This site is intended for Healthcare Professionals only

Policy

neil-1280-copy-2

Limiting blood pressure tests in pharmacies is madness. But scheming? Surely not

Was a motion to end pharmacy BP checks at the Local Medical Committee conference and government announcement that tests will be limited coincidental?

21 Aug 2026

neil-1280-copy-2

The twisted logic of government and some GPs threatens 10-year NHS plan

GPs are attempting a pharmacy land grab. Labour says there are no plans to provide Pharmacy First via the NHS app. So much for collaboration, writes Neil Trainis.

18 Nov 2025

patient-confidentiality-cartoon-1280

Patient data: Lessons from a GPhC warning

Our legal writers explore the consequences pharmacists face when patient confidentiality and data protection laws are breached.

28 Oct 2025

sultan-mahmud-bt-group-1280

Preparing for the big network switch-off

Independent pharmacies must prepare for the Government’s national digital landline switchover, says professor Sultan Mahmud.

17 Sep 2025

neil-1280-copy-2

Ten-year plan? Labour is muddling through as usual

The government doesn’t have a coherent strategy for pharmacy, never mind the NHS, writes Neil Trainis.

27 Aug 2025

regulations-1280

A new chapter for NHS pharmacies?

The pharmacy landscape in England is undergoing one of its most significant regulatory shifts in two decades. Our legal experts explore what the changes mean for the sector.

15 Jul 2025

1280x720px

Do DSPs have an 'unlawful restraint of trade' argument?

When services are funded by the public such as the NHS, there are always legal frameworks within which services must be provided, says David Reissner.

10 Jun 2025

nick-kaye-new-1280

Pharmacy post-NHS England

It will be important for every pharmacy body to work closely with whatever structures the Government establishes, says Nick Kaye.

23 Apr 2025

neil-1280-copy-2

Where’s Labour’s strategy for a community pharmacist prescribing service?

The party has done nothing more than tantalise us about it since it came to power. That’s irritating and disappointing, says ICP editor Neil Trainis.

23 Apr 2025

neil-1280-copy-2

Editor's view: Goodbye NHS England and good riddance

Trawling back through the stories we have covered involving the world’s largest quango feels like a roll call of shame, says ICP editor Neil Trainis.

18 Mar 2025

assisted-dying-new-1280

Assisted Dying Bill – a legal and historical overview

We consider the present position and what pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are allowed to say on the topic.

25 Nov 2024

neil-1280-copy-2

For the sake of pharmacy and patients Labour, get on with it!

Medicines shortages should be at the top of Wes Streeting's in-tray.

31 Jul 2024

downing-st-whitehall-summary

Labour to introduce community pharmacy prescribing service if elected

Party manifesto confirms Streeting's pledge to overhaul primary care provision.

17 Jun 2024

neil-1280-copy-2

Editor's view: Patient voices outweigh pharmacy’s pleas

What pharmacy needs is a report full of patient testimonies explicitly detailing how pharmacies' poor funding has directly led to their health suffering.

31 May 2024

neil-1280-copy-2

Why do we need four pharmacy visions in England?

Can you imagine general practice confronting the government with four separate visions inside 12 months?

25 Oct 2023

Terry Maguire 1280 new.jpg

Contractors are in the trenches…again!

A conflict that sparked three judicial reviews in Northern Ireland is demoralising and ongoing, says Terry Maguire.

25 Nov 2022

Change privacy settings