Dispensing Doctors' Association

05/06/2026

Does your drug statement leave you scratching your head? Are you at a loss to know how to interpret the figures and what they are telling you about your profitability and loss?

Understanding your drug statement is just one of our new breakout sessions at the 2026 DDA Conference designed to give dispensers better dispensary management skills. (Weds 30 September 11.30) Boost your career, as well as your dispensary profits, by popping along to this great session.

The costs of sending just two members of your team to the DDA conference is less than a DDA membership for your whole practice.*

Join the DDA to come to conference for free - as well as benefit from the wide range of DDA benefits.
What are you waiting for?

(*from July 1. Based on dispensing list size of 5501 - 6000).

Join the DDA now!

The 2026 conference takes place Weds 30 September -Thurs 1 October, again at the National Conference Centre Birmingham B92 0EJ.

29/05/2026

"It's the 'Golden hour' to engage with the new health secretary." That's the call to action from Suffolk Coastal MP and Chair of the Labour Rural Research Group (LRRG) Jenny Riddell-Carpenter in the latest episode of the DDA Podcast.

In this podcast, hear Riddell-Carpenter set out the implications of the change at the top of the Department of Health and Social Care, how rural GPs can be at the heart of Neighbourhood Health and why dispensing GPs are critical to that conversation.

Listen to the latest DDA podcast: The rural voice in the UK parliament

"It's the 'Golden hour' to engage with the new health secretary." That's the call to action from Suffolk Coastal MP and Chair of the Labour Rural Research Group (LRRG) Jenny Riddell-Carpenter in the latest episode of the DDA Podcast.

19/05/2026

If you've ever wondered what the DDA does for you, read this pledge from the health minister to work with the DDA and the BMA over the next 10 months to inform the long-term approach regarding the way dispensing is funded.

Political lobby is the core function of the DDA. It goes on every day, sometimes quietly behind the scenes, but it's always happening, and occasionally, finally, it gets publicly recognised in a specific response from the DHSC. And without the support of our members and corporate supporters, this work just could not happen. There are lots of ways you can support us - but coming to our 2026 conference (Sept 30-Oct 1) in Birmingham would be a good start.

Read more at

News » DDA news, DM Zone news, Political News » Dispensing reform will start this financial year, health minister pledges

13/05/2026

A. Menarini Diagnostic is the latest company to join the DDA exhibition at the 2026 DDA conference.

If you are still wavering about signing up to join us at our 2026 conference at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham (30/9-1/10/26) did you know that a DDA membership will cover the whole two-day conference attendance costs for your whole team?

A DDA membership* for the whole year is just under the same cost as sending just two members of staff to our conference.

And on top of FREE conference attendance, a DDA membership gives you unlimited access to our free online resources (dispenser education modules, SOPs, policy documents) and access to our 870 member member-only Best Practice Facebook group. Plus, you are supporting the work the DDA does. Recent achievements include securing the EMIS dispensing module charge moratorium.

Why not listen in to our new 2026 Conference preview podcast and head over to join the DDA?

https://www.dispensingdoctor.org/about-the-dda/dda-political-activity/podcasts/

* Based on a dispensing list of 4,001-5,000 patients

07/05/2026

We're delighted to welcome Pierre Fabre and AGB Pharma to the DDA 2026 conference at the Birmingham National Conference Centre on Sept 30-Oct 1. This brings the total number of exhibitors to 36.

The programme is also nearly confirmed with the new-for-this-year dispenser breakout sessions on practical issues such as understanding the drug statement, MDS trays, DSQS audit, common drug errors, VAT & PA and using the DM&D browser to support profitability.

Places are free to DDA members, and if you're not a DDA member - what better reason to join?
Find out more at https://www.dispensingdoctor.org/conference/

01/05/2026

The announcement today (May 1) of the second consecutive month of record high numbers of concession (and adjusted) Tariff prices is very concerning. These record high volumes of drug tariff adjustments are rapidly becoming the norm, reflecting the unprecedented fragility and instability in the medicines supply chain and its sensitivity to geopolitical events.

In addition, NHS GP dispensaries have to deal with the challenges of not receiving the pricing concession of 'discount not deducted' - unlike community pharmacies.

At the grass-roots level, the consequences are the potential for serious financial losses and increasingly intolerable workload implications. It's also deeply unfair to a service that provides vital NHS medicines supplies in areas where pharmacies are not viable.
https://www.dispensingdoctor.org/news/drug-tariff-updates-10/

29/04/2026

Want to know what's happening with the dispensing GP contracts in England, Scotland and Wales? Listen in to what the GPCs have to say in our latest podcast
Want to know what's happening with the contracts in England, Scotland and Wales? Listen in to the GPCs in our latest podcast
https://www.dispensingdoctor.org/about-the-dda/dda-political-activity/podcasts/

21/04/2026

The Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections on May 7 are an opportunity to correct health inequalities for rural people.
On behalf of rural GPs, the Dispensing Doctors' Association (DDA) calls on local politicians to raise their voices on behalf of constituents who are regularly failed by health policy.
In its new manifesto, the DDA calls on you to work with us to create a GP service that always takes into account the unique needs of rural dispensing GP patients.
The DDA’s manifesto makes recommendations to reduce inequalities in rural healthcare services in Scotland and Wales. These recommendations are designed to support positive change in four areas:
Quality
Cost-effectiveness
Safety
Innovation

Download the DDA election manifestos and lobbying resources at:

The Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections on May 7 are an opportunity to correct health inequalities for rural people.

18/03/2026

New plans to make pharmacies the first point of contact in NHS prescribing make no mention of rural areas, and the vital role of dispensing GPs in the medicines supply chain. Many dispensing GPs will also question how fairly the funds to be held by the new integrated health organisations (IHOs) will be allocated.

Supporting the DDA to support you through the changes has never been more important. The BMA consults with the DDA over dispensing, as the DDA is the only organisation to solely represent dispensing GPs across Great Britain. Help us to ensure your voice is heard

News » England, Pharmacy Owners' News, Political News, Rurality » Pharmacies seen as first point of contact in new NHS prescribing plans

11/03/2026

Robotic hubs, hub-and-spoke systems and home delivery services are expected to keep rural community-based services “within practical reach”, a new Government report says.
Equalities impact assessment: 10 Year Health Plan for England highlights that access to medication remains a core issue for many disabled people. It suggests that the proposed expansion of community pharmacy services - including vaccine delivery and more convenient dispensing - should have a positive impact in reducing “over-reliance” on hospital or GP-based services.

So, is this good or bad news for NHS dispensing GPs (who, incidentally, are not mentioned in the report at all)?

Well, of course, technology that eases workload and improves the customer experience (and, given that we are talking about medicines - safety) is always welcome. There'll be plenty of cutting edge examples exhibiting at our 2026 conference.

But the real challenge lies in an uneven playing field.

The report is clear that it is community pharmacy that is expected to increase "options" for those who may struggle to access or engage with traditional GP services. How this works in rural areas where pharmacies have never been viable - and are unlikely to suddenly become so - is unclear.

Also, where does this leave the NHS GP dispensing service that already exists in rural areas?

In it's "Addressing the disparities" report, the DDA is clear that the field is already uneven in terms of funding for implementing dispensing tech. Making it more so will not help those patients who already struggle to access rural health services, particularly, when access could be more easily improved by sustainable funding to support the tech infrastructure for NHS dispensing GPs.

https://www.dispensingdoctor.org/news/dispensing-technology-highlighted-in-rural-medication-access-report/