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This month's news from the National Pharmacy Association...

MPs celebrate “pillar of the community” pharmacists

Over 150 pharmacists, MPs and peers gathered in the House of Lords on 10 February to celebrate the contribution of community pharmacies to the nation’s healthcare, and to bring parliamentarians up to date on current pressures facing the sector.

Speaking at the event, health minister Dr Zubir Ahmed MP praised community pharmacists as “pillars of the community” who provide high quality clinical care. Promising the government’s support to realise the potential of the community pharmacy sector, he acknowledged there is “so much still to do”.

Other speakers were chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Pharmacy Sadik Al-Hassan MP, event sponsor Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick and NPA chair Olivier Picard. Following the event, Olivier Picard said: “Amidst all the immense pressures our members are facing, we wanted to give our hardworking members a brief moment to gather together in a relaxed atmosphere to celebrate their fantastic contribution to the wellbeing of patients, communities and the NHS.

“But this was also an opportunity to make sure parliamentarians are in no doubt about the challenges we are facing as independent pharmacies – and what they can do to help us make the case for investment in this vital network upon which so many patients rely.”

Our open letter to theHealth Secretary

Thanks if you were among the signatories to our open letter (representing 3000+ pharmacies) to the Health Secretary about pharmacy underfunding.

Our ‘Dear Wes’ letter – which featured heavily in the national media, including fl agship BBC news programmes such as BBC Breakfast and the Today Programme – warned of imminent cuts to services without a fresh injection of funds.

Some extracts here:

•“The fact that so many pharmacies operate at a loss should set o serious alarm bells in government about the stability of the medicine supply on which millions of people depend,” we said.

• “Pharmacies serving millions of patients are at real risk of closure as a tsunami of new costs arrive and are faced with agonising decisions about how they can continue.”

• “Without urgent action, millions of patients risk losing the most accessible part of the NHS; their local pharmacy. This is now a question of patient access and NHS resilience, not just pharmacy funding.

• “As people at the very front line of the neighbourhood NHS, we want to deliver on the government’s ambitions for health and give more services to patients to take pressure away from the rest of the NHS family.

• “But Wes Streeting’s plans to bring care to communities won’t happen if he allows pharmacies to continue closing and those that remain are propped up by pharmacy owners remortgaging their own homes or raiding pension pots.”

The NPA invited pharmacy owners across the spectrum of the sector to participate, resulting in a demonstration of unity that makes it more likely the issue gets a hearing within government.

Weight loss drugs – risk of pancreatitis

An important notice by NPA Insurance (issued 6 February 2026)

We are issuing this statement to you as your professional indemnity insurance provider and to provide guidance in lightof the recent MHRA alert and changes in GLP-1 product information, which highlights the risk of severe acutepancreatitis associated with GLP-1 medicines.

This statement has been issued to ensure patient safety and to ensure you are undertaking defendable clinical practice. The MHRA alert and changes in product information are in response to a small number of severe cases of acute pancreatitis, including necrotising and fatal pancreatitis, associated with GLP-1 medicines.

Pharmacies supplying GLP-1 medicines against a Patient Group Direction (PGD) or prescribing GLP-1 medicines, are reminded of the followingkeyprinciples:

Risk assessment

The risks of adverse e ects associated with GLP-1 medicines, including the risk of acute pancreatitis, must be consideredandreviewed as part of the service risk assessment. The risk assessment must also outline the safeguards in place to mitigate the identified risks. All members of staff involved in prescribing or supplying GLP-1 medicines against a PGD are expected to implement the safeguards outlined in the risk assessment when delivering the service, to ensure patientsafety.

Patient assessment

Patients must be appropriately assessed before GLP-1 medicines are prescribed or supplied against a PGD; this includes a thorough medical history, identifying any history of pancreatitis which would caution the use of a GLP-1 medicine.

Safety netting

All patients prescribed or supplied GLP-1 medicines against a PGD, are appropriately safety netted with regards to the risk of acute pancreatitis with GLP-1 medicines. This includes advising patients to seek urgent medical attention if they develop severe and persistent abdominal pain (which can radiate to the back) which can also present with nausea/vomiting.

Patients should be reviewed for, and counselled on, the signs and symptomsofacute pancreatitis at each supply/consultation.

Record keeping

Pharmacists prescribing or supplying GLP-1 medicines against a PGD are required to clearly document each patientconsultation. Consultation notes must include the patient’s medical history, particularly in relation to the risk of pancreatitis, and a summary of the safety netting adviceprovided.

NB: A statement in the consultation notes such as ‘Safety netting advice provided’ is not su cient; a concise summary of the key safety netting points provided to the patient is essential. Detailed consultation notes are crucial in the event of a medico-legal claim.

To support NPA members in meeting these principles, we are highlighting the relevant Independent Prescribing resources available on the NPA Membership Hub:

• Independent Prescribing and Prescribing Service Risk Assessment template

• Medical History Consultation Checklist template

• Independent Prescribing Record Keeping guidance and template.

Our commitment to your future as prescribers

We believe that community pharmacists should be empowered to deliver clinical care directly from the heart of their communities, improving patient access and reducing pressure on GPs.

That’s why NPA members can access webinars, workshops and a wide range of practical resources, as well as phone our in-house experts foradvice. Naturally, we work in collaboration with our colleagues in NPA Insurance, who provide learnings from prescribing incidents and professional indemnityissues.

