As we start a new year, this edition of Pharmacy Forward brings together updates and insights from across Positive Solutions. It’s a chance to reflect on recent progress, share what’s coming next, and outline what customers and those looking to join us can expect over the months ahead as we continue to support pharmacy and care.
In this issue:
2025 has been a defining year for the pharmacy sector, marked by continued progress in defining how pharmacy supports patients, communities, and the wider healthcare system. Across the UK, pharmacies have further strengthened their role as accessible healthcare providers, moving beyond traditional dispensing to deliver an expanding range of clinical and patient-focused services.
A key milestone was the publication of the NHS Ten-Year Health Plan for England, which set out a clear direction for the future of health and social care. The plan reinforced the importance of community pharmacy within integrated neighbourhood health teams by recognising pharmacists as key contributors to prevention, long-term condition management, and improved access to care.
The sector also welcomed a contractual settlement, offering greater stability and acknowledging the increasing responsibilities placed on pharmacy teams. This helped support continued service delivery during a period of sustained demand.
Throughout the year, community pharmacies delivered growing numbers of clinical consultations, with further progress made through independent prescribing pathfinder programmes. These initiatives have enabled pharmacists to provide more direct patient care, supporting primary care capacity and improving access to timely treatment and advice.
Alongside service expansion, workforce development remained a key focus. Investment in training and professional development has helped pharmacy teams to take on enhanced clinical roles, helping ensure that they are equipped to meet changing patient needs.
Beyond community pharmacy, 2025 also saw increased focus on safe and efficient medication management across care settings. As care needs have become more complex, providers have continued to look for ways to reduce risk, improve visibility, and support staff in managing medicines accurately and consistently. Digital approaches to medication administration have played an important role in strengthening continuity of care, improving communication between teams, and supporting better outcomes for patients who rely on ongoing care.
2025 saw the sector continue to adapt, innovate, and demonstrate its value across healthcare settings. As we look ahead, pharmacy and care services are well positioned to build on this momentum, playing an even greater role in delivering accessible, safe, and patient-centred care.
2026 will continue to challenge healthcare professionals in community pharmacy. The art of juggling increasing costs, limited resources and finding time to deliver on a broader remit, including ever-increasing demands around services, will stretch many. Meanwhile, however welcome the funding settlement last year was, ongoing uncertainty for the future, with contractors being asked to steel themselves for only a year settlement this year, and the fundamental ongoing chronic underfunding of the sector are more than just headwinds; they are a full-blown storm. It’s why we’re so committed to making sure our technology evolves to help our customers do more than weather the storm. We will innovate, iterate and improve to deliver even more in 2026 - here is how.
Following a busy and productive 2025, we’re heading into 2026 with a clear sense of momentum and focus.
Our approach for the year ahead is guided by the themes and principles shaping how Analyst PMR, HxConsult, HxCare, and MyHealthHub continue to evolve and how they work together to better support pharmacies, care homes, and the patients they serve.
Each product is built with a clear purpose in mind. However, the real strength of the Positive Solution portfolio lies in how these systems work together to create a more connected, consistent experience across pharmacy and care settings. Throughout 2026, our focus is on deepening those connections to create a more joined-up, consistent experience, helping to reduce duplication, smooth workflows, and support a more complete patient journey.
That thinking extends beyond our own products. Pharmacies and care providers rely on a wide ecosystem of systems every day, and we’re committed to ensuring our software integrates effectively with the tools that matter most. Our aim is to support environments where systems work together seamlessly, rather than in isolation.
Stock management remains a significant challenge across the sector, regardless of organisation size. We’re exploring ways to improve stock accuracy from items coming in through to items going out, supporting better forward planning, reducing avoidable shortages, and minimising waste. Over time, this is an area where we expect benefits to emerge across Analyst and HxCare, with positive implications for operational efficiency, costs, wastage and patient care.
Data continues to play an increasingly important role in how we think about the future. Across our products, we’re focused on making it easier for teams to access the information they need when they need it, whether that’s operational insight, clinical context, or business performance. Alongside this, we’re exploring how data can be used more intelligently behind the scenes to support better decisions, surface potential issues earlier, and reduce reliance on manual workarounds. The aim is simple: clearer insight, better choices, and greater confidence day to day.
You’ll also hear growing discussion around AI across the industry. While we haven’t rushed to badge every feature with those two letters, we are actively exploring where intelligent tools can genuinely help. Our view remains that technology should support people, not replace them, reducing manual effort, improving efficiency, and helping users focus on what matters most.
None of this happens in isolation. Our team is keen to spend more time listening, understanding the real challenges teams face day to day, sharing early thinking, and involving customers who want to help shape what comes next.
🔗 If you’d like to be part of those conversations or gain a closer view of where things are heading, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with our team.
The months ahead will continue to bring change, opportunity, and challenge across pharmacy and care. We remain focused on supporting that journey through reliable technology, thoughtful development, and close collaboration with the teams who use our systems every day.
Whether you’re looking to strengthen services, simplify day-to-day workflows, or plan confidently for what’s next, our team is here to support you.
🔗 Get in touch to explore how Positive Solutions can help your pharmacy or care setting today and into the future.