We have worked directly with pharmacy owners and professionals to raise awareness about these issues. We asked them to continue to be aware of people looking to misuse codeine linctus and to make sure they had controls in place to prevent repeat sales and to spot suspicious trends in requests.

Demand for online pharmacy services is increasing, a trend which may have been accelerated by the pandemic. But there are challenges in regulating these services. The ways services are delivered are changing quickly. Our inspectors have seen that online pharmacies have working methods and prescribing practices that are relatively new and unproven when compared to other types of provider. Online pharmacies also have under-developed clinical-governance structures.

Therefore we have focused on updating guidance and communications for online pharmacies as well as carrying out targeted inspections.

In August 2021, we wrote to pharmacy organisations to highlight the serious patient-safety concerns we had identified involving online prescribing services.

This year we have also issued updated guidance for pharmacies providing services at a distance, including on the internet. The guidance explains what pharmacy owners should consider before deciding whether any parts of their pharmacy service can be provided safely and effectively at a distance, rather than in the traditional face-to-face way. We are continuing to consider what other steps we should take to strengthen online pharmacy regulation, to help us to achieve our ten-year vision of safe and effective pharmacy care at the heart of healthier communities. This is a fast-changing area, and it is important that we respond quickly and effectively to developments.

We are continuing to consider what other steps we should take to strengthen online pharmacy regulation, to help us to achieve our ten-year vision of safe and effective pharmacy care at the heart of healthier communities. This is a fast-changing area, and it is important that we respond quickly and effectively to developments.

The pandemic has changed the way we work. There are new ways of working, new ways of thinking, and new ways of collaborating, managing, learning and recruiting.

During the pandemic, we set up a 'Reset and Renewal Programme' which focused on our response to the situation. The 'renewal' stage of the programme is now about new ways of working.

The long-term and sustainable changes we are making are based on the following principles:

Our approach allows us to balance the benefits of more virtual working, while recognising the importance of coming together in person for our work and for us as a community. It also recognises that a number of our activities currently can't be delivered virtually.

This approach improves our capabilities and infrastructure so we can deliver our vision of 'operating as a professional and lean organisation' that can: