a specialist paediatric palliative care pharmacist.…
Full list of prescribing pathfinder sites and their clinical areas revealed Exclusive: Freedom of Information data from NHS England have revealed the breakdown of pathfinder sites and what clinical area they have been exploring.…
‘Significant shift’ to larger chains selling off pharmacy branches, says broker In 2025 to date, corporate and multiple operators made up 71% of all sales instructions, whereas independent pharmacy owners made up 19%.…
Hospital trust becomes first to achieve gold status under RPS Greener Pharmacy Toolkit Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has obtained gold level accreditation in the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Greener Pharmacy Toolkit through its commitment to improving sustainability practices.…
Changes to competition law could help pharmacy involvement in neighbourhood health services A report commissioned by Community Pharmacy England said that the GP and community pharmacy contracts are constructed in a way that disincentivises collaboration.…
NHS prescription charges frozen for second year in a row The cost of three-month and annual prescription prepayment certificates will also be frozen for the 2026/2027 financial year.…
NHS England commissions study on effects of puberty blockers The ‘Pathways trial’ will assess the impact of GnRH analogues for puberty suppression in more than 200 children and young people aged under 16 years.…
PJ view: A coherent strategy, with investment, is needed to truly shift healthcare from ‘sickness to prevention’ To achieve the government’s planned shift from “treating sickness to prevention”, there also needs to be a overhaul in funding and how this is prioritised.…
Will new hub-and-spoke legislation change anything for pharmacies on the ground? As the government trials a new model for hub-and-spoke dispensing, experts have voiced concerns that it will only be the larger community pharmacy players that will benefit in practice.…
