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The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, which was introduced in England in 2016, is helping hundreds of thousands of people to lead healthier lives. People with pre-diabetes are being identified and offered a nine-month behaviour change programme that supports healthier diet and exercise choices to reduce their risk of developing diabetes. A study funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has found a significant reduction in diabetes risk among patients who had been referred to the NHS programme. Three years after their referral, the participants were 20 per cent less likely to have type 2 diabetes than a similar person who was not included in the programme, the evaluation revealed.

A new study has revealed that the risk of death from COVID-19 decreases significantly after vaccination, but this protection diminishes after six months, providing evidence for continued booster doses. Researchers from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), who analysed more than 10 million cases of COVID-19 in adults in England between May 2020 and February 2022, found a clear association between vaccination and reduced mortality. But they also highlighted a crucial timeframe - within six months of the last vaccine dose - when Case Fatality Risk (CFR) - the proportion of cases that resulted in death - was consistently at its lowest across all age groups. After this, the protective benefit of the vaccine began to wane and CFR increased.

In partnership with the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHT) has recently established an innovative cardiometabolic clinic. The clinic focuses on reducing cardiovascular risk in people with diabetes who have recently been discharged from LTHT following a heart attack. It is delivered jointly by the cardiology department at Leeds General Infirmary and the diabetes services at the Trust. This is a patient-centred approach to reducing that risk, with pharmacist-delivered clinics scheduled for six to eight weeks after the heart attack. Stephen Wheatcroft, Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist at LTHT, said: "This is an exciting and innovative development, one of the first in the country. Previously, Type 2 diabetic patients presenting with heart issues would have been treated by two separate specialty teams. This is the first time there has been a specific clinic combining the cardiac and diabetes team working together. "We aim to reduce the risk for patients, with earlier multidisciplinary hospital care, to help discharged patients achieve better diabetes control, through improved medication support and optimisation, reducing the need for further treatment and future hospital stays. Overall, it will mean a better patient experience, with improved monitoring and information about treatment options, along with a reduction in waiting times for review in a specialist clinic."

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has advised self-isolation for people diagnosed with monkeypox to reduce the risk of spreading the infection. Household members are at the highest risk of becoming infected from a case within their house. The new guidance advises people with monkeypox infection to take steps to try and limit transmission within the household. "Monkeypox infection mainly spreads between people through direct, skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact. Infection can also be spread via contaminated objects such as linen and soft furnishings," said UKHSA. The guidance advises that, where possible, cases are encouraged to sleep and eat in a separate room and use a separate bathroom to their household if possible. Good hygiene measures, to follow at all times, have also been set out. It suggests, "Where the use of a separate room isn't possible, cases should avoid physical contact and keep at least three steps (one metre) away from all household members. It is particularly important that they avoid close contact with young children, pregnant women and immunosuppressed people as they may be at higher risk of serious illness."

The Omicron variant of coronavirus is less likely to cause long Covid than previous variants, according to the first peer-reviewed study of its kind from the UK. Researchers at King's College London, using data from nearly 100,000 people who logged their Covid symptoms via an app, found the odds of developing long Covid after infection were 20 per cent to 50 per cent lower during the Omicron wave in the UK compared to Delta. The figure varied depending on the patient's age and the timing of their last vaccination. Long Covid, which includes prolonged symptoms ranging from fatigue to 'brain fog', can be debilitating and continue for weeks or months. It is increasingly being recognised as a public health problem, and researchers have been racing to find out if Omicron presents as big a risk of long Covid as previously dominant variants. The study from King's is believed to be the first academic research to show Omicron does not present as great a risk of long Covid, but that does not mean long Covid patient numbers are dropping, the team said. While the risk of long Covid was lower during Omicron, more people were infected, so the absolute number now suffering is higher. "It's good news, but please don't decommission any of your long Covid services," lead researcher Dr Claire Steves said, appealing to health-service providers.

Smoking increases the risk of developing schizophrenia and depression, a report by academics from the University of Bristol published on 20 June claims. It says smoking raises the risk of developing schizophrenia by between 53 per cent and 127 per cent and the risk of developing depression by from 54 per cent to 132 per cent. The authors of the report say more research is needed to identify why this is the case and that more evidence is needed to understand its impact on other mental health conditions such as anxiety or bipolar disorder. The evidence, presented at the Royal College of Psychiatrist's international congress, has been shared with the government which is currently developing a new Tobacco Control Plan for publication later this year. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said: "Rates of smoking are much higher among people with mental health conditions than those without, and among England's six million smokers there are an estimated 230k smokers with severe mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder) and 1.6 million with depression and anxiety."

In response to the concerning surge in youth vaping, the UK government in January announced its decision to ban disposable vapes as a measure to safeguard the health of children. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that while the long-term impacts of vaping were uncertain, the nicotine present in these products can be highly addictive. Therefore, he emphasised that "marketing vapes to children is not acceptable." Now, there's a stronger reason to crack down on vape sales as a new study has revealed that vaping or the use of e-cigarettes may increase the risk of developing heart failure. The study, which involved 175,000 adults in the United States, found that those who use e-cigarettes were 19 per cent more likely to develop heart failure over a four-year period. Dr Yakubu Bene-Alhasan, lead author of the study, from MedStar Health in Baltimore, underscored that an increasing number of studies are linking e-cigarettes with harmful effects, suggesting vaping "might not be as safe as previously thought." With further research, Dr Bene-Alhasan's team plans to uncover "a lot more about the potential health consequences and improve the information out to the public."

The number of people in England identified as at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has increased by over half a million within a year, according to NHS figures. Data released by the National Diabetes Audit on June 12 showed that 3.6 million people registered with a GP were found to have non-diabetic hyperglycaemia (also known as pre-diabetes) in 2023, compared with 3.1 million people in 2022 - a notable 18 per cent increase or nearly 550,000 people. Among those under 40 years old, the figures showed an increase of almost 25 per cent from 173,166 in 2022 to 216,440 in 2023. People with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia have higher-than-normal blood sugar levels, and they are at greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Typically, this condition is detected through routine blood tests at GP surgeries.

Alzheimer's is a mental illness that mostly affects the elderly. It is characterized by dementia, cognitive impairment, and mood swings. The patient gradually fades into a state of perpetual darkness and lack of self-awareness. Here are some steps we can take to reduce our own risk.

Scientists are trying to find ways to prevent Alzheimer's before it comes knocking at your doorstep. Extensive research is taking place even as you read this. Everyone hopes to put together the answer before it becomes a global issue. Here are a few risk factors that you can and can't avoid:

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a class 2 medicines recall for Sabril 500 mg film-coated tablets & Sabril 500 mg granules for oral solution. Sanofi UK has recalled the batches of Sabril tablets and Sabril granules as a precautionary measure due to the detection of traces of tiapride in the batches of the source material of the manufacturer for vigabatrin. Sabril (vigabatrin) is indicated for adjunctive treatment of focal seizures with or without secondary generalisation not satisfactorily controlled with other antiepileptics (under expert supervision) and monotherapy in the treatment of infantile spasms (West's syndrome). All patients are advised not to discontinue Sabril tablets or Sabril granules without consulting with their prescriber. The risks of suddenly stopping medication for seizures/epilepsy is higher than the potential risk presented by the presence of tiapride. Sanofi UK have confirmed to DHSC that no other batches are impacted, and other stock remains available.

The Competition and Market Authority (CMA) has suggested regulatory levers to curb "potential competition risk" from hub and spoke dispensing. In its response to the hub and spoke dispensing consultation, led by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) last week, the competition watchdog said that a pro-active approach to monitoring the effect of hub and spoke dispensing and subsequent early consideration of any competition concerns was likely to be more effective and potentially less costly than any "ex-post enforcement any ex-post enforcement or unpicking of subsequently embedded competition issues". The competition watchdog has made a few suggestions to identify and remove the barriers to competition that might emerge with the new business models entering the market. It has asked the department to enable a "more level playing field". "Smaller independent pharmacies should, have improved access to automation and new dispensing models," it said.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has raised concerns over the rising risks related to online pharmacy services. It revealed over 30 per cent of its open Fitness to Practise (FtP) cases were related to online pharmacy, which is disproportionate to the sector of the market that online services occupy. The regulator has advised pharmacists and pharmacy owners providing online services that they should "not work with online providers who try to circumvent the regulatory oversight put in place within the UK to ensure patient safety". In the past five months, the Council has imposed seven interim orders on the registration of pharmacists who have worked for or with online prescribing services - after identifying serious concerns with their practice. It said: "These pharmacists were working as pharmacist independent prescribers for online services or were dispensing medicines prescribed online. Some of these pharmacists were the Responsible Pharmacist (RP) or the Superintendent Pharmacist (SP)."

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that free COVID-19 lateral flow tests will be supplied through community pharmacies for at-risk groups. The service will operate from 6 November for patients aged over 12 years who are at risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms. Community pharmacies that have participated in this new initiative will be paid £4 plus VAT for each box of five lateral flow device test kits provided. Alastair Buxton, Director of NHS services at Community Pharmacy England said: "This is not going to be a high-volume service, but community pharmacy teams are well placed to provide LFD test kits to eligible patients with them having made over 25.5 million supplies of COVID-19 LFD test kits in 2021/22.

Two new subvariants of Omicron - BA.4 and BA.5 - are spreading much faster than other corovanirus variants in Europe, which could lead to more hospitalisations and deaths as they become dominant, the EU's disease prevention agency said on Monday (June 13). Most EU countries have so far detected low rates of the two subgroups. But in countries where the proportion has risen - such as Portugal, where BA.5 accounted for 87 per cent of cases by May 30 - there have been surges in overall cases, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The two sublineages were added to the World Health Organization's monitoring list in March and have also been designated as variants of concern by the ECDC. Variants BA.4 and BA.5 do not appear to carry a higher risk of severe disease than other forms of Omicron.But an increase in case numbers from higher transmission rates risks leading to an increase in hospitalisations and deaths, the agency said. "The growth advantage reported for BA.4 and BA.5 suggest that these variants will become dominant," ECDC said in a statement on its website.

