CPNI has been made aware of a fully funded Level 2 Diploma in Pharmacy Services training programme which is open to eligible community pharmacy staff members in Northern Ireland.
SUMMARY
Further information on this fully funded training programme is available on the UCA website and the training provider website: Global Horizon Skills.
The Level 2 Diploma in Pharmacy Services is supported by the Department for the Economy, meaning there is no cost incurred by the trainee or employer.
Employers who enrol a staff member in the programme are provided with additional funding incentive of £670 per successful trainee. Further details are outlined in the programme flyer.
The programme booklet, with further details on the course criteria, delivery, content, and assessment is available here.
Enrolment for the Autumn intake will remain open until Friday 5th September 2025, with training due to commence on Wednesday 24th September 2025.
Contractors who wish to learn more about funded training opportunities for pharmacy staff can read the information linked above and share with relevant members of the pharmacy team.
Kind regards
SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE Chief Executive
Dear Colleague
The third update of concessionary prices were granted today for August 2025:
SPPG have issued correspondence regarding the availability of antimicrobial agents used in tuberculosis (TB).
SUMMARY
The letter provides additional advice and guidance on the actions to take within general practices and community pharmacies to maintain essential patient access to treatment with anti-tuberculosis (TB) medicines. The advice in this letter should be used in conjunction with the updated National Patient Safety Alert issued on 1 August 2025 until the supply disruptions are resolved.
ACTION
Community pharmacists should read the contents of the letter and share with relevant members of the community pharmacy team.
Any further updates will be shared as they become available.
Kind regards
SENT ON BEHALF OF GERARD GREENE Chief Executive
This update contains important information for community pharmacy teams.
Department of Health and Social Care (UK) Call for Evidence
The UK Department of Health and Social Care has opened a UK-wide call for evidence on private medicines prescribing and supply mechanisms. This does not include NHS prescribing, rather it focuses on:
prescriptions written by prescribers registered in the European Economic Area (EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and Switzerland, that are dispensed in the UK;
private prescriptions written by UK prescribers;
medicines accessed through private patient group directions (PGDs).
The department is seeking views from the public, patients and healthcare providers on the effectiveness of clinical governance, oversight and regulation of each of the 3 prescribing mechanisms listed above, and the impact these routes of prescribing and supply may have on:
the safety of people accessing medicines;
the quality of care that people receive.
The call for evidence is open for 12 weeks and will close at 11.59pm on 4 November 2025. Community pharmacy teams can read more about the call for evidence and how to participate by visiting the department webpage here.
UCA Upcoming Events and Training
UCA colleagues have shared details of the following upcoming events and training:
Saturday 13th September 2025 – Vaccination Training (full day and refresher) in Limavady. Further details are available here and on the UCA website.
Sunday 21st September 2025 – Vaccination Training (full day and refresher) in Belfast (Ulster University, York St). Further details are available here and on the UCA website.
Wednesday 1st October 2025 – The NI Pharmacy Brunch, 9am-2pm in the Crowne Plaza, Belfast. Further details available here.
NICPLD In-person Workshop on Clinical Skills
NICPLD colleagues have shared details of an upcoming workshop titled “Introduction to Clinical Skills and Decision Making” taking place on Tuesday 9 September 2025 in Stranmillis University College, Belfast, from 10am-4.30pm.
The learning outcomes will include core clinical skills such as accurate measurement and interpretation of blood pressure, urine dipstick analysis, and application of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS2), as well as medical history taking, identifying red flags, and clinical reasoning skills. Further information and booking details are available here.
Please bring this to the attention of your pharmacy team(s).
Kind regards
SENT ON BEHALF OF Gerard Greene Chief Executive
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