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Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has notified pharmacy teams that starting 1 August 2024, three Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) medicines will be discontinued and will no longer be covered under the NHS HRT Prescription Prepayment Certificate (HRT PPC) scheme. These are Bedol® 2mg tablets, Climanor® 5mg tablets and Clinorette® tablets. Since Climanor® 5mg tablets have been discontinued, Medroxyprogesterone 5mg tablets will also be removed from the HRT PPC list, as this generic product is no longer available as a licensed HRT medicine. The CPE also noted that Provera® 5mg tablets, being an unlicensed HRT medicine, are not covered by the HRT PPC. Pharmacy staff are advised to check the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) website for the most current list of HRT medicines covered by the HRT PPC. The CPE has updated its HRT PPC medicines list to reflect these changes, which will also be updated in Part XVI of the August 2024 Drug Tariff.

Pharmacy professionals due to submit their revalidation records on or before May 31, 2022 only need to present a reflective account until June 1, 2022, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has said. GPhC has extended the deadline, considering the continuation of pressures related to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Omicron variant, that pharmacy professionals are facing this winter. Changes to revalidation requirements were first introduced in March 2020 due to pressures on pharmacy professionals during the pandemic. The changes were then extended until March 1, 2022, with the GPhC remaining committed to keep the situation under review. "Our current intention is that full revalidation will not resume until the emergency powers for the pandemic introduced by the secretary of state for health and social care are removed, but we will continue to keep this under active review," GPhC stated.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has finally published its response to the 2022 consultation on hub and spoke dispensing. Considering the consultation evidence and further discussions, the government has expressed its intention to progress the proposals for enabling hub and spoke models across different legal entities as soon as possible. This will be achieved by using the enabling powers outlined in Part 2 of the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021 (MMDA) to amend the Medicines Act 1968 and the HMRs. Furthermore, the DHSC has decided to proceed with the implementation of the two models of hub and spoke dispensing that it consulted on. The government response to the consultation reads: "Having considered the responses, the government intend to proceed to implement the necessary changes to medicines legislation to remove the current restrictions that prevent the hub and spoke dispensing models from operating across different legal entities found in section 10 of the Medicines Act 1968.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has laid out a series of urgent actions it wants the newly elected Labour government to implement within its first 100 days in office. Among the top priorities, the ABPI has emphasised the urgent need to appoint a new Chair and Chief Executive for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Additionally, the ABPI has urged the new government to launch the Life Sciences Manufacturing Capital Grants Facility without delay. Other measures the ABPI wants Labour to prioritise include: Rapidly passing outstanding UK clinical trials legislation to enhance the UK's attractiveness for inward investment, including into research within the NHS. Increasing commercial flexibility in the NHS England Commercial Framework for New Medicines to remove barriers for companies to launch new medicines and indications so that NHS patients can access the latest innovative medicines.

No Junk food ads on television will be allowed before the 9 pm watershed from October 2025 under a new law. The UK government confirmed the final details of advertising restrictions, including a ban on paid online junk food adverts, on Tuesday (3 December). The proposed legislation is part of a broader strategy to curb childhood obesity and address rising rates of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Detailed guidance on which food and drink categories will be covered by the regulations has also been published. These measures are expected to remove 7.2 billion calories per year from UK children's diets, potentially preventing around 20,000 cases of childhood obesity. Health secretary Wes Streeting emphasised the need for such preventative action, stating: "Obesity robs our kids of the best possible start in life, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems, and costs the NHS billions. "This government is taking action now to end the targeting of junk food ads at kids, across both TV and online.

Coeliac UK has raised grave concerns about the decision by NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB) to withdraw gluten free prescriptions for people with a diagnosis of coeliac disease and its potential impact on their health. The charity highlighted the significant additional cost of gluten free staple substitute products, which poses a real challenge to maintaining the gluten free diet, the only treatment for the condition. Coeliac UK noted that 72 per cent of respondents to a recent public consultation disagreed with the ICB's proposal to stop gluten free prescribing, and said it is "deeply concerned" by the potential impact of the decision to proceed with removal of provision. The charity accused the ICB of making no meaningful effort to reduce the impact of this policy change for those on low incomes, despite the additional cost of gluten free food being highlighted by 58 per cent of those who disagreed with the proposal.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has called on the UK government to invest in and reimagine learning disability nursing, as its analysis reveals parts of England risk becoming "learning disability nurse deserts," with student numbers collapsing across all regions and courses closing at an alarming rate. Over the past eight years, the number of acceptances onto learning disability nursing courses in England has dropped by 36 per cent, according to the RCN analysis. In 2024, not a single university in the South East offered the degree. Additionally, the number of learning disability nurses employed in the NHS in England has nearly halved since May 2010, as of July 2024. The RCN has warned that this crisis could leave vulnerable people without access to vital care. It noted that reforms to nursing education, including the removal of the nursing bursary and universal maintenance support for undergraduates, have particularly impacted learning disability nursing, a specialty that depends heavily on mature students.

NPA Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), has updated its professional indemnity policy for locum pharmacists to better support their expanding roles in healthcare. The enhanced policy now includes private and NHS prescribing cover for weight loss and other areas of competence, which is available for locums working in pharmacy, general practice and hospital settings. Policyholders will benefit from an extended range of cover, which includes, as standard, the delivery of the NHS Pharmacy First service, the expanded pharmacy contraception service, and the re-launched hypertension case-finding service. Moreover, NPA Insurance has removed charges for vaccine administration, including COVID-19, flu, and travel. Locum pharmacists will also have access to NPA Insurance's award-winning claims team as part of the new policy.

Well Pharmacy, the UK's leading independent pharmacy chain, has launched its new Online Doctor service in partnership with Expert Health Ltd. The service provides quick, convenient, and confidential access to prescription treatments for a wide range of conditions, without the need for in-person consultations. Patients can choose how they receive their prescriptions, with options for home delivery, collection at a local Well Pharmacy, or pickup from John Bell & Croydon. Andrew Caplan, Chief Retail Officer at Well Pharmacy, said: "Our Online Doctor service is a step forward in making healthcare more accessible and tailored to modern lifestyles. "It provides an efficient, secure, and discreet way for patients to access the treatments they need, all backed by the expertise and trustworthiness of Well Pharmacy." The launch of this service reinforces Well Pharmacy's ongoing commitment to improving access to healthcare and meeting the evolving needs of patients. By removing traditional barriers to obtaining prescriptions, Well aims to empower patients to take control of their health safely and efficiently. Andy Sloman, CEO of Expert Health Ltd, commented: "Digital healthcare becomes so much more powerful when combined with the expertise and human touch of healthcare professionals."