Online pharmacies have to operate from bricks & mortar premises that are registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council, but recent cases show that, in reality, the practices of online pharmacies are often very different to other pharmacies, and the regulation of online pharmacies is also different - and evolving as issues arise. For a start, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is only one of the regulators taking an interest in online pharmacy services. Other regulators include the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) which enforces the advertising and promotion of medicines, and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which regulates prescribing services. The different regulation of online pharmacies is attributable to the higher risk to patients and the public from medicines bought online. These risks often arise from a combination of patients who do not tell the truth in order to obtain medicines and the nature of a transaction in which a pharmacist does not see patients face-to-face. "The GPhC has strong enforcement powers that it uses when it considers its premises standards have not complied with." However, there are also things that go wrong because pharmacists have simply failed to act professionally or take sufficient care, as well as cases where things have gone wrong through misfortune.

A BBC investigation has found 20 UK online pharmacies selling prescription-only medicines without adhering to the regulatory standards, such as checking for GP approval or patient's medical records. The news organisation was able to purchase over 1,600 restricted pills, including anti-anxiety drug, painkiller and sleeping medication, from these regulated online pharmacies easily by providing false information. However, the report didn't mention the names of the drugs as "they can be dangerous when taken without medical guidance." Some pharmacies were also found selling high-risk and potentially addictive medicines, including benzodiazepines and antidepressants, based on online questionnaires and did not require further checks. The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which regulate online pharmacies in the UK, states that selling and supplying medicines at a distance brings "different risks which need to be appropriately managed to protect patient safety."

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a campaign to caution people with food allergies about the risk of products labelled as 'vegan'. People who have an allergy to milk, eggs, fish and crustaceans or molluscs are encouraged to always check for a precautionary allergen statement such as 'may contain' on products labelled 'vegan' before consuming the food. The launch of the campaign comes in the wake of recent research findings by the FSA that 62 per cent of individuals with reactions to animal-based products or who buy for someone with allergies were confident that products labelled 'vegan' are safe to eat. This is "incorrect" and may put them at risk, the agency said. The FSA study found that 54 per cent of people who experience reactions to animal-based products and 53 per cent of those purchasing for someone with a food hypersensitivity to animal-origin products have used vegan labelling to determine the safety of packaged food on at least some occasions.

Researchers from King's College London and the University of Helsinki have identified a link between periodontitis (gum disease) and cryptogenic ischemic stroke, which causes a blockage in the blood vessel supplying blood to a region of the brain. The findings, recently published in the Journal of Dental Research, emphasise severe gum disease as a risk factor for young-onset stroke, particularly in patients with no other identifiable risk factors. Dr. Susanna Paju, Periodontology Specialist from the University of Helsinki, led the study in collaboration with Dr. Svetislav Zaric, Clinical Lecturer in Periodontology from King's College London. Dr. Zaric explains the implications of their research: "Stroke remains the second leading cause of death globally. Strikingly, the incidence and prevalence of ischemic stroke have been increasing in the younger population during past decades," she said. "Periodontitis, which involves deep inflammation of the gums due to bacteria under the gumline, can lead to systemic effects as bacteria enter the bloodstream and affect other parts of the body," she added.

The ongoing pharmacist workforce crisis has posed a significant risk to patients' access to care, medicines and advice - particularly affecting the elderly and vulnerable living in areas with health inequalities. Many from the sector have raised concerns about this issue with the Company Chemists' Association (CCA) recently acknowledging the shortage of pharmacists or pharmacy technicians in the country to meet the needs of patients and the NHS. The trade body representing almost 50 per cent of the community pharmacy sector said that pharmacy teams are exhausted after working tirelessly during the pandemic, adding that Covid, Brexit and NHS reforms have exacerbated the shortage. Covid and winter-related sickness absences are adding to the strain and with Brexit it has become difficult to attract overseas pharmacists to the UK.

Workplace accidents and injuries can happen anytime, regardless of which industry or the type of work environment you're into. Most often, it's theworkplace conditions and the danger of your task that creates these risks. However, certain workplace injuries in certain workplaces are much more serious than others. If you've experienced any injury from your workplace during your working hours, you have the right to seek help from a workers' compensation lawyer. It could help you minimize the risk when you are aware of the common types of workplace injuries and taking preventative measures. Below are five common types of workplace injuries that you should watch out for. Injuries Caused By Trips, Slips, And Falls Injuries Caused By Falling Objects Injuries Caused By Falls From Heights Injuries Caused By Falls From Heights Injuries Caused By Fire And Explosions Check Pharmacy Business website for details.