Weight loss jabs and the role of community pharmacy ... weight loss injections, there is a risk of regaining weight if lifestyle changes have not been made and maintained’, warns Numark patient services manager Lucy Morris. ‘This is because GLP-1 agonists work by reducing appetite, slowing down gastric emptying, and enhancing satiety’, explains John Bell and Croyden pharmacist Reshma Malde. ‘When patients come off weight loss jabs this effect stop quickl ... Date: 19-06-2025 Categories: • Analysis • Analysis • Clinical • Community • In Practice

Interview: Numark chair on the role of pharmacists and technology in hub and spoke The Pharmacist spoke to Harry McQuillan, chair of pharmacy membership organisation Numark, about the incoming changes to hub and spoke legislation that will enable hub and spoke dispensing to operate across legal entities. The pharmacist's role is about safety, not accuracy Hub and spok ... Date: 23-05-2025 Categories: • Community • Interviews

What will hub and spoke changes mean for independents? ... s to operate safely and efficiently for patients and on a level playing field for contractors'. Harry McQuillan: Economic model 'remains unclear' Harry McQuillan, chair of pharmacy membership group Numark, said the expected October start for hub and spoke changes was 'a welcome move toward enabling greater flexibility and efficiency in community pharmacy'. But he said the economic model for hub and ... Date: 01-05-2025 Categories: • Community • News

Payments for items dispensed from April will include uplifted SAF ... ightly reduces the funding gap, we’ll be monitoring closely to see if the wider CPCF offer has a stabilising effect on the pharmacy network,' he added. In a recent interview with The Pharmacist, Numark chair Harry McQuillan said that the 'significant' increase in the single activity fee indicated that 'supply is still very, very important'. 'They are putting an element of the funding into making s ... Date: 17-04-2025 Categories: • Community • News

Interview: Former negotiator reflects on England's new pharmacy contract The new pharmacy contract in England lays the foundations to build on for the future, former Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) negotiator Harry McQuillan has suggested. But the chair of Numark acknowledged that the new contract would not meet the costs hoped for by contractors who were really struggling. In an interview with The Pharmacist, Mr McQuillan said that in his experience of ne ... Date: 15-04-2025 Categories: • Community • News

What could Kinnock's vision for pharmacy 'reform' look like? ... l need workforce planning and best use of skill mix, as well as investment in IT systems and a prescribing budget'. Harry McQuillan: Reforms could free up pharmacists for patient care Numark chair Harry McQuillan said he had been encouraged by the minister's acknowledgement of a funding gap and a 'commitment to continue to engage'. And he suggested that the costs set out by the economic review coul ... Date: 11-04-2025 Categories: • Analysis • Community • News

‘Scrapping of NHS England gives opportunity to fully integrate pharmacy’ Plans for changes to the NHS give a new opportunity to now fully integrate pharmacy, says Numark's Harry McQuillan The announcement by Prime Minister Keir Starmer that NHS England will be abolished is a landmark decision, one that signals a fundamental shift in how healthcare is governed and ... Date: 20-03-2025 Categories: • Views

'You have advocates in Westminster', MP tells community pharmacy ... ment Group is sponsored by CSL Seqiris, GSK, Pfizer UK and Viatris, and includes representatives from AAH, Asda, Alliance Healthcare, Boots, GPhC, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), Numark, Pharmacy2U, Phoenix Medical, Rowlands Pharmacy, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Superdrug, Tesco, and Well. Date: 27-02-2025 Categories: • Community • News

Pharmacy First: A year of transformation for community pharmacy The long-term success of Pharmacy First in Scotland, and an impressive, though challenging, first year in England, shows that Pharmacy First can evolve further, says Harry McQuillan of Numark Last year was a landmark year for community pharmacy in many ways, not least with the launch of Pharmacy First in England. Having seen the transformative impact of the service in Scotland, I welco ... Date: 07-02-2025 Categories: • Community • Pharmacy First • Views

Sector calls for funding uplift as NPA announces ballot results ... ntinue to advocate for conditions that ensure patient care remains safe, comprehensive and accessible to all'. Pharmacies are sharing stories of 'overwhelming financial strain' Harry McQuillan, Numark chair, said that members across the country, especially those in England, were 'sharing stories of overwhelming financial strain, and, sadly, some have had to close their doors for good'. 'Each closur ... Date: 14-11-2024 Categories: • Community • News

