| Weekly News Digest - 3rd September 2026 |
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Calling all Newly Qualified Pharmacists (less than 4 years qualified), Foundation Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians – Reserve your Place!
A dedicated fully funded, half‑day vaccination training sessions will take place in the Thames Valley region on the dates provided below include:
- Vaccination training: 3.5-hour practical session
- Delegates will receive access to a comprehensive online theory course. Key topics covered include: • Intramuscular (IM) and subcutaneous (SC) injections • Reconstitution of vaccines and Intranasal vaccination • CPR (Adult & Child) • Anaphylaxis management • Administration of adrenaline (Adult & Child)
🟩 Saturday 12 September – Witney
Saturday 12 September, 9am–12.30pm Long Hanborough Surgery, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX29 8FQ. To book, email office@cptv.org.uk
🟨 Saturday 19 September – High Wycombe
Saturday 19 September, 10am–1.30pm Lansdales Pharmacy Ltd, 41–45 Desborough Avenue, High Wycombe, HP11 2RS To book, email office@cptv.org.uk.
If you would like to be ready for the vaccination season please email office@cptv.org.uk to reserve your place. Places are limited so book early. Please note: non‑attendance will incur a £100 fee.
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| Community pharmacies across Berkshire West, East Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire are invited to submit Expressions of Interest for two new locally commissioned enhanced services launching in Autumn 2026: the Minor Ailment Enhanced Service and the Emergency Provision of Medicines Service. Both aim to strengthen access to care closer to home and support patients with urgent or financially challenging needs. Full details, including draft service specifications and MS Form links, are available here. EOIs close 13 September 2026 at 23:30. |
| Changes to the Hypertension Case‑Finding Service go live today, Thursday, 3 September. Pharmacy owners are encouraged to review the updated service specification and the summary of changes now available on the CPE website for full details and resources. |
| Funding uplifts have been confirmed for foundation trainee pharmacists and pre‑registration trainee pharmacy technicians from 1 September 2026. Foundation trainee funding rises to £28,196 and pharmacy technician apprenticeship funding to £15,769, with automatic and back‑dated payments applied for eligible sites. No action needed from contractors. |
Mandatory National Health Campaigns 2026/27Community pharmacy contractors must deliver two national health campaigns this year. Respect for Pharmacy Teams running 5–25 October 2026, this campaign encourages the public to treat pharmacy staff with respect to support safe professional practice, see here for resources. Pharmacy First Promotion running 1–21 February 2027, this campaign raises public awareness of Pharmacy First. Communications materials are available on the DHSC Campaign Resource Centre . Contractors should plan now how they will use the available resources — posters, leaflets, online posts and patient messages — to promote both campaigns effectively.
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| From 27 August 2026, pharmacies can now self‑manage their visibility on the Find a MenB pharmacy tool via Profile Manager. Pharmacies already participating and who completed all steps by the end of July are already listed. Those completing requirements from August onwards must now update Profile Manager to appear on the finder. The finder helps the public locate participating pharmacies, check opening times and, where possible, walk in for a local appointment or vaccination. |
Guidance and the data collection/analysis form for the PQS 2026/27 clinical services audit are now published. The audit reviews the quality of clinical records for NHS Pharmacy First consultations. Contractors must complete the audit — at least 10 unique patients plus a peer discussion — by 31 March 2027 to claim Domain 2: Professional Practice. Teams can start now, using records from 1 April 2026 onwards. NHS England will confirm in September when Manage Your Service opens for submissions.
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| The Palliative and End of Life Care questionnaire is now live, gathering feedback to support future service development and highlight good practice across community pharmacy and primary care. Contractors must complete and submit the questionnaire by 23:59 on Thursday 31 December 2026 via the link in the PQS section of NHSBSA’s Manage Your Service Portal. This questionnaire is one of the three PQS 2026/27 gateway requirements, all of which must be completed to claim a PQS payment. |
Download the latest edition of the Healthwatch Oxfordshire newsletter.
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Are you an aspiring leader, or do you know someone interested in how decisions are made at Board level? Recruitment for the Thames Valley Mirror Board is open until 5pm on Friday 18 September 2026. The programme gives colleagues across health and care the chance to contribute to strategic discussions, bring fresh perspectives and build confidence in Board‑level decision‑making. Open to colleagues in NHS, local authorities, primary care, social care. Details and the Expression of Interest form are on the Thames Valley ICB website - see here for more information.
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| The CPTV LPC Annual General Meeting will take place on Wednesday 23 September, 12.00–12.30pm. All contractors are invited to attend, meet Chair Ian Dunphy, and engage with LPC committee members. The meeting will receive the 2025/26 Annual Report and Accounts, with contractors asked to vote on acceptance of the accounts - voting forms have been emailed to all contractors. The documents are available on the LPC website: CPTV Annual Report 2025–26. To join the AGM, please use the meeting link and confirm attendance by emailing office@cptv.org.uk no later than 6pm on Friday 18 September. |
Stay on top of your schedule with ease using our Monthly Deadline Tracker. This September edition is designed to keep you organized and help you meet your deadline effortlessly.
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All Winter Vaccination Resources are now available to support your planning and promotion for the season. Access the resources here and make sure your teams are up to date.
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In readiness for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) arrangements for 2026/27, where NHS independent prescribing will be introduced into the CPCF as an extension of Pharmacy First and the Pharmacy Contraception Service from Autumn 2026, Thames Valley ICB is seeking to understanding the distribution of trained and trainee IPs across the geography as well as interest in providing the forthcoming NHS Independent Prescribing service. Please complete the readiness survey form link Readiness survey - Fill in form Deadline for completion of the form is Sunday 6 September at 11pm.
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Stay informed with the Pharmacy Academy podcast channel, a great source for weekly updates on essential pharmacy topics, powered by insights from NHS, CPE, and PGD guidance and AI generated for clarity. Stay connected, enhance your expertise, and dive into key pharmacy discussions—all in one place.
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Refresh your New Medicine Service skills in just 60 minutes. This fast‑paced, friendly webinar walks you through the full NMS journey — from identifying and recruiting patients to delivering structured, meaningful consultations across a wide range of clinical conditions. Simply join us on Wednesday, 23rd September, 7.30pm via the link.
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