Well Pharmacy has acquired three new pharmacies taking the total number of pharmacies owned by the chain across the UK to 746.
The UK's largest independent and third largest pharmacy chain has bought Pharmacy Express in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and two Frosts Pharmacy's in Banbury, North
Oxfordshire, and Marston, near Oxford. All three pharmacies will be rebranded. #
Well did not disclose the amount it paid for the new acquisitions.
Operations director of Well Pharmacy Louis Purchase said that the group was "excited" to expand. "We believe passionately in community pharmacy, and we want our
offering to be the best experience of this in the UK. We also hope our new colleagues can keep progressing and develop their clinical skills even further by being
part of Well Pharmacy."
Frosts Pharmacy teams have joined Well from their pharmacies based in Ferriston, Banbury, North Oxfordshire and Marston, near Oxford. They both serve local people
from the heart of their communities and offer a successful travel vaccination clinic in Marston.
Addressing the recent announcement made by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to claw back £9 million per month from community pharmacy
contractors, the Chairman of Numark, Harry McQuillan has expressed deep concerns over the financial implications on the sector.
The claw back follows an error in the July calculations of Category M medicine prices, which led to increase in the reimbursements made to community pharmacies.
Beginning August, the DHSC is set to claw back the amount.
McQuillan criticised the decision, highlighting the severe strain it places on already financially vulnerable community pharmacies.
Calling it "a severe blow to an already financially strained sector", McQuillan emphasised that the additional burden has the potential to threaten the viability
of many pharmacies.
"Community pharmacies are the frontline of our healthcare system, by penalising these pharmacies for an error not of their making, the Department of Health is
jeopardising the foundation of local healthcare delivery," McQuillan criticised.
Addressing the recent announcement made by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to claw back £9 million per month from community pharmacy
contractors, the Chairman of Numark, Harry McQuillan has expressed deep concerns over the financial implications on the sector.
The claw back follows an error in the July calculations of Category M medicine prices, which led to increase in the reimbursements made to community pharmacies.
Beginning August, the DHSC is set to claw back the amount.
McQuillan criticised the decision, highlighting the severe strain it places on already financially vulnerable community pharmacies.
Calling it "a severe blow to an already financially strained sector", McQuillan emphasised that the additional burden has the potential to threaten the viability
of many pharmacies.
"Community pharmacies are the frontline of our healthcare system, by penalising these pharmacies for an error not of thei
The pharmacy bodies have expressed a deep concern over Lloyds Pharmacy's announcement on plans to close all pharmacy branches located in Sainsbury's before
the end of 2023.
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) Chief Executive Janet Morrison said: "This significant shrinkage by the second largest pharmacy chain is an
extremely worrying development and one of the clearest signals yet of just how much all community pharmacies are struggling to make ends meet. We know that many
are at breaking point."
She added: "We understand that LloydsPharmacy will be in touch directly with affected staff and patients at this difficult time. As these pharmacies close, other
pharmacies locally will be braced for even more pressures as they try to cope with increased demand."
"The announcement by LloydsPharmacy will be of concern to staff, patients, the public and the community pharmacy sector alike," Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive
of the Company Chemists' Association (CCA).
Pharmacists, and other employees, working at pharmacies owned and operated by LloydsPharmacy in Sainsbury's have been told that the group of more than 200 pharmacies
will be closed this year as LloydsPharmacy will be ending their relationship with the supermarket chain.
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting outlined his plans for NHS reform on Friday (21 April), where he also mentioned a desire to see pharmacies take on more
workload and pharmacists' clinical skills to be better utilised.
In his speech, he also expressed concern at warnings from the pharmacy sector and pharmacy closures.
The Company Chemists' Association (CCA) appreciated Shadow Health Secretary's desire to enhance pharmacies' role in primary care reform but also stated that the
sector is in urgently needs a funding injection.
Dr. Nick Thayer, Head of Policy at the Company Chemists' Association (CCA) comment: "We are pleased to see the Shadow Health Secretary recognise the enhanced role
that pharmacies should play in primary care reform.
Mr Streeting wants to see care brought closer to people's homes and more front doors into the NHS. With 89.2% of the population located within a 20-minute walk of
a pharmacy, pharmacies do just that. They are essential to realising his vision of a 'neighbourhood health service'.
Pharmacies could free up over 42m GP appointments annually, including 10m vaccination appointments.
Urgent same-day appointments for minor conditions in pharmacies will immediately benefit patients by increasing GP access. The first step is for the Government to
immediately commission a fully-funded Pharmacy First service in England.
Lloyds Pharmacy's closure of all its 1,300 branches will wake-up the ministers and NHS officials to the reality of community pharmacy sector in England has
reached crisis point, expressed Nigel Swift Managing Director of Rowlands pharmacy and Deputy Managing Director of PHOENIX UK.
On Friday, The SUN reported that the UK's second largest pharmacy provider - is allegedly in the process of selling its entire estate of 1300 branches. Lloyds
Pharmacy will no longer be a High Street presence following its decision to put all its pharmacy branches at the risk of closure. In January it has announced to
close its 237 Sainsbury-based pharmacies.
Nigel highlighted the fact that community pharmacy is struggling due to insufficient government funding and immense pressures on GPs and A&E departments - an ongoing
issue which poses a very real threat to the sector.
Commenting on the announcement, he said: "It's not just Lloyds - an independent analysis by Ernst & Young estimated that 75% of community pharmacies will be in
financial distress in the coming years. £750 million has been taken out of the English contract due to inflation since it began."
National pharmacy bodies have expressed their disappointment on the launch date for Tier 1 of the Pharmacy Contraception Service which has been announced by
NHS England (NHSE) as '24th April 2023′.
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) said that this start date for the service has not been agreed with PSNC and is in direct contradiction of our
warning to Ministers that no new or expanded services can be rolled out in 2023/24 unless extra funding is put into community pharmacies.
Responding to this announcement, PSNC Chief Executive Janet Morrison said: "This is despite our warning last month that without additional funding, the roll-out of
Year 5 additional services and the Pharmacy Quality Scheme is neither feasible nor affordable. Community pharmacies are having to work harder and harder for less
money and many are at breaking point. And just this week the results of our 2023 Pharmacy Pressures Survey have confirmed the worsening situation.
Clearly our view is not because contractors don't see the benefit of the service. This is a much-anticipated service that could deliver real benefits to patients and
community pharmacies are always eager to support public health initiatives. But capacity in the sector is now so stretched that more money is needed to safely
resource additional work.
We have repeated our concerns to the Department in recent days and reminded them of the potential for a properly funded community pharmacy sector to play a greater
role in providing clinical solutions and relieving pressures elsewhere in primary care."
Representatives from the national community pharmacy bodies will brief the MPs on the severe challenges facing community pharmacies on Tuesday (21 March) at a
roundtable summit.
The roundtable summit will include discussions on the urgent action needed to address the current severe challenges being faced by community pharmacy, as well as the
sector's role in the upcoming Primary Care Recovery Plan, said PSNC.
The Parliamentary event this week has been coordinated by PSNC as part of the joint #SaveOurPharmacies campaign which exceeded 30,000 signatories in a week.
The Association of Independent Pharmacies (AIM), the Company Chemists' Association (CCA), the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and PSNC will take part at the
event.
A spokesperson for the #SaveOurPharmacies campaign group said: "30,000 signatures in a week indicates a high level of underlying public support for community pharmacy
and it's a good start to the #SaveOurPharmacies campaign. A petition by itself won't change the world, but it works as a kind of drumbeat for the campaign, giving
forward momentum, and it's a really easy way to express your opinion.
We hope the new window poster - along with all the resources available at saveourpharmacies.co.uk - will help as many pharmacies as possible to drum up support from
their patients, and we're really grateful to Communications International Group for helping us to print and distribute this.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE), the Company Chemists' Association (CCA), the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the National Pharmacy Association
(NPA) on Tuesday (5 March) released a joint manifesto for community pharmacy in anticipation of the upcoming general election expected later this year.
The manifesto has been designed for widespread use within the community pharmacy sector to facilitate engagement with political parties and parliamentary candidates.
In their #VotePharmacy manifesto, the pharmacy bodies have highlighted a robust six-point plan to unleash the potential of pharmacy.
Election candidates are urged to express their support in six key areas, which include:
Filling the funding gap and committing to long-term sustainable funding to empower pharmacies to deliver more NHS care.
Enhancing the community pharmacy workforce to ensure they can meet the evolving needs of patients.
The implementation of the 2017 standards for the initial education and training of pharmacy technicians (IETPT) has improved the performance and
preparedness for practice among recently registered pharmacy technicians and the wider workforce, according to a new study.
Results of the 2023 research study commissioned by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) showed that 72 per cent of pharmacy technicians felt "well prepared"
for practice after training. More number of pharmacy technicians in the community pharmacy expressed readiness for practice (82 per cent) than their peers in the
hospital pharmacy (64 peer cent).
