Britain is looking at the possibility of changing rules on mandatory vaccination for healthcare staff, chief secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke said on Monday (January 31).
"We do recognise those realities and that does open a space where we can look at this again," Clarke said.
Sky News reported Clarke as saying that the policy of mandatory jabs was something that ministers had "always kept under review".
There is still a long way to go to achieve gender equality in pharmacy in both academia and profession, Royal Pharmaceutical Society president Claire Anderson
said while addressing a webinar on 'Driving equality for women in pharmacy' today (November 19).
Sharing her personal experience, Anderson, who earlier worked as an academic, said: "I was the first ever female professor in the School of Pharmacy at Nottingham
when I was appointed as professor in 2003, and at that point, only 11 per cent of professors in my university were female."
She acknowledged that the situation has changed since then, but "there's still a very long way to go to achieve gender equity in most of academia, and in pharmacy,
in particular."
She added that the profession has ensured safe spaces for women but noted that is not enough, as gender equity is vital to achieve healthier and safer societies.
"And although our work on equality, diversity and inclusion is progressing very well, I think we're still not there. It's a journey and there's much to be achieved."
With so much hype about DNA testing, people are more than interested in buying a home dna test kit and finding out about their ancestry. The truth about DNA testing is that they reveal more than one's ancestral background. Primarily, DNA testing was used to detect criminals or prove the innocence of someone awaiting capital punishment. Today, things have changed, and DNA-related things are no more revolving around criminal justice alone.
Genetic science can reveal the following amazing things:
FIND OUT YOUR FAMILY TREE
DNA testing has helped people map their family tree and find out details about who their forefathers were and which regions of the world they were from. Believe us or not, but it is the right time to go for it now if you have never performed a DNA test before! Just choose the right DNA testing kit to connect with the previously unknown branches of your family.
DNA testing has increased in popularity as people live a more conscientious life. Today, everyone is looking for answers regarding their genetic ethnicity and how they can live a happier and healthier life.
Recent uptake of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses in Europe has been "rather disappointing," an official said on Thursday (November 24), amid concerns that
protection against severe cases of the disease could weaken during the winter.
The European average rate of re-vaccination, or receiving booster doses, was only 29 per cent in the groups of people considered to be at highest risk, such as
the elderly and immunocompromised.
"It is of concern that those most at risk of hospitalisation or severe COVID are not adequately protected," the European Medicines Agency's head of health threats
and vaccines strategy, Marco Cavaleri, told a news briefing.
Though there have not been major increases in COVID-19 case rates in recent weeks, Cavaleri said that could change during the colder winter months.
he Pharmacy Schools Council (PhSC) has elected Professor Katie Maddock as the organisation's new chair.
Prior to becoming head of school at Keele University, Professor Maddock had been MPharm course director and associate dean for education for the Faculty of
Medicine and Health Sciences, responsible for developing the clinical teaching at Keele.
Before joining Keele University, she taught clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice at Aston University. Her research interests lie in pharmacy education,
particularly the use of technology in teaching, clinical therapeutics, augmented reality simulation and interprofessional education. She was also awarded a
principal fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in November 2020.
Having worked in hospital pharmacy, Professor Maddock is acutely aware of the pressures that Covid-19 has placed on healthcare, as well as the importance of
retaining and building upon the positive changes to patient care and pharmacy practice that were developed in response to the pandemic.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has notified that it is now mandatory to attend face-to-face training for both injection technique
and basic life support training periodically for pharmacists and other vaccinators providing the annual flu vaccination service.
"Community pharmacy contractors are required to demonstrate that all vaccinators, including pharmacists, providing the flu vaccination service in their pharmacy
have the skills needed to do so," said PSNC.
Prior to this change, pharmacists and other vaccinators needed to undertake a refresher face-to-face training for both injection technique and basic life support,
including administration of adrenaline, every three years.
Vaccinator needs to evidence competence
PSNC said: "Contractors and vaccinators will now need to consider when it would be appropriate to attend refresher training or if ongoing competence of an individual
vaccinator can be evidenced, without the need for face-to-face training.
"An individual's continued competence may be influenced by their prior experience vaccinating patients, including the overall number of vaccines administered and
the regularity with which they administer vaccines."
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has developed a webtool to help community pharmacy contractors estimate the impact on their payments
under the new discount deduction system.
The calculator aims to illustrate the changes to discount deduction that a pharmacy could experience during the transition to the new arrangements from October 2022
to January 2024, when the new system will be fully in place.
PSNC's calculator requires contractors to input information about their individual pharmacy dispensing mix (i.e. split of reimbursement by appliances, brands and
generics) to provide an estimate for the level of impact the new discount deduction system will have.
"The impact on individual pharmacies cannot be estimated without using dispensing mix data, meaning that any estimates which do not take this into account will not
be reliable," said PSNC.
For years many contractors have been frustrated by how discount is applied to their accounts and have often raised concerns about the blanket nature of its
application to PSNC.
Global consumer healthcare company Haleon has launched a new centre of excellence for a global leader in consumer health which will bring together world leading
academics in human behaviour and frontline healthcare professionals including community pharmacists.
