| Weekly News Digest - 2nd April 2026 |
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CPTV LPC Academy is hosting a FREE full day of clinical learning designed specifically for frontline pharmacy teams. This event brings together expert speakers, hands‑on skills trainers, and practical, sessions to get you summer‑ready. Whether you join us for the full day or half day, you will walk away with refreshed knowledge and practical tools to deliver high‑quality patient care throughout the busy season.
What you can expect:
☑️ Clinical sessions focused on the conditions you see every day
☑️ Practical skills training to boost confidence and capability
☑️ Sponsored updates on key summer health topics
☑️ Time to connect with peers, local partners, and LPC leads
📍 Venue: Holiday Inn, Handy Cross, High Wycombe, HP11 1LT
🗓️ Sunday, 10th May, 10am-4pm
👉 Agenda & Registration Explore the agenda and choose the session that suits your schedule.
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Good Friday falls on 3 April 2026, pharmacy owners normally receive an extra day—6 April—to submit their FP34C declaration via MYS. However, 6 April is also Easter Monday, meaning many pharmacies closed over the long weekend may not benefit from the extended deadline. Click here.
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| The CPPSG has released two new resources to support teams delivering Opioid Treatment Programmes. Focus on Methadone, a short video, offers practical guidance for the safe supply of methadone and a new Bank Holiday checklist is available to help pharmacy teams plan and deliver services before, during and after Bank Holidays. Both resources can be accessed via the CPPSG Resource Hub. |
| Some pharmacy owners have reported issues submitting monthly payment claims via MYS. NHSBSA has confirmed the problem only affects printing the Account Identifier Document. Pharmacies can instead use their paper batch documentation, so this should not delay completing the FP34C or sending end‑of‑month bundles. For support, contact the MYS team at mys@nhsbsa.nhs.uk. |
| Pharmacy teams are reminded that the NHS prescription charge will remain at £9.90 per prescription item for 2026/27. |
| NHS England has issued an operational briefing on the Meningococcal disease outbreak in Kent and confirmed that NHS prescription charges are waived for prophylactic oral Ciprofloxacin. GP prescribers should mark eligible Ciprofloxacin prescriptions with ‘FS’ to enable free supply. Free supply currently applies to patients identified as affected by the outbreak, with criteria subject to change. Read more. |
| Join the LPC team for an informal chat on Tuesday, 7th April, anytime between 1-2pm. Whether it is for a 5 min chat or longer! If you have something you want us to take to the next LPC meeting, need a bit of help or clarity on anything service or contract related? Or just fancy popping in for a chat with us - it would be great to hear from you. Meeting link |
| Download the latest edition of the BOB Medicines Optimisation newsletter. |
| The Lateral Flow Device (LFD) testing service for patients potentially eligible for COVID‑19 treatments will continue as an Advanced Service through 2026/27, with the service fee rising to £4.19 + VAT from 1 April 2026. |
One Recovery BuckinghamshireOne Recovery Buckinghamshire would like to thank all of their community pharmacy colleagues for their continued support and professionalism in working with the people they care for. Your role is absolutely vital, and the consistency you provide makes a real difference to safety and outcomes. They would also like to kindly ask for your support in notifying them when individuals miss doses. In particular, it is essential that they are informed when someone has missed three consecutive doses. Where possible, earlier notification (before three missed doses) is incredibly helpful. It allows the team to proactively reach out, offer support, and help keep people safely on their prescription—reducing the risk of overdose and other complications associated with interrupted treatment. E: OneRecovery.Bucks@mpft.nhs.uk |
Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework As consultation on the 2026/27 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework continues, all current fees and incentive payments will remain in place from 1 April 2026, and the Community Pharmacy Lateral Flow Device Service has been extended to 31 March 2027 with an inflationary uplift to fees. |
Evaluation of childhood flu vaccination service NHS England is reviewing the childhood flu vaccination service delivered in community pharmacies during the 2025/26 campaign, where vaccines were offered to 2-3yr olds. NHSE would like your feedback, please complete the online Community Pharmacy Pre‑School Flu Vaccination Experience Survey by 17 April 2026. |
Reminder: Changes to the registration and de-registration process for the seasonal vaccination advanced service from 1 April 2026From 1 April 2026 contractors must use the NHSBSA’s Manage Your Service (MYS) portal to register and deregister for the 2026/27 seasonal vaccination advanced service. Up until 31 March 2026, contractors should continue to use the MS Form provided by NHS England to register or deregister. Contractors who register for the service using the MS Form by 31 March 2026 will have their registration for the COVID-19 and adult flu services transferred into MYS and do not need to register again. |
Extension of Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) for People Leaving Places of Detention From April 2026, all places of detention in England will begin using first repeat EPS prescriptions for individuals on release. People will leave custody with their current medicines and collect their next repeat supply from a community pharmacy, supporting safer continuity of care and reducing pressure on GPs and urgent care. Most prescriptions will be issued to non‑nominated pharmacies, giving individuals the flexibility to choose where to collect their medicines. To avoid duplicate prescribing, practice teams can check the EPS Tracker using the patient’s NHS number before issuing a prescription. More information is available (login required). |
Monthly Deadline TrackerStay on top of your schedule with ease using our Monthly Deadline Tracker. This April edition is designed to keep you organized and help you meet your deadline effortlessly. |
Reminder – New Medicine Service (NMS) providing the service offsitePharmacy owners are reminded that the New Medicine Service (NMS) must not be subcontracted to any third‑party or off‑site provider. Doing so breaches last year’s Directions and may lead to ICBs recovering payments through NHS England’s PPV processes, as well as a potential breach of NHS Terms of Service. |
Pharmacy Pressures Survey 2026Pharmacy Pressures Survey 2026 is now open. It consists of two surveys (one for business owners and one for pharmacy teams), many of the questions have been kept similar to last year’s survey. They take around 10-15 minutes to complete and will remain open until 23:59 on 13th April 2026. Click here. |
| A short survey has opened to hear what pharmacy owners think of Community Pharmacy England’s communications and how they could be improved. They want to hear from you, what is working well for you, what could be done differently, and any alternatives that would suit you better. Survey closes 17th April. |
| 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. |
| CPPE are hosting a blood pressure assessment workshop on Sunday, 19th April, from 11-1.30pm at the CIM Business Centre, Cookham, Maidenhead. To register see here for more details and registration link. |
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