Thursday 8th October 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.

The Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey 2026 opened to all NHS community pharmacy contractors on 14 September 2026.

Commissioned by NHS England and delivered by the NHS Business Services Authority, the survey is an important part of the community pharmacy regulatory framework and plays a vital role in informing workforce planning and future investment decisions.

NHS England would like to thank pharmacy contractors for continuing to provide accurate and consistent workforce data. Results from the 2025 survey were published in May 2026.

The 2026 data will be collected via an online survey which can be accessed by logging into the NHSBSA’s Manage Your Service (MYS) portal. For help with submissions, contact the NHSBSA at pharmacysupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk.

Find out more about the survey on NHS England's website.

Please ensure that you are up to date with all the requirements for PQS.

Pharmacy owners can now complete the Palliative and End of Life Care (PEoLC) Questionnaire, which forms one of the gateway requirements for the 2026/27 Pharmacy Quality Scheme

The questionnaire is available via the NHSBSA Manage Your Service (MYS) portal and must be completed and submitted by 11:59pm on 31 December 2026.

NHS England has published the mandatory clinical audit for pharmacies aiming to complete Domain 2 (Professional Practice) of the 2026/27 Pharmacy Quality Scheme . All elements of the audit, action plan, and peer discussion must be completed by 31 March 2027.

Pharmacy owners must be registered via the Manage Your Service (MYS) portal to provide C0VID-19 and/or Adult Flu vaccinations during the Autumn/Winter 2026/27 season.

•    Final registration deadline: 30 November 2026 (11:59pm)

•    Pharmacies must be registered before administering vaccines, otherwise payment cannot be claimed.

•    Pharmacies providing Adult Flu vaccinations only must still register via MYS.

Childhood Flu Vaccination Service

Pharmacy owners who provided the service in 2025/26 must re-register if they wish to continue providing the service in 2026/27.

Expanded Eligibility

From 1 October 2026, pharmacies can vaccinate:

•   All children aged 2 and 3 years

•   Clinically at-risk children aged 4 to 17 years

From 1 December 2026, pharmacies can also vaccinate:

•  School-aged children (Reception to Year 11)

Please ensure your pharmacy is registered, appointments have been added to MYA, and systems are ready for recording vaccinations via RAVS ahead of service commencement.

Please see a briefing that community pharmacy England have shared in relation to changes to the pharmacy regulations these changes come into effect as of 1st October 2026 with further expectations of change from 1st Jan 2027

Additional government funding  is now available, from October 1^st to support non-levy employers looking to grow their team through apprenticeships.

This initiative forms part of the Government’s wider effort to expand the Youth Guarantee and create 50,000 more apprenticeships for young people across the UK.

New Non-Levy Hiring Grant (£2,000)

Starting from October 2026, non-levy-paying employers (Employers with a wage bill under 3 million annually) can claim a £2,000 hiring grant when recruiting an additional apprentice aged 16–24.

For further information, please visit our website here.

Rachel Fergie, Chair of Community Pharmacy Devon, and Andrew Jones, Regional Manager for Well Pharmacy, recently hosted Chris Morley and Ed Garvey at a community pharmacy visit in Plymouth to discuss the opportunities community pharmacies offer in supporting neighbourhood health.

During the visit, Rachel and Andrew highlighted that community pharmacy is about far more than the number of services delivered. They shared examples of the everyday support pharmacy teams provide, from offering reassurance to parents concerned about an unwell child to being a familiar face for older people who value a regular conversation before attending other appointments.

While these interactions are not captured within contractual measures, they demonstrate the important role pharmacies play in supporting the health and wellbeing of their local communities and strengthening neighbourhood-based care.

Chris and Ed reflected on the valuable insights gained during the visit, noting that it provided a greater understanding of both the commissioned services delivered by community pharmacies and the wider contribution pharmacy teams make to patient care. They also recognised the importance of ensuring community pharmacy has a voice in discussions about how best to deliver the neighbourhood health agenda.

A big thank you to Rachel and Andrew for showcasing the positive impact community pharmacy continues to have across Devon, Torbay and Plymouth.

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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