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Maxine McCabe has made history as the first community pharmacist in the UK to be credentialed as a core advanced pharmacist by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in Scotland. Announcing McCabe's achieving, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) stated that this credential demonstrates her expertise across the four pillars of advanced practice: clinical, leadership and management, educating others and research. Maxine has worked in the community pharmacy sector since qualifying as a pharmacist in 2008, consistently showing a keen interest in developing the wider pharmacy team and enhancing clinical services for the local patient population. Throughout her career, she has managed various community pharmacies, including Boots and Parkhead Health Centre Pharmacy, where she played a crucial role in developing pharmacy practice and nurturing pharmacy support roles and trainee pharmacists. In 2023, Maxine took on a part-time role as a Senior Educator in the Prescribing & Clinical Skills teams at NHS Education for Scotland (NES). She continues to practice as a pharmacist, leading the Teach and Treat Training Hub at Burnside Pharmacy in Lanarkshire. McCabe expressed her excitement about the recognition, saying, "I am delighted to obtain my Advanced Practice credential and showcase that this is achievable in community pharmacy."

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.

The University of Bath's Department of Life Sciences has introduced a series of five new online short courses for pharmacy professionals. These courses aim to support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the UK and worldwide in meeting their compulsory Continuous Professional Development (CPD) requirements and staying current and competent in their professional practice. This initiative follows the successful accreditation of the University's Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice MSc by NHS England. Fully online, the new courses cover a diverse range of areas within pharmacy practice, such as mental health, pharmaceutical public health, answering queries about medicines, polypharmacy, and interpreting key blood test results. Looking ahead, the department plans to expand this series with additional courses in relevant and emerging areas, with the potential for the framework to be used across the University to deliver more online short courses for professional development. The mental health course, which aims to enable pharmacy professionals to understand how they can play a role in supporting the mental health of their patients, is offered free of charge.

Jackie Giltrow and Jose Moss have been appointed as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Community Pharmacy Patient Safety group, respectively, bringing with them a wealth of experience and expertise in pharmacy practice. Supported by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and hosted by the Company Chemists' Association (CCA), the CPPSG serves as a collaborative platform for large community pharmacy organisations to openly share and learn from each other's experiences. A CPPSG Chair now, Jackie Giltrow, Clinical Governance Lead at Paydens Limited is a seasoned pharmacist and expert in risk management and patient safety. With nine years of experience as a member of the CPPSG, Giltrow's appointment represents a continuation of her longstanding dedication to advancing patient safety initiatives within community pharmacy settings.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has published a new policy outlining how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to support pharmacy practice and improve patient care. The content has been developed in consultation with RPS members, Expert Advisory Group members, Board members, multi-professional experts in digital technology and AI, and external stakeholders including the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). The policy highlights the opportunities, challenges and potential applications of AI within pharmacy now and in the future. RPS President, Professor Claire Anderson, acknowledges that AI technologies have the potential to transform pharmacy practice, noting that "there are some great examples where it's already in use." "We must optimise the opportunities that these advancing technologies can bring to enhance patient access to care, improve patient experience, support clinical decision making and improve the safety and efficiency of the medicines supply chain. "Our policy provides a framework to ensure AI is harnessed safely and effectively to support pharmacists and patients," she adds.

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.

In a bid to amplify the role of pharmacists in clinical services and vaccination programs, the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has embarked on a groundbreaking collaboration with Aston University. This initiative, funded by Innovate UK Business Connect, aims to explore the feasibility and impact of integrating additional healthcare interventions within community pharmacies. "The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) research project represents an exciting opportunity to advance the role of pharmacists in patient care," remarked Alison Jones, Director of Policy at PDA. "This project will be an important part of that evolution, supporting individual pharmacists to have more opportunities to practice and so develop more fulfilling careers." Led by the PDA and Aston University, the project will commence imminently, focusing on the Priory Community Pharmacy in Dudley.

Many community pharmacists are keen to pursue independent prescribing training, but the lack of access to placements, supervisors, and adequate financial support remains a challenge. In a significant development, the government has announced the nationwide expansion of the 'Teach and Treat' clinics pilot to assist pharmacists in becoming independent prescribers (IPs). Initially piloted in the South West, this initiative allowed many community pharmacists to gain practice-based learning, with supervision from an experienced prescriber called a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP). This expansion was confirmed in the government's response to the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee (HSCC) pharmacy inquiry, published on 10 January 2025. The initiative is described as "an effective way to create designated DPP capacity and grow the number of pharmacist independent prescribers." The expansion of the Teach and Treat clinics will be facilitated through the Pharmacy Integration Fund in 2024-25.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has launched two pioneering curricula aimed at defining advanced pharmacist practice in critical care and mental health. Developed in collaboration with the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) and the College of Mental Health Pharmacy (CMHP), these curricula are supplementary to the RPS core advanced curriculum. The RPS and UKCPA advanced pharmacist critical care curriculum, developed with support from the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (FICM), focuses on equipping pharmacists with knowledge, skills and capabilities to support critical care teams in optimising medicine use. This includes resuscitating, stabilising and optimising the patient during their illness, as well as managing pre-existing conditions throughout their critical illness and supporting discharge and rehabilitation.

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.

Patients in Ireland with a specific type of lung cancer can now access Merck's TEPMETKO® (tepotinib) as a second-line treatment option, following its approval for reimbursement by the Health Service Executive (HSE). Tepotinib is the first treatment approved in Ireland specifically targeting advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor gene (MET) exon 14 (METex14) skipping alterations. Previously, the oral MET inhibitor had been approved in the NHS across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Patients with advanced NSCLC with METex14 skipping alterations typically have poorer overall survival rates compared to other NSCLC patients. According to Merck, tepotinib has shown consistent and durable antitumor activity in this group, as demonstrated in the VISION study, further cementing its role in clinical practice. Roisin Molloy, Managing Director of Merck Healthcare in Ireland, said: "This is an important step forward for targeted treatments in Ireland and it is fantastic news that the HSE has reimbursed tepotinib."