Thursday 13th November 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.

Following last night's training session held by Waythrough and Devon County Council, here are the hand outs for reference.

Following the session, some discussions took place - please see the statements for action below:

Physeptone oral solution 1mg/1ml (SF and standard)

From today we will be prescribing Physeptone® oral solution 1mg/1ml (SF and standard) as methadone oral solution 1mg/1ml (SF and standard). This is in line with NHS recommendations for generic prescribing. This is something I have been working with Together Devon, Community Pharmacy Devon and the local commissioner for some time. I am mindful of the financial advantages of generic vs. brand prescribing for community pharmacies and, although small, I hope it is welcomed and will support improved relations and capacity for the people we work with moving forward.

Please note this is for ongoing prescriptions and will not relate to current prescriptions already in your community pharmacies. This will allow you to transition to generic methadone and use their stock of Physeptone® oral solution 1mg/1ml before the transition. If you have any questions regarding this change then please contact your local Together Devon service.

We will continue to review the arrangement of a 3-monthly basis but our aspiration is to continue with the generic approach as we move forward.

Individual dispensing bottles for oral methadone oral solution 1mg/1ml

From today we will be adding the following Home Office approved wording to all methadone oral solution 1mg/1ml prescriptions - Dispense daily doses in separate containers.

This instruction supports improved clinical governance and best practice as individual doses of methadone oral solution 1mg/1ml are divided into separate bottles with accurate measurements. We advised you about this change also in a recent newsletter (see attached) and how to claim the PD-fee for this service. If you have any questions regarding this change then please contact your local Together Devon service.

As a face of the NHS App, you will be a passionate NHS staff member who understands how digital technology can improve care and people’s experiences of the NHS. NHS App ambassadors champion the app among both colleagues and patients, promoting its many benefits and helping users to understand how to use the app’s features. The NHS app help patients to order their own medications meaning that pharmacy owners can move to a paperless way of working.  

There are many benefits to becoming an NHS App ambassador, including:

• access to the latest app information and campaign materials to share with your colleagues and patients
• recognition as an official NHS App ambassador
• joining a community of other ambassadors sharing best practice and success stories
• the opportunity to develop your leadership and persuasion skills
• a flexible role that fits around your work
• the opportunity to share your feedback with the national app communications team

More information and details on how to apply can be found here.

A reminder that useful information on accessing and using your NHS Mail account can be found here

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