Blog
DH allows 100-hour pharmacies to reduce opening hours
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.
MHRA inspection process
At the recent MHRA GDP Symposium held in February the inspectorate announced a change to the MHRA inspection process.
Workforce Plan
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.
Windsor Framework
The Windsor Framework was published in late February, and was hoped to be the long awaited resolution to problems that existed with the Northern Ireland Protocol, particularly in relation to movement of goods.
Pholcodine medication being withdrawn from UK pharmacies
Pholcodine containing cough and cold medication is being taken off the shelves in UK pharmacies amidst safety fears.
RPS re-joins FIP after members asked the society to return
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has officially re-joined the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).
Pharmacists working in Online settings
The GPhC has made comments that ‘Pharmacists working in Online settings have forgotten what they learned in community’. This comment has come on the back of a huge rise in the number of online pharmacies opening over the last few years and the risk of patient safety from these pharmacies rising.
Norovirus affecting over 65 year – highest levels seen since the last ten years
A lot of people have been affected by the Norovirus this winter but in particular there has been a 66% rise in confirmed cases which is higher than the five-year average prior to the pandemic.
Pharmacist Prescribing Services urged to be commissioned immediately
The Company Chemists Association (CCA) has urged that the NHS should immediately commission services which allow prescribing pharmacists to develop a more clinical role in community pharmacy, utilising their prescribing skills more.
Lloydspharmacy to ‘withdraw’
On January 19th 2023, Lloydspharmacy has announced that it will be withdrawing all its instore pharmacies in Sainsbury’s.
New ‘major conditions strategy
Mr Barclay, the UK health secretary, in a statement to the parliament, has said that the government will set out a new strategy to tackle six main health conditions which are burdening England’s healthcare system.
66% of community pharmacists have experienced abuse
66% of community pharmacists have admitted to experiencing forms of abuse from the public, being over worked, burnt out, suffering from poor mental health and not getting sufficient breaks and protected time for learning as found by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS) workforce wellbeing survey.