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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.

The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has begun conciliation with 86 pharmacy companies to safeguard the interests of former LloydsPharmacy pharmacists. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), a government agency, serves as a mediator between companies and employees to resolve disputes. If the ongoing mediation prove unsuccessful, individual employees retain the option to file claims in the employment tribunal, the PDA has said. The ongoing dispute centres around employers potentially failing to conduct the required consultation under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations (TUPE) with employees and their representatives during employee transfers, the PDA said. The TUPE legislation, known for its complexity and technical nature, applies when a section of the company, like a pharmacy sold as an asset using standard disposal, undergoes a transfer. According to NHS England's recent pharmaceutical list, LloydsPharmacy has either sold or shuttered 461 branches since September 2022. According to NHSE data, as of June 30, the pharmacy chain operates approximately 512 pharmacies in England. This positions it as the third-largest chain after Boots UK and Well Pharmacy.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has commenced a consultation on allowing pharmacists to dispense prescription medicines in original packaging. The consultation, closing on December 13, 2021, proposes changes to the Human Medicines Regulations (HMRs). It would allow pharmacists to dispense more or less than the 10 per cent of the prescribed quantity in original packs, except where this would affect the patient's clinical treatment. The change would not apply to controlled drugs. The second proposed change is to supply sodium valproate in original packaging regardless of the conditions set around Original Pack Dispensing (OPD). Currently, contractors have to supply the exact quantity prescribed, unless certain exceptions apply.

Community pharmacies in Cornwall have delivered more than 8000 face-to-face consultations over last 12 months. Walk In Consultation Service (WICS) began 12 months ago when pharmacies in Cornwall started offering face-to-face consultations for a wide range of minor ailments, and NHS treatment as required - the first service of its kind in England. Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Scilly Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC) Chief Officer Nick Kaye joined Operations Manager Drew Creek in Parliament recently by invite of Steve Double MP, St Austell and Newquay to meet with Minister for Health Neil O'Brien MP to present the service to them and Senior Civil Servants from DHSC and NHSE with a view to rolling this service out nationally. The data from these consultations show that over 6000 GP appointments were averted as a result of the service being available. After each consultation a record was sent to the patient's GP for information.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in England has published a review of its 10-year Vision for Pharmacy Professional Practice that was launched in December 2022 in collaboration with The King's Fund. The 'one year on' vision report highlighted key milestones achieved in the first 12 months since its publication as well as opportunities for further progress. It identified the publication of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which recognises the significant role that pharmacists play in healthcare and commits to growing and expanding the pharmacy workforce, as one of the positive policy developments made since the launch of the vision. The development of a Vision for Community Pharmacy by Community Pharmacy England, the Nuffield Trust and The King's Fund; work on digital integration to enable community pharmacists to update a clinical record; the launch of Pharmacy First scheme; and the publication of the public consultation of pharmacy supervision were other key milestones mentioned in the report.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is considering the reclassification of Aquiette 2.5mg tablets contains oxybutynin hydrochloride that is used to treat women with milder symptoms of overactive bladder from Prescription-Only-Medicine (POM) to Pharmacy (P) medicine. The agency is encouraging pharmacists, GPs and other health care professionals, the public and women to take part in the reclassification consultation to make a treatment for overactive bladder available for women without the need for a prescription. Public consultation on a set of proposals to make Aquiette 2.5mg Tablets (oxybutynin hydrochloride) available from pharmacies will close on 13 May, 2022. It would be the first time a medicine for the treatment of overactive bladder would be available without prescription, if the reclassification consultation receives positive responses. After the decision is made to reclassify this treatment, pharmacists will have access to training materials and a checklist to enable them to identify women who can be supplied this medicine safely.

There is no doubt that the pandemic has changed the way healthcare professionals work within the primary care setting. The advent of Covid-19 meant that we all had to rapidly modify the way we supported and met the needs of patients, some of whom saw the services they usually took for granted, virtually cease overnight. There are around 15 million people in England living with long-term health conditions including asthma. These people have the greatest healthcare needs of the whole population with 50 per cent of all GP appointments and 70 per cent of all bed days taken by this cohort of patients, and their treatment and care absorbing 70 per cent of acute and primary care budgets in England. This situation isn't going to improve any time soon. In the past, most people had a single condition, today multi-morbidity is becoming the norm. At the start of the pandemic, the Royal College of General Practice and British Medical Association issued guidance to practices on prioritising workload. This included the importance of maintaining long-term condition reviews in asthma, COPD and diabetes, along with appropriate transition of at-risk warfarin patients. These reviews were deemed as essential workstreams for patients considered to be at high risk. Traditionally, the unique skills set of a pharmacist has meant that we have played a major role in supporting these patients. I work with a team of over 90 clinical pharmacists who, in partnership with individual practices, PCNs, CCGs and STPs, help with the long-term management of people with chronic conditions. But the onset of Covid-19 meant that we now had to plug a potential gap in service provision, and quickly.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has called the 'new general practice contract' which was imposed by NHS England on Monday (6 March) as 'simply unreasonable'. The imposition of new contract followed a failed talk of British Medical Association (BMA)'s with the negotiator. The association's main issue with the contract is the lack of further funding beyond that agreed in 2019 as part of the five-year deal. PSNC Chief Executive Janet Morrison said: "The breakdown in GP contract negotiations for the second year running is another blow for primary care. The verdict of the GP negotiators is that the demands being made of doctors by Government and the NHS are simply unreasonable." "Community pharmacy is being treated with the same disregard: too much is being asked of us, with far too little funding available." The committee has been raising the issue and challenges faced by the community pharmacists with the government. The government is asking pharmacies to do more by taking giving additional services but the committee is of view with no extra funding the community pharmacies will collapse.

