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The National Health Service(NHS) has reported a record number of attendances at Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments and emergency admissions for any June, reflecting significant pressure on healthcare services amidst hot weather and recent strikes by junior doctors. Last month, hospitals across the UK handled over 2.29 million A&E attendances and more than 536,884 emergency admissions, marking increases of 3.1 per cent and 7.2 per cent respectively compared to the previous year. Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, acknowledged the strain on frontline teams: "Frontline teams are continuing to work exceptionally hard under significant pressure to provide the best care they can for patients."

The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust (LTCT) is set to provide financial aid for the families of those working in the convenience, grocery, and pharmacy trades starting next month. In an announcement, the Trust shared that the applications for the academic year 2024/25 for undergraduate bursaries will start from August 1 till October 15. LTCT bursary schemes are intended for university students whose parent or carer is "employed in an eligible profession, such as convenience retailer, supermarket store worker, or pharmacy technician". According to the charity's bursary scheme, successful applicants can receive up to £3,000, which can be put towards tuition fees, course materials, equipments, or even travel costs. "With the charity's core belief that everyone should have the opportunity to reach their academic potential", LTCT believes. The bursary scheme will help alleviate some of the financial pressure on students interested in pursuing higher education and their parents. In 2024, the total number of bursaries awarded since the scheme launched is expected to exceed 5,000, totalling £28million worth of financial aid.

Medicare saved around $650 million over 4 years with the new Medicare Prior Authorization Model for Repetitive, Scheduled Non-Emergent Ambulance Transport (RSNAT).

Northern Ireland's chief pharmaceutical officer paid a visit to a community pharmacy in Belfast on Monday (November 7) - marking the end of this year's Ask Your Pharmacist week, an annual public awareness campaign launched by the National Pharmacy Association. Cathy Harrison interacted with patients and staff in the pharmacy before recording a video to promote NI's 'Pharmacy First' service in which she described community pharmacies as "one of the front doors to the health service" with over 500 outlets located across the country. "In our community pharmacies you can always rely on friendly staff, medicines expertise, and walk-in access to face-to-face advice," she said. First launched in Scotland, the NHS Pharmacy First service enables patients to have a consultation with a pharmacist for advice on minor ailments. Ms Harrison also drew attention to community pharmacy's role in cancer awareness and helping people to quit smoking, as well as managing patients with urinary tract infections, in addition to playing their part in delivering Covid-19 and flu vaccinations.

Community pharmacies are well placed to play a role in preventing deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) said Director of NHS Services. The recent analysis by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) revealed that nearly 100,000 more people with cardiovascular disease than expected have died since the start of the pandemic in England. Latest figures show that the number of people waiting for time-sensitive cardiac care was at a record high of nearly 390,000 at the end of April in England. Average ambulance response times for heart attacks and strokes have consistently been above 30 minutes since the beginning of 2022, and in December 2022 they even breached 90 minutes. The target is 18 minutes, though the Government has set a new average target of 30 minutes over 2023/24. Director of NHS Services, Alastair Buxton, said: "It is concerning to hear that there have been tens of thousands of preventable deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We share BHF's desire to see more action on preventing the causes of CVD and, subject to appropriate funding being in place, community pharmacy teams are well placed to play a role in this.

The national pharmacy bodies has created 'Save Our Pharmacies' campaign website to give new focus to calls for fair pharmacy funding in England. The newly launched site contains key messages for public, politicians and stakeholders, and hosts campaign resources to be used by pharmacy teams. The pharmacy bodies encourage members of the public and pharmacy teams to show their support for the campaign on social media, as well as signing the petition and contacting their local MPs about fair funding. A further resource in the form of a window poster is being printed and will shortly be mailed out to all community pharmacies in England. It is the latest output of a joint programme of work being coordinated by PSNC, CCA, AIM and the NPA.

Since 1990, Glendale Pharmacy in Wooler, Northumberland, has been under the ownership of Andrew Booth, who recently decided to sell it to pursue a well-earned retirement. According to Christie & Co, the community pharmacy has been acquired by Jagraj Randeva, who owns a small portfolio of pharmacies in Ashington and Newcastle upon Tyne. Jagraj was particularly drawn to this pharmacy because of its advantageous, unchallenged location and its strong historical performance. Located near the Cheviot Hills and 17 miles south of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Glendale Pharmacy dispenses an average of 6,600 items per month. Karl Clezy, Director - Pharmacy at Christie & Co, noted that Glendale Pharmacy has seen an improvement in its trading performance since the start of the marketing process, increasing its prescription numbers and providing more additional/enhanced services.

CMS extends the deadline for MIPS 2020 targeted review to help eligible clinicians check their data, score, payment adjustments, and apply for reweighting in case of any effect.

Pharmacy Business will be hosting their annual awards event in the pharmacy calendar with a glittering ceremony to celebrate the very best of community pharmacy. The 23rd edition of the Pharmacy Business Awards will be on Wednesday 4 October 2023 in central London. The awards attract the biggest names in pharmacy, with heads of pharmacy organisations, CEOs of leading manufacturers and wholesalers, health officials and government ministers in attendance. We look forward to bringing together the shining lights of community pharmacy, who show the nation the unique services they continue to provide. REASONS TO ATTEND Understand what the ambitions of the NHS and PSNC are for the future of community pharmacy Understand why its important to develop a wider range of health services Learn how others are achieving this and what the benefits can be Learn what the benefits of embracing technological innovations are Hear what others are doing and what the benefits are to their business Network with and learn from your peers in community pharmacy WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Pharmacy owners Pharmacy managers Other pharmacy stakeholders Exciting news! Pharmacy Business Awards 2023 are just around the corner!

Drug shortages have become a global issue, with many countries struggling to maintain a consistent supply of common medications, including antidepressants, immunosuppressants and drugs to treat type 2 diabetes and ADHD. Earlier last month, the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA), the trade body for off-patent medicines, warned that 111 products were facing supply problems, the highest on record in the UK, and more than double the number recorded at the start of 2022. More than half of products affected (55) are branded generic drugs, which represent 10 per cent of prescription products used in the UK. The trade body blamed the escalating rebate rate of the government's voluntary scheme for branded medicine pricing and access (VPAS) for these shortages, but Brexit is also cited as another reason for the problem.