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NHS England delivered 358 million general practice (GP) appointments, including Covid-19 vaccinations, in the 12 months to October 2023, an increase of 50.9 million compared to October 2019. This equals to 44 more appointments per practice per working day, with over 70 per cent of these taking place within two weeks of booking, data published by NHSE on Thursday (30 November) showed. Health Minister, Andrea Leadsom, thanked GPs and primary care teams across the country for making it possible to deliver around 32,500 more appointments every day, which clearly demonstrate that "more people are getting the care they need, when they need it." "While this is positive news, we know that there is more to do to make it easier and quicker for patients to contact their general practice and continue to focus on delivering the Primary Care Recovery Plan," she added. The Primary Care Recovery Plan published earlier this year is focused on improving access to primary care. It provided GPs in England with £240 million to support them to embrace the latest technology to tackle the 8am rush, and handle more appointments. As of August 2023, more than 1,000 general practices had signed up to digital upgrades to make booking GP appointments easier.

New data published by NHS England on Thursday (4 January) showed that more than 31.4 million GP appointments (excluding vaccinations) were delivered in November 2023. This is four million more than the number recorded in the same month before the pandemic, and is considered the busiest November on record for GP teams. Compared to the previous month (October 2023), 3.3 per cent more appointments were booked and attended on the same day in November. Almost seven in ten patients attended their appointments within seven days of booking, an increase of 4.5 per cent from the previous month.

Pharmacy owners can proceed with vaccinating patients who have already scheduled their flu vaccination appointments for September, NHS England has said. However, as announced earlier, the official rollout of the vaccination service will commence from October. Pharmacies will receive compensation for conducting appointments in the upcoming month, NHSE stated in a letter addressed to systems, community pharmacies, and general practices. "Payment for vaccinations will ordinarily only be made following the service commencement date. However, we understand that some firm commitments and appointments have already been made, so where this is the case and the patient wishes to receive flu vaccination in September, NHS England will permit payment claims to be submitted," NHSE said. Care home residents and staff will be eligible for the vaccine starting Oct. 2, while all other patients will commence receiving their vaccinations on Oct 7. This news is a significant relief for pharmacy owners, as they won't have to reschedule appointments due to NHSE's one-month service delay.

The recent industrial action by junior doctors and hospital dental trainees, which is considered the longest strike in NHS history, caused a significant impact on the NHS services. Data published by NHS England showed that 113,779 inpatient and outpatient appointments were rescheduled due to the strike, which began on Wednesday 3 January at 7.00am and finished at 7.00am on Tuesday 9 January. Junior doctors make up around half of all doctors in the health service, but 25,446 staff remained absent from work at the peak of the last week's latest action. The ongoing dispute between junior doctors and government over the 2022/23 pay award has disrupted more than one million hospital appointments so far. The junior doctors' strike in December 2023 impacted 86,329 hospital appointments, and their previous action in October saw over 86,000 appointments cancelled.

Marking Pharmacy First's first anniversary in England, the Company Chemists' Association (CCA) has called on policymakers to expand the service, highlighting that there's still "significant room for growth." In a report released today, the association estimates that expanding the service could free up 40 million general practice (GP) appointments every year - more than four times the current potential - and around a tenth of all GP appointments. In its current form, the service is expected to free up more than 9 million GP appointments annually. The CCA has recommended expanding the criteria and treatments available for the existing seven conditions and introducing new conditions. According to the report, community pharmacies provided nearly 1.5 million consultations for the seven covered conditions -earaches, urinary tract infections, sore throats

The new Labour government has pledged to deliver an extra 40,000 NHS appointments, operations and diagnostics every week, equivalent to two million a year, to tackle the ongoing waiting list crisis. It aims to ensure that 92 per cent of patients start routine hospital treatment within 18 weeks by the end of this parliament - a target that has not been met for nearly a decade. However, a new analysis by healthcare consultancy CF (Carnall Farrar) and the NHS Confederation has revealed that these extra appointments alone will not be enough to achieve the 18-week Referral To Treatment (RTT) target by 2028/29. The study estimates that 40,000 extra appointments per week would deliver only about 15 per cent of the additional activity required to hit the 18-week target, assuming demand continues to grow at current rates and care delivery remains unchanged. While the report acknowledged that increasing capacity is a positive step, it stresses that further reforms and transformations in care pathways are necessary to bridge the gap.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has appointed Anthony Harnden, a professor of primary care at the University of Oxford, as its new Chair. Professor Harnden brings decades of experience to the role. He has served the NHS for 40 years, including 33 years as a general practitioner in Wheatley, Oxfordshire. Until the end of December 2024, he will also continue as a registrant council member of the General Medical Council and chair of the Remuneration Committee. He previously served as deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), where he played a key role in ensuring public trust and patient safety during the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. Professor Harnden succeeds Stephen Lightfoot, who served as MHRA chair from September 2020 until stepping down in 2023. On his appointment, Professor Harnden said: "It is a great honour and privilege to be appointed by ministers to be the next MHRA chair. I am looking forward to making a contribution to the future successes of the organisation.