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.

Alitam has announced that it has merged with clinical skills training provider MHRx to upskill UK pharmacists so that its chain of community pharmacies in the UK can diagnose and treat minor medical ailments "quickly and safely". This is a second merger deal announced by the group that has 100-plus pharmacies, just days after its merger with Pharmadoctor to "radically transform the UK and Ireland's community pharmacy sector" into a truly preventative healthcare system. Following the merger with MHRx, Alitam will now be providing a career development platform for its pharmacy teams, which also include nurses and other healthcare professionals. MHRx's training incorporates every aspect of general practice alongside relevant topics including making appropriate patient consultation records in line with NHS guidelines. This, Alitam believes, will allow community pharmacies to carry out formal diagnoses, formulate differential diagnosis plans, and perform full clinical examinations. According to the founder and CEO Feisal Nahaboo, mergers such as these will lead to "a healthcare revolution predicated on building the world's first truly preventative healthcare model".

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.

People in the UK have a high level of trust in pharmacies and many are keen on seeing the Pharmacy First initiative expanded, according to the 2024 STADA Health Report published today (24 June). The 10th annual health report by global healthcare leader STADA Arzneimittel AG, the parent company of Thornton & Ross, involved a survey of over 46,000 respondents across 23 countries, including 2,000 participants from the UK. The UK data showed an overwhelming trust in UK pharmacies, with 94 per cent of those surveyed (more than nine out of 10 Brits) saying they have only ever had good advice from a pharmacist. The report also indicated a strong desire for the Pharmacy First scheme to be expanded, with 44 per cent of respondents advocating for an increase in pharmacists' scope of responsibilities to support doctors.

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.

Maxwellia has revealed its plans to switch some of its medicines in the self-care category from prescription-only-medicine (POM) to a pharmacy (P) medicine. After authorising the switch of Maxwellia's two brands of desogestrel contraceptive pills, Lovima and Hana, MHRA has opened a public consultation on reclassification of Aquiette (overactive bladder treatment) 2.5mg tablets manufactured by the company to be made available from pharmacies. "Maxwellia is currently looking at a number of medicines which treat a range of conditions in major public health categories that can be 'switched' from needing a prescription to being conveniently bought at a local high street or supermarket pharmacy. With its foot firmly on the accelerator it has other applications under assessment with the MHRA, including women's health products," the company stated in a recent statement. "Push to convert more prescription medicines to pharmacy medicines will firmly position pharmacists at heart of nation's public health, helping futureproof NHS," the medicine said.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has been on the lookout for innovative ideas and suggestions that could transform the future of pharmacy practice in England over the next decade. The society's new project with the King's Fund to transform the future of pharmacy practice in England is at a consultation phase, seeking views and opinions of pharmacy teams from all areas of practice including primary, secondary, social and community care to ensure that the system gets the best out of pharmacy and the public receives seamless, joined-up care. "We want to build a vision that sets out the role of and value of pharmacists and pharmacy teams working across systems, providing patient care and NHS services," said RPS in a statement. "Transforming the future of pharmacy practice recognises the urgent need to build on new ways of working established across health and care systems during the pandemic to meet the increasingly complex health needs of people and improve patient outcomes."

Pharmacy Minister, Will Quince received flu vaccination and blood pressure check at his visit to a Boots pharmacy in Westminster arranged by the Company Chemists' Association (CCA). The Boots pharmacist, Flavia, explained to the Minister the broad range of services the pharmacy delivers, from the new medicines service to emergency contraception and the community pharmacy consultation service. The Minister witnessed first-hand much of what the community pharmacy sector has to offer patients and the NHS. Malcolm Harrison Chief Executive of the CCA said: "We share the Minister's vision on how community pharmacies and their teams can contribute to the 'Plan for Patients' set out by the Secretary of State. It is great to have the support of the Minister and we are excited for the future of pharmacy.

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."