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If you have recently been diagnosed with hearing loss, you may be feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next. You are not alone - millions of people around the world are living with hearing loss. The good news is that there are many resources available to help you learn how to manage your condition and live a full life. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common issues that people with hearing loss face and provide tips on how to handle them. HANDLING ISSUES FROM HEARING LOSS - HOW TO DO IT PROPERLY Hearing loss is certainly a difficult obstacle to face in life, but it doesn't have to stop you from living a full and rich life. Of course, hearing loss comes with its own set of unique challenges, but there are ways to manage them. From learning what hearing aids are the best for you to communicate with loved ones, to the different types of therapies available, we're here to help you find the answers you need. Generally speaking, there are four main issues that people with hearing loss face; Isolation, communication difficulties, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, and depression. Unfortunately, each of these "consequences" will likely get worse if hearing loss is not managed early on. Here are some tips on how to handle each one:

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is encouraging people to come forward for their first and/ or second dose of the Covid vaccine before the free offer ends on Friday (30 June). The NHS's world-leading vaccination programme has so far delivered over 146 million Covid jabs. Building on the success of autumn and spring booster programmes, a seasonal, targeted vaccination offer will remain open for those most at risk, in line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Health Minister Maria Caulfield said: "As we live with Covid without restrictions on our freedoms, it is right that we move towards a more targeted vaccination offer that prioritises those most at risk, so we can focus our efforts on cutting waiting lists for NHS treatment - one of the Prime Minister's top five priorities. As the offer for any adult to get a Covid vaccine comes to an end on 30 June, I would urge those who have not yet come forward to choose to have the first and second Covid vaccine. It takes minutes to get your jab and thousands of sites are open across England." This year's spring booster programme continues to gather pace, with over two million eligible people receiving their vital top-up dose.

A new study published in The Lancet has revealed that a total of 1.7 million people could be living with dementia in England and Wales by 2040. The research highlighted increasing numbers of people who will suffer from Alzheimer's. The disease would massively increase the burden on the healthcare system. The research was led by University of College London (UCL). Lead researcher, Dr Yuntao Chen said, "It is shocking to think that the number of people living with dementia by 2040 may be up to 70 per cent higher than if dementia incidence had continued to decline. "Not only will this have a devastating effect on the lives of those involved but it will also put a considerably larger burden on health and social care than current forecasts predict.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended faricimab as treatment option for adults with wet age-related macular degeneration or diabetic macular oedema. Thousands of people in England could benefit from the recommendation of a new drug that helps to treat two leading causes of sight loss and visual impairment. Faricimab is administered as an eye injection and is being recommended as an option for treating some adults with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or with diabetic macular oedema (DMO). In the key clinical trials, aflibercept, another eye injection drug used to treat AMD and DMO, was administered every 8 weeks, while faricimab dosing, based on assessments of the disease activity, allowed for an interval of up to 16 weeks between doses, and was found to be equally effective. Up to 300,000 people in England with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) could be eligible to receive faricimab as part of their treatment alongside just over 28,000 people with diabetic macular oedema.

People infected with monkeypox can isolate at home if they remain well enough, whilst following measures to limit close contact with others, the UK's health security agency (UKHSA) said on Monday (May 30), part of guidance designed to curb the country's rise in cases of the viral illness. More than 300 suspected and confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported in May, outside of Africa where the virus is endemic. The usually mild illness spreads through close contact and can cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions. An additional 71 cases of monkeypox have been identified in England, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the UK as a whole to 179 since early May. Scientists are looking into what might explain the unusual surge of cases, given most are not linked to travel. The UKHSA indicated community transmission was occurring in the UK and said infected People should avoid contact with others until their lesions have healed and the scabs have dried off.

Amid the ongoing furore over shortages of Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test kits that led pharmacy staff to bear customers' wrath, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and Company Chemists Association (CCA) have jointly appealed the public to be "patient and courteous to pharmacy teams". In an open letter, the two organisations have urged patients and customers to be patient, courteous and safe while visiting their local pharmacies. Highlighting the efforts put in by healthcare workers to keep everyone safe through this tough winter, the two organisations said the pressure of Covid-19 and shortage of LFD kits have sometimes led to verbal abuse of pharmacy staff. Mark Lyonette, NPA chief executive said: "The vast majority of pharmacy customers and patients are polite and understanding. The supply situation with Lateral Flow Tests is stretching people's patience, but that's no excuse for abusive behaviour and people need to understand the constraints on pharmacy teams at this time." Alongside their routine job of providing medicines, health advice and a range of NHS services, pharmacies have put in extra effort to protect people during the pandemic.

