Community Pharmacy Devon Weekly Dose 💊

Thursday 19th February 2026

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.

Devon & Cornwall Teach & Treat: Call for Expressions of Interest

For community pharmacists looking to become prescribers we are delighted to let you know that Devon and Cornwall have been successful in their bid for the National NHSE Teach & Treat (T&T) programme. Appropriate access to and capacity of supervision to support pharmacists to become independent prescribers is a challenge across the workforce, and particularly within community pharmacy. The aim of the Devon & Cornwall Teach & Treat programme is to support community pharmacists from across the two counties to achieve their independent prescribing qualification by providing access to suitable supervisors and clinical environments.

We are inviting Expressions of Interest from community pharmacists who wish to undertake their independent prescribing qualification from September 2026 with the support of the Devon & Cornwall Teach & Treat programme.

Closing date: 8th March 2026 18:00

We expect high demand, so with limited places available, submit your expression of interest HERE.

Please share this to your professional networks, forums and communication channels to ensure no one misses out on this opportunity!

Price Concessions

Please remember when community pharmacies cannot source a drug at or below the reimbursement price as set out in the Drug Tariff, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) can introduce a price concession at the request of Community Pharmacy England.

If you see an item above drug tariff price then please report, this will help Community Pharmacy England to negotiate the price concessions. Please do not make the assumption that someone else has reported it. Read more here.

Remember! You can not refuse to dispense medication that is at or above Drug tariff price this is against the NHS terms of Service. An NHS pharmacist must provide prescribed medication to a person presenting a prescription “with reasonable promptness”.

There are circumstances where the NHS pharmacist may refuse to make a supply – for example, if there is an error on the prescription, the person presenting the prescription threatens the pharmacy staff with violence, or where it would be clinically inappropriate to make the supply.

However, these circumstances do not include where the pharmacist would not be fully remunerated for the supply.

Please ensure that you are signed up to receive the latest updates following price concessions.

We know that there are a large number of issues around the supply of medications if you would like to lobby your local MP then please get in touch at admin@cpdevon.org.uk and we can support.

FDP Access

Pharmacy owners taking part in the spring C0VID-19 vaccination programme will require Federated Data Platform (FDP) access to order C0VID-19 vaccines. Pharmacy owners can request FDP access here.

A step-by-step guide is also available.

If access issues occur, pharmacy owners should clear their browser cache, switch to Microsoft Edge or use an InPrivate/Incognito window and paste the link directly into the address bar. Persistent issues are typically caused by local firewall settings; pharmacies who are part of a pharmacy chain may need to contact their local IT Service Desk for assistance.

FDP access drop-in sessions

FDP Access drop-in sessions (Future NHS log-in required) are available on:

23rd February 2026 from 11:00am to 11:30am;
27th February 2026 from 2:00pm to 2:30pm; and
10th March 2026 from 12:00pm to 12:30pm.

Each session covers the same content, therefore, pharmacy owners will only need to attend one session. Before attending, pharmacy owners are advised to log into FDP ahead of their training session so they can follow along with the demonstrations.

Supporting the Wellbeing of Pharmacists and their Teams

This year, Community Pharmacy England is working with Pharmacist Support, the profession’s independent charity, to help support the wellbeing of pharmacists and their teams.

The continuing fragility of pharmacy finances, alongside high workloads, stress, ongoing uncertainty and rising reports of patient abuse across England, take a real toll on the wellbeing and morale of pharmacy owners and teams.

Their work with Pharmacist Support aims to help pharmacy owners and their teams to manage stress, protect mental health and stay resilient, and the first resources are now available to download, with a webinar also scheduled for later this month.

📄 Digital information pack

You can now view the new Pharmacist Information Pack, which highlights the support available so pharmacists and their teams know where to turn when they need help. It also includes a message from the CEO of Community Pharmacy England.

NHSBSA Online Training Session

Community pharmacy Devon have spoken with pharmacy services at NHSBSA and have secured a training event for an Overview of NHS Prescription Services where they will fully explain what happens to your prescriptions once they have left you and how accounts are received and prepared for our scanning process. We will then explain prescription processing and include some important Hints and Tips on Endorsing, Fee claiming, Wrong Group movements and Referred Backs.

This is also a great opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have to the Head of Pharmaceutical Services and Business Engagement Lead.

The sessions will be run by:

Mark Gibbon

Mark’s role of the Business Engagement Lead allows him to support and educate stakeholders and customers. He regularly hosts and presents at events to pass on his vast experience supplying valuable advice and also promotes the valuable work completed by NHS Prescription Services and the wider NHSBSA.

Phil Edwards

Phil joined the NHSBSA in 2016 as the Head of Pharmaceutical Services and Principal Pharmacist. Before joining NHSBSA he has a varied background in pharmacy, retail pharmacy and pharmacy management as he worked for many years at the front line of Primary Care. He now manages the Pharmacy Team and supports colleagues at all levels to build on the excellent service relationship NHSBSA have with clients and dispensing contractors.

He is accountable for the relationship the organisation has with DHSC, NHS England, CPE, DDA, LPC’s and other Stakeholders on behalf of the NHSBSA

The event is planned for 26th March at 7pm, book your place here.