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Community pharmacy chain Jardines Pharmacy has partnered with patient relationship management platform Charac to launch a new app designed to digitalise its services, enhance operational efficiency, and elevate customer satisfaction. The app allows patients to order repeat prescriptions, access medicine home delivery and book consultations with their pharmacist all in one place, enabling faster pharmacist-to-patient care. By incorporating Charac's platform into its business, Jardines is able to boost prescription dispensing efficiency, helping reducing wait times for patients. Additionally, its delivery feature enables patients to track their orders directly through the app, thereby streamlining the overall patient experience. The app also minimises administrative and manual tasks for pharmacists, giving them more time to focus on helping patients and delivering the outstanding customer service. Patients of Jardines can also use the app to book appointments digitally for Pharmacy First consultations, blood pressure checks, earwax removal, travel vaccinations, and emergency contraception services. Santosh Sahu, Founder and CEO of Charac, said: "We are pleased to support Jardines Pharmacy and its patients across England. Our mission is to ensure that community pharmacies are empowered to digitalise, making care easier and more accessible for patients.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) views the COVID vaccination programme as broadly successful, largely due to the efforts of healthcare workers and volunteers. However, it cited some areas that could be improved, notably the early involvement of community pharmacies in planning, operational challenges, and recognising the role of community pharmacy in addressing vaccine hesitancy and inequalities. Submitting its evidence to the Covid-19 Inquiry, the NPA highlighted that the community pharmacy should have been consulted and involved earlier in the planning process, considering their two years of experience and expertise in administering annual influenza vaccination programs and the reach and resources of the 14,000 community pharmacies across the UK. "Instead, community pharmacy was initially given a gap in service role, which failed to fully utilize their experience, expertise and resource," Lawyer Brian Stanton told the Inquiry on behalf of the NPA during the Module 4 Preliminary Hearing on 22 May.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has invited pharmacy contractors, LPCs and others in the sector to share their views on an open consultation on the "future of community pharmacy". "The consultation - which takes the form of an online survey - is the first opportunity within PSNC's vision project for individuals and organisations to share their thoughts with Nuffield Trust and The King's Fund," said PSNC. The survey is happening in addition to an extensive programme of research, interviews and initial meetings of the vision Steering Group, Advisory Panel, and Working Groups, all of which have contractors, LPCs and other representatives of the sector at their heart. The online survey, asks five questions on topics such as Future policy goals; Why previous reviews and policies may not have fully achieved their objectives; Design principles that should underpin the service offer made by community pharmacy; and Blocks and enablers for change.

Two pharmacies in Rotherham are set to merge into one, if plans are approved by NHS England. Weldricks Pharmacy has applied to merge its two Swinton branches, on Church Street and the Crown Street Surgery. If approved, the branch on Church Street will be modernised, and additional consulting rooms will be added, while the Crown Street site will be closed. Rotherham Met Borough Council's health and wellbeing board are set to make a representation supporting the plans, and say that analysis by public health "outlines the very minimal impact that this change will have in terms of pharmacy access in the borough based on the service offer, opening hours and walking times to this branch and the main pharmacy." They say the current opening hours will remain the same, and there will be no disruption to services during the consolidation. A statement from Weldricks adds that the decision to merge is down to funding cuts, and the company could go out of business if operating costs are not reduced - 'despite having been a local, family-owned business for almost 100 years'.

