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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'.

Several pharmacies have joined the inhaler recycling scheme in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, to support NHS England's Greener NHS programme, which aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2040. It is part of a collaborative working initiative between the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and AstraZeneca UK Ltd, supported by the Black Country Integrated Care Board and Wolverhampton City Local Pharmaceutical Committee. Under this scheme, old and used inhalers are recycled and transformed into new products, such as coat hangers and waste bins. Simon Evans, group chief strategy officer for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, emphasised the importance of prioritising the reduction of carbon footprint while maintaining high-quality care, to protect the planet for future generations. "The Trust has already made significant achievements in several areas including the physical estate, clinical services, waste recycling, catering and medicines - with this inhaler recycling scheme from pharmacy being the latest string to our bow," he said.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has expressed dissatisfaction with the spring budget as it brings "no specific relief" for the community pharmacy sector, which is grappling with "soaring costs and severe medicine supply and pricing issues." UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced his Spring Budget on Wednesday, confirming an extra £2.5 billion in day-to-day revenue funding for the NHS in England in 2024-25 and a new NHS productivity plan worth £3.4bn to modernise IT systems. The Chancellor said that day-to-day spending would grow by 1 per cent per year on average in real terms, and the productivity plan is estimated to "unlock £35 billion worth of savings" from 2025-26 to 2029-30. However, CPE chief executive, Janet Morrison commented that the budget has "no obvious good news" for community pharmacies who need "urgent relief from the ongoing unsustainable funding and operational pressures" they are facing. Morrison described the investment in Pharmacy First as "the most significant investment in pharmacies in a decade", but emphasised the need for further support to stabilise the sector and its core contractual arrangements.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Director for Scotland, Clare Morrison will be joining NHS Scotland in January. Morrison has been appointed Director of Community Engagement at Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Paul Bennett, RPS CEO said: "Many people, particularly in Scotland, will know of Clare's passion for quality improvement and patient involvement in the co-design of services. This was demonstrated through her previous work on the development of Near Me, NHS Scotland's video consulting service, and its co-design with the public, patients, clinicians and NHS staff which gained international recognition from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. "Therefore, this is an exciting opportunity for Clare to join Healthcare Improvement Scotland to take on a strategic leadership role in supporting effective community engagement across health and social care in Scotland. It also enables Clare to make even greater use of her training as an NHS Scotland Scottish Quality & Safety Fellow and we wish her every success in her new role.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has published its general election manifesto highlighting some of the key challenges the next Government will face to support patients and the NHS. The manifesto calls on general election candidates to show their support to securing patient access to medicines, a better-connected NHS, enhancing accessible prescribing in local communities, and maximising health improvement through locally accessible pharmacy teams. Candidates are urged to called on the next Government, if elected, to support the pharmacy workforce to deliver patient care, unlock the potential of new advances in medicines, and continue to support funding for the UK science and research community. The manifesto highlights the need for investment in IT infrastructure to support a better-connected NHS to enable all health professionals to access and update a patient's record.

NHS England and NHS Improvement published on May 26 the findings of the Fuller 'stocktake' - setting out how primary care can work with partners across health and care to best meet the needs of their local communities. Dr Claire Fuller's report lays emphasis on the essential role of primary care and the potential of integrated neighbourhood teams in reducing the burden of ill health and tackling health inequities. It commends community pharmacy for keeping "its doors open to the public throughout" the pandemic whilst being "among the most recognisable of a multitude of dedicated staff delivering care around the clock in every neighbourhood in the country". The report highlights "recruitment and retention challenges across the wider primary care workforce" including in community pharmacy. Stressing the importance of community pharmacy teams in urgent care and prevention, including early diagnosis of cancers, the report points out that pharmacists could play "a more active role in signposting eligible people to screening and supporting early diagnosis, building on a number of successful pilots such as those from the Accelerate, Coordinate, Evaluate (ACE) programme".

To support NHS, clear the backlog created by the Covid-19 pandemic and help community pharmacies support more people, the Welsh government has announced an allocation of further £12.5 million funding. Of the total amount, £10mn will be distributed across the 22 local authorities to buy equipment to help people to live independently in their own homes post hospital stay. The remainder, £2.5mn, will be used to support community pharmacists and patients to improve access to treatment and advice for a range of common ailments. The move is aimed at alleviating waiting times and reducing winter pressures on the NHS. Commenting on the announcement, Elen Jones, Royal Pharmaceutical Society director for Wales said: "We are delighted that the Welsh government continue to recognise the value of pharmacists in patient care and we welcome this additional investment and support for Community Pharmacy teams across Wales.

Both head of customer operations Dan Britton and chief executive Michael Brodie at the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) have won the Inspiring Leaders Award, which recognises leaders for their humanity and courage. The coveted award, organised by Inspiring Workplaces, recognised their contribution during the pandemic. Under Brodie's leadership, who joined the organisation as chief executive in September 2019, NHSBSA started over 50 new services to support the wider NHS. He also led Public Health England (PHE) through its transition to the new UK Health Security Agency. Miranda Sykes, head of communications and marketing at NHSBSA said: "Michael is an inspirational leader for many reasons. He cares immensely and he's spent the pandemic thinking about others and using his influence to support the NHS over the last 18 months or so." His decision to take up an additional CEO role while transforming the PHE during the pandemic shows "Michael's style of leadership is authentic, inclusive and empathetic. He is passionate about the NHS and doing everything he can to support it."

Boots UK in association with Macmillan Cancer Support and the NHS has launched a Palliative Care Service in its pharmacies to provide easy access to vital medicines and specialist pharmacist advice and support to patients. As part of the new service, Boots has created a list of recommended medicines most used by terminally ill patients. It has committed to maintain stock of these medicines, or formulary, at over 2,000 of its pharmacies with an NHS contract. To further support the launch of the new service, all 4,200 Boots Macmillan Information Pharmacists (BMIP) have received additional training on palliative care, including a range of cancer-related advice and side effects of medication. Marc Donovan, chief pharmacist at Boots said: "Discussing end-of-life care is never easy, but it is very important. At this extremely difficult time for patients and their families and carers, ease of access to medicines and support can make a big difference.

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.

The new 'How to Involve and Engage Patients on Digital Health Tech Innovation' learning module has been created specifically to support the development and delivery of patient-centric technologies, at a time of critical digital transformation in the NHS. The foundation level module will be freely available at www.orcha-digitalhealthacademy.com and on the Health Education England NHS Learning Hub (learninghub.nhs.uk). No training previously exists on conducting effective patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), leading to wasted resource on unsuitable technologies at a time when the healthcare system simply cannot afford it. The module aims to educate innovators who are creating new technology, and the clinicians who are prescribing these solutions. Crucially, the module also provides valuable support to the 500 NHS clinicians who are on the Clinical Entrepreneur Programme. The module is an introduction to the first evidence-based framework for PPIE, launched by the University of Plymouth, the AHSN Network (the national voice of the 15 academic health science networks in England) and Boehringer Ingelheim UK & Ireland. It helps to fast-track learning for the EnACT principles described in the framework, outlining how to involve patients in product innovation and critical issues such as data privacy, intellectual property, inclusivity, reimbursement, useability, and recruitment of patients.

The Health Committee's new report has reminded the government of a much-needed pharmacy workforce plan to support recruitment, training, and retention of staff. The report makes a number of recommendations to optimise workloads across primary care, reduce pressure on general practice and hospitals, and support the integrated care systems. It also recognises the potential of pharmacist independent prescribers to support patient care, backed by appropriate supervision, training, and opportunities for professional development. RPS England gave evidence to MPs on the Committee at a public hearing in May, highlighting key issues to support the pharmacy workforce. RPS director for England, Ravi Sharma, said: "Today's report underlines the urgent need for the Government to set out a comprehensive workforce plan for health and care. "It rightly recognises that boosting recruitment and retention, supporting staff wellbeing, fostering inclusion and diversity, and investing in education and training will be crucial to the future of the NHS.

On World Head and Neck Cancer Day today (27 July), the National Health Service (NHS) has launched a new partnership with the British supermarket chain, Asda to raise awareness of mouth cancer symptoms. As part of this partnership, the NHS will provide vital advice on millions of toothpaste tubes and mouthwash bottles, urging people to consult their GP or dentist if they notice any potential symptoms of mouth cancer. Starting this month, the grocer's own brand of oral hygiene products will feature NHS advice in over 500 Asda stores nationwide. The NHS guidance will be displayed on the packaging, along with a link to more detailed information about mouth and throat cancer on the health service website. Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, said: "Early detection of mouth cancer can help save lives and this fantastic new partnership with Asda will be vital in raising awareness of the signs and in supporting the NHS's ambition to diagnose more cancers at an earlier stage.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has published a guidance for community pharmacies to help them in the implementation of the new Prescription Prepayment Certificate (PPC) for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The new policy will rollout from 1 April 2023, patients who are not already exempt from NHS prescription charges will be able to purchase an annual HRT PPC for the cost of two single prescription charges Major concern raised by PSNC is that the NHS systems have not kept pace with policy, as the certificate is launching without the IT in place to support it. PSNC has been clear that this is totally unacceptable, including raising this with Ministers directly and warning them that introducing the PPC without this infrastructure risks causing confusion for some patients and adding to the burden for pharmacy teams. "Government recognises the challenges but is determined to move forwards with the policy, said the committee. "DHSC has recognised the impact this will have on pharmacies and we are still pressing for appropriate financial compensation. We have also sought guidance for GPs, and now published our own guidance to try to make the launch go as smoothly as it can for pharmacy teams."

The NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard saluted the effort of over 100,000 Coid volunteers who alongside the NHS staff helped to deliver record-breaking numbers of jabs in December. The "selfless volunteers" devoted around two million hours to help ramp up the vaccination programme in 2021- with over nine million doses delivered since December 12, when the prime minister announced the turbo-charged vaccination drive. Pritchard said: "Alongside NHS staff, our selfless volunteers have worked tirelessly to protect the nation - in football stadiums, shopping centres, Christmas markets and countless other vaccination sites up and down the country. "I want to give my personal thanks to everyone who has given up their time to help us beat record after record - continuing to make the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme the biggest and most successful in health service history.

Growing up with a family that worked in pharmacy, our dinner time conversation was not like that of other families. Ours would centre around medicines, prescriptions, and the health challenges within our local community. I quickly came to understand the importance of the role played by community pharmacists. So I can't help but be concerned that the current direction being taken by digital health innovation threatens to leave community pharmacies behind. Whilst it is brilliant that patients can easily access their prescriptions through the rise of online pharmacies, many of these cut out the vital knowledge and expertise of local community pharmacists, and threaten to end the traditional close ties between local community pharmacists and their patients. Nine out of 10 NHS users believe that pharmacists play an unrivalled role when it comes to keeping patients in the community safe. We must ensure that digital health does not replace this important source of advice for health problems and injuries, but instead preserves and enhances this vital, personal role and enables pharmacists to continue delivering care in new and effective ways. A vital connection with patients Community pharmacies provide crucial support to local patients with managing their medicines safely, particularly older and more vulnerable people. The specific expertise and knowledge held by pharmacists can help inform the long-term management of a patient's condition and ensure they are kept safe from potential side effects and complications.

Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee Steve Brine MP has called on community pharmacy contractors to join a newly launched a parliamentary 'call for evidence' which will look into 'prevention' as a key to the future of the NHS. A former pharmacy minister and keen supporter of the sector, Mr Brine has called on all community pharmacists to "make their contribution count" by taking part in a major inquiry which will remain open for submission until Wednesday 8 February 2023 and will also involve general practitioners, nurses and other health professionals. Community pharmacists can submit their proposals written under 750 words, outlining what they think are the issues around prevention the parliamentary body should explore, why these issues deserve the Commons Select Committee's attention, and how government policy could be developed or improved to address them. The submissions will then be used to help the committee decide where it should focus its attention in the later stages of the inquiry on prevention, which is a vital part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has published an update on the work it is doing as part of the Transforming Pharmacy Representation (TAPR) Programme to take forward the mandate from contractors to deliver the Review Steering Group (RSG) recommendations. The update is primarily aimed at LPCs - with whom PSNC has been working closely on some of the TAPR work over the summer. The TAPR Programme is being undertaken in support of PSNC's work to address the severe challenges facing the community pharmacy sector at present. Alongside ongoing negotiations with Government and the NHS, two of the TAPR workstreams - focusing on Vision and Strategy, and on Influencing and Negotiation - are essential to supporting CPCF negotiations. "The workstreams are looking at the future of community pharmacy and how best to persuade policymakers to implement a shared vision, with their objective being to put the sector in a stronger position going into future CPCF negotiations," said PSNC.

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.

The government has allocated an additional 350 medical school places in England, making a significant step in delivering the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. Supported by more than £2.4 billion in government funding, the plan outlines the strategy for recruiting and retaining hundreds of thousands more staff over the next 15 years to deliver the future workforce the NHS requires. One of the key commitments of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is to double the number of medical school places in England to 15,000 by 2031. As part of the ongoing efforts to fulfill this pledge, the Office for Students (OfS) has designated 350 places for medical schools nationwide for the academic year 2025 to 2026, targeting under-doctored areas.