We have been asked to highlight this survey about cancer care in the community, being run by undergraduates at Strathclyde University, to our newsletter readers.

Our pharmacy colleagues in the Scottish cancer networks have flagged that the Scottish guidelines for referral of suspected cancer are in the process of being reviewed.

Join Matt Barclay, CEO of Community Pharmacy Scotland, as he shares his heartfelt Christmas message to the network. Reflecting on the achievements of the year and looking ahead to the opportunities in 2025, this festive message celebrates the dedication and hard work of the pharmacy community. Watch now to feel inspired and connected this holiday season.

Holiday Office Hours 2024: Closed on 25th-26th December and 1st-2nd January 2025. Open as usual on 27th December and 3rd January. Enquiries monitored via enquiries@cps.scot during the festive period.

This is a friendly reminder about your next courier collection. The collection will take place on Tuesday, December 17th 2024. With the busiest time of year approaching in community pharmacy, we thought it might be useful to remind you of some information around your prescription bag submissions.

The National Pharmacy Technician Group Scotland (NPTGS) are seeking responses from pharmacy teams, working in all sectors across Scotland, on their proposed development pathways for pharmacy technicians and pharmacy support staff.

Top items under CPS Board review: NSS issues, the communications strategy, and the financial proposal for ScotGov. The Negotiation Team will meet with Jenni Minto soon. More details to follow.

NES Infection Prevention and Control Education Team have an in-depth module aimed to equip those working in health and social care with the knowledge and skills needed to prevent and minimise the risk of acquiring an infection from blood or body fluid.

Social Security Scotland is keen to forge a partnership with pharmacists to spread the word about Best Start Foods.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) are looking for community pharmacy teams in Scotland who have adopted the Daffodil Quality Improvement Standards for Community Pharmacy.

This Circular informs NHS Boards and community pharmacy contractors of the intention to continue funding for Community Pharmacist Practitioner Champions in 2024-25.

The new updated version of Part 7 is now available for December 2024. In this month there are several deletions to Part 7 of the drug tariff we wanted to make you aware of.

Listen to our Policy & PR Pharmacist Sarah Scott on RADIO SCOTLAND Mornings with Kaye Adams.

On today's episode… Our Policy and Development team bring you the latest news for community pharmacy in Scotland. Topics include: Pharmacy Technician And Pharmacy Support Staff Development Pathways, Considering Becoming a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) and CPS Presents at Norwegian Pharmacy Conference.

A new e-learning module on the management of tick bites is now available from NES. This learning resource helps support healthcare practitioners gain the evidence-based knowledge required to discuss prevention of tick bites with the public and how to recognise Lyme disease.

CPS were delighted to be invited to the drop-in session at the Scottish Parliament hosted by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) to showcase their recently published UK Medicine Shortages Report.

We have taken a stand along with our primary care colleagues in Scotland to address the looming financial burden that is the hike in employers' National Insurance (NI) contributions announced by the UK Government last month.

This is a friendly reminder about your next courier collection. The collection will take place on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024. With the busiest time of year approaching in community pharmacy, we thought it might be useful to remind you of some information around your prescription bag submissions.

In September 2021, the four UK Governments announced the intention to mandate the fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid on a UK-wide basis to reduce the number of Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) in foetuses.  Legislation is now being laid and the food industry has until December 2026 to fully implement these changes.

Our colleagues at the National Pharmacy Technicians Group Scotland (NPTGS) have been working on a proposed development pathway for Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacy Support workers in Scotland. This work will eventually form the foundation on which education and training and professional development frameworks are built.

Following on from the withdrawal of varenicline (Champix) tablets from the UK in 2021, a generic version of varenicline has been launched by Teva and is now available for supply through wholesalers. This includes initiation packs, 0.5mg and 1mg packs.

Another day, another media piece. With the upcoming Scottish budget, STV News wanted to revisit community pharmacy as part of the broader discussion around primary care providers and the implications of the National Insurance increase.

The following are the Top Three items currently under discussion and review by your CPS Board. There is no specific detail, yet, as these are currently “works in progress”. Further detail will follow as available.

We want to make you aware of a joint letter that Community Pharmacy Scotland, along with our colleagues in general practice, dentistry, and optometry, has sent to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance.

We want to make you aware of a joint letter that Community Pharmacy Scotland, along with our colleagues in general practice, dentistry, and optometry, has sent to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance.

Our colleagues at NES are keen to support individuals develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to undertake the role of designated prescribing practitioner. In doing so, NES have recently developed a DPP Competency Framework Self-Assessment Tool which may be useful to those considering their suitability for the role.