NICE has recommended use of tucatinib as an option to treat HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread in people who have already tried 2 or more anti-HER2 treatments. The move is set to benefit around 400 people with advanced breast cancer. Tucatinib works by blocking a specific area of the HER2 gene in cancer cells, which stops the cells from growing and spreading. The medicine is taken as two 150 mg tablets twice daily along with anti-cancer medicines trastuzumab and capecitabine. Helen Knight, programme director in the NICE Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, said: "Unfortunately there is no cure for breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. There is also a lack of additional anti‑HER2 treatments which can postpone the need for chemotherapy, especially for people whose cancer has spread to their brain because their treatment options are even more limited.

When it comes to supplements, more and more people are starting to become interested in them. This is because supplements have a lot of benefits that can improve a person's health in many ways. However, with the increasing popularity of supplements also comes an increase in the number of low-quality and ineffective supplements on the market. Because of this, it is important for people who are interested in taking supplements to know how to choose quality ones that will be beneficial to their health. In this article, we will discuss some tips on how to do just that. CHOOSE SUPPLEMENTS FROM A REPUTABLE COMPANY Finally, one of the best ways to ensure that you're getting a quality supplement is to choose one from a reputable company. There are many different supplement companies out there, but not all of them are created equal. Some companies are more interested in making money than they are in providing their customers with safe and effective products. Therefore, when you're looking for supplements, it's important to do some research on the different companies that sell them. See if there have been any complaints filed against the company or if their products have been recalled by the FDA. Also, look for customer reviews of the company's products to see what other people have thought about them. As explained by the folks from Supplement First, A good supplement company will have no problem providing you with this information and will be happy to answer any questions you have. Doing some research on the company beforehand can save you a lot of time and money in the long run.

The government has announced a freeze to the NHS prescription charges, first time in 12 years, to help people ease with the cost of living and ensure prescription medication remains accessible. Charges for prescriptions will remain at £9.35 for a single charge or £30.25 for a 3-month prescription prepayment certificate (PPC), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said, adding that the measure will help save £17 million. The 12-month PPCs will remain at £108.10 and can be paid for in instalments, meaning people can get all the medicines they need for just over £2 a week, it added. The NHS low income scheme will also help with prescription payments, with free prescriptions for eligible people in certain groups such as pensioners, students, and those who receive state benefits or live in care homes. "The rise in the cost of living has been unavoidable as we face global challenges and the repercussions of Putin's illegal war in Ukraine. While we cannot completely prevent these rises, where we can help, we absolutely will," Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said. "This is why I am freezing prescription charges to help ease some of these pressures and put money back in people's pockets."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has backed a new framework from NHS England to reduce inappropriate prescribing of addiction-causing medicines. It believes that the new framework is a positive step towards improving patient care by supporting medicine reviews and shared decision making to help people reduce their use of medicines that are no longer providing much clinical benefit. The society has also welcomed investment in innovative approaches to supporting patients and urged all pharmacists to refer people to such schemes. Director for England at RPS, James Davies said: "Pharmacists are well-placed to help reduce inappropriate prescribing of high strength painkillers such as opioids and other addictive medicines. "Pharmacy teams can also often spot repeat purchases of over the counter medicines by patients so are well placed to intervene and give advice on the management of chronic pain. Whilst opioids can play an important part in helping people with chronic pain there has long been a need for alternative approaches that are safer and more effective for patients.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) highlighted the role played by community pharmacies during pandemic to provide urgent care and vital support to people with long-term medical conditions at its opening remark in the Covid-19 public inquiry held on Tuesday (28 February). NPA is the core participant in the Covid-19 public inquiry. lawyer Brian Stanton made an opening statement on the NPA's behalf which focused on three areas- health inequalities and the needs of vulnerable patients; the impact of medicine shortages and medicine price increases and the challenge that community pharmacy faced in responding to the pandemic and maintaining patient services following long-term under investment. Stanton said: "The UK's community pharmacies were on the frontline of efforts to limit the impact of coronavirus and to keep people well, and as well as handling a massive increase in demand for healthcare advice and medicines, they also continued to provide urgent care and vital support to people with long-term medical conditions. "However, there are now very many at risk of closure during to underfunding and when the Inquiry comes to consider its recommendations the NPA would encourage you [the presiding judge] to think about how resilience can be built into future plans." The statement included a compelling account of the commitment typical of so many pharmacies during the pandemic - from husband and wife Pete and Sukhi Johal, both NPA members and pharmacists, who co-own Calow Pharmacy in Chesterfield.

