The government has just announced that it will be funding a pharmacy common ailment scheme in England as part of a huge £645 million investment for the pharmacy industry over the course of the next two years.
The Department of Heath and Social Care has said there will be a ‘reduced’ Pharmacy Quality Scheme for 2023-2024 than previously planned with much fewer elements to the scheme than originally anticipated.
The Department of Health and Social Care has decided upon some regulatory changes which will allow 100-hour pharmacies to reduce their opening ours by more than a quarter. This decision has not been rolled out to all pharmacy contractors i.e., ones with fewer contracted hours.
The Government has rejected the workforce plan for pharmacy in response to the Health and Social Care Committee’s report. It claims they do not agree with the recommendations for a workforce plan specific to pharmacy however they do want to improve the pharmacy workforce overall.
Pholcodine containing cough and cold medication is being taken off the shelves in UK pharmacies amidst safety fears.
