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Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has released a series of resources to help pharmacy owners and their teams promote the new Pharmacy First service, which is slated for launch on 31st January 2024. Pharmacists can use a variety of resources, including posters, social media content, flyers and a local press release, to raise awareness of the new service to patients and members of the public. The promotional materials are now available to download from the Committee's website. "The messaging and graphics have been developed with the input of pharmacists and pharmacy owners, to highlight the benefits of the service to patients, the public, and the NHS," it said. CPE has been providing a range of information, guidance and resources to support community pharmacies in the implementation of the new service. Beginning Monday 29 January 2024, the committee will be hosting a series of online drop-in sessions (no need to register) to assist pharmacy professionals with any queries they may have on the service.

In response to concerns raised by pharmacy owners, the government has decided to adjust the August threshold for the Pharmacy First service from 20 to 15 clinical pathways. The ability of pharmacy owners to achieve the thresholds for the monthly Pharmacy First payments has been a topic of great concern. Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has been actively discussing this issue over the last few weeks with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. Ministers have now decided to adjust the August threshold for the Pharmacy First service to 15, CPE announced today (July 31). Commenting on this decision, Janet Morrison, CEO of Community Pharmacy England said: "We are pleased that Ministers have listened to our concerns and acted quickly to make an adjustment so soon after coming into office."

Pharmacy2U has joined thousands of pharmacists in launching the new NHS Pharmacy First service in England. The new service, which was first launched on 31 January 2024, enables pharmacists to treat seven common health conditions without the need for a GP appointment or prescription. Over 95 per cent of all community pharmacies in the country (10,265 in total) have signed up to provide the service, which is aimed at easing pressure on GP services while giving patients quick and accessible care. Under the Pharmacy First service, the online pharmacy is offering same-day appointments to manage six conditions: sinusitis, an infected insect bite, sore throat, UTIs, shingles and impetigo. Pharmacy2U's CEO Kevin Heath said that they support the initiative fully and that the service will play a major role in providing patients easy and direct access to pharmacists.

Pharmacy owners can make their claims for February Pharmacy First consultations until 5pm on Friday 15 March 2024, the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) announced on Monday. The deadline for Pharmacy First submission was extended following a technical issue in the NHSBSA Manage Your Service (MYS) portal, which led to the claims appearing incorrectly in the portal. The NHSBSA has been working with suppliers and NHS England to investigate and address the problem. While the problem has been resolved, the NHSBSA has advised pharmacy owners to check their submissions carefully before submitting. If any issues persist, they are advised to contact their Pharmacy First IT system supplier helpdesk to escalate the matter and not to confirm their claims in MYS until the issue has been resolved. Pharmacy owners are informed that the extended deadline is for February only and it includes any consultations completed on 31 January 2024.

Community pharmacy representatives and MPs from across all political parties discussed the impact of winter pressures on pharmacies in England during a parliamentary drop-in event held on Tuesday (5 December). As many as 34 MPs attended the event, including Bradford South MP Judith Cummins, who hosted the event. Members of the Community Pharmacy England (CPE) Policy Team and LPC leaders briefed the politicians about the current winter pressures that all NHS community pharmacies are grappling with, and asked them to help get more support. CPE Chief Executive Janet Morrison said: "Community pharmacies play an active role to support their patients throughout the winter period, but the sector needs fair and proper funding to enable its vital services to be delivered in the long term. This event came at a key moment for the sector as we work towards implementing the Pharmacy First service and negotiations begin for the 2024/25 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF).

"If we stand still, we will die. We have to keep moving, and we have to keep changing" said Patrick Gompels, co-owner of Gompels Limited, while emphasising the need for innovation in community pharmacy services, during the recent Pharmacy Business Conference 2024. Centered on the theme 'Pharmacy of Tomorrow,' the conference, held at the Hilton Wembley on April 28, focused on adopting and adapting innovative technology as well as new ways of working and thinking to enhance patient services. Patrick was joined by Mayank Patel of Pearl Chemist Group and Michael Lennox, CEO of Community Pharmacy Somerset (LPC), during the panel discussion on innovation in community pharmacy services, moderated by Reena Barai, pharmacist and owner of S G Barai Pharmacy. On the changes he made at Gompels, Patrick said: "The first thing we did was a complete overhaul of all of our systems. Pretty much everything was stripped down." He shared that Gompels has embraced innovation by partnering with forward-thinking companies like Titan PMR, Drug Comparison, and Real World Analytics to enhance their processes and data analysis capabilities.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has launched its third annual Pressures Survey to uncover the various challenges encountered by individuals owning or working in a community pharmacy. The Committee expressed concern that community pharmacies in England are now in a critical situation, significantly affecting workload, stress levels, patients, and businesses. The 2024 Pharmacy Pressures Survey is aimed at finding out more about these issues and other areas such as medicines supply problems and workforce challenges as well as the recently launched Pharmacy First service, it said. CPE chief executive Janet Morrison said that they were able to receive a huge number of responses in previous surveys and they are expecting to achieve a similar level of engagement this year too.