Led by the Centre for Pharmacy Workforce Studies (CPWS) at the University of Manchester and the consultancy service, ICF, the study involved 142 recently registered
pharmacy technicians and 21 employers and supervisors of trainees.
Overall, 96 per cent of the surveyed respondents believed that the course effectively covered person-centred care, professionalism and professional knowledge and
skills.
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has launched two surveys to gather data on the pressures that people working in community pharmacies are facing.
Pharmacy teams have informed the negotiator about the ongoing financial and operational pressures and expressed concerns that these pressures could impact patients' care.
The surveys would give a snapshot of the problems faced by pharmacies and the results will be used in ongoing discussions with NHS England & NHS Improvement and the Department of Health and Social Care.
The results will also help PSNC to make pharmacy's case in conversations with the MPs, ministers and the national media.
The two separate surveys are for:
Pharmacy business owners/head office representatives - This survey covers the pressures faced by businesses, including financial and staffing pressures.
Pharmacy teams - It covers the day-to-day pressures experienced by pharmacy teams including supply chain issues, patient interactions/experience and staff morale.
Labour's Paulette Hamilton has raised concerns regarding the increasing reliance on pharmacy technicians in clinical practice due to staffing shortages
within pharmacies.
At the recent Pharmacy Inquiry session, Hamilton highlighted the mounting pressure on technicians to take on more responsibilities beyond their qualifications,
attributing it to the launch of Pharmacy First in January.
With almost 50,000 Pharmacy First consultations conducted in the first month alone as per a report by the Company Chemists' Association, Hamilton expressed
apprehension about technicians being classified under the broad term of "pharmacy professionals," blurring the distinction between their roles and those of
clinical pharmacists.
She further drew parallels between this situation and the scrutiny faced by physician associates (PAs) in GP practices following a patient's death due to
misdiagnosis and cautioned against technicians performing tasks beyond their expertise and urged policymakers to prevent similar incidents in pharmacy settings.
Health Minister Dame Andrea Leadsom responded by defending the current approach, denying any "blurring of the edges" and emphasizing patient safety as the
top priority.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPHC), Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), Company Chemists Association (CCA), Association of Pharmacy
Technicians UK (APTUK), National Pharmacy Association (NPA), Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists, Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA), and Independent
Pharmacies Association (IPA) have released a joint statement in response to the far-right riots across the UK.
They emphasised their united stance, declaring zero tolerance for racism towards colleagues or the public in any form.
The joint statement reads: "We are shocked and saddened by the violent public disorder events in recent days.
"We acknowledge how all sectors of the pharmacy profession may be impacted and recognise the challenges that this level of overt aggression can have on
people's ability or willingness to live their daily lives.
"The pharmacy workforce deserves peace and safety, not fear and harm. We stand united in having a zero tolerance of racism towards our colleagues or the
public in whatever form it takes."
Meanwhile, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has expressed concerns that protests and violent disorder in various towns and cities across England may impact
the ability of community pharmacies to operate.
Despite the challenges confronting pharmacy owners and their teams today, many in the industry hold the belief that the future for community pharmacy is
promising.
In a poll conducted at the beginning of the Pharmacy Business Conference 2024, 58 per cent of participants agreed that the future of community pharmacy is
positive, with 13 per cent expressing strong agreement.
However, 27 per cent expressed disagreement, with 3 per cent strongly disagreeing that the sector's future is optimistic.
By the end of the conference, a higher percentage of individuals (67 per cent) showed a positive outlook for community pharmacy, with over half indicating
strong agreement with its positivity. The number of participants who disagreed with it decreased to 11 percent.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has asked community pharmacy owners to share their views on preparations for the new national Pharmacy First service, ahead
of the next full Committee meeting at the end of January.
The advanced service, which is set for launch from 31 January, will allow patients to seek advice and treatment for seven common conditions directly from their
local pharmacy, without the need to contact their GP practice. It is expected to help NHS free up 10m GP appointments a year.
However, CPE chief executive Janet Morrison has previously expressed that the Pharmacy First investment is not the panacea for pharmacy's funding woes.
Pharmacy owners' feedback will be used in the Committee's campaigning and influencing work to press for an uplift to core funding, CPE said.
Well Pharmacy, the UK's largest independent pharmacy chain, recently announced the opening of a new store inside WHSmith's flagship airside location at
Birmingham Airport.
This expansion is part of Well Pharmacy's ongoing collaboration with WHSmith, the global travel retailer.
