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Day Lewis Pharmacy has enlisted Locate a Locum, a Belfast-based healthcare technology innovator, to deploy and manage a digital solution aimed at enhancing locum staffing and management across its 267-pharmacy network. "We sought a faster, user-friendly system for instant locum bookings, particularly for last-minute shifts," said Sam Patel, Executive Director at Day Lewis Pharmacy. "This tool improves communication between potential locums and our coordinators, creating more opportunities to attract talent from across the country. Our customers are our priority, and ensuring they have access to staff and advice when needed is our main focus." Locate a Locum will implement a cloud-based digital solution across the Day Lewis Pharmacy estate, allowing locums to securely search, manage, request, and receive payment for shifts, Day Lewis said in a statement. This platform enables locum staff to manage their work diaries, location preferences, and commitments, promoting balanced work-life planning. "The Locate a Locum platform allows for swift, complete payments to our locums and offers them instant booking, eliminating the need for shift confirmation wait times," Patel added. "In a dynamic market with rising demand for pharmacy services, this platform is a game-changer, driving growth and unlocking potential."

In its response to a Freedom of Information Request (FOI), the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has confirmed a net decrease of 101 pharmacies in England - with 371 closures and 270 new contracts. Meanwhile, the General Pharmaceutical Council data projected a drop of 43 registered pharmacies in England, Wales, and Scotland for the year ending March 31, 2023, compared to the preceding period. The data, released by business advisor Christie & Co in its annual pharmacy market review on Sept. 5, revealed a total of 14,328 pharmacies across all four UK country regions as of March 31, 2023, indicating a 0.3 per cent decrease from the previous year. Corporate operators experienced a net reduction of 249 pharmacies, while the total number of independent operators remained consistent with 2022. According to the study, the corporate sector saw the most substantial shift, with a 13.7 per cent reduction in businesses operating 300 or more pharmacies. Following closely, groups managing 11 to 15 pharmacies experienced a 5.6 per cent decrease. Christie & Co attributed this shift in group size to operators acquiring additional pharmacies through corporate disposal opportunities throughout the year.

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A pharmacy assistant has been jailed for three years and seven months for stealing £330,000 worth of diabetes-testing kits from his workplace. Abdul Nargoliya stole the products while working as a pharmacy assistant at a Lloydspharmacy counter inside a Sainsbury's supermarket in Fosse Park, Leicester where we was employed since 2012. The 30-year-old from Woodboy Street in Leicester was sentenced on Friday (May 26) after pleading guilty at Leicester Crown Court "to theft by an employee and concealing, transferring, converting criminal property". According to police an internal investigation launched at the pharmacy branch in July 2018 revealed that more than 22,000 test kits had been ordered since January 2017. Leicester Police said they identified Nargoliya as a suspect due to the time of the orders being placed matching up to his shift patterns. They arrested him in July 2018. Orders for the products were placed by telephone and CCTV footage showed Nargoliya handling them. It was noticed that during his shifts, the defendant would move the deliveries into a private consultation room and later leave with full carrier bags.

Covid-19 vaccine makers are shifting gears and planning for a smaller, more competitive booster shot market after delivering as many doses as fast as they could over the last 18 months. Executives at the biggest Covid vaccine makers including Pfizer and Moderna said they believe most people who wanted to get vaccinated against Covid have already done so - more than five billion people worldwide. In the coming year, most Covid vaccinations will be booster shots, or first inoculations for children, which are still gaining regulatory approvals around the world, they said. Pfizer, which makes its shot with Germany's BioNTech and Moderna still see a major role for themselves in the vaccine market even as overall demand declines. Upstart US vaccine maker Novavax and Germany's CureVac, which is working with GlaxoSmithKline, are developing vaccines they hope to target at the booster market. The roles of AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, whose shots have been less popular or effective, are expected to decline in this market.

When Ignasi Biosca-Reig heard there were shortages of amoxicillin in Spain, he quickly added shifts at his drug company's factories to boost production of the popular antibiotic. But a few extra shifts was as far as he could go. Much as he would have liked to significantly increase supplies, Biosca-Reig said he couldn't justify investing millions of euros in new production lines unless he was paid more for the generic drug to cover sharply rising costs. But, like many other European countries, Spain set the price manufacturers are paid for paediatric amoxicillin when the generic version of the drug was first launched in the country two decades ago, and it has barely budged since. "It's a non-business," said Biosca-Reig, chief executive of Spanish drugmaker Reig Jofre. "We wanted to react, but we had a problem," he said. "The costs go up, the price remains the same."

