The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has issued an advisory information to community pharmacy contractors about Paxlovid antiviral treatment for
non-hospitalised patients.
"Patients will be assessed to see if they meet the criteria for inclusion and will need careful checking to see if Paxlovid therapy is safe due to the significant
number of drug interactions. Assessment and prescribing are provided via dedicated services with dispensing and supply arranged by the central supply service or
via participating community pharmacies," said the PDA.
Every pharmacist can support this service by making themselves familiar with the service set up in their area. This is so that they can provide advice and signpost
to healthcare colleagues and patients.
Pharmacists working in general practice may also be able to help with identifying newly diagnosed highest risk patients. Whilst most of this group should have
already been identified and contacted, no system is entirely foolproof.
The PDA's advisory note provides information around indemnity and links to information about the prescribing and administration of Paxlovid since it is being
provided under a temporary authorisation, and is subject to numerous drug-drug interactions, and is a recommended first-line treatment.
Pharmacist Support, a charity centred on bolstering pharmacist well-being, has launched the 'ACTNow' campaign 2023, aimed at promoting and supporting the
health and overall wellbeing of pharmacists. This campaign is launched following the successful 2022 initiative, which heightened awareness about wellbeing in
the pharmacy profession.
Launched in May 2020 in response to COVID-19 challenges, ACTNow has transformed into a dynamic platform fostering positive workplace culture, teamwork, and
individual well-being, Pharmacist Support has said. Its primary goals are to inspire individuals and teams in the profession to prioritise their well-being,
support colleagues, and proactively foster a healthier work environment.
Pharmacist Support emphasised that the 2023 ACTNow campaign will continue to prioritise fostering a positive workplace culture. "This year, the campaign will
provide individuals, pharmacy teams, and employers with essential tools, resources, and strategies to effectively support colleagues dealing with distress,
all while cultivating a growth-oriented mindset within their teams," the charity firm said.
The NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) has published a new paper highlighting the learnings from a major COVID-19 research trial conducted in primary
care settings.
The paper, which draws on insights from the PANORAMIC study, emphasised the importance of prioritising primary care studies from the very start of any pandemic
to prevent worsening of patient symptoms and reduce hospital admission.
Additionally, it recommended considering the use of UK-wide pharmacy networks, including community pharmacies, to promote research inclusion for future similar
trials in primary care to increase recruitment in underserved communities.
Authored by Professor Phil Evans, GP and Deputy Health and Care Director at the NIHR RDN together with colleagues from the NIHR and University of Oxford, the
80-page paper concluded that primary care research should be at the forefront of future pandemic preparedness.
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, much research was carried out on critically ill patients in secondary care settings.
A report released by the Independent Commission has blamed Brexit supply issues for medicine shortages.
NHS is forced to pay extortionate prices to fulfil the demand for vital antibiotics, anti-depressants, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) drugs.
The report highlights the impact of affected medicine supply issues on community pharmacies and patients.
Janet Morrison, the chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, backed the report and said that the "medicine shortages and market instability appear to be
as bad as they have ever been".
She also explained how the Ukraine conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, and broader economic instability also play a major factor in the situation.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United Kingdom, affecting nearly 50,000 men yearly. Combined with the challenges faced across
healthcare during COVID-19, new figures show that prostate cancer accounts for a third of cancers not treated due to the pandemic, with 14,000 'missing patients'
believed to have not undergone treatment since April 2020. It is more urgent than ever that men are encouraged to get checked, as any set-backs in diagnosis can
reduce the pathways available, in turn affecting health outcomes.
Community pharmacy teams play a crucial role in signposting the help available for men who may be concerned about their health. Therefore, it is vital that pharmacy
teams have access to the information they need to correctly direct men to seek prostate cancer guidance. By maximising the trusted relationship between patients and their pharmacists, more can be done to identify the warning signs, helping men to get an earlier diagnosis.
Existing Covid-19 inoculations will struggle against the fast-spreading Omicron variant, the head of vaccine manufacturer Moderna warned on Tuesday (November 30), as countries ramp up vaccination programmes and impose further restrictions in an effort to curb growing concern.
First reported to the World Health Organization in South Africa less than a week ago, the new strain has rapidly spread from Africa to the Pacific, and from Europe
to North America as dozens of countries have announced travel restrictions.
While no deaths have yet been reported from Omicron, and it could take weeks to know how infectious and how resistant the strain may prove to vaccines, its emergence underscores how besieged the world remains by Covid-19, nearly two years after the first cases were recorded.
Stephane Bancel, the head of US vaccine manufacturer Moderna, told the Financial Times in an interview published today that data would be available on the effectiveness of vaccines in the two weeks' time, but that scientists were pessimistic.
After struggling with COVID, Hemant Petal is back to good health, and now he is on a mission to reduce "health inequalities".
Speaking at the SIGMA Conference 2023, he spoke about his new role as Clinical Lead, Health Inequalities and Population Health Management, SE Essex Alliance,
Essex ICB.
"So, my new role is outside pharmacy, nothing to do with pharmacy. But it is important, I feel that I share some of my insights about the work that I'm doing that
might benefit you," he said.
