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The NHS plans to train hundreds of pharmacy staff, expanding their ability to provide advanced clinical services and assume wider roles in dispensing medicines. With a targeted launch in September, up to 840 pharmacy technicians can join in the training programme. The online modules will cover consultation skills, therapeutics, clinical decision-making, assessment skills, and service improvement. "Community pharmacies are pivotal in local communities, and this novel training scheme empowers them to extend their service offerings to a wider patient base," said Health Minister Neil O'Brien. "Through our investment in the workforce, we're bolstering the implementation of the Pharmacy First initiative with £645 million, ensuring patients have access to expert assistance for various common ailments, including urinary tract infections and earaches." NHS said the training will offer flexibility to align with the working schedules and prior experience of community pharmacy technicians. It will combine independent online e-course study, educational supervision, and clinical skills training. Facilitated workshops will concentrate on enhancing clinical assessment skills and applying knowledge and skills through case studies, practice activities, and group discussions.

It's no secret that as pharmacists we are navigating a new and more demanding healthcare landscape. Our role has changed significantly since the start of the 21st century due to increased expectations from the public, advances in science and technology and changing workforce pressures. The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for England has placed a higher focus on clinical service. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in significant acceleration in changing how we work day-to-day and the public perception of our role. Community pharmacy owners and staff have been under relentless pressure for the last two years. Dispensing volumes are continually increasing but dispensing revenues are being replaced by launching new services. We must find solutions to reduce the time it takes to dispense medication so we can focus on these new revenue generating services. To not just succeed, but to thrive, it is becoming increasingly important to understand and embrace the technology available.

A new NHS-funded training course on clinical examination skills has been announced by Health Education England (HEE) for 10,000 community pharmacists. The training will be provided by CliniSkills and be coordinated by HEE with the Pharmacy Integration Programme at NHS England. With pre-registration now open to all community pharmacists, the programme will be available from 17th April 2023 and will until March 2024. It will be delivered online, with optional face-to-face attendance for pharmacists who would find this beneficial. Pharmacists will be required to complete a module on history taking and identification of serious conditions and can then choose from four optional modules, which cover the following themes: dermatology; cardiology; paediatrics; and ear, nose and throat. The training is designed to be complementary to the independent prescribing training and can be completed prior to or after an independent prescribing training course. It is open to all community pharmacists including those that work part time and locums.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Enhertu for people with advance breast cancer. "There is not enough evidence yet to show how much longer people live with Enhertu compared with trastuzumab emtansine because the clinical trial is still ongoing. This means the cost-effectiveness estimates are highly uncertain and Enhertu cannot be recommended for routine use in the NHS," said NICE. The independent appraisal committee concluded that Enhertu could be cost-effective if further evidence from the ongoing trial and from NHS practice can show how much longer people live with treatment. Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE, said: "Today's draft guidance is good news for people with this type of advanced breast cancer, who often experience severe and debilitating symptoms.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) on Wednesday (14 February) launched consultations on two new pioneer curricula defining the clinical capabilities expected of entry-level advanced pharmacists practising in critical care and mental health. The advanced pharmacist critical care curriculum and the advanced pharmacist mental health curriculum are supplementary to the RPS core advanced curriculum. Interested stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on the content of the curricula, their feasibility in terms of delivery, their relevance to all countries, and how these may impact different social groups. Both consultations will be open until Tuesday 12 March, and members and non-members of RPS can submit their comments via the online form or the word document.