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The Pharmacist is the UK’s leading magazine for independent community pharmacists, featuring the biggest news stories, clinical updates and expert opinions
Site URL: www.thepharmacist.co.uk/
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Posts: 32
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Young person dies after meningitis outbreak in Reading
Published: May 15, 2026 15:56
A young person has died and two others are receiving treatment after an outbreak of meningitis in Reading, the health security watchdog has confirmed. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said today that there have been three cases of meningitis in…
Recognising and treating anxiety disorders in primary care
Published: May 15, 2026 15:08
It’s mental health awareness week (11-17 May) and today, a ‘call for evidence’ to shape a new cross-government mental health strategy has been issued. This coincides with the publication of a recent narrative review that highlights the importance of…
Pharmacy regulator launches first registrant perceptions survey
Published: May 15, 2026 15:06
The independent pharmacy regulator is calling on its registrants to share their views on regulation as part of a new annual perceptions survey. The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) wants pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to use its first annual…
Political uncertainty will be ‘very damaging’ if it delays new contract
Published: May 15, 2026 13:49
Pharmacy leaders have warned that it would be ‘very damaging’ if political uncertainty further delayed this year’s financial settlement. Responding to the resignation of Wes Streeting as health secretary, National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chief executive…
Weight-loss drugs may cause erectile dysfunction, study finds
Published: May 15, 2026 12:14
The use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, such as semaglutide, was modestly associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction in men with type 2 diabetes, a new study has found. In the study, published in eClinicalMedicine, researchers from the…
London ICBs join forces to tackle medicine waste
https://www.thepharmacist.co.uk/news/london-icbs-join-forces-to-tackle-medicine-waste/
Published: May 15, 2026 10:49
London’s integrated care boards (ICB) have joined forces to reduce medicine waste and prevent drug shortages. West And North London ICB, North East London ICB, South East London ICB, South West London ICB and NHS England London have come together to launch…
MHRA plans to launch five-year strategy following ‘strong’ 2025/26 performance
Published: May 15, 2026 10:31
The UK medicines watchdog has pledged to launch a new five-year strategy following its ‘strong performance’ in 2025/26. This strategy will set out how UK regulation can evolve to support patient safety, NHS priorities, scientific innovation, and economic…
How pharmacists can help with QOF
https://www.thepharmacist.co.uk/in-practice/how-pharmacists-can-help-with-qof/
Published: May 15, 2026 07:30
Pharmacists in general practice can play an important role in achieving the quality and outcomes framework (QOF) indicators set out in the GP contract. This year sees new indicators for obesity and heart failure. Dr Gavin Jamie, a GP in Swindon who runs…
Six people to continue isolating at home after repatriation from hantavirus-hit cruise ship
Published: May 14, 2026 15:43
Officials have confirmed that six people repatriated to the UK from the cruise ship at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak will return home to continue their isolation period. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that the six people, who have been…
Pharmacy owners asked to share views on IT systems
https://www.thepharmacist.co.uk/community/pharmacy-owners-asked-to-share-views-on-it-systems/
Published: May 14, 2026 14:48
The NHS is urging pharmacy owners and decision makers to share their views on IT systems to ensure that any future approach reflects ‘real pharmacy needs’. NHS England has published a short survey aimed at pharmacy owners or those responsible for IT…
Health secretary Wes Streeting resigns having ‘lost confidence’ in the PM
Published: May 14, 2026 13:24
Wes Streeting has resigned as health secretary, telling Prime Minister Keir Starmer that he has ‘lost confidence’ his leadership. The announcement comes the day after the King’s Speech set out a new NHS Bill and Mr Streeting held a short meeting with Sir…
Boots launch new scanning service to identify osteoporosis risk
Published: May 14, 2026 12:40
Health and beauty retailer Boots has launched a new private bone scan service to help identify early signs of osteoporosis. Initially the new service will be trialled in ten Boots stores across the UK, Jersey and Isle of Man, the company said. It is…
Pharmacy regulator signs up to new anti-racism principles
Published: May 14, 2026 11:02
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is one of nine national regulators to have signed up to new principles committing to help tackle racism experienced by health and social care staff. The NHS Race and Health Observatory (RHO) said that the GPhC,…
Daily pill helps people maintain weight loss after stopping injections, trial shows
Published: May 13, 2026 14:55
A daily pill could help people maintain weight loss after stopping GLP-1 injections, according to the team of researchers behind new trial data. The researchers found that people using injectable GLP-1s maintained most of their weight loss long term if…
‘Bracing for the worst and hoping for the best’: Olivier Picard on the pharmacy contract
Published: May 13, 2026 14:42
While the sector holds its breath for a new contract, reporter Emily Warner speaks to Olivier Picard, chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), about the financial pressures facing contractors, and why he fears the NHS is failing to make full use…
‘Essential’ pharmacists are included in the new single patient record
Published: May 13, 2026 14:19
