Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

LTCT Launches £100,000 'School Essentials Grant' for Pharmacists

LTCT Launches £100,000 'School Essentials Grant' for Pharmacists

Eligible families could receive £150 per school-age child, up to a maximum of three children per household

The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust (LTCT) has announced the launch of a new scheme to support pharmacists and their families during the back-to-school period.


Opening at 9 am on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, the 'School Essentials Grant' is designed to alleviate financial pressure for people working in community pharmacies with young children during one of the most costly times of the year.

The scheme will see the charity provide up to £100,000 of support to pharmacists in need of financial aid.

Eligible families can apply online to receive £150 per school-age child, up to a maximum of three children per household. This grant can be used for essential expenses such as new school uniforms, stationery, or travel passes.

The application window will remain open until September 1 or until the fund has been depleted. Hence, families are encouraged to apply as soon as they can.

Professor Anna Vignoles CBE FBA, Director at LTCT, highlighted the charity's commitment to educational support, stating, “LTCT is built upon the belief that helping people succeed on their education journey is crucial for not only the individual, but their families, communities, and society as a whole.

“This is why we constantly evaluate the financial support we offer to ensure we are helping as many people who need it as possible. We’re delighted to launch a fund for pharmacists to help with mounting back-to-school costs.

“We hope our new School Essentials Grant for pharmacists will provide the budget boost needed to help families feel less stretched when September rolls around.”

The LTCT’s new initiative underscores its dedication to providing targeted financial assistance to those in the grocery and pharmacy trades, reinforcing its mission to support educational and community success.

The Trust has been providing financial aid to disadvantaged families, especially those working in the grocery and pharmacy trades, for nearly 100 years.

More For You

Youth vaping : project to examine health impacts on children

Youth vaping : project to examine health impacts on children

Youth vaping: £62M research project to examine health impacts on children

The UK government has announced a £62 million research project to investigate the long-term health effects of vaping on young people, alongside wider influences on adolescent health and wellbeing.

While vaping is considered less harmful than smoking and can aid adult smokers in quitting, youth vaping has skyrocketed in recent years, with a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds having tried it, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) noted in a release.

Keep ReadingShow less
David Thomas Steps In as NPA’s New Wales Representative
Five NPA members are contesting for the remaining position in England (gettyimages)

NPA board update: David Thomas succeeds Raj Aggarwal OBE

Five NPA members are contesting for the remaining position in England

David Thomas, owner of LT Chemists in Newport, will replace Raj Aggarwal OBE as the next National Pharmacy Association (NPA) board member for Wales, following an uncontested election this month.

Following the conclusion of a nomination process last week, Baldev Bange, Aisling O’Brien, Sehar Shahid, and Sanjay Ganvir have been re-elected to the Board, representing areas of England and Scotland, according to a statement from NPA.

Keep ReadingShow less
Public Policy Projects calls for better use of community pharmacy skill mix to improve medicines adherence
Non-adherence to medicines remains a critical issue, with an estimated 30 to 50 per cent of medicines for long-term conditions not taken as prescribed. (gettyimages)

Leverage pharmacy skill mix to improve medicines adherence - report suggests

The report also suggested expanding the community pharmacy contractual framework to enable community pharmacy to deliver medicines reviews

Pharmacy technicians and assistants should be enabled to talk to patients about their medications to improve medicines adherence, a new report has recommended.

The report, How medicines optimisation contributes to population health, published recently by policy institute Public Policy Projects, highlighted that non-adherence to medicines remains a critical issue, with an estimated 30 to 50 per cent of medicines for long-term conditions not taken as prescribed.

Keep ReadingShow less
GHP calls for 10% mandated protected learning time for NHS pharmacists in new campaign
Many pharmacists end up doing ‘unpaid work’ to catch up with the required training (gettyimages)

Increase protected learning time for NHS pharmacists – GHP launches national campaign

Many pharmacists end up doing ‘unpaid work’ to catch up with the required training or completing self-learning in their own time.

The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists (GHP) has launched a national campaign advocating for pharmacists working in the NHS to have a minimum of 10% of their contracted hours protected for supporting professional activities (SPA).

In a statement published on 7 February 2025, the GHP emphasised that this protected time “should be recognized by employers and embedded in job plans.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Pharmacy contract consultation to review medicine margin and reimbursement, says Kinnock

Pharmacy contract consultation to review medicine margin and reimbursement, says Kinnock

Kinnock confirms that an announcement on the 2025/26 GP contract would be made before April 2025

The 2025/26 pharmacy contract consultation will include a review of the medicine margin and reimbursement arrangements, health and care minister Stephen Kinnock has confirmed.

Kinnock made this statement in response to a written question from Nick Timothy, Conservative MP for West Suffolk, who asked the secretary of state for health and social care, if he will review the reimbursement system for pharmacies and GP practices dispensing medicines.

Keep ReadingShow less