Situated within the departure lounge of Birmingham Airport, the biggest and busiest airport in the Midlands and the seventh largest in the UK, the new pharmacy
will offer travelers a wide range of pharmacy products and expert healthcare services.
The new pharmacy complements WHSmith's extensive selection of health and beauty items, travel essentials, food-to-go, and tech products.
Andrew Caplan, chief retail officer at Well Pharmacy, expressed enthusiasm about the continued partnership.
"Well Pharmacy are delighted to continue to work in partnership with WHSmith in providing a one stop shop for all travellers' needs," he stated.
Community Pharmacy England, Company Chemists Association, and the National Pharmacy Association have all expressed their disappointment at a recent press
statement made by Dr Leyla Hannbeck, Chief Executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies.
The CPE, CCA and NPA refuted AIMp's claim that pharmacy bodies operate independently, emphasising the importance of employing various channels and strategies
to shape public policy.
"It makes sense to use a variety of channels and tactics to influence public policy," NPA, CPE and CCA said in a joint statement issued on Wednesday (August 13).
"Limiting our work to just one Parliamentary channel would be naive and do a disservice to pharmacy owners."
On Aug. 12, AIMp highlighted that a lack of cohesion was one of the contributing factors to the sector's difficulty in gaining wider attention.
Dr. Hannbeck argued that it's counterproductive for each pharmacy organisation to maintain its own manifesto, essentially a lengthy wish-list that is often
unrealistic and unattainable. "This can conveniently allow those in power to easily employ a divide-and-conquer strategy," she said.
After the government announced to award pay rise to pubic sector workers, pharmacy trade bodies have expressed their disappointment at the neglect shown
towards funding crisis in community pharmacy.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chair, Andrew Lane, said: "Our sector can't help but feel utterly neglected after seven years of crushing real terms cuts
to pharmacy funding, amounting to half a billion pounds, and no hint of any relief to come.
"This week's public sector pay awards, which include a large number of our health service colleagues, highlight that there's an unresolved funding crisis in
community pharmacy which needs urgent attention."
"Four months into this financial year, there is as yet no clarity even on current arrangements."
"After stepping up to tackle Covid and keep the wheels on the NHS, the sector deserves better than to be neglected in this way," Andrew opines.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is bolstering its leadership team with the appointment of Jay Badenhorst as the Director of Pharmacy, a newly
created position aimed at fortifying its commitment to advancing pharmacy practice.
This move comes amidst a period of significant change and challenge for frontline pharmacists, prompting the independent trade union to enhance its influence
in the evolving healthcare landscape.
Mr. Badenhorst, who previously served Whitworth Chemists as the Managing Director and also has leveraged his extensive knowledge of the pharmacy practice and
organisational leadership as the Vice Chair of the National Pharmacy Association, reasons his "commitment to being at the forefront of positive change within
the pharmacy profession."
Mr. Badenhorst expressed his enthusiasm stating: "I am delighted to be joining an organisation that has so much vision, ambition and drive at a time when
pharmacists have so many opportunities to develop their roles for the benefit of patients."
According to Mark Koziol, Chair of PDA, the new position is a reflection of the union's commitment to pharmacy and described the new Director of Pharmacy
as "a senior level, proven and award-winning pharmacy leader."
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has expressed concerns over Boots UK's decision to reduce supplemental opening hours at some pharmacies.
The association stated: "Some pharmacists and other staff at Boots are being notified this week of changes to opening hours at their place of work, with local briefings taking place. The PDA are supporting their members to deal with any potential impact on their employment."
It said that reducing pharmacy opening hours would affect patients' access to a trusted healthcare professional, especially if it is being done by the largest community pharmacy multiple.
It even called upon the NHS to adequately fund community pharmacies to ensure they remain open when patients and local communities need their services.
Meanwhile, Boots management has informed PDA that most of its employees are not pharmacists, and "less pharmacists are expected to be directly impacted by these changes than other colleagues," PDA said.
Patients are highly satisfied with the new Pharmacy First service, which enables pharmacists to assess and treat patients for seven common conditions,
according to a survey by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).
Nearly 100 NPA members participated in the snapshot poll conducted at the end of the first full week of the service.
Nine in ten respondents (87 per cent) said that "most or all patients expressed satisfaction" with the service they received.
However, many independent community pharmacy owners are facing challenges in implementing the service.
While 56 per cent of pharmacy owners surveyed expressed feeling "motivated" by the new service, a larger proportion (70 per cent) indicated being "under
additional pressure."
More than 30 per cent of the respondents found implementation of the service "harder" than they had expected.