Unveiled at the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Congress in 'sunny' Seville, Spain on September 20, the Centre will operate as a community of healthcare
professionals and specialists in behavioural science, health psychology and the social sciences to solve some of the most pressing everyday health challenges.
Named the Centre for Human Sciences (CHS) the initiative will be the first major programme for healthcare professionals since the Haleon's launch on July 18 as an
independent, global leader in consumer health.
The Centre's mission is to support practising health professionals - pharmacists, pharmacy assistants and dental professionals - in serving their patients and
communities. Combining science with deep human understanding, CHS will bring expertise in physiology together with human sciences to deliver real world-solutions
and tangible interventions, resulting in measurable improvements in health outcomes through sustained behavioural change.
The Centre is facilitated by Robert Horne, professor of Behavioural Medicine at UCL School of Pharmacy, who started his career as a practising pharmacist but later
chose to become a behavioural scientist when he saw an opportunity to address issues around psycho-social factors that acted as a hindrance in pharmacy practice.
Speaking to me in an exclusive three-way conversation alongside Tess Player, the global head of healthcare professional & health influencer marketing at Haleon, on
the sidelines of the FIP Congress 2022, Prof Horne expanded on what the Centre was all about and how it would work.
"We've got some good ideas, but it's not a pre-filled prescription that we're going to deliver at scale from the start. What Haleon is t
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has appointed Susan Rienow, country president of Pfizer, as its vice president.
"As vice president, she will support the president, Pinder Sahota, general manager and corporate vice president of Novo Nordisk UK, in delivering his priorities.
These are improving access to medicines, delivering economic growth and helping to find solutions to big societal challenges such as climate change, AMR, and
inequalities," said ABPI in a statement.
At Pfizer, Susan leads the organisation to bring the power of innovation, data and technology together to transform healthcare and improve outcomes for patients.
She previously led Pfizer UK's vaccines business unit during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Following concerns raised about cracked cartridges and insulin leaks, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a national
patient safety alert for the NovoRapid PumpCart prefilled insulin cartridge and the Roche Accu-Chek Insight Insulin pump system.
The regulator have asked patients to check the pre-filled glass insulin cartridge for cracks before use. It advised against using the cartridge if it has been dropped even if no cracks are visible and urged to closely follow the updated handling instructions in the pump user manual when changing pre-filled glass insulin
cartridges.
In some of the reported leakage incidents, the cartridges were found to be cracked and provided an inadequate supply of insulin to patients. Leakages also occurred in cases where no cracks in the cartridge were visible, the regulator said.
In some patients there were consequences of not receiving enough insulin from their pump system, including reports of severely high blood sugar and diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious complication of diabetes when the body produces high levels of blood acids called ketones.
Healthcare professionals are being advised to contact patients over the next six months using said device to discuss their individual needs and source an alternative pump where appropriate.
"Because of the rare risk of insulin leakage from the Roche Accu-Chek Insight Insulin Pump, patients should check the pre-filled glass insulin cartridge for any cracks prior to usage," Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive, said.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has finally published its response to the 2022 consultation on hub and spoke dispensing.
Considering the consultation evidence and further discussions, the government has expressed its intention to progress the proposals for enabling hub and spoke models
across different legal entities as soon as possible.
This will be achieved by using the enabling powers outlined in Part 2 of the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021 (MMDA) to amend the Medicines Act 1968 and the
HMRs.
Furthermore, the DHSC has decided to proceed with the implementation of the two models of hub and spoke dispensing that it consulted on.
The government response to the consultation reads: "Having considered the responses, the government intend to proceed to implement the necessary changes to medicines
legislation to remove the current restrictions that prevent the hub and spoke dispensing models from operating across different legal entities found in section 10 of
the Medicines Act 1968.
"Raise awareness of pharmacies as places of primary health care provision," advocates the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), emphasising the
need for universal recognition of pharmacists as essential healthcare professionals.
Despite significant advancements in pharmacy practice, many policymakers and members of the public still view pharmacies primarily as commercial enterprises
rather than essential providers of healthcare services.
The FIP is leading a campaign to change this perception, advocating for pharmacies to be recognised as vital components of primary health care.
Primary health care is crucial for achieving "health for all."
In 2018, the Declaration of Astana saw governments recommit to strengthening primary health care to achieve universal health coverage.
FIP, a signatory to this declaration, has since been dedicated to enhancing the role and impact of pharmacies in primary health care.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has updated the final price concessions for June 2023, following a discussion by Community Pharmacy England
regarding medicine pricing issues reported by pharmacy owners (its members).
A price concession only applies for the month it is granted; any prices agreed for concessions requested late in the month will roll over into the following month.
Community Pharmacy England encouraged pharmacies to report any problems obtaining a Part VIII product at or below the stated Drug Tariff price, using the online
feedback form on the Community Pharmacy England website along with full details of the supplier and price paid for any products sourced above the Drug Tariff price.
The association will investigate the extent of the problem and, if appropriate, discuss the issue with DHSC.