The long-promised community pharmacy strategy is unlikely to appear before Christmas. Asked about the timing of an announcement at the launch of the all-party pharmacy group in London on December 7 (see p931), Mrs Gisela Stewart (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health) said: "I would be very surprised if this was before Christmas."
Speaking at the launch of expanded NHS Direct services on December 7, the Secretary of State for Health (Mr Alan Milburn) told The Journal: "It is important that we get the strategy right. It will be published in due course."