With the UK General Election set for 4 July, pharmacy bodies are actively engaging with all political parties to secure support for the community pharmacy sector. They are pressing parties to address urgent issues such as pharmacy closures and medicine shortages. "The upcoming general election is a critical opportunity for us to strengthen supporters of community pharmacy in readiness for the new Parliament," said Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England (CPE). She stressed the need for unity within the sector in advocating for community pharmacy and raising awareness of the issues with election candidates from all parties. As the general election approaches, CPE has called upon all political parties to support pharmacies by "introducing a long-term sustainable funding model and reviewing the medicines supply chain, including much-needed short-term relief measures."

A full CPE Committee Meeting was organised in London on April 17 and 18, 2024, to discuss crucial sectoral issues. Key topics discussed during the two-day meeting included intolerable pressures on pharmacy owners, the ongoing Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) negotiations, implementation of the Pharmacy First service, and governance changes. Committee Members reviewed the progress of CPCF negotiations with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England. These critical negotiations are being led by the Negotiating Team (NT), which includes independent pharmacy owners and representatives of CCA and non-CCA multiples. The CPE has been advocating for an uplift to the core global sum, margin write-offs, an agreed mechanism for regular funding increases linked to activity and inflation, annual uplifts to service fees, more fundamental reform of the margin delivery framework and an economic review of the medicines supply chain. The Committee also discussed the results of the 2024 Pharmacy Pressures Survey, which was conducted during March and April.

Acknowledging the ongoing challenges in delivering the required IT systems for the scheduled launch of the Pharmacy First service on January 31, NHS England reported progress in fulfilling 'many' commitments outlined in its plan to enhance primary care access during a board meeting on Thursday. However, it noted that the digital infrastructure supporting Pharmacy First, included in the £645 million fresh funding for community pharmacy, will require additional time for implementation. "Delivery remains challenging due to changes needed in digital infrastructure, and we are working with suppliers to support January implementation," NHSE said. "A public campaign is planned for 2024." The Pharmacy First service allows pharmacists to supply prescription-only medicines for seven common health conditions (sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women), eliminating the need for a GP visit. Meanwhile, NHSE is leveraging the widespread accessibility of pharmacies by expanding blood pressure monitoring and introducing direct prescribing of clinically safe oral contraceptives-an initiative that has been well-received.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has urged the NHS to take urgent action to prevent faults in the IT system underpinning the government's flagship programme. The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) recently confirmed that the issue in the Manage Your Service (MYS) portal had been resolved, and consequently, the deadline for submission of claims for February Pharmacy First consultations was extended until 15 March 2024. However, NPA members said that they are still facing problems, with the portal recording fewer consultations than entered by pharmacies, potentially leaving them out of pocket by thousands of pounds. Paul Rees, chief executive of the NPA, highlighted the significant achievement of pharmacies in delivering tens of thousands of consultations in the first month of the Pharmacy First programme, stating that this accomplishment is "a testament to their skill and dedication."

