Introduction

This was another busy year, with community pharmacy continuing to be the first point of contact for patients and a key part of the NHS England delivery plan for recovering access to primary care. Pharmacy services grew in importance. For this year, this included the launch of the national Pharmacy First service in England. Community pharmacy continues to play a vital role in vaccination services for flu and Covid-19 and an increasing role in contraception services. The NHS Long Term Plan promised that “digital-first primary care will become a new option for every patient, improving fast access to convenient primary care”. A major National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) research study is due to report on this next year. In the meantime, here’s an overview of the key developments in clinical practice that took place this year.