Our vision is a future where independent prescribing in community pharmacy is not just an add-on, but a core function of community pharmacy, delivering accessible, highly clinical, high quality care to patients in theirneighbourhoods.

To start or accelerate your prescribing journey, please go to our Membership Hub and search ‘prescribing’.

NPA is a Great Place to Work

The NPA and NPA Insurance Ltd have been certifi ed by Great Place To Work – a prestigious award based entirely on what current employees say about their experience.

Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviours proven to deliver market leading revenue, employee retention and increasedinnovation.

UK Covid Inquiry

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has announced its plans for 2026. In what will be a busy year for the inquiry, it will publish a further fi ve reports covering Healthcare Systems, Vaccines and Therapeutics, Procurement, the Care Sector and Test, Trace and Isolate.

The NPA is formally a ‘core participant’ of the inquiry, which means we have been able to showcase the amazing work of our sector throughout the hearings to date – and make the case for investment so that the network can be resilient to future public health shocks.

NPA media coverage

The NPA team has ramped up our communications even further, focusing on the fi nancial challenges facing pharmacy, as well as highlighting high standards of pharmacy care across the UK.

Our very strong start to the year includes multiple appearances on BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain, Sky, LBC and the highest circulating newspapers including The Sun and The Guardian. The NPA achieved a total of 11,500 media mentions last year, including 1,405 in national media.

PharmaTech Connect 2026

PharmaTech Connect 2026 brought together leading healthcare professionals, policymakers, entrepreneurs and investors to explore how technology is addressing the pharmacy sector’s most pressing challenges – from persistent pain points to the barriers and real-world solutions shaping the future of healthtech and pharmatech innovation.

The participants considered:

• How can tech support pharmacy’s role in the 10-year health plan?

• What are the barriers to tech uptake in community pharmacy?

• What incentives are needed to support tech companies to innovate in this space?

Opening the event was Sadik Al-Hassan MP, chair of the All Party Pharmacy Group inParliament.

Pharmatech Connect was brought to you by the NPA and tech start-up Charac, whose chief executive Santosh Sahu said: “Pharmacies can evolve into digitally-optimised providers of proactive, frontline care, working to alleviate pressures on other aspects of the NHS; improving patient access; and ensuring money is committed to the right places, that will enhance and scale the provision of care in the UK.

“The UK has an incredible ecosystem of health-tech startups like mine – small, focused teams that move fast, innovate constantly, and are deeply motivated to solve real problems.”

Later that same day, in the House of Lords, the PharmaTech Connect ‘Tech Disruptor Award’ was presented to Baba Akomolafe, from Christchurch Pharmacy in Essex, recognising his position as a leading innovator in community pharmacy.

Settled status consultation

Did you know that the NPA responds to numerous governmental and NHS policy reviews each year? This month we helped the Home Office consider a change to how settled status is secured. We highlighted the risk of shortages of pharmacy technicians in community pharmacy.

Dutch Embassy visit

The NPA attended a meeting at the Dutch Embassy in London to share insight on pharmacy practice with pharmacists and other health stakeholders from theNetherlands. We are in the process of gathering information on medicines procurement in the Netherlands to support our own work on contract reform.

LPC Connect

If you are an NPA member who sits on a local pharmaceutical committee (LPC), why not sign up to receive monthly updates from the NPA via LPC Connect?

The idea is to bring together the voices of independent community pharmacy at national and local level. Please subscribe and share with your LPC executive, officers, independent committee members and other colleagues. Email our integration lead, Michael Lennox, at m.lennox@npa.co.uk

NEW AND POPULAR NPA RESOURCES

Available on the NPA Membership Hub

Medication Safety Update Q4 2025 (England)

The Medication Safety Update presenting our analysis of patient safety incidents for Q4 2025 has been published.

Compliance with GDPR

Pharmacies have reported scam emails from “Rockwell Data Corp” alleging GDPR breaches. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has confirmed it is not connected to this organisation. Do not respond or click on links, and report such emails via the ICO or the relevant phishing reporting route.

NHS’ Sexual Safety Charter(England)

Employers in the UK are legally required to take appropriate measures to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Community pharmacies are encouraged by integrated care boards to sign up to the NHS Sexual Safety Charter to ensure safety in workplaces.

NPA, with WorkNest, provides a range of templates which are designed to help you prevent sexual harassment in theworkplace.

Semaglutide treatment

Semaglutide treatment may very rarely be associated with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a condition that can cause sudden deterioration in vision, usually a ecting one eye at a time. Please review the MHRA Drug Safety Update and ensure relevant sta are aware of the new safety information.

Fasting during Ramadan – practical advice for your customers, patients and staff

Ramadan 2026, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, is underway. There are numerous considerations for those that are fasting during Ramadan. Please read the NPA guidance for practical advice and support that you can provide.

Update on the shortage of co-codamol tablets 30mg/500mg

There’s currently a long term supply issue affecting cocodamol 30mg/500mg tablets, and this is expected to continue until June 2026. Because stock will be limited for quite some time, it is worth taking a proactive approach. Advice for pharmacy teams is highlighted in our update.

Supervision

Following the new pharmacy supervision legislation that came into effect from 7 January 2026, we have updated our standard operating procedures Operating in the absence of the RP when signed in, and Handing out dispensed prescriptions. Search ‘Supervision’ in the NPA Member Hub.