Elaborating on the role of integrated care boards (ICBs), he said that they are designed to enhance coordination and collaboration across different healthcare
providers and settings.
The representatives from hospitals, community services, retail and social care meet on a monthly basis to "look at where there are issues to be resolved, perhaps
what can be done to improve the healthcare services."
Diabetes affects over 537 million people worldwide; by 2045, this is estimated to increase to 783 million. [1] With the growing prevalence of diabetes,
it's even more important to utilise all options to support people with diabetes (PwDs) in managing their daily life with diabetes.
Where do PwDs most often access healthcare support? On average, PwDs visit the pharmacy three-to-eight times more than the general population to obtain medicines
and testing supplies.[2] It is clear that pharmacists play an integral role in empowering the self-management needs of PwDs beyond the traditional role of
supplying medicines. This relationship, however, may be underutilised.
Research suggests there is a lack of broad recognition of pharmacists as a key source of diabetes care, and that resource constraints - particularly following
the COVID-19 pandemic - can interfere with patient education provision and training.[3,4] Furthermore, the circumstances and role of the pharmacy vary, nationally
and internationally. At Roche Diabetes Care we would like to shine a light on the increasing value of community pharmacists as important figures in the well-being
of PwDs.
NHS cancer check has set a new record, despite pressures on hospitals due to Covid-19, the number of people being treated for the cancer remained higher than
before the pandemic, revealed NHS.
Over the last 12 months almost three million people were referred for cancer checks which is up by over a tenth on the 2.4 million people referred before the
pandemic.
"Even at the peak of the Omicron wave, referrals for suspected cancer were at 116 per cent of pre-pandemic levels with around 11,000 people getting checked every
day over the last year," said NHS.
In order to meet increasing demand for cancer checks, NHS services across the country are expanding their diagnostic capabilities through one stop shops for tests,
mobile clinics and cancer symptom hotlines, ensuring people are diagnosed and treated as early as possible to give them a much better chance of beating the disease.
More than 30,000 people every month are being invited for lung cancer checks through NHS mobile trucks visiting at risk communities across the country, as part of
the biggest programme to improve early lung cancer diagnosis in health service history.
Community pharmacists are readily accessible healthcare providers and medicine experts in the community setting and their counsel is often sought by patients and consumers on a number of subjects including the use of dietary supplements.
Their role in the sale of and advice regarding natural health and drug alternatives has never been more relevant. The recent National Health Service (NHS) Interim
People Plan calls for the NHS to put all staff front and centre of the way it operates and identifies pharmacists as a critical part of multidisciplinary teams,
providing care across a wide range of increasingly complex patient needs.
Despite existing demand to counsel patients on a vast range of medicines, more and more consumers are looking to their pharmacist to support and enhance their
knowledge regarding the relevance of a growing range of supplementary nutrients now available.
Nutritional supplementation is increasingly becoming the consumer's first choice for 'drug free' treatment or natural prevention that provides a true sense of taking control, which the prescription process often denies them.
The vast and growing depository of information on the internet is certainly fuelling this, but as much of this is brand derived content, information, it can often be generic with a 'one size fits all' marketing message.
More than 5,000 vulnerable people have enrolled for the ground-breaking Platform Adaptive trial of NOvel antiviRals for eArly treatMent of Covid-19 In the Community (PANORAMIC) study on life-saving antivirals.
With this the UK is now one step closer to rolling out the innovative medicines, which would help reduce the severity of symptoms and the risk of hospitalisation or death.
Success of the study would eventually help to ease pressures on the NHS.
Anyone over the age of 50 or between 18 to 49 with certain underlying health conditions can participate in the trial after receiving a positive PCR or lateral flow test result.
Boris Johnson has picked Steve Barclay as the new health secretary following the resignation of Sajid Javid, who stepped down on July 5 after saying he had
lost faith in prime minister's leadership.
Barclay - who had served as chief of staff of the prime minister since February 2022 - was previously a junior health minister in 2018, responsible for NHS workforce
and finance, before serving as Brexit secretary, chief secretary to the Treasury, and chancellor of the duchy.
He is the fourth health secretary after Jeremy Hunt, Matt Hancock and Sajid Javid in the past five years.
In a statement on his appointment, Barclay said it was "an honour" to be take up the position, adding: "Our NHS and social care staff have showed us time and again -
throughout the pandemic and beyond - what it means to work with compassion and dedication to transform lives.
"This government is investing more than ever before in our NHS and care services to beat the Covid-19 backlogs, recruit 50,000 more nurses, reform social care and
ensure patients across the country can access the care they need."
Attempts to deal with record waiting lists for hospital treatment caused by the Covid-19 pandemic are at risk of being derailed by a staffing crisis, which is being exacerbated by the Omicron wave, a cross-party lawmakers' report said on Thursday (January 6).
The report entitled 'Clearing the backlog caused by the pandemic' calls for a broader national health and care recovery plan - one that would embrace A&E, mental health, GPs, community and social care.
Hospitals are facing extreme pressure as they try to catch up on months of operations that have been delayed and suspended during the pandemic, as Covid-19 hospitalizations rise once more and self-isolation hits staffing levels.
