Sophie Willis

A trial to assess the benefits and risks of puberty-suppressing hormone treatment in children and young people who question their gender has been commissioned by NHS England. The ‘Pathways trial’, announced on 22 November 2025, will be led by researchers at King’s College London and will involve 226 children and young people aged under 16 […]

NHS England has requested action from community pharmacy, following reports of healthcare staff recording penicillin allergies as penicillamine allergies in electronic prescribing systems. A patient safety alert, issued on 20 November 2025, warns that “this look-alike sound-alike error” has the potential to cause patients with a known penicillin allergy to have a potentially fatal anaphylactic […]

A coroner has raised concerns over software used for ordering repeat medication, warning that it “gives rise to the risk that a patient will not be provided with the medication they need”. In a ‘Prevention of future deaths’ report (PFD), issued to software provider Optum (formerly EMIS) on 10 November 2025, Alexander Frodsham, assistant coroner […]

Eight research and development projects, including recycling nuclear fuel to be used as cancer therapies, will be backed by £74m in government and industry funding to make medicines manufacturing greener. In a statement published on 18 November 2025, the government said it was awarding more than £54m to the projects through the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing […]

Pharmacy First data have been included in the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA’s) report on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) for the first time. The data, published in the ‘English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance’ report for 2024/2025 on 13 November 2025, show that 80% of antimicrobials were prescribed in primary care in 2024, 4% […]

Allied Pharmacies has taken over the management of 60 Jhoots pharmacies across England, the multiple has announced. In a statement published on 7 November 2025, Allied Pharmacies said that “while the majority of these locations are temporarily closed, we are fully committed to reinstating essential pharmacy services”. “We recognise the fundamental role that community pharmacies […]

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), in partnership with charity Pharmacist Support, has launched its first wellbeing surveys working with the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (BPSA) and the Pharmacy Schools Council (PhSC). The ‘2025 workforce wellbeing survey’ includes a pharmacy student survey — which was co-designed with the BPSA and PhSC — and a survey for […]

An extra funding pot of £500,000 for pharmacies that provide the Pharmacy First Plus service has been announced by the Scottish government. In a circular letter, sent on 31 October 2025, Alison Strath, chief pharmaceutical officer for Scotland, said that contractors delivering the Pharmacy First Plus service will receive an “activity payment from a newly […]

A campaign directing patients to their local pharmacy for help with common winter illnesses has been launched in Wales. The ‘Help Us to Help You’ campaign, launched by NHS Wales on 1 November 2025, will include TV, radio and social media advertisements to promote the common ailments service in community pharmacies. Under the service, pharmacists […]

Integrated care boards (ICBs) must “maximise” use of Pharmacy First and roll out new services in community pharmacies, NHS England has said. In its planning framework for 2026/2027 to 2028/2029, published on 24 October 2025, NHS England laid out plans for ICBs to support primary care access and increase the role of community pharmacies. Under […]

The first street drug-checking service in Scotland is to open at the Glasgow site where the UK’s first safer drug consumption room — ‘The Thistle’ at the Hunter Street Health and Care Centre — opened in January 2025. In a statement published on 17 October 2025, the Scottish government announced that the drug-checking service had been […]

Cell and gene therapies (CGTs) for four prevalent conditions could save the NHS and wider society billions of pounds, according to a joint report by the Office of Health Economics (OHE) and the technology and innovation organisation Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. The report — published on 20 October 2025 — examined the potential savings […]

The number of consultations under the ‘Choose Pharmacy’ pharmacist independent prescribing service (PIPS) in Wales has more than tripled over the past two years, Health Education and Improvement Wales has said. Speaking at the Pharmacy Show, held in Birmingham on 12 and 13 October 2025, Karen Brambles, CPD regional lead for pharmacy in North Wales […]

Community pharmacies have delivered almost 7 million blood pressure checks since the launch of the hypertension case-finding service in October 2021, NHS England has said. Speaking at the Pharmacy Show, held in Birmingham on 12 and 13 October 2025, Tasneem Mueen-Iqbal, deputy director of community pharmacy clinical strategy, policy and reform at NHS England, presented […]

Pharmacy leaders have said they are “shocked” and “extremely disappointed” over reports of a letter sent by British Medical Association (BMA) leaders telling doctors not to divert patients to pharmacies. The letter, seen by The Times, told doctors to direct patients to A&E instead of pharmacies as the Pharmacy First scheme had been set up […]

Time to approve UK clinical trials has more than halved, says MHRA

CPPE launches training for pharmacy staff to support patients with long COVID

Pharmacy teams have experienced anger from patients following “major issues” with booking COVID-19 vaccinations via the national vaccinations booking system, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has said. In a statement published on 3 October 2025, CPE said it had received reports of “high numbers of ineligible people presenting for COVID-19 vaccinations who had booked appointments via […]

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has proposed updated initial education and training standards for pharmacy technicians, which include increasing their level of study. In a consultation document, published on 1 October 2025, the regulator said it was proposing to increase the levels of study to reflect the “widening scope of a pharmacy technician’s role in […]

The University of Suffolk has confirmed that it will launch an MPharm degree from September 2026. In a statement published on 23 September 2025, the university said it was launching the degree “as part of efforts to address the skills shortage in the industry”. In November 2024, The Pharmaceutical Journal exclusively reported that the university […]