Charac, an NHS-integrated one-stop platform for independent community pharmacies, has secured £1 million strategic investment from the Royal Mail Group, enabling its time-saving platform to assist more local pharmacies and patients across the UK to easily manage their prescriptions and consultations online. The company said this new money will enable it to leverage strong levels of trust that pharmacists enjoy within the communities they serve in and will ensure pharmacies remain a cornerstone of vibrant high streets and an invaluable provider of frontline healthcare products and services, including vitally needed consultations. Charac says it is aiming to sign up over 1,000 UK pharmacies in the next 12 months by expanding its geographic footprint beyond current cities, including London, Manchester and Birmingham, and targeting small multiple and independent pharmacies, accounting for almost 40 per cent of the UK's community pharmacy network. The announcement also sees the addition of Stefan Kulik, a managing director at Royal Mail, to the Charac board. Stefan is responsible for leading Royal Mail's expansion into the healthcare industry and brings a breadth of experience, having previously worked in healthcare with companies including Johnson & Johnson.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), released survey data today (30 October) which suggests Britons have a higher regard for community pharmacies than retail settings. It also highlighted the level of awareness of pharmacies' healthcare duties, which range from NHS medicines consultations to monitoring blood pressure. The survey conducted by Research Without Barriers involved 1680 adults in England from 20-23 October 2023. The data showed that over 90 per cent of adults in England are aware that pharmacies offer each of these services. The survey also suggested that 56 per cent of respondents find it appropriate to ask their local pharmacies for help to quit smoking, and 63 per cent would ask for a blood pressure check.

Since its launch on January 31st, the Pharmacy First service by the Company Chemists Association (CCA) has achieved a significant milestone, completing over 200,000 consultations to date. This milestone underscores the service's vital role in providing same-day NHS care through community pharmacies across England. Recent analysis by the CCA has revealed a pressing need to bolster GP referrals, with disparities observed between different Integrated Care System (ICS) areas, resulting in what's described as a 'postcode lottery' for patients. CCA Chief Executive, Malcolm Harrison, emphasised the importance of sustained funding for Pharmacy First beyond 2025, ensuring its availability for patients, community pharmacies, and the wider NHS.

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 Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) response to the 2019 consultation on community pharmacy drug reimbursement reform has paved the way for the second phase of consultation with the pharmacy negotiator. The second round of the consultation will focus on eight proposals: Changes to the way Category A prices are set Changes to how medicine margin is distributed in Category M drugs Changes to how Category C prices are set for drugs with multiple suppliers Inclusion of non-medicinal products in the Drug Tariff Changes to the way prices of drugs in non-Part VIIIA are set Changes to arrangements for reimbursement and procurement of 'specials' Changes to reimbursement of generically prescribed drugs and appliances dispensed as 'specials' Changes to the discount deduction scale The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has been discussing these proposals with the DHSC and the outcome was featured in the final package of the 'Community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond' document.

Community pharmacists in England have launched a new digital platform called My Local Surgery, enabling patients to access Pharmacy First consultations online. This initiative, a part of the NHS Pharmacy First scheme, facilitates free video consultations for six common conditions, connecting patients with community pharmacists for clinical advice and treatment. The platform, spearheaded by a team of pharmacy, tech, and clinical services experts, including experienced community pharmacists Darren Lingaloo and Gulraj Dhillon, tech specialist Nav Ramiah, and Dr. Adam Kirk, a seasoned NHS and digital healthcare professional, seeks to meet the rising demand for clinical services. Darren Lingaloo, co-founder and chief pharmacist at My Local Surgery, said: "The evolving role of pharmacists is long overdue and has the potential to save millions of GP appointments every year.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) is organising a series of webinars to help pharmacy owners and their teams to prepare for the implementation of new Pharmacy First service, and changes to the Contraception and Hypertension Case-Finding Services. Beginning from 5th December, the webinars would be conducted throughout December and January, with support from NHS England and the Centre for Postgraduate Education (CPPE), the organisation announced on Thursday (30 November). During the online seminars, pharmacy teams will be explained about the individual services announced, and things to consider before they start providing, or expand their offering of, these services. Each webinar will have CPE's Services Team, who would be leading the team, and policy experts from NHS England and CPPE as speakers.

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."

This Pharmacy First Common Ailments service will help patients seek treatment for seven common conditions directly from a pharmacy without the need for a GP appointment or prescription. Launching on 31 January next year although it is subject to IT being ready, the service will cover ailments including "sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs)" in women. People with symptoms of the above seven conditions will be supplied with a prescription-only treatment under a Patient Group Direction (PGD). Patients seeking assistance at the pharmacy, whether walk-in or referred by NHS 111, GPs, or other sources, can receive consultations. The new service includes self-referring patients plus referrals, and the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) will also be a part of it.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Wales has welcomed proposals from the Welsh government to increase access to PrEP via community pharmacies for people at risk of HIV. The new HIV Action Plan for Wales consultation proposes a shared care model between primary care and specialist sexual health services to improve access to PrEP. Commenting on the proposal, chair of RPS in Wales Cheryl Way said: "Increasing access to the medicines has been a long-standing issue of concern for us at RPS and we're therefore delighted to see the proposals outlined by the Welsh government to develop a model which will enable PrEP to be provided by community pharmacies across Wales. "PrEP are highly effective medicines, that reduce the chances of getting HIV, as proven by the Welsh Government's three year PrEPARED study which found no new diagnoses of HIV among over 1,200 people taking PrEP in Wales. This is clear evidence that PrEP should be made as easily accessible as possible to those who need it.

The new data from NHS England has revealed that more than 100,000 patients were treated for minor illness by their high street pharmacist in just one month. According to new NHS figures, in June, 118,123 people with minor illnesses such as a sore throat or constipation, or those in need of medicine urgently, received a same-day consultation with their local pharmacist after calling NHS 111 or their GP practice - an increase of more than four-fifths (83%) on the number in the same month last year (64,512). The data comes alongside expanded roles for community pharmacies ahead of winter, announced at the NHS England board meeting today. "From this week, NHS 111 online can directly refer people to their high street pharmacist for a same-day consultation, rather than patients needing to call the phone line," said NHS England. Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: "Our local pharmacies ensure hundreds of thousands of people every week get the support and medication they need and today's figures show that in just one month, over 100,000 patients have also had consultations with their local pharmacist for minor illnesses - this means patients are getting the care they need quickly but also in a convenient way that can fit in with their busy lives.

Community pharmacy contractors eligible under the revised Pharmacy Access Scheme (PhAS) will receive their first of the new monthly payments with the January reconciliation payment due on April 1, 2022. Details of the revised version of the PhAS that commenced from January 1, was published in August 2021, with contractors receiving letters from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) indicating their eligibility in the Autumn, PSNC said in an update. Payments under the scheme are dependent on registration on NHSBSA's Manage Your Service (MYS) portal to provide the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service(CPCS). Meanwhile, the review application window is now open for contractors, which would enable the NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) to correct inaccuracies related to a pharmacy's distance criteria/calculation.

Pharmacies lead among the list of 16 'most essential' services required for a neighbourhood, as revealed by the 2023 Community Barometer survey commissioned by the Association of Convenience Stores. In June, ACS commissioned Yonder Consulting to conduct a poll surveying the opinions of 1,000 people across the UK. The survey assessed how these individuals value 16 different services in their local area, defined as the region within a 15-minute walk from their homes. The survey's essential services included pharmacies, post offices, convenience stores, banks, petrol stations, restaurants, coffee shops, pubs, specialist food shops, non-food shops, fast food shops, vape shops, charity shops, pawnbrokers, hairdressers, and gyms or sports facilities.

Sixty-seven per cent of UK independent pharmacists say the pandemic has positively changed how patients view the clinical services offered by community pharmacy. The research - carried out with an independent panel of more than 100 community pharmacists - revealed that 35 per cent of them had increased their clinical services to fulfil patient demand during the pandemic. Seventeen per cent said they had expanded their private clinical services such as vaccinations and dermatology, with a further 17 per cent adding sexual health services such as emergency contraception and chlamydia screening in their services offer. Thirty per cent introduced NHS health checks and emergency supply NHS services during the pandemic.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published plans to amend current pharmacy legislation on dispensing errors and clarify how registered pharmacies are governed. The Department's response to a public consultation on rebalancing medicines legislation and pharmacy regulation programme first proposed in summer 2018 was delayed due to Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. The programme aims to clarify and strengthen the organisational governance arrangements of registered pharmacies, specifically to define and clarify the core purpose of the Responsible Pharmacist and Superintendent Pharmacist roles. It will also give the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) powers to define in professional standards how those roles are fulfilled.

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.