Community Pharmacy Devon Weekly Dose 💊

Thursday 23rd October 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.

Pharmacy Owners - Exhausted by the Day-to-Day? We can Help!

If you're stuck in the grind and struggling to find time to grow your business you are not alone and there is help available.

The NHS Devon-funded Community Pharmacy Resilience Coaching Programme is here to help you to:

Improve operational efficiency
Enhance Service Delivery
Identify opportunities for growth

We can work with you in building a stronger, more sustainable pharmacy. To learn more watch the video and read the letter.

And if you're ready to take the next step please apply by completing the form online here by the 7th November 2025.

Live now: Pharmacy Technician Development Programme: Preparing for the Future

⭐Applications are now open⭐

NHS England and the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) are pleased to announce the launch of the “Pharmacy technician development programme: Preparing for the future”.

Preparing for the future is designed to build confidence and support pharmacy technicians to develop their skills to deliver a wider range of services, now and into the future.

Open to all pharmacy technicians, this flexible and supportive programme aims to support the development of clinical confidence, leadership skills, and professional practice. Participants will be supported throughout the programme by a dedicated education supervisor, and the programme is designed to offer a flexible, supportive learning experience, designed collaboratively with each pharmacy technician.

Delivered between October 2025 and March 2026, pharmacy technicians will engage in structured learning that enhances clinical, leadership, and decision-making skills. The programme will particularly focus on supporting pharmacy technicians to adapt to the evolving scope of practice, including recent changes to supervision legislation, the expansion of the Pharmacy First service, and the use of Patient Group Directions.

At the start of the programme, learners will work with their education supervisor to identify their individual development needs and will be supported thereafter to meet these, progressing at a pace that suits them.

Further information

For more information and to apply for an NHS England funded place on this programme, visit the CPPE Website
Please contact info@cppe.ac.uk with any further enquiries about this exciting training offer.

Click here to find out more about NHS England Pharmacy Workforce Training offers.

Community Pharmacy Update Online Training Event: 12th November 2025, 7pm-8:30pm (Devon Pharmacies Only)

Who needs to attend?

All Community Pharmacies delivering Needle and Syringe Provision and/or supervised consumption in Devon County Council area (as indicated in the contract).

Why attend?

Community Pharmacies are integral to the ongoing support and treatment and provision of harm reduction advice to some of the most vulnerable in society. Your involvement helps prevent the spread of blood borne viruses, infections, reduces the risk of drug related deaths and supports people to engage in treatment.

Devon has a higher rate of drug related deaths than the national average, the drugs market is changing and this will be impacting on people who use your services and this provides you with the opportunity to feedback on the recent recontacting process led by Torbay Council and notify Public Health commissioners of what support you need from us to help improve the services being delivered.

You can book a place here.

Anti-depressant NMS Face-to Face Workshop

On Wednesday 29th October 2025, the NMS will expand to include depression as an eligible therapeutic area.

The draft updated NMS Eligible Drug List and service specification are available to download from the NHSBSA website to provide advance notice of the changes to pharmacy owners.

Action: Ensure you have read the updated DRAFT service specification and reviewed the DRAFT updated NMS Eligible Drug List by this date.

Tom Kallis will be leading an anti-depressant NMS training session on 26th November 2025 6.30pm - 9.00pm at Exeter Court Hotel, Kennford EX6 7XX.

It will enhance the skills and confidence of pharmacists to assist in providing effective support to patients with mental health conditions and with supporting patients starting treatment for depression. More details about the content of the workshop will be sent out soon.

Community Pharmacy England November Sector Polling

Community Pharmacy England wants to hear pharmacy owners’ views and concerns for the coming winter season.

Pharmacies are continuing to operate under immense strain and winter pressures are already raising their head, including a new challenge in managing patient confusion around C0VID-19 vaccination eligibility changes. A new opinion poll is a simple way of sharing how concerned you are about your pharmacy business going into this winter and the impact that the C0vid-19 vaccination issues have had on your team. Complete the quick survey here.