Ahead of the launch of UK's first state-of-the-art automated hub for independent community pharmacists, HubRx has announced the appointment of Karl Wooldridge as operations director and Matthew Tollefson as chief financial officer. Karl brings more than 14 years of sector experience to his new role with HubRx. Having begun his career as an independent community pharmacist, Karl has gone on to hold key roles within pharmacy automation, including managing Phoenix Medical Supplies' offsite dispensing service. Commenting on his appointment, Karl said: "I'm delighted to have joined the team. The pandemic has further highlighted the important role pharmacists can play in keeping the nation healthy, not least in the delivery of the latest vaccination programme. The focus is now on pharmacists offering more clinical services, but to be able to achieve that the dispensing burden needs to be reduced. "HubRx is pioneering, our approach will transform community pharmacy. We're investing in cutting-edge technology to create an automated dispensing hub that will create capacity for pharmacists, allow them to grow and expand their skills." Matthew joins from Leeds-based corporate finance firm, Sentio Partners having also held positions with Mazars and Ernst & Young.

HubRx has appointed Dr Sarah Passmore as superintendent pharmacist ahead of launching what the company called "the UK's first state-of-the-art automated pharmacy hub". Dr Passmore brings more than 20 years of pharmacy experience - having held key regulatory roles with Rowlands Pharmacy over a 11-year tenure, which also saw her involved in a number of pharmacy automation projects. Commenting on her appointment, Dr Passmore said: "As a pharmacist, who has spent more than 10 years working within community pharmacy, I'm excited by what a hub and spoke model for prescription dispensing can bring. "Pharmacists are highly trained in delivering clinical services to patients - and like me - it's often a part of their job that they thoroughly enjoy. The option of using hub and spoke to support dispensing prescriptions will give community pharmacists the gift of more time that can be spent helping patients. "I'm excited to join HubRx and for it to become the first state-of-the-art automated pharmacy hub designed for independent community pharmacists to launch in the UK."

Maxwellia has appointed Ian Adamson as strategic advisor to shape the next phase of pharmacy medicine launches - a process which involves identifying and converting suitable prescription only medicines into versions people can choose to buy under the supervision of a pharmacist. Ian brings over 30 years' international consumer health and personal care experience to the Maxwellia team. He is currently an advisor to the board of the UK independent pharmacy chain Day Lewis plc, an advisor to the board of Spanish healthcare company ReVa Europe S.L and board advisor to East Midlands Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Prior to this Ian was Chief Commercial Officer and a main board director at SSL International plc (prior to its sale to Reckitt Benckiser) with responsibility for a $1bn portfolio of brands, which included Durex and Scholl. Ian's appointment follows the landmark reclassification of the progestogen only pill by the MHRA, a change spearheaded by Maxwellia, and the company's subsequent launch of its first product Lovima in July 2021; and the current MHRA public consultation on the reclassification of Maxwellia's new pharmacy brand, Aquiette 2.5mg Tablets (Oxybutynin Hydrochloride) for the treatment of overactive bladder symptoms which are not adequately controlled by bladder training alone.

Orphan Drug development specialist TMC Pharma has appointed Gordon Cameron to its board as a non-executive director. Mr Cameron has 25 years' board-level experience in biotech and pharmaceutical services sectors. He started his career with EY, then spent several years in investment banking at Rothschild before becoming CFO, and then CEO, of international vaccine company Acambis. For the past 15 years, Mr Cameron has been CFO of Quotient Sciences, an international Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation and Clinical Research Organisation. In 2004, he was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to the British biotechnology industry. Julie Matthews, chief executive officer of TMC Pharma, said that the new appointment would "enhance our strategic capability and tactical execution as we consolidate our position as a global leader in the Orphan Drug development market."

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.

The UK's performance in hospital-based care is falling behind other high-income countries, according to a new report published by the Health Foundation. For hospital care waiting times, the UK ranked among the worst in a public survey of 10 nations, with 11 per cent of people waiting a year or more for a specialist appointment and 19 per cent facing the same delay for non-emergency surgery. Only Canada had comparable figures. The report published on Thursday (22 August) also pointed out that waiting times for specialist appointments have increased more rapidly in the UK than in other countries. In 2023, 61 per cent of people in the UK reported waiting more than four weeks for a specialist appointment, a significant rise from just 14 per cent in 2013. Over 21,000 people from across 10 developed countries, including over 3,000 from the UK, participated in the 2023 Commonwealth Fund survey.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has welcomed the Health Secretary Sajid Javid's plan to appoint Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) tsar to tackle the medicine shortages. On Sunday (April 24) Sajid Javid told the Mail that he planned to tackle the problem (shortage of HRT medicine) by appointing a new HRT tsar with the role modelled on that of Kate Bingham, who successfully led the government's Covid vaccine taskforce. "The difficulties in accessing HRT medicine have unfairly impacted women's mental health," said RPS President, Professor Claire Anderson. "I look forward to working with this new champion for HRT and the Government on how we can better support women's health, building on the positive move to reduce prescription charges for HRT for women." Anderson also stressed that "the Government should now go further and end unfair prescription charges for patients in England altogether."