The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has created a form to help locum and other pharmacists to report about breach of NHS contract by community pharmacy. According to the association, they have been told by increasing number of pharmacists about contractors closing pharmacies, despite a locum readily available to cover the shift. The PDA said this is an issue of NHS contractual breach and creates difficulties for patients, and so they have created the form to assist members to report unnecessary closures to the relevant NHS England & Improvement pharmacy contract team. A locum pharmacist, who does not wish to be named, has alleged that a community pharmacy declined their offer to cover an extra shift for £5 more per hour, and decided to close the store, denying the public access to services. The pharmacist recalled the occasion while writing in the PDA's latest member voice article.

Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, delivered a compelling speech at the NHS ConfedExpo 2024, emphasising the critical need for investment in community-based care and the revitalisation of primary care services. In his address, Taylor also criticised the current health policy as "not fit for purpose," calling for radical changes to shift the NHS from a reactive to a proactive health model. Addressing delegates at the Manchester event, Taylor highlighted the importance of shifting resources towards prevention and community services. Underscoring a strategic pivot from reactive to proactive health models, he said: "We must see action to fulfil the long-held vision of a health service that invests better upstream in prevention, in primary and in community-based care."

Tesco, one of the leading pharmacy chains in the UK, has been allegedly accused of forcing some locum pharmacists to accept lower rates or it will cancel their booking. The issue has been brought to the notice of the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) by some of its locum pharmacists members. "Some locum pharmacists who had existing confirmed bookings at Tesco stores have reported to the PDA that the company has contacted them to say that if they do not agree to accept lower rates than have already agreed, the company will cancel their booking," said PDA. "The reported messages follow a communication from Tesco setting self-imposed so-called "wage rates" for locums. This is confusing as locums are self-employed and therefore should be able to negotiate rates with their clients just as any other independent supplier can do. Using terminology such as "wage rates" is more indicative of an employer-employee relationship and could undermine the status of the locum market in community pharmacy. Employees are also entitled to various extra benefits and have greater employment rights."

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Technology incorporation and adapting to gig economy norms is what going to make the healthcare industry powerful. How it can be possible, learn more here.

A pioneering study by UCL researchers has found that just three minutes of exposure to deep red light once a week, when delivered in the morning, can significantly improve declining eyesight. Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the study builds on the team's previous work, which showed daily three-minute exposure to longwave deep red light 'switched on' energy-producing mitochondria cells in the human retina, helping boost naturally declining vision. For this latest study, scientists wanted to establish what effect a single three-minute exposure would have, while also using much lower energy levels than their previous studies. Furthermore, building on separate UCL research in flies that found mitochondria display 'shifting workloads' depending on the time of day, the team compared morning exposure to afternoon exposure.

The full-time equivalent community pharmacy workforce saw a 6 per cent decline in a year, while the overall number of pharmacists remains nearly constant, according to NHS England's Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey 2022. However, vacancy rates among pharmacists rose 16 percent, suggesting an increased reliance on locum pharmacists who, on average, work fewer hours, the data revealed. According to NHSE, the mandated survey released (Aug. 3) achieved a 95 per cent completion rate among pharmacy contractors, marking a substantial increase compared to only 47 per cent in the previous year. The survey results indicate a shift in working patterns within community pharmacy, with locum pharmacists being utilised more frequently as part of the staffing model. The survey revealed a 6 per cent decrease in the community pharmacy workforce across all roles combined. The number of full-time equivalent pharmacists working in community pharmacy decreased by 2,411, from 20,255 in 2021 to 17,844 in 2022, the survey found. The employed pharmacists decreased by 16 per cent from 12,774 in 2021 to 10,943 in 2022, while locum pharmacists increased by 26 per cent from 4,297 in 2021 to 5,477 in 2022, NHSE said.

The Community Pharmacy Workforce Development Group (CPWDG) has called upon policymakers to take action in response to the 2022 Community Pharmacy Workforce survey for England, which revealed a significant workforce reduction. The survey found a steady decrease in the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy support staff from 2017 to 2022, with no signs of a slowdown. In response, it presented four recommendations to the Government and the NHS, aimed at ensuring that the sector can effectively adapt to the evolving needs of patients. CPWDG's findings indicate that vacancy rates are on the rise, reaching nearly 25 per cent, or 1 in 4 roles, in certain regions, accompanied by a noticeable shift in working patterns.

