From the launch of the Pharmacy First service in England to the NPA’s historic first ballot and the RPS’ proposal to transition into a Royal College—discover 2024’s biggest news here…

The year 2024 began on a positive note with the launch of the Pharmacy First service in England. This initiative allowed patients to receive treatment for seven common conditions directly from their community pharmacists, eliminating the need to visit a GP.

Pharmacists were authorised to provide advice and prescribe medicines for minor ailments such as sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women under 65.

Shortly after its launch, the service was available at over 10,000 community pharmacies, representing more than 90 per cent of all community pharmacies nationwide.

A report by the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) revealed that CCA members alone conducted over 90,000 Pharmacy First consultations during the program’s first two months.

However, many pharmacies raised concerns about the lack of cooperation from GP surgeries, which they said was stalling the uptake of Pharmacy First service in some areas. Pharmacy owners also faced difficulty meeting the required number of clinical pathways for monthly Pharmacy First payments.

Thanks to Community Pharmacy England (CPE), which actively engaged with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to address this issue, the threshold was reduced to 20 for October, November and December.

NHS England relaunched its Pharmacy First campaign on 11 November, alongside new resources to help with promotion.

Addressing the Health and Social Care Select Committee in Parliament on 18 December, health secretary Wes Streeting pledged to stabilise the community pharmacy system before expanding its role in healthcare.

He stated that they would consult with Community Pharmacy England early in the New Year

He reassured pharmacists that the government recognises the the enormous pressures they face are under when thinking about allocations so that we can stabilise the system and create the foundations from which to recover Read More….