| Weekly News Digest - 30th October 2025 |
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| Solutions 4 Health is inviting community pharmacies across Oxfordshire to express interest in delivering the Level 2 Smoking Cessation Service for Smokefree Oxon. The service supports clients who wish to quit smoking through self-referral or referral within pharmacy settings. Advisors must complete NCSCT training and attend a face-to-face Level 2 session provided by Smokefree Oxon. For payment details and training requirements, please refer to the SLA. To register interest by 19th November 2025, email smokefreeoxon.s4h@nhs.net with staff numbers, roles, availability (including weekends and bank holidays), and experience with Level 2 cessation and PharmOutcomes. |
| From Wednesday 29 October 2025, NHS England will expand the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service to include oral emergency contraception (EC), ensuring consistent, free access to oral contraception (OC) and EC across community pharmacies in England. Updated clinical IT systems will support accurate consultation recording, with contractors responsible for ensuring staff competence, PGD compliance, and proper documentation. Contractors not wishing to offer oral EC must de-register via the MYS portal with 30 days’ notice. For more information, service specification and PGDs see here and further resources. |
Frimley ICB is offering full funding for a limited number of pharmacists to complete the Certificate in Advanced History Taking and Clinical Assessment. This initiative is to support the role of pharmacists in Primary Care, equip them with vital skills in patient assessment, clinical decision-making and prescribing - it aligns with services like the NHS Pharmacy First scheme. Interested pharmacists should submit an expression of interest by Friday 14th November. Learn more about the course here.
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| Download the latest edition of Healthwatch Oxfordshire Newsletter. |
| Download the latest edition of BOB Medicines Optimisation Bulletin. |
| Ask Your Pharmacist: NHS Services Close to Home—is this year's theme and highlights the vital role pharmacies play in delivering accessible care, including NHS Blood Pressure Checks, Pharmacy First, flu vaccinations, and oral contraception. Contractors are encouraged to promote these services, along with any locally commissioned services. See here for more campaign resources. |
| This is the second of a series of articles to tackle some of the misconceptions around the Lateral Flow Device (LFD) service. The articles will cover a variety of aspects of the LFD service and aims to myth bust, to increase understanding of the service. Click here. |
| The Healthy Choices Quiz offers a simple way to assess your lifestyle across six themes. Upon completion, it provides an overall score and signposts users to relevant free NHS digital tools and content. A set of resources has been created to help promote the NHS Healthy Choices Quiz to your audiences. Available for use from 4th November 2025. |
REMINDER for Pharmacies Providing EHC Service ALL pharmacies delivering the local authority Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) service are reminded to submit any outstanding claims—including those for October—via PharmOutcomes by the end of this month. |
Monthly Deadline TrackerStay on top of your schedule with ease using our Monthly Deadline Tracker. This October edition is designed to keep you organized and help you meet your deadline effortlessly. |
| We’re excited to announce the launch of the CPTV Facebook page – an additional hub for updates, essential information, and exclusive insights tailored for pharmacy contractors. Whether you're looking for the latest on commissioning, service updates, training opportunities, or policy developments, CPTV on Facebook will keep you informed and connected - hit Follow to stay in the loop. Don’t forget to share the page with your team and colleagues! Let’s build a stronger, more informed pharmacy community—together! |
| Pharmacy owners will receive emails from NHSBSA asking them to complete the mandatory online survey. The survey will closes on Friday 21st November 2025. |
| NHS England’s LTCP programme offers up to £3,000 in CVDR training grants for healthcare professionals in community and primary care. Grants support Level 7 postgraduate courses in cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, and stroke care. Apply by 7 November 2025. See here for more information. |
| Community Pharmacy England wants to hear the views and concerns of pharmacy owners in Thames Valley. A new opinion poll is asking about concerns for your pharmacy business going into this winter and the impact C-19 vaccination eligibility confusion has had. The short survey will close on Monday 10th November, offers local pharmacy owners the chance to feed directly into the national negotiator’s work. Read more here |
| 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. |
Tune in to this week's podcast |
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NHS England and the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) have announced the launch of the Pharmacy technician development programme. The programme will be delivered between October 2025 and March 2026 and will focus on supporting pharmacy technicians, understanding recent changes to supervision legislation and effective use of PGDs. Apply by 31st October 2025. See here for more information.
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| The West London and Home Counties Women’s Health Business Unit is pleased to invite you to an evening webinar focused on Treatment Options & Patient Reviews in Menopause Care on Tuesday, 4th November 2025 at 7pm. This session is tailored for pharmacists with an interest in women’s health, particularly those involved in prescribing or conducting HRT reviews. To register, please email Lisa Chard at: chardl@gedeonrichter.com. |
| CPPE is running another new face to face workshop in Thames Valley, focusing on blood pressure assessment in community pharmacy on 20th Nov 2025 in Cookham (Thu evening) and 8th Feb 2026 in High Wycombe (Sun morning) These sessions will be supported by a clinical demonstrator, a pharmacist who is delivery this service in community, look forward to great interactive, hands on, practical sessions. See here for further details. |
| NHS South East Pharmacy Covid Vaccination Team have provided webinar slides and a ‘Who to Contact’ PDF from their recent webinar on 22nd October. For any queries that you may have, please ensure you contact the correct team so that a response is sent to you as quickly as possible. See here for webinar slides and contact list |
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