Why threatening legal action before funding negotiations is a bad idea, pharmacist independent prescribers eyeing up private services and happy retirement to Boots magnate Ornella Barra. Plus Henry Gregg, Shilpa Shah, Harry McQuillan and Janet Morrison on the year ahead in pharmacy.

It's the first pod of the year, so what better time for the Editors to peer review into their crystal ball and give their pharmacy predictions, good and bad, for 2026 – but do you agree? Send in a VoiceNote to pm@1530.com and let us know!

Rob Darracott talks to Sir Hugh Taylor, independent chair of the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board, about the importance of professional leadership, the work of the Board to further collaboration among UK pharmacy’s professional leadership bodies and specialist groups, and what a Royal College of Pharmacy should mean for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

In Halloween week, grab your broomsticks as the CIG editors stir the cauldron of pharmacy news to see what’s been bubbling over the past week – antidepressant side-effects, black market GLP-1s and the dearth of practice research in the community sector all cast a spell...

This episode focuses on smoking cessation in the pharmacy.

Catch up on our most read pharmacy stories of the week – in just two minutes.

The CIG editors are back to discuss the dramatically falling rates of locum pay, why depression is such a welcome addition to the New Medicine Service – and we celebrate the very best of independent community pharmacy in this year's Independent Pharmacy Awards. See you at the Pharmacy Show!

In a packed edition, Numark chair Harry McQuillan joins the CIG editors in a Good Week Bad Week special to discuss a possible upside to the Mounjaro chaos, whatever happened to ICB breach notices and whether centralised dispensing is the solution to pharmacy's capacity problems. Plus Daniel Lee of HubRx on the possibilities offered by hub & spoke. It's a bumper episode, so let us know your views. Email richard.thomas@1530.com