Good evening everyone and welcome to our fourth Big Debate. Tonight we’ll be asking whether independent pharmacies can ever truly benefit from a hub-and-spoke dispensing model. It’s been the subject of years of intense debate within the sector, but with the Medicines and Medical Devices bill receiving royal assent in early February – potentially paving the way for all community pharmacies to operate a hub-and-spoke dispensing model, regardless of whether they are part of a chain or an independent – hub-and-spoke looks set towards being rolled out across the sector. So, what is the current legal framework? What can we learn from pharmacies already utilising hub-and-spoke? And how do we ensure that patient safety is at the forefront of any model adopted sector-wide? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below. The debate will formally close at 8pm, but feel free to continue the debate for as long as you like.

If you passed, congratulations! What are your top tips for candidates planning to sit the assessment in July or November? If you were unsuccessful this time, don’t worry. Not only were you among the first to sit a brand-new GPhC exam format, but also you did that in the middle of a pandemic, which is unprecedented. Browse the C+D Community for support and guidance on what to do next.

2020 was an unprecedented year for pharmacy teams across the UK and C+D's Salary Survey revealed the impact the added workload and stresses is having on pharmacists' and pharmacy staff's health and wellbeing. April marks stress awareness month, so C+D is asking you to share your tips and advice on maintaining your and your team's mental wellbeing in these high pressured times.

The Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) officially launched in England on October 29, 2019.  NHS England’s deputy chief pharmaceutical officer Bruce Warner heralded the introduction of the service as a “major step change” for the NHS.  Fast-forwarding to over one year after its launch, C+D publishes its analysis of the first 12 months of the CPCS. Keep your eyes peeled for more CPCS content on both our main website and the C+D community. Help us get the discussion going by sharing what your experience of this service has been like so far!

With the exam merely days away tell us how you're feeling and how you're preparing for the exam. 

Last year we ran a Big Debate on the topic of provisionally registered pharmacists still being required to take the registration exam. You can still take part and share your thoughts here: https://community.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/rooms/the-big-debate/conversations/31129 

In the gphc assessment, will there be actions in place if this had occured then? This had put myself and others into a panic when the exam was in progress and had caused distraction.

This week, the GPhC contacted some candidates who do not currently reside in the UK, informing them that they will no longer be allowed to sit the March registration exam remotely or at a local test centre. Did you receive an email from the GPhC? Let us know how the announcement affects you.