Pharmacy owners discussed the key concerns and priorities for the future at the Community Pharmacy England's (CPE) digital briefing event held last week (on 7 May 2024). More than 500 pharmacy owners and their representatives registered for the event, which provided them an opportunity to learn more about the committee's work in key areas and share their views on important issues. Major concerns raised by them included underfunding, dispensing at a loss, and challenges in implementing Pharmacy First. Attendees described the new service as "slow", "challenging" and "underfunded", while also highlighting the importance of improving GPs' understanding of the service.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have been tasked to evaluate the impact, safety and effectiveness of the Pharmacy First service, which was launched across England in January 2024. They have been awarded £2.4million by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to generate evidence on the new service that allows pharmacies to provide advice and treatment for seven common conditions without the need for a GP appointment. After consultation, if necessary, a community pharmacist can supply some prescription-only medicines to treat earache, sore throat, sinusitis, impetigo, shingles, infected insect bites or uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women. The LSHTM researcher team will be working together with experts at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Universities of Oxford, Manchester and Nottingham on the project. Dr Rebecca Glover, assistant professor in Antimicrobial Resistance at LSHTM, who will lead the three-year project, said they will evaluate "Pharmacy First's impact on GPs and the wider NHS, pharmacy services and patients."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has announced the results of the elections to vacant positions on the RPS Scottish and English Country Boards that took place at the meeting on June 18. The Scottish Pharmacy Board elected Jonathan Burton, FRPharmS, as their new Chair and Audrey Thompson to the RPS Assembly, the organisation's governing body. Jonathan is a community pharmacist and an independent prescriber affiliated with the Right Medicine Pharmacy group in Stirling. He has played an integral role in the inception, development and delivery of Pharmacy First services in Scotland. He is an RPS Fellow and received an MBE in 2018 for services to healthcare. Jonathan is also the recipient of the 2023 RPS Charter Award. He previously served as Chair of the Scottish Pharmacy Board from 2019 to 2021. "Serving as Chair is a great privilege," said Jonathan while expressing his delight at being elected as the Chair of the Scottish Pharmacy Board.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) CEO, Janet Morrison said that the negotiations for the £645 million investment pledged to community pharmacies in 2023-25 have concluded. The government's primary care recovery plan is to be announced in a "few weeks" and negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) from April 2024 will begin. She said: "We have finished the substantive discussions on the recovery plan but detailed discussions about implementation are ongoing and we are awaiting final clearance from the Government and the NHS. "We hope that we will be in a position to make an announcement in the next few weeks and that negotiations on the CPCF from April 2024 will commence soon after that." Morrison reminded attendees that the Primary Care Recovery Plan is "to improve access to primary care by investing £645 million over the remainder of the year".

The Company Chemists' Association (CCA) has responded positively to the Labour Party's manifesto, which outlines plans to bolster community pharmacy services and shift the NHS towards a more localized, prevention-focused model. Key proposals include the creation of a Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service and the enhancement of care delivery in local communities. Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive of the CCA, expressed strong support for these initiatives and said: "We welcome the Labour Party Manifesto's clear focus on moving to a 'Neighbourhood Health Service', prevention, and the return of the 'family doctor'." "Harnessing community pharmacy is crucial to delivering each of these," Harrison added.

Pharmacists, councillors and NHS leaders came together at Portsmouth's first Community Pharmacy Summit to address some of the challenges facing community pharmacy locally. They explored ways to reduce the huge pressures on pharmacy, tackle abuse towards staff, enable pharmacists to undertake training to treat more illnesses, and to protect the current and future workforce. Portsmouth City Council, which hosted the Summit on Wednesday 15 November, also invited representatives from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, University of Portsmouth, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board and businesses to discuss new opportunities to work together. Held at Portsmouth Guildhall, the event was chaired by Cllr Matthew Winnington, Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing, Health and Care, and Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Transport.

All 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) in England have signed memorandums of understanding for the NHS Independent Prescribing Pathfinder programme, the first nationally-funded prescribing service in the country. Anne Joshua, interim deputy director of pharmacy commissioning at NHS England, made the revelation during the 'Chief pharmaceutical officer bi-monthly webinar' held on 7 March 2024, as reported by The Pharmaceutical Journal. In the initial phase of the programme, 210 community pharmacies across all ICBs will trial independent prescribing, ahead of establishing a commissioning framework for the service. Giving an update on the pathfinder programme, Joshua confirmed that 164 of these potential pathfinder sites had registered for the programme as of 29 February 2024. Additionally, she announced the clinical models to be followed by the participating pharmacies and presented a graph showing an overview of the services they will provide.

At the recent 'Locum Matters' online event held on June 25, 2024, members of the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) discussed critical issues facing locum pharmacists, with a disturbing trend taking center stage: employers pressuring locum pharmacists to accept lower rates under the threat of potential pharmacy closures. The event, organised in response to feedback from PDA locum members, addressed a range of significant topics including training for the recent Pharmacy First Services, respect for professional autonomy, and the need for adequate rest breaks. However, the issue of rate pressure and pharmacy closures was a focal point. Several locum pharmacists reported that some employers were leveraging the possibility of pharmacy closures to coerce them into working for lower pay. This unethical practice has raised alarm within the locum community, highlighting the precarious working conditions many face.

As the general election campaign heats up, major political parties - including Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats - have released their manifestos, detailing their plans and visions for the future of community pharmacy. While the Conservative Party promises to expand Pharmacy First initiative, Labour pledges support for small businesses, with plans to overhaul the business rates system. The Liberal Democrats' election manifesto commits to developing a fairer and more sustainable long-term funding model for pharmacies. Announcing their plans recently, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that they are investing in community care services to secure the future of the NHS and make healthcare more accessible. The Conservatives plan to fund these initiatives by cutting NHS managerial positions back to pre-pandemic levels and halving the government's management consultancy expenditure.