There is a record 5.8 million waiting list for elective care, the Health and Social Care Committee said, adding that a recent surge in the Omicron variant has pushed cases to record highs and intensified pre-existing issues.
Polio has been detected in sewage samples in London, the first sign since the 1980s that the virus could be spreading in the UK, but no cases have been found,
authorities said.
The risk of infection from the disease, which causes paralysis in children in under one per cent of cases, was also low because of high vaccination rates, the UK
Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
The agency nevertheless encouraged parents to make sure their children were vaccinated after the discovery of the virus during routine wastewater surveillance -
particularly those who may have missed shots during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nationwide vaccination levels are above the 90 per cent needed to prevent outbreaks, but London's coverage rates among the under-twos has dipped below that in recent
years.
NHS England will begin contacting parents of children under five who are not immunised.
Polio, spread mainly through contamination by faecal matter, used to kill and paralyse thousands of children annually worldwide. There is no cure, but vaccination
brought the world close to ending the wild, or naturally occurring, form of the disease.
A new legislation has been introduced to allow authorised pharmacists along with other healthcare professionals in Northern Ireland to certify 'fit notes',
health minister Robin Swann has announced.
Pharmacists and some other healthcare professionals in England, Scotland and Wales are already allowed to sign 'fit notes'.
Swann announced that 'fit notes' were also set to go fully digital in the future, meaning they would no longer need to be signed in ink.
He said: "I am delighted to introduce this legislation in Northern Ireland. This change will make it easier for people and employers to get the advice they need so
people can stay in work and will help free up doctors' time.
"Too often we see people being faced with unnecessary challenges to get a fit note. More professionals being able to offer this vital service will speed up the
process and support people to return to or remain in work."
A group of pharmacists on Saturday (July 2) took part in this year's Pride in London parade, as the annual LGBTQ+ celebration returned to the capital after
three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Those who participated in the march called on the government to ban conversion therapy for all LGBT+ people, reform the Gender Recognition Act, and provide equal
protection for LGBT+ communities against hate crime.
The event which drew a crowd of a million people marked the 50th anniversary since the first ever parade in London in 1972.
Amandeep Doll, head of professional belonging at RPS, said: "It was a privilege to join in the recognition of the diversity of the LGBTQI+ community and our
profession, especially on such a historic occasion. Our group of pharmacists and allies from all parts of the country loved the excitement and buzz of the day."
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has welcomed the Health Secretary Sajid Javid's plan to appoint Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) tsar to tackle the medicine shortages.
On Sunday (April 24) Sajid Javid told the Mail that he planned to tackle the problem (shortage of HRT medicine) by appointing a new HRT tsar with the role modelled on that of Kate Bingham, who successfully led the government's Covid vaccine taskforce.
"The difficulties in accessing HRT medicine have unfairly impacted women's mental health," said RPS President, Professor Claire Anderson.
"I look forward to working with this new champion for HRT and the Government on how we can better support women's health, building on the positive move to reduce
prescription charges for HRT for women."
Anderson also stressed that "the Government should now go further and end unfair prescription charges for patients in England altogether."
Being aware of and understanding our mental health is extremely important. Mental health is not simply a medical condition, it essentially encompasses our
psychological and emotional well-being.
Mental health awareness has increased in recent years, however, since the COVID-19 pandemic, awareness of our mental stability and how we process our feelings
has become all too apparent. It is important that we all learn to be open with our feelings and also be able to support others who may be struggling with their
own mental health.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) conceptualises mental health as a "state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope
with the normal stresses of work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community."
Whether it's the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and those suffering with long Covid, or the financial pressures of rising living costs, these hard times
can affect absolutely anyone's mental health.
Mental health problems have worsened across all age-groups in the last few years, from lack of social interaction, unexpected bereavements or the significant impact
of a physical injury or long-term illness taking its toll on mental wellbeing - these challenging experiences and situations that we face throughout life leave a
big strain on the population.
Ultimately, there is an urgent need to reduce rising levels of mental ill-health in our society. As a pharmacist with 25 years' experience in healthcare, I feel I
have an obligation to my patients to support them with their healthcare needs, and mental health should be treated just the same as physical health.
Despite efforts to improve NHS mental health services, patients may still not be receiving the appropriate immediate care as they are often provided with online
counselling or an App for long-term support (online support introduced since the pandemic).
Community pharmacists are in a unique position to be advocates for patients with mental illness as they are the healthcare professionals' patients see most often.
This is a good opportunity for pharmacists to speak to patients face-to-face and give them advice in a more practical way rather than potentially waiting weeks for
an GP appointment.
The Galien Foundation recently announced the winners of the 2024 Prix Galien UK Awards, with the University of Oxford receiving accolades for its
groundbreaking contributions to public sector innovation through the PRINCIPLE and PANORAMIC Trials.
These trials, spearheaded by Oxford's team of experts, have set a new standard for scientific innovation aimed at improving global health outcomes.
Led by University of Oxford, the PRINCIPLE and PANORAMIC Trials epitomize a remarkable collaboration aimed at combating the COVID-19 pandemic.