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Community Pharmacy Devon Weekly Dose |
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Thursday 27th February 2025 |
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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. |
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March Deadline Tracker |
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Please view the March edition of the deadline tracker here. |
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Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS) |
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Updates Reminder - PCS Panel Discussion next Wednesday (26th February 2025) - If you provide the PCS you may want to consider attending one of the CPPE online panel discussions. Panel members include representatives from NHSE, CPE and pharmacists delivering the service. The panel will answer questions about the PCS service and will be useful to all pharmacy professionals involved in service delivery. The first webinar is next Wednesday 26th February 2025 at 7-8pm with a second webinar being held on 12th March 2025. Please register for one of these webinars via the link here. |
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NHS England have published the national flu vaccination programme letter for the 2025/26 season |
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The Department of Health and Social Care, the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England have published the national flu vaccination programme letter for the 2025/26 season.
Eligible cohorts
There are no changes to the eligible cohorts for the 2025/26 season.
Timing
From 1st September 2025, pharmacies will only be able to vaccinate pregnant women.
From October 2025, vaccination of all other adult cohorts will commence, with the exact starting date still to be confirmed by NHS England.
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National No Smoking Day - 12th March 2025 |
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This year, No Smoking Day falls on Wednesday 12 March and is another great opportunity to signpost to quitting support and encourage smokers to make a quit attempt. Activity will include a national PR story and creation of specific partner resources to help you raise awareness of the day, based around the theme of ‘Take back your life back this No Smoking Day’. The campaign is supportive in tone and aims to communicate messages of hope and optimism, focussing on the real-life benefits people have and will experience when they quit smoking for good.
Resources are now available to download here and include:
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Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy |
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You may be aware of a national shortage of Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT), as described in the National Patient Safety Alert (NatPSA) of May 2024. The shortage arose from a reduction in the production of the leading brand, Creon®, due to limited availability of the active pharmaceutical ingredients and manufacturing constraints.
In December 2024, ICBs were asked to provide a mitigation plan in addition to the recommendations of the May 2024 NatPSA. The document that describes the plan for NHS Devon can be found here. A link will also be added to the Devon formulary.
The guidance describes the background to the issue and provides practical advice for prescribers, dispensers and patients.
In exceptional circumstances, where stock is not available and a patient is due to run out within the next 10 days, an unlicensed imported product, equivalent to Creon®, may be prescribed. Details on how to pharmacies can access these products in these exceptional circumstances are included in the guidance. |
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Positive News Stories |
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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! |
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COMMUNITY PHARMACY DEVON SECRETARIAT TEAM |
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Click the name you need to email them directly: |