CPE 'ready to restart CPCF negotiations immediately' ... me and address health inequalities, patients must be able to access community pharmacies wherever they may live'. 'Pharmacy can and should be central' to NHS plans Meanwhile, Harry McQuillan, Numark chair and former chief executive of Community Pharmacy Scotland, said that 'pharmacy can and should be central' to the government's plans to shift focus from hospital to community and increase productivity ... Date: 31-10-2024 Categories: • Community • News

Government 'discussing' hub-to-patient model with CPE ... rmacy finances, pharmacy owners may not be able to invest in this at the moment,' he said. Impact of hub and spoke changes on independent pharmacies Harry McQuillan, chair of pharmacy chain Numark, said the delay was 'disappointing, particularly for independent pharmacy owners who continue to be left without the same opportunities as those operating within the same legal entity'. But he said it wou ... Date: 04-10-2024 Categories: • Community • News

Pharmacy damaged by fire re-opens to patients A Rowlands pharmacy in Rhos-on-sea, North Wales, has reopened weeks after being 'considerably damaged' by fire. Local mayor of Colwyn Bay Councillor Ricki Owen cut the blue ribbon to open the new-look pr ... Date: 27-09-2024 Categories: • Community • News

All parts of Pharmacy First should be open to walk-ins, says CPE ... ile GP partner Dr Selvaseelan Selvarajah commented that direct patient access to Pharmacy First ‘would really help’ both community pharmacy and general practice. Meanwhile Harry McQuillan, Numark chair and former chief executive of Community Pharmacy Scotland, highlighted that allowing patients to access community pharmacies as a first port of call was 'in the title’ of Pharmacy First. And he said th ... Date: 18-09-2024 Categories: • Community • News • Pharmacy First

The Pharmacist to launch ‘six months of Pharmacy First’ report ... chief executive of Community Pharmacy North East London; Jonathan Cooper, owner of independent pharmacy group Cooper’s Chemist in the North East of England; Harry McQuillan, chair at Numark and former chief executive of Community Pharmacy Scotland; Sukhy Somal, Head of Community Pharmacy Clinical Services at The Black Country Integrated Care System; Dr Sarah Jacques, part of the Doctors’ As ... Date: 17-09-2024 Categories: • Community • News • Pharmacy First

Pharmacy relocates to temporary cabin following fire A Rowlands Pharmacy in North Wales has been forced to open in a portacabin following ‘considerable damage’ caused by a fire at its usual site. The temporary measure means the pharmacy in Rhos-on-Sea can ... Date: 03-09-2024 Categories: • Community • News

Former CPS chief executive joins Numark as chair Former Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) chief executive Harry McQuillan has taken up the position of chair at Numark. Phoenix UK, Numark’s parent company, said Mr McQuillan’s role would be to ‘help ensure policy makers across the UK understand fully the potential of community pharmacy’, as well as being ‘front a ... Date: 18-01-2024 Categories: • Community • News

Flu service ‘shambles’ makes ‘no sense’ ahead of Pharmacy First ... create confusion for patients and disrupt the provision of other patient services. In particular, the managing director of Rowlands Pharmacy, which is part of the Numark group, raised concerns about the government’s communication with community pharmacies ahead of the launch of Pharmacy First in England, which will see the sector delivering more clinical services to patients. Mr Swift said that if ... Date: 05-09-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Respiratory

Scotland funding deal shows government can’t get Pharmacy First ‘on the cheap’ ... ng healthcare outcomes from illness prevention to long-term condition management. And he noted that the Phoenix group, which owns Numark, will ‘continue to lobby ministers, officials, and policy makers to ensure they understand that community pharmacy is a solution to increasing patient demand and expectations’. Date: 27-07-2023 Categories: • Community • Views

Growth in ‘pharmacy deserts’ as closures increase ... trying to access a diminishing pool of pharmacies, leading to ‘pharmacy deserts’ in urban areas, new analysis has warned. According to Gophr, the delivery partner for online pharmacies such as Numark, areas of the West Midlands, North West England, South East England and London are at risk of becoming ‘pharmacy deserts’. Gophr’s analysis, based on statistics shared by the Company Chemists’ Associa ... Date: 25-05-2023 Categories: • Latest News • News