It is 'essential' that pharmacists are given access to the single patient record (SPR) in order to provide safer and better-informed clinical decisions, a sector leader has said. The NHS Modernisation Bill was announced in the King's Speech today, with…
Safety warnings for psychiatric and sexual side-effects issued for two drugs by MHRA
Published: May 13, 2026 14:07
Updated safety advice has been issued to strengthen warnings about potential psychiatric side-effects and sexual dysfunction linked to the hair-loss drug, finasteride, by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). After a detailed…
Health minister quits and urges Prime Minister to resign
Published: May 13, 2026 10:53
Dr Zubir Ahmed has resigned from his role as health minister while also urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down. Dr Ahmed, who was the minister for health innovation and safety including life sciences and medicines, said he had been ‘proud’ to…
Research review: a look at the latest clinical papers
https://www.thepharmacist.co.uk/clinical/nutrition-and-gastroenterology/__trashed-74/
Published: May 13, 2026 08:31
In this monthly round-up, we review the latest clinical research from high-impact medical journals and draw out the findings most relevant to primary care and community pharmacy. Cahal McQuillan reports.  Ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular diseases…
Reframing obesity: what it means for clinical practice
Published: May 13, 2026 07:30
Despite decades of research pointing to its biological and social complexity, obesity is still often viewed as a matter of personal choice and willpower. Dr Angie Jackson-Morris, director of programme development and strategy at World Obesity Federation,…
New tool could identify at-risk individuals for weight-loss intervention
Published: May 13, 2026 07:00
UK researchers have developed a prediction tool to identify those most at risk of obesity-related conditions and potentially inform use of weight loss injections. It could be used alongside BMI to provide a more accurate and personalised way to identify…
Cruise ship passengers undergoing clinical assessments following hantavirus outbreak
Published: May 12, 2026 15:01
Clinical assessments and testing are under way for the passengers repatriated to the UK from the cruise ship at the centre of an outbreak of hantavirus, officials have said. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that 20 British nationals, a…
Almost 6,500 children treated for severe obesity at specialist NHS clinics
Published: May 12, 2026 14:10
Almost 6,500 children and young people with severe obesity have been treated in specialist NHS weight-loss clinics, new data shows. Figures presented at this week's European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul revealed that 6,497 children aged 17 and under…
Weight-loss drug reduces alcohol consumption, study finds
Published: May 12, 2026 12:51
Weekly injections of the weight loss drug, semaglutide, significantly reduced alcohol consumption in patients with both alcohol use disorder and comorbid obesity in a new study. The placebo-controlled trial, published in The Lancet and conducted by…
Guidelines for food-induced anaphylaxis must be updated, urge researchers
Published: May 12, 2026 12:08
Most food-induced anaphylaxis deaths in children were attributed to airway and breathing problems and could have been prevented if adrenaline treatment was delivered in time, new studies find. Two studies, published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy and…
GPhC not a ‘pay and punish’ organisation says new chief executive
Published: May 12, 2026 09:00
The new chief executive of the independent pharmacy regulator wants to move it away from perceptions of being a ‘pay and punish’ organisation. Speaking at the Clinical Pharmacy Congress (CPC) Kathie Cashell said she wanted the General Pharmaceutical…
Obesity overtakes cancer as highest value drug development area
Published: May 12, 2026 08:00
Obesity drugs have replaced oncology as the highest value area in drug development, a report from accountancy firm Deloitte has found. The Measuring the return from pharmaceutical innovation report, published last week, said that glucagon-like peptide-1…
EPS nomination standards update reduces risk of ‘patient ping pong’
Published: May 11, 2026 14:23
The national standards on how pharmacy teams and IT suppliers process pharmacy nominations have been updated, reducing the risk of ‘patient ping pong’ between pharmacies. Updated guidance from NHS England sets out the standards that dispensers, prescribers…
Better early warning systems needed to reduce drug supply risks, says ABPI
Published: May 11, 2026 13:07
Improved early warning systems are needed to reduce medicines supply risks, as pharmacy teams spend more than two hours a day searching for stock, a report finds. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) report , ‘Building a resilient…
Defect warning issued for anti-diarrhoeal medicine
Published: May 11, 2026 11:56
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have issued a class 4 defect notification for the anti-diarrhoeal medicine, Loperamide hydrochloride 2 mg orodispersible tablets, due to a discrepancy in the patient information leaflet. The…
‘Biggest barrier’ to Pharmacy First use is awareness, report finds
Published: May 11, 2026 08:09
The ‘biggest barrier’ to wider use of the Pharmacy First service remains a lack of awareness, a new report has found. The report, carried out by Healthwatch Kirklees and Calderdale, found that while Pharmacy First was valued by people who used it, 44%…
Respiratory allergies: what pharmacists need to know
https://www.thepharmacist.co.uk/pharmacy-first/respiratory-allergies-what-you-need-to-know/
Published: May 10, 2026 08:01
Respiratory allergies are among the most prevalent chronic conditions in the UK, affecting an estimated 26% of adults. As demand on specialist allergy services grows, community and practice pharmacists are increasingly well placed to support diagnosis,…