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has appointed a new provider, BTL Group Ltd, to conduct its common registration assessment sittings, which it holds jointly with the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI). GPhC chief executive, Duncan Rudkin, said: "I'm pleased to confirm that we have appointed BTL as the supplier for the common registration assessment for the next 3 years after a thorough tender process. "The information provided by BTL during the tender process has given us the necessary assurance that they can support us in continuing to deliver a fair and robust assessment that tests candidates' ability to register as a pharmacist. We will now work closely with BTL on arrangements for the sittings in 2022, to make sure we can provide a positive experience for candidates." BTL has extensive experience of delivering services to a range of clients, including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Ophthalmology. Before BTL, GPhC had a contract with Pearson Vue to conduct online assessment in 2021.

Approximately 25 million GP appointments and 5 million A&E visits are utilised each year for self-treatable illnesses. If these individuals chose to self-treat using over-the-counter (OTC) medications, the potential savings for NHS could amount to at least £1.7 billion annually, according to a research commissioned by Proprietary Association of Great Britain. The study, conducted by analysts at Frontier Economics, revealed that embracing self-care could bring an additional economic benefit of £350 million annually, as employees would avoid unnecessary time off from work for medical appointments. Apart from the savings resulting from the increased OTC medicine use, the report emphasises the potential benefits of reclassifying more prescription-only medications (POMs). A mere 5 per cent reduction in NHS prescribing levels and spending could lead to an annual cost-saving of £1.4 billion, encompassing both prescription costs and GP appointments, it said. "This substantial amount could greatly alleviate financial pressures on the NHS and offer essential resources for recruiting and training much-needed healthcare professionals."

Boots UK is set to start recruiting for a new superintendent pharmacist as Marc Donovan moved into a new role. The company announced the appointment of Anne Higgins as the new pharmacy director for Boots UK. A Boots veteran for 25 years, she has been in the role of director for stores for more than two years since starting her journey as a pre-register pharmacist in July 1997. Marc Donovan will be moving into the new role of director of healthcare development and public affairs for Boots. Earlier this year Donovan was appointed the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to pharmacy" in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. Donovan and Higgins will be reporting to Jamie Kerruish, the director of healthcare at Boots UK. A Boots spokesperson told Pharmacy Business: "We will be recruiting for a new superintendent pharmacist and once this appointment is made, Marc will hand over his superintendent responsibilities"

The life cycle management company, Pharmanovia, has appointed Nivedita Valentine as associate vice president of Product Innovation. Ms Valentine will oversee the company's product innovation operations and decision-making as Pharmanovia continues to focus efforts on both, identifying new prospects to enhance lifecycle management of its brands through incremental innovation. She will report to interim chief scientific officer Stephen Deacon and help bridge unmet patient needs with the help of novel therapies, originating both from in-house development and through partnerships. Ms Valentine currently holds positions on the value-added medicines committee within Medicines for Europe and the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) Task Force on Drug Repurposing Guidebook. Pharmanovia CEO Dr James Burt commented: "Digitalisation and utilising the latest technological innovation are notable areas of acceleration within the pharma industry and Nivedita's appointment will ensure iconic brands will continue to be improved, supported, and used sustainably.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has appointed Laura Wilson as Director for Scotland commencing 23rd January 2023. Laura, is currently Policy and Practice Lead for RPS in Scotland. She is accountable for bringing national RPS policy to life for members in Scotland, while contributing to the GB wide professional leadership agenda. She will work closely with the Scottish Pharmacy Board, senior NHS officials and other key stakeholders across the breadth of the pharmacy profession and beyond to ensure pharmacy is on the forefront of healthcare in Scotland. She joins the existing team of RPS Country Directors, which includes Elen Jones, Director for Wales and James Davies, Director for England and will report directly to the Chief Executive. Laura Wilson said: "I am delighted to be appointed Director for Scotland having worked as part of the RPS Scotland team as the policy and practice lead. It will be an honour to continue the fantastic work started by former Director Clare Morrison to bring Pharmacy 2030, our vision for pharmacy in Scotland in the future, to life and supporting pharmacy teams to deliver person centred care.

Ceuta Group has appointed Michael Yates as chief operating officer (COO). In his new role, he will focus on the exploration of future acquisitions to support the Group's growth plans and ensure it continues to provide innovative services and unlock new opportunities for its clients. Prior to joining Ceuta Group, Yates was associated with Procter & Gamble (P&G) for more than 25 years. His career started in the UK and progressed through senior commercial and managing director roles across Europe, Africa and Asia. During his time at P&G, Yates gained insight and experience in building brands in the UK and globally. He has broad category experience across food & drink as well as health, wellness and personal care, having worked with brands such as Pringles, Sunny Delight, Oral B, Vicks, Head & Shoulders and Pantene. With extensive international experience, Michael brings client-side knowledge and insight of successfully expanding brands and adapting business models for markets across the globe. His appointment bolsters Ceuta Group's leadership structure and will support the Group's growth plans and delivery of superior client service.