Maggie Throup has been appointed the new health minister with responsibility for primary care*, as former pharmacy minister Jo Churchill is moved to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The total cost of COVID-19-related expenses pharmacy owners have claimed for is “significantly higher” than the £120 million cap the government had originally offered, PSNC has said.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DH) reportedly consulted with the community pharmacy sector on proposals for a "risk-sharing" model covering COVID-19 booster vaccinations, C+D can reveal.

NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) has confirmed it is seeking a new chief pharmaceutical officer to replace Keith Ridge, who will retire from the role in February.

A Hampshire-based LPC is investigating its chair after claims of discriminatory and potentially racist behaviours were lodged by a member of the committee, C+D has learned.

The MHRA is planning to consult on introducing a legal requirement for pharmacists to supply sodium valproate in its original pack in a bid to support its safe use, the DH said.

Healthcare staff in England can avoid self-isolation if they have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine and their absence could lead to a “significant risk of harm”, the DH has said.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) president has called for women’s health to be covered as a part of pharmacists’ undergraduate training, in a push for equal healthcare.

The state indemnity scheme will not cover community pharmacy teams that take part in the COVID-19 booster vaccination programme, NHSE&I has confirmed.

Patients and staff must continue to wear face coverings in all healthcare settings – including pharmacies – when COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed, NHSE&I has said.

Tomorrow (July 15) C+D will host its second annual racism in pharmacy webinar, to discuss what has changed in the past 12 months and what more needs to be done.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and other healthcare bodies have written a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging for compulsory mask wearing to stay.