| Weekly News Digest - 21st August 2025 |
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LPC AGM - Wednesday, 10th SeptemberJoin us online for the Community Pharmacy Thames Valley AGM on Wednesday, 10th September at 12.00pm. All contractors are invited to attend. This is your chance to meet your Chair, Ian Dunphy, and to ask questions from the LPC members. The meeting will receive the Annual Report for 2024/25 and the accounts for the same period. Contractors will be asked to vote to accept the accounts. The Annual Report and Accounts can be viewed on our website for those short on time, we have also compiled a convenient podcast summary.
Meeting link. |
| NHS England has published the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) Antimicrobial Stewardship – Pharmacy First Consultations Clinical Audit. Pharmacy teams must complete the audit by 31 March 2026 to meet the Patient Safety domain criteria for the 2025/26 Scheme. Early publication is intended to give teams time to review requirements and plan their audit schedule, however, the audit should not begin before 1 September 2025. |
| Pharmacies planning to deliver seasonal influenza vaccinations for adults and children at locations other than their premises—such as care homes, patient residences, or community venues—must first obtain commissioner consent. This is a requirement under the Community Pharmacy Advanced Service specifications. To proceed, pharmacies should complete and submit the designated online form. See here for full details and access to the form. |
| CPE want to know what pharmacy owners in Thames Valley would like to see in the 2026/27 CPCF. A new opinion poll is asking how you think funding should be allocated, what regulatory changes might help your pharmacy, and which services to consider introducing. Findings from the survey will inform national negotiating priorities and contribute to efforts to push for further improvements and support for the sector. The poll will be open until 11.59pm on Monday 8th September. Read more here |
Domestic Abuse Training Needs Assessment - SurveyOxfordshire County Council has commissioned NHS Solutions for Public Health to assess domestic abuse training needs across the county. The aim is to gather insights from professionals, stakeholders, and the public to ensure future training is relevant and effective. The survey will take 15 minutes to complete the Domestic Abuse Training in Oxfordshire Survey and share it with colleagues. Responses are anonymous, and not all questions are mandatory. Survey closes: 24th August. Domestic Abuse Training in Oxfordshire Survey. |
Volunteer: Join the updated EPS status tracking NHS App pilotCommunity pharmacy teams are invited to join a new NHS England pilot to improve prescription tracking for patients using the NHS App. The pilot will introduce in-app notifications that alert patients when their prescription status changes to “ready to collect” or “partially ready to collect,”. It will be open to a sample of pharmacies that provide prescription status updates through their PMR system. See here for more details. |
| The Government and Lilly announced a health innovation programme of up to £85m, to be delivered by Innovate UK, to demonstrate new weight management pathways in the community. Click here. |
| Adult flu and COVID-19 vaccination appointments can be posted on the National Booking Service (NBS), ahead of public booking opening on 1 September 2025 for vaccinations starting 1 October 2025. Using NBS for flu vaccinations is optional. Pharmacies can still link their own booking systems via NHS Profile Manager. Pharmacies not yet registered with NBS must complete the flu registration form by 1 September 2024 to participate. Read further details. |
| The latest edition of the BOB Medicines Optimisation Bulletin is ready to download. |
| We were delighted to welcome Laura Kyrke-Smith, MP for Aylesbury, to Lansdales Pharmacy in Whitehill, who met with Khal Khaliq, owner, and David Dean, Chief Officer. Her visit provided a valuable opportunity to discuss key challenges facing community pharmacies, including supply chain pressures, the importance of securing the next round of funding, and the urgent need for more high-quality referrals to Pharmacy First services. We would like to thank Khal for hosting, and to Laura Kyrke-Smith MP for her time, interest, and genuine support for the vital role pharmacies play in delivering accessible healthcare to local communities. |
| Stay on top of your schedule with ease using our Monthly Deadline Tracker. This August edition is designed to keep you organized and help you meet your deadlines effortlessly. |
| Summer Bank Holiday Posters detailing which pharmacies will be open across the Southeast of England on Monday 25 August 2025 is availbale for your information. Pharmacies are only listed on the posters if they are opening one or more of the Bank Holiday dates. A map of the pharmacies that will be open on the Bank Holidays can be viewed here. |
| Contractors can register to provide the community pharmacy flu vaccination service for two and three-year-olds on the Manage Your Service (MYS) portal. Contractors must read the service specification for the full requirements of service delivery. Contractors who register by 31 August will receive vaccine by 1 October 2025. Contractors will be paid £9.58 per vaccine administered. Further information is available on the Community Pharmacy England website. To support pharmacies see attached resources. |
| 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. |
| Community Pharmacy Thames Valley Academy are holding a workshop on Thursday, 9th October, 7-9pm. The aim of the workshop is to enhance your practice and confidence in delivering the EHC service. Join us to refresh your clinical knowledge, sharpen your consultation skills, and stay up to date with the latest guidance in England. Through real-life case scenarios and safeguarding tips, you’ll gain practical tools to support patients effectively, expand your professional impact, and contribute to improving access to vital sexual health services. Register your place here. |
| The LPC is pleased to announce that we are running a Women’s Health Training event on the 2nd November at Holiday Inn, High Wycombe We are planning short sessions from various speakers covering HRT. Menopause, Skin Care, UTI, PCS and EHC. We are delighted to welcome guests from CPPE, Bucks Sexual Health and other leading organisations! We are running it from 10am - 2pm with coffee and light refreshments included. Places will be limited so reserve your place today. Registration link. |
| NHS England is funding 240 places for the CPPE Accuracy Checking Pharmacy Technician (ACPT) programme for 2025/2026, supporting pharmacy technicians to safely perform final accuracy checks on prescriptions. More details, including eligibility and application info, are available here. |
Bucks Health and Social Care Academyin collaboration with the ICB is offering 4 funded places on its accedited Health Coaching course. This hands-on, four-day course builds the practical skills and confidence needed to empower patients to manage their health and wellbeing more effectively and will be held at BCW Hub, Buckinghamshire New University, Walton Street, Aylesbury. See here for details, deadline for applications is 31st August 2025.
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| Join Let’s Talk About Vaccines—a free, 2.5-hour online training for health, social care or the voluntary sector in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire or Berkshre West. The interactive training session is designed to boost your confidence and skills in discussing vaccination decisions with patients. Five sessions are now open for booking through March 2026 via the BOB ICB training page, where you will also find videos and further details. |
| View the latest CPPE workshops with booking links, which are available to book now. Click here. |
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