| Weekly News Digest - 22nd January 2026 |
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| CPE and NHS England, will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday 21 January at 7.30pm to introduce the new Seasonal Vaccination Service for 2026/27. The session will outline how the service will operate, the registration process ahead of the COVID‑19 spring campaign, and key considerations for pharmacy owners preparing to deliver it. See here for further information. Webinar registration |
Deadline to begin PQS antimicrobial stewardship clinical audit approachesContractors who are participate in the 202/26 PQS Scheme are reminded to submit their data captured during the audit by 31st March 2026. The data collection tool can be accessed via the MYS portal . PQS declaration questions are available view here. Clinical Audit Guidance is available to support completion. There is also a a very helpful and informative article in The Pharmacist. |
| A quick aide‑memoire poster is available for your staff noticeboard to support day‑to‑day Pharmacy First queries. |
Promote Pharmacy First this FebruaryPharmacy contractors are required to take part in the second mandatory national health campaign promoting Pharmacy First to the public. The second campaign runs from 2-22 February and promotional resources can be found here. |
| The new service is expected to go live around 4 April 2026. Anenta Ltd, acting as the ICB’s managing agent, will oversee mobilisation, service management and all contract functions, and will be your primary point of contact throughout the transition. Some service elements may change so please see here for full details, updates and guidance, what to expect and how to prepare. |
Thames Valley Pharmacists – Support NMS Evaluation and Receive a £40 Voucher The NHS Strategy Unit and NHSE are evaluating the New Medicine Service and seeking a small number of Thames Valley pharmacists to help. Pharmacists are asked to give brief recruitment packs to eligible patients after NMS consultations, inviting them to take part in a short interview run by Ipsos. Participating pharmacists will receive a £40 shopping voucher. Contact: Bethany Mitchell, Senior Consultant – bethany.mitchell21@nhs.net. |
Monthly Deadline TrackerStay on top of your schedule with ease using our Monthly Deadline Tracker. This January edition is designed to keep you organized and help you meet your deadline effortlessly. |
| Pharmacy contractors who want to take part in the Spring 2026 COVID‑19 vaccination programme must opt into the 2026/2027 advanced service, which includes offering both COVID‑19 and flu vaccinations throughout 2026–2027. Providers who opt in before 2 February 2026 will be ready to begin vaccinating at the start of Spring 2026. The Spring COVID‑19 vaccination programme will run from 13 April to 30 June 2026. Please read all documents carefully before registering. See here for more information on how to sign up. |
| There have been some recent incidents where community pharmacies have refused to dispense prescriptions issued by Independent Prescriber (IP) NMPs. All prescriptions involved were correctly completed on lilac forms and clearly marked IP. There may still be confusion due to historic use of lilac forms by non prescribing community nurses. If you are unsure about the validity of a prescription please see here for more. |
| From 7th January, Pharmacists can authorise pharmacy teams to hand out checked and bagged prescriptions (Human Medicines Regulation 2012, Regulation 220B). |
| 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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| We are delighted to invite Slough contractors to an upcoming Slough Community Pharmacy Neighbourhood Workshop bringing together local partners and pharmacy colleagues to shape the future of neighbourhood healthcare for Slough. This event will provide a valuable opportunity to connect with stakeholders from the Slough area, including representatives from substance misuse, public health, sexual health, and clinical directors. 📅 Wednesday, 25th February 2026, 7-9pm 📍 Copthorne Hotel Slough-Windsor, Cippenham Lane, Slough, SL1 2YE 📋 Register Here |
| A fully funded 12‑month blended learning opportunity for new pharmacists. The programme supports early‑career pharmacists in developing strong clinical and consultation skills, navigating the challenges of their first roles, and building a solid foundation for future Independent Prescribing (IP) training. Eligible applicants include pharmacists who registered with the GPhC from 2023 onwards, as well as those returning to practice after a career break, or locuming, working across community pharmacy (except Boots). See full details here. |
Frimley ICB training available to support Antimicrobial Stewardship in community pharmacies Frimley ICB has recently emailed all community pharmacies in their area sharing TARGET training videos and patient resources which support community pharmacy settings with knowledge and awareness of the importance of antimicrobial stewardship. Please look out for this email which contains links to take you directly to the training videos. The videos have been recorded in bite sized chunks which teams can work through as their time allows. Please note all videos and the pre and post training survey need to be completed if you would like to receive the CPD certificate which accompanies the training. If you have any questions you can email frimleyicb.prescribing@nhs.net |
Stress management and building resilience workshop – Thursday 26th February 2026 | 7.15pm – 9pm | Online This workshop, facilitated by Pharmacist Support, explores wellbeing and looks at how to build resilience. It provides techniques for dealing with feelings of pressure including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and encourages participants to identify and build on strengths and explains the advantages of positive thinking and self-reflection, in addition to providing tips to enhance resilience and wellbeing. Book your place. |
| Let’s Talk About Vaccines, a free 2.5‑hour online training for health, social care and voluntary sector staff and students across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire West and Frimley. There are two sessions —12 February and 12 March 2026—and can be booked via BOB ICB’s Let’s Talk About Vaccines training page. Participants are additionally invited to one‑hour Community of Practice sessions after each training date to deepen learning and share experiences. |
| NHS England have teamed up with the City of London Police’s Cyber Griffin team to deliver a series of practical webinars for primary care organisations. The case study-focused webinar will provide a behind-the-scenes look into criminal activity and the subsequent Police investigation. Through this, delegates will see in real terms the importance of good cyber practices to mitigate attacks. See full details here. |
| Community Pharmacy England will be holding a webinar on Wednesday, 11th February at 7:30 pm to help community pharmacy owners complete the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPTK) 2026. Register here. |
| Training on giving media interviews and handling the press is being offered to pharmacy owners, team members and LPCs to help build confidence when engaging with journalists and giving interviews. Upcoming sessions: Mon 26 Jan 2026, 7.30–9pm (online) Tue 10 Feb 2026, 7.30–9pm (online) See here for full details. |
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