All pholcodine-containing products recalled from UK due to anaphylaxis risk ... 103 Covonia Dry Cough Sugar Free Formula, PL 00240/0353 Bell Sons & Company (Druggists) Limited Pholcodine Linctus Bells Healthcare 5mg Per 5ml Oral Solution, PL 03105/0059 Numark Pholcodine 5mg per 5ml Oral Solution, PL 03105/0059 Well Pharmaceuticals Pholcodine 5mg per 5ml Oral Solution, PL 03105/0059 Superdrug Pholcodine Linctus BP, PL 03105/0059 Strong Pholcodine Linctus B ... Date: 14-03-2023 Categories: • News

Managing director at Numark steps down Changes have been announced in the senior leadership team at Phoenix UK, with the managing director of Numark stepping down, and a new director 'really excited' to be joining the growing business. After almost eight years with Phoenix UK - latterly as managing director of Numark and group sales and market ... Date: 02-02-2023 Categories: • News

PSNC: Pharmacies offering wider range of vaccinations would improve uptake ... makes perfect sense, and we look forward to the NHS response to this consultation.’ Both Pfizer UK’s head of vaccines and community pharmacy membership organisation Numark have argued for more delivery of vaccination services through pharmacies in recent years. However, some London pharmacies have recently said that they are ‘paying out of their own pocket’ to deliver the polio vaccination progra ... Date: 29-09-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections

Boots claims record demand for Winter Flu Jabs Service ... make sure you and your loved ones are protected from flu ahead of the winter season when influenza is at its peak.’ The record demand comes after community pharmacy membership organisation Numark urged pharmacies to ‘do all they can to help clear much higher flu volumes than in previous years', as flu vaccinations will form ‘the backbone of the pharmacy winter service agenda’. The free NHS flu jab ... Date: 11-07-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections

Pharmacists should deliver more flu vaccinations this winter, says Numark ... can to help clear much higher flu volumes than in previous years,' as flu vaccinations will form ‘the backbone of the pharmacy winter service agenda’, community pharmacy membership organisation Numark has urged. Eligibility for the flu vaccination is returning to pre-pandemic cohorts, so those aged 50 to 64 and secondary school children aged 11 to 15 - groups that were eligible in the 2021 to 2022 se ... Date: 27-05-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections

Margaret MacRury steps down from Rowlands after 10 years   ... this year, Phoenix UK, announced it had bought online prescription service Co-op Health and said it planned to ‘take it to the next level’ through its Numark and Rowlands network.  Date: 31-01-2022 Categories: • News

Pharmacy multiples: how is the sector faring? Major players in the pharmacy multiples have been consolidating their business positions, with speculation that the sector may see significant changes ahead. Where are we, and what might the knock-on effec ... Date: 17-12-2021 Categories: • News

Phoenix renames Co-op Health ‘Hey Pharmacist’ ... n app alongside plans to launch a collection service by Christmas.   The rebranded app, now known as 'Hey Pharmacist', was made available to customers earlier this month in a bid to help Numark compete with distance selling pharmacies also hopes to offer patients the convenience of buying products online ‘with access to local pharmacy – reinforcing the link between the patient and their local healthc ... Date: 26-07-2021 Categories: • News

Well Pharmacy board director to replace Mark Bather at Rowlands ... ear, PHOENIX UK announced it had bought online prescription service Co-op Health and said it planned to ‘take it to the next level’ through its Numark and Rowlands network. Date: 01-06-2021 Categories: • News

Numark pilots heart health service across 50 pharmacies Numark has launched a new heart health service across 50 member pharmacies and Rowlands pharmacies in northern England. The new free service, named Heart Health Check, will provide patients with a cardio ... Date: 18-05-2021 Categories: • News

Travel health: 'The service increases footfall as well as revenue' ... t, if any, training did you or other team members have to undergo? We already have vaccination skills as we offer flu jabs and have been doing Covid vaccinations as well. We are Numark members and so were able to access free training from them on how to set up a travel clinic, which was very informative. In a nutshell, what does the service involve? People usually come in or ring th ... Date: 17-05-2021 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections

Numark and Rowlands’ parent company acquires online pharmacy ... d into the growing digital pharmacy market. Phoenix UK announced today (12 March) that it had acquired the service for an undisclosed sum and said it would ‘take it to the next level through its Numark and Rowlands network’. The Co-op Health service enables people to order medication via an app or online for collection at a pharmacy or for home delivery, Phoenix UK said. It added that the acqui ... Date: 12-03-2021 Categories: • News

Travel health service: 'If you want to increase revenue it's a good place to start' ... ine training for travel vaccinations and a training on administering vaccinations, so that they can run the consultations and administer the vaccinations.  All counter staff have done their Numark training on helping to identify patients. The majority of our customers are coming to us asking for this service, so the counter staff have to take the patient’s details and then refer them to the pharmacist. ... Date: 08-02-2021 Categories: • Clinical Ambassadors • Travel health services

Flu service: 'Our Perspex vaccination screen is certainly a talking point' ... I have revisited the Declaration of Competence on the CPPE website, and I read through all my PGDs and signed then off. We also had a briefing with our team and they undertook a Numark online flu jab training course.  Are there any opportunities to sell over the counter or prescription products during the consultation or after it?  We have been extremely busy giving flu vaccination ... Date: 29-09-2020 Categories: • Vaccination

Community pharmacists hit out at online pharmacy Facebook ads ... t ran for 4 days between the 26 August and 30 August 2020, according to Facebook. Echo Pharmacy Facebook advert Jeremy Meader, managing director at Numark, said on LinkedIn last week that ‘the latest Echo Facebook ad feels like a kick in the teeth for local community pharmacy’. He added that the advert appears to be ‘actively encouraging patients not to visit local community pharmacies’. ... Date: 17-09-2020 Categories: • News

Pharmacy contract: the sector reacts ... e a priority to ensure they can deliver on this deal. We would like to see this integrated into future agreements between PSNC, NHSE&I and DHSC. Numark: ‘It will improve the relationship between primary and secondary care’ A Numark spokesperson said they welcomed the DMS and also highlighted suggestions on how to ensure the service lasts. ‘We welcome the news of a service aimed at improving ... Date: 25-02-2020 Categories: • Latest News • News

How has the sector reacted to plans to raise premises fees? ... time when businesses are already facing significant financial challenges from a combination of rising costs, capacity issues and flat funding.’ Numark: Proposals ‘difficult to justify’ Independent pharmacy support group Numark said the proposed increase in premises fees ‘will be incomprehensible for many independent contractors’. A spokesperson said: ‘The previous highest increase in the last ... Date: 08-01-2020 Categories: • Analysis • Latest News • News

Forget the 'French model', Mr Hancock - the answer is much closer to home ... little to improve matters. Pharmacy sector is already looking up to Scotland, and increasingly Wales, as its gold standard. Indeed, independent pharmacy support group Numark called for the rest of the UK to ‘aspire to the Scottish model’ just last year. So, Mr Hancock – there’s no need to be a pharmacy Francophile. You don’t have to venture far from home to find services to write home about. Date: 31-07-2019 Categories: • Views

On my patch – Scotland: ‘GP practices have taken some valuable pharmacists away from community’ ... s at a total of £224.659 for 2019/20, although CPS said it was ‘not quite the deal it wanted’ Last year, independent pharmacy support group Numark encouraged the rest of the UK to ‘aspire to the Scottish model’ Date: 12-07-2019 Categories: • Interviews • News • Views

Global sum upped by £2.6m in Scottish contract 2019/20 ... he extended minor ailment service, which should be ready to roll out in April 2020     Longer funding assurance would have been preferable   Numark’s head of professional and patient services Rajshri Owen commented: ‘Although this is a one-year commitment, Numark recognises that although a year of stability and predictability is an advantage, a longer period of funding assu ... Date: 26-04-2019 Categories: • Latest News • News

Welsh Government to invest £3.6m in multi-sector pre-reg training ... onal approach’ to healthcare.   An ‘expanding role’   Independent pharmacy support group Numark said the investment will ‘revolutionise’ pre-registration training. A Numark spokesperson said: ‘The announcement is a clear move towards endorsing the future clinical and expanding role of pharmacists, working collaboratively across GP practices to further alleviate GP pressure and t ... Date: 18-04-2019 Categories: • News

What do community pharmacists really think of unannounced inspections? ... cific information received from other regulators or health professionals, for example, or from the public and the media. Numark’s head of patient services, Rajshri Owen, says the organisation is in favour of this type of inspection because it will enable the GPhC to respond more quickly where ‘concerns have been raised about the operation of a pharmacy’. ‘It makes you feel that feedback, from the pub ... Date: 11-03-2019 Categories: • Latest News • News

Funding overhaul needed to make Long Term Plan pharmacy ambitions a reality, say pharmacy bodies ... ng conversations about how community pharmacy can make its full contribution to meeting the challenges outlined in the plan.’   Funding must align   Numark managing director Jeremy Meader welcomed the document’s recognition of pharmacy’s skill base but called for more pharmacy funding to help the sector achieve the aims set out in the plan. ‘Now is the time to align the funding ... Date: 08-01-2019 Categories: • Latest News • News

How to set up a weight-management service in your pharmacy ... e done very successfully.’   Focus on health, not weight   Lucy Morris, the services facilitator at the community pharmacy network Numark, agrees that an obsession with weight loss is not helpful. ‘Where an individual has recognised that they want to achieve a healthy BMI, that is not necessarily just about losing weight – that’s about supporting lifestyle changes so that it’s sust ... Date: 21-11-2018 Categories: • Latest News • News

Should you set up a smoking cessation service in your pharmacy? ... avioural support to patients who want to quit. Laura Reed, patient services manager at Numark, says this training can largely be completed online now, but she recommends undertaking a face-to-face training where possible, because it gives an opportunity to put those skills into practice. The main thing about delivering this type of service, Ms Reed adds, is knowing how to have those conversations ... Date: 13-09-2018 Categories: • Clinical • Respiratory

Scottish contract protects against ‘fluctuating’ medicines pricing, says Numark The new Scottish community pharmacy contract protects pharmacists against ‘continuously fluctuating’ medicines prices, an independent pharmacy support group has said. Numark managing director Jeremy Meader said that an inbuilt 'clawback mechanism' that will be adjusted if the market sees further deterioration, Scottish contractors will be able to decrease their reliance on t ... Date: 18-06-2018 Categories: • Analysis • Latest News • News

GPhC proposes unannounced premises inspections to ensure pharmacies 'meet standards every day'   ... effective services’, said GPhC chair Nigel Clarke.   ‘More intuitive and robust process’ Independent support group Numark said that the proposed introduction of intelligence led and themed inspections means there is likely to be a ‘more intuitive and robust process’. It added: ‘Indeed, their move to unannounced inspections will deliver transparency and much needed rigor from a pharmacy poin ... Date: 17-05-2018 Categories: • Analysis • Latest News • News

Sector welcomes Hunt’s call to reduce medication error deaths ... harmacists can play a key role in supporting patients to reduce medicine errors, particularly working with GPs, to improve prescribing.’ ‘Highest levels of care’ Numark managing director Jeremy Meader argued that despite increasing prescription volumes year on year paralleled with severe funding cuts, ‘pharmacists and their staff continue to provide the highest levels of care and service to patien ... Date: 23-02-2018 Categories: • Latest News • News

Setting up a Meningitis B service The popularity of this vaccination service has rocketed in recent years. It’s time for community pharmacy to get in on the action, says Laura Reed, head of professional development at Numark Key learning points Find out if a Meningitis B vaccination service will be viable in your area before planning to offer one Make sure that the whole team receives adequate and appropriate va ... Date: 20-12-2017 Categories: • Clinical • News

How a shop refit could benefit your pharmacy business Revamping your premises often involves more than a lick of paint. But the advantages are numerous, says Numark’s marketing co-ordinator – retail, Cathy Crossthwaite In recent years, community pharmacy has become much more hands-on by getting involved in clinical services and working more closely with GPs a ... Date: 14-12-2017 Categories: • Latest News • News