Thursday 20th February 2025             

Welcome to your weekly injection of local and national pharmacy news! As always, if you have any feedback or comments, please contact us by email at admin@cpdevon.org.uk.

Another reminder about the upcoming (this evening and 26th February!) workshops we are holding in collaboration with Community Pharmacy Somerset, Community Pharmacy Gloucestershire and Community Pharmacy Cornwall to support you to complete your Oriel application. These workshops will be taking place at 19:15pm - 20:15pm. Please note that you only need to attend ONE of these workshops.

During the hour you will be supported to complete your application and by the end of the workshop you will be able to submit your application. You also need to read and agree to the NHS England National Recruitment Scheme Terms of Participation, and Health Education England’s Quality Framework as part of the registration process.

You can book your place for this evening's workshop here and for the 26th February workshop here.

Please note that community Pharmacies wishing to host a trainee pharmacist for the 2026/27 training year must register with Oriel by the 1st March 2025 and can be done here.

The Pharmacy Pressures Survey is crucial for raising awareness of the crisis in community pharmacy in national media and parliament. It only takes 5-10 minutes to complete and must be submitted by Friday the 28th February.

Community Pharmacist Anil Sharma stresses the importance of completing the survey in a new blog post published in The Pharmacist saying: "This survey isn’t just another questionnaire, it is an incredibly valuable influencing tool. It captures the daily challenges pharmacy teams face, from staff shortages to increasing patient demand, providing a detailed, evidence-based picture of the pressures on the sector. It allows us to present stark data to policymakers, just like last year’s results, which found one in six pharmacies are at risk of closure, 70% regularly struggle with staffing, and 80% have been abused by patients frustrated by medicines shortages.

By taking part, pharmacy owners and teams can help ensure these challenges are not ignored or dismissed as isolated issues but recognised as part of a much bigger crisis affecting so many across the country." You can read the full blog by Anil here and watch videos from other community pharmacists on why they think the survey is so important here.

On the 28th November 2024 the joint National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), British Thoracic Society (BTS) and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) published their long-awaited single guideline on asthma diagnosis, monitoring and management. View the guideline here.

Created by the Primary Care Respiratory Society this is a high-level summary of what the new BTS/NICE/SIGN Asthma: diagnosis monitoring and chronic asthma management guideline means for you as a primary healthcare professional. It is not intended to be a comprehensive guide of the new guideline, neither does it cover all non-pharmacological treatments or on-going monitoring. We recommend you use the links to resources provided throughout to obtain more detailed information and guidance.

This health professional guide has been designed to help you carry out a quick dietary assessment of your patient's diet, and provide tailored dietary advice based on their responses. The accompanying patient take-home sheet allows your patient to record their goals and track their progress. By following the guide, you’ll have everything you need to confidently introduce effective dietary strategies for cholesterol management, regardless of your prior nutrition expertise.

Your Quick, Patient-Centred Process in 5 Simple Steps

This guide offers a quick, step-by-step approach that keeps consultations focused, clear, and effective. With a patient-centred design and behaviour-change strategies incorporated across its five steps, it is ideal for starting conversations and supporting lasting dietary change. Learn more here.

If you have a positive news story to share with us please send it to admin@cpdevon.org.uk and it will be featured in an upcoming edition of the review. If featured, you will also win a surprise gift for you and your team up to the value of £25!

Click the name you need to email them directly: