Community Pharmacy Devon Weekly Dose 💊

Thursday 30th July 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.

Mandatory CPAF Questionnaire 26/27 Closes Friday 31st July 2026

If you haven't yet completed the 2026/27 CPAF screening questionnaire, make sure you do so before 11.59pm on Friday 31st July.

We strongly encourage any pharmacy owners who haven't yet responded to do so now. Completion is a Terms of Service requirement and helps reduce the likelihood of being selected for the full CPAF questionnaire.

Fill in the short screening survey

Meningitis B Vaccination Update

Following the launch of the Meningococcal B (MenB) Vaccination Service last week we thought we'd provide a quick reminder.

Pharmacy owners should manage vaccination capacity and appointment availability in line with vaccine orders and delivery schedules, ensuring appointments published on Manage Your Appointments (MYA) are only available when vaccine stock is expected.

To help maximise service delivery and manage stock effectively:

Review your vaccine allocation on the Federated Data Platform (FDP) Supply Dashboard before ordering.
Place vaccine orders via FDP before the order cut-off, taking MYA bookings into account.
Check your allocated delivery day and expected delivery time (available one working day before delivery).
Schedule MYA appointments only after your confirmed vaccine delivery and align bookings with your fixed delivery day and available stock.

NHS England has updated its guidance on supply and delivery of vaccine, which is available via the Futures platform.

Please see here for FAQs on the new service.

Chemist and Druggist Awards 2026

The Chemist and Druggist has revealed the shortlist for the 2026 C&D Awards. Many congratulations to Eleanor Rowse from Dawlish Warren Pharmacy for the Pharmacy Technician of the Year. Many congratulations and good luck Eleanor!🎉

Revealed: C+D Awards 2026 – the shortlist is now live!

Local Mandated Campaign Launch – Keep Antibiotics Working 3rd August to 28th August

This is a gentle reminder that the mandated health campaign launches 3rd August! You should have received a campaign pack in relation to this on the 27th July including reporting requirements via an email from the South West Commissioning Hub.

Pharmacy contractors are to actively engage with patients throughout the campaign by displaying promotional materials, sharing key antibiotic messages, and using every opportunity to support public understanding of when antibiotics are and aren't needed.

This is a mandatory campaign.

Devon Sexual Health Training and Events

Please find a comprehensive list of all upcoming training and events from the Devon Sexual Health team here.

TALKWORKS: Treatment Options and Referral Pathways

TALKWORKS offers a wide range of evidence-based treatment and support options for adults across Devon (excluding Plymouth), age 18+, experiencing common mental health difficulties – including depression, anxiety, stress and problems with sleep.

Treatment includes cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling for Depression (CfD), eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR), interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), prolonged grief disorder therapy (PGDT), online self-help programmes, wellbeing workshops and groups, as well as access to employment support to help people find, remain in or return to work. More information about this can be found on the TALKWORKS website.

Patients can self-refer to TALKWORKS by completing the online self-referral form on the TALKWORKS website or by calling the team on 0300 555 3344.

Healthcare Professionals can (with the patient’s consent) make a referral on behalf of the patient to TALKWORKS by completing the healthcare professional referral form.

Please note: TALKWORKS is not able to offer treatment for all mental health problems and is not a crisis response service. If you are unsure if a patient is suitable for TALKWORKS there is a decision tree available for guidance.

Fire Safety and Emollients – A Reminder for Pharmacy Teams

Community pharmacy teams play an important role in helping patients use emollients safely. While emollient creams, ointments, lotions and gels remain an essential treatment for dry skin conditions and should continue to be recommended where clinically appropriate, it is important to remember that all emollients – including paraffin-free products – can increase the risk of serious fire when they contaminate clothing, bedding or other fabrics. Residue can build up over time, making fabrics easier to ignite and allowing fires to spread more rapidly when exposed to a heat source such as a cigarette, naked flame or heater.

Every supply of an emollient is an opportunity to reinforce simple but potentially life-saving advice. Encourage patients and carers to wash clothing and bedding regularly, keep emollient-contaminated fabrics away from heat sources, and avoid smoking or naked flames while using these products. Particular care should be taken with patients who smoke, use home oxygen, have reduced mobility or cognitive impairment, or require frequent, high-volume emollient application, as they may be at greater risk.

Pharmacy teams should continue to promote the safe and effective use of emollients while ensuring patients understand how to minimise fire risk. Consider whether higher-risk patients would benefit from additional counselling, referral for smoking cessation support, or a personalised fire risk assessment in line with local guidance. A brief conversation at the point of supply could make a significant difference in preventing a serious incident while ensuring patients continue to receive the treatment they need.

Read further information and access additional resources here.