Britain has started counting possible Covid-19 reinfections in its daily coronavirus data, changing its approach to reflect the increased number of people catching the disease for a second time as the Omicron variant predominates. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) added around 840,000 cases to the cumulative total, taking it to 17.3 million coronavirus infections reported. Britain's daily Covid statistics previously would only count people who had tested positive for the first time to avoid double-counting people who had received multiple positive test results for the same infection. However, with variants such as Omicron leading to an increase in reinfections, the UKHSA said it would change its method to treat positive tests as separate infections if there was at least 90 days between test results. The change took effect on Monday (January 31). "Reinfection remained at very low levels until the start of the Omicron wave. It is right that our daily reporting processes reflect how the virus has changed," said Steven Riley, UKHSA's Director General of Data and Analytics.

Community pharmacists in England have slammed the government's latest decision to reduce the number of people who get a free winter flu jab in the 2022-23 flu season, as concerns related to Covid-19 still exist. This follows a letter from the NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) to clinicians, which stated that the flu vaccination service in 2022-23 will be offered to patient groups eligible in line with pre-pandemic recommendations. The eligibility was widened significantly after the pandemic struck in 2020 to help reduce the death toll from the Covid-19. With the change in place people aged 50-64 and schoolchildren aged 11-15 will not be eligible to receive the free jabs on the NHS next winter, pushing millions of people to pay for their jabs privately. It further recommended that vaccination for frontline healthcare workers and social care workers should be provided by employers as part of the organisation's policy to prevent the transmission of infection.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced 30 pence increase in prescription charges from £9.35 to £9.65 for each medicine or appliance dispensed. Board Chair for England at RPS, Thorrun Govind commented: "This is a kick in the teeth for people in England who are already struggling with rising bills and food prices. "Patients groups have warned that people are not collecting prescription medicines due to cost and pharmacists are seeing this worrying trend first-hand. "A Government impact assessment noted the risk of adverse effects of people not taking their medicines, resulting in future health problems for the individual, potential hospital admissions, and a subsequent cost to the NHS. "This decision seems to prioritise revenue generation over ill-health prevention and undermines the principle of an NHS free at the point of use.

YouGov polling commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has revealed that majority of the people responding to the poll said that they would be concern by the pharmacy closure in their locality. The results show the extent of the public backing for a Pharmacy First approach - PSNC has been arguing that a fully-funded service would be beneficial for pharmacies, patients and the wider NHS. The poll witnessed 1,774 adults' participation from England. It showed 68 per cent of people agree that they would find it easier to seek health advice for common conditions, such as skin conditions or indigestion, at a community pharmacy rather than a GP surgery. Only 11 per cent disagreed that this would be easier. While 75 per cent of people agree that they would like to see community pharmacies offering more healthcare services such as treating urinary tract infections or sore throats. Only 6 per cent strongly disagreed with this. When asked how important, if at all, are the services provided by community pharmacies to them, their family, or community, 78 per cent indicted this was very important. Only 14 per cent said this wasn't important. 77 per cent said they would be very concerned if the pharmacy they use most often were to close permanently. Only 19 per cent said they would not be very concerned.

The National Health Service (NHS) on Monday launched a new national campaign to find the 'missing millions' who could be living with undiagnosed high blood pressure, often described as a 'silent killer'. People are being warned that the condition rarely has any symptoms and it can lead to fatal heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and vascular dementia, if left untreated. According to the NHS, high blood pressure affects an estimated 32 per cent of adults and approximately three in 10 of these remain undiagnosed, equating to 4.2 million People in England. The NHS has expanded blood pressure checks in community pharmacies to include 2.5 million more tests as part of the Pharmacy First programme. With the 'Get Your Blood Pressure Checked' campaign, the health service is encouraging those aged 40 years and over to get a free blood pressure test at a participating pharmacy, for which they don't need to be booked in advance. Health Minister Andrea Leadsom expressed confidence that this new drive will help to prevent the potentially "fatal consequences" of untreated high blood pressure. She urged People to go to their local pharmacy to get their blood pressure checked, stating that it could be a "lifesaving trip."

Sigma Pharmaceuticals, a leading pharmacy wholesaler and distributor in the UK, has once again demonstrated its commitment to supporting the local community by helping raise over £70,000 for local charitable causes. As per a statement from Watford-based industry leader, they raised £20,000 