Services

MPs have called for clarifications of advertising restrictions for nicotine vapes to ensure pharmacists don’t find themselves “on the wrong side of the law” for promoting vaping as a “stop smoking device”.

A pharmacist has received a six-figure loan from the Welsh government to open a new pharmacy with rentable consultation rooms for other “independent contractors”.

A London integrated care board (ICB) is “working to understand” a national dip in Pharmacy First referrals from GPs in the summer, C+D has learned.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has called on the government to commission pharmacies to deliver “all vaccines” amid claims there is “very little appetite currently” to give them a greater role in vaccine delivery.

Alcohol harm charity Drinkaware has announced the rollout of a free “drinking check” in all of Morrisons’ 117 pharmacies across the UK to assess the “drinking habits” of customers.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has set out five “tests” for a funding deal and warned that it will “not hesitate” to recommend collective action if these are not met.

CPE has said that while it is “positive” that the government has “partially” accepted the majority of recommendations in the health and social care committee’s (HSCC) pharmacy report, there are still “some significant disappointments”.

Northern Ireland has become the only country in the UK to extend its NHS flu vaccination programme to the 50-64 age group amid increasing pressure on hospitals.

New caps on the maximum number of paid Pharmacy First consultations have begun this month, rising between 55% and 94% across different types of pharmacies.

MPs have called for “financial incentives” to be introduced to encourage GPs to "work with pharmacies” and engage with the Pharmacy First service, amid new plans for Pharmacy First ear, nose and throat (ENT) services.