Rosalind Brewer, the CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA), the parent company of Boots UK, has resigned from her position after serving for less than three years. The prominent US pharmaceutical company is currently in the process of searching for her successor. Ginger Graham, the lead independent director, has been appointed as the interim CEO. "WBA's board of directors and Brewer have mutually agreed on her departure as chief executive and board member," the company said in a statement. Brewer officially stepped down from her roles as chief executive and director on Thursday (Aug. 31). She assumed the CEO role in March 2021, succeeding Executive Chairman Stefano Pessina. Prior to this, Brewer held the position of CEO at Starbucks. The leadership change aligns with WBA's shift towards becoming a broader healthcare company, a strategic move initiated by Brewer and her team in October 2021.

The National Health Service will begin its autumn Covid vaccine program next week, a month earlier than planned in response to the spread of a new variant dubbed Pirola. Covid vaccines will be administered to care home residents and housebound individuals from Monday onwards, while over-65s and other vulnerable groups will receive their appointments the week after. On Aug. 30, NHS England shifted the autumn vaccination drive to start on September 11 in response to the new Covid-19 variant, BA.2.86, detected on August 18. The primary groups can book through a national system upon receiving an invitation from the NHS. Some people may get an earlier call from their GP, and a few have already scheduled Covid vaccinations alongside their flu jabs. The NHS will begin inviting other eligible groups from Sept. 18. However, it is important to note that not everyone will receive a call at the same time. These groups will include individuals aged 65 and over, those aged six months to 64 years in a clinical risk category, frontline health and social care workers, and individuals aged 12 to 64 who are carers or household contacts of those with immunosuppression.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has stated that the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership lacks the essential transparency, efficiency, and diligence needed for success, urging a shift in its approach. The Commission's operational approach hinders its ability to meet the expectations of both the profession and the public, while prioritising government interests over their needs and preferences, RPS Chief Executive Paul Bennett (R) and President Claire Anderson have jointly said. In a blog post on September 7, the RPS leaders asserted that the Commission lacks transparency and is progressing slowly in implementing proposals that were published seven months ago. "Most pharmacy leaders are growing frustrated and increasingly impatient with the Commission's perceived lack of "meaningful progress" in enhancing leadership within the field," the pair noted. In June 2022, the four UK Chief Pharmaceutical Officers (CPhOs) formed an independent Commission with leadership expertise drawn from various domains, both within and outside of pharmacy, to assess the future of professional leadership. The Pharmacy Minister Neil O'Brien recently revealed that the Commission's costs, funded by the offices of the CPhOs, amounted to £87,745.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has explained MPs on instability that puts operational pressures on pharmacies, financial pressures on businesses at a Parliamentary drop-in event held on Monday (10 July). The association has been in Parliament today alongside patient representatives and others to highlight our ongoing concerns about medicines supply to MPs. It said: "Medicines supply remains a critical issue for community pharmacies with disruption causing problems both accessing medicines and procuring them cost effectively." In CPE's recent sector polling, community pharmacy owners rated medicines supply instability as being the most severe pressure facing their businesses. This echoed the results of CPE's Pressures Survey which found 97% of pharmacy owners survey are facing significant increases in wholesaler and medicine supply issues, with 71% saying this was leading to delays in prescriptions being issued. During the Parliamentary drop-in event, CPE talked MPs through the issues and set out what it believe needs to happen to resolve them, calling for- Reform of Serious Shortage Protocols; Allowing generic substitution; An overhaul of the concessions system; and a strategic Government review of medicine supply and pricing with a shift to focusing on how to improve the functioning of the supply chain rather than solely on the drive to depress prices and margins.

Achieving the community pharmacy vision necessitates legal adjustments and additional funding beyond recent boosts, the pharmacy vision document published by Nuffield Trust and The King's Fund has revealed. It says community pharmacies in England must adapt to changing population needs amidst unprecedented health and care challenges. Commissioned by Community Pharmacy England, the report titled 'A Vision for Community Pharmacy', published on Sept. 19, is a result of almost a year of research and extensive consultation with the sector and wider stakeholders, advocating for community pharmacy. The think tanks detail a shift in the community pharmacy sector, highlighting how pharmacies can contribute to crucial policy objectives regarding population health, prevention, and the increasing demand in primary care. "The health and care needs of the population are evolving, and pharmacies in England, like all components of the health and care system, must adjust to address these changes," said Helen Buckingham, Director of Strategy at Nuffield Trust.