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with one in six pharmacy owners saying that
they are unsure if their pharmacy will survive
the year.
They have urged the Department of Health
and Social Care and NHS England to prioritise
long-term planning for pharmacies, including
the implementation of the Community
Pharmacist Prescribing Service.
The MPs have also highlighted the need for
more effective marketing for Pharmacy First
to increase both walk-ins and referrals to this
critical service.
CPE chief executive Janet Morrison
welcomed the support of 20 cross-party
parliamentarians and stressed the urgent need
for immediate government intervention to
ensure the survival of the sector.
Janet said: “Right now community
pharmacy is on the verge of a house of cards
style collapse, but it has so much to offer if it is
put on a sustainable footing.
“We are ready to take forward discussions
on the future: pharmacy needs answers on the
contractual framework for this year and to be in
a position to plan for the future.”
Covid Inquiry questions DHSC on
NPA evidence
At the recent Covid Inquiry, Sir Chris
Wormald, permanent secretary at the
Department of Health and Social Care, was
questioned about the initial exclusion of
community pharmacies in the government’s
emergency pandemic life assurance scheme.
Earlier this month, the National Pharmacy
Association submitted evidence to the inquiry
highlighting the delay in including community
pharmacies in the scheme – which offered
£60,000 lump sum payments to NHS and care
home staff who died from Covid.
The inquiry heard that the scheme was
launched on April 27, 2020, initially covering
NHS and care home staff. However, then Health
Secretary Matt Hancock only confirmed the
inclusion of community pharmacy staff in a
Tweet three days later, on April 30.
NPA Chair Nick Kaye told the inquiry
that it was “demoralising and demotivating”
to community pharmacy staff who worked
throughout the pandemic.
Sir Wormald explained that the Treasury
had not approved the inclusion of community
pharmacies in the scheme but they were
included under discretionary arrangements.
He said: “I think that wherever you draw
the line there are terrible cases where you think
morally we should pay on the other side of the
line.
“Having a discretionary scheme that allowed
you to pay money to people who didn’t qualify
is a very good idea.”
NHS England rolls our anti-smoking
pill Varenicline
Tens of thousands of smokers in England will
be offered an improved anti-smoking pill by the
NHS to help them quit.
NHS England has announced the rollout
of a new generic version of Champix, called
Varenicline, which has been proven to be as
effective as vapes and more successful than
nicotine replacement gum or patches.
When used alongside behavioural support,
such as counselling, the daily pill has been
shown to help one in four smokers quit for at
least six months.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard
called the introduction of Varenicline a
“vital step in shifting NHS further towards
prevention” and highlighted that it could be a
“game-changer” for people who want to quit
smoking.
Varenicline is being made available through
a collaboration between NHS England and Teva
UK.
Research from University College London
suggests that Varenicline could help over 85,000
people try to quit smoking each year and prevent
up to 9,500 smoking-related deaths over the
next five years.
Nurse dies after using weight-loss
drug tirzepatide
A 58-year-old nurse from North Lanarkshire,
Scotland, has reportedly died after taking the
weight-loss drug tirzepatide, which was recently
approved for use on the NHS.
Susan McGowan died from multiple organ
failure, septic shock and pancreatitis, with the
use of the Eli Lilly drug listed as a contributing
factor on her death certificate, according to the
BBC.
She had taken two low-dose injections
of tirzepatide, known by the brand name
Mounjaro, over a two-week period before her
death on 4 September. Her death is thought to be
the first in the U.K. officially linked to the drug.
McGowan, who had worked for over
30 years as a nurse at University Hospital
Monklands in Airdrie, purchased a prescription
for the drug through a registered online
pharmacy.
A few days after her second injection,
McGowen began experiencing severe
stomach pains and sickness. She went to
A&E at Monklands – where her colleagues
Quarterly News Round-up
DECEMBER 2024 5
tried to save her life.
Within days, her kidneys failed, and she fell
into a coma as her other organs began to fail.
Former Health Secretary to help
reform NHS
Former Health Secretary Alan Milburn
has been appointed as the lead non-executive
member of the Department of Health and
Social Care’s (DHSC) board to support the
government’s ambitious NHS reform agenda.
He will succeed Samantha Jones, who
has served as a non-executive director since
February 2023.
Milburn, known for his successful track
record in reducing NHS waiting lists and
improving patient satisfaction, will offer advice
to help rebuild an NHS fit for the future.
Expressing his enthusiasm to be appointed
to this role, Milburn said, “Having spent three
decades working in health policy, I have never
seen the NHS in a worse state. Big reforms will
be needed to make it fit for the future.
“I am confident this government has the right
plans in place to transform the health service
and the health of the nation.
“I’m looking forward to working with them
to achieve that mission.”
Milburn’s appointment was made directly by
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting,
following consultation with the Commissioner
for Public Appointments, in compliance with
the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
NHSE relaunches Pharmacy First
campaign
NHS England relaunched its Pharmacy
First public-facing campaign on 11 November,
with minor updates to the original campaign
materials, including additional information on
the age criteria for the clinical pathways.
Campaign materials, such as toolkit, social
media assets, and posters, are available on
the Department of Health and Social Care’s
Campaign Resource Centre website.
Meanwhile, Community Pharmacy England
(CPE) has highlighted the need for a sustained,
large-scale effort to maximize the service’s
impact.
CPE chief executive Janet Morrison
said: “It’s good that we are finally seeing
the resumption of the NHS Pharmacy First
marketing campaign, alongside new resources
to help with promotion, as we head into winter.
“But we need this to be part of a much bigger,