Local and National News Updates


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Newsletter

Thursday 11th December 2025

This newsletter is sent on Thursdays and contains useful information for community pharmacy contractors, managers and team members across Norfolk & Suffolk.

In this update:
Local Information & Updates

Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, visits Diss
New Year Training Events - Book Now
Norfolk PNA approved by Health and Wellbeing Board
Norfolk and Suffolk PNAs Now Available

CPE News and Reminders

Resources To Support Patient Abuse
Key Dates For December

CPE & Other Links

Local Information & Updates

Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, visits Diss

Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty visited Diss on 5 December 2025 to discuss issues facing small Towns and rural areas for his 2026 annual report. Our Joint Chief Officer, Lauren Seamons, was in attendance alongside other local Health and Community leaders. Lots of points regarding deprivation, transport, mental health services, and social isolation (to name a few) were raised, and community pharmacy was acknowledged as a key community hub that is not reaching its full potential due to workforce and funding issues.

Empowering Pharmacy Technicians to provide services using PGDs

This session is a collaboration of N&W ICB, NHSE, CPNS, and CPPE to empower Pharmacy Technicians to apply their skills and knowledge confidently and competently when using Patient Group Directions (PGDs) to deliver NHS services using contraception, emergency contraception and smoking cessation services as examples.

Date Sunday 25th January 2026

Location Park Farm Hotel, Hethersett, Norwich, NR9 3DL

For full details of this event and booking information click here.

Click here for information on other upcoming CPPE Events

Norfolk PNA Approved By Health and Wellbeing Board

The Norfolk Health and Wellbeing Board has formally approved the county’s new Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment. During the meeting, Tony Dean, Joint Chief Officer, responded to questions from councillors and set out why adopting the PNA is essential to safeguarding the stability of Norfolk’s existing community pharmacy network, highlighting its role in ensuring consistent access to vital local health services.

Norfolk's PNA can be viewed here.

Suffolk's PNA was also approved in November and can be found here.

Teach & Treat Project: Expanding Independent Prescribing for Community Pharmacists

The Teach & Treat project, funded by NHS England, is piloting a new approach to support community pharmacists in Suffolk & North East Essex (SNEE) and Norfolk & Waveney (NW) to train as Independent Prescribers (IPs).

The initiative uses a hub-and-spoke model, with a central hub coordinating training and support, and regional Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP) spokes providing supervision.

Eligible pharmacists working at least three days a week in the region can submit expressions of interest by midnight on Sunday 21 December 2025, with priority given to those serving rural or deprived communities.

Click here for more information and to apply

CPE News and Reminders

Resources To Support Patient Abuse

Abuse from patients remains a serious issue, with over half of pharmacy staff highlighting their concerns in the 2025 Pharmacy Pressures Survey. If you or your colleagues experience abuse whilst working in the pharmacy, there are measures you can take. Regulations allow you to refuse prescriptions if violence is threatened, and you should report incidents to the police and seek support from your LPC.

CPE have produced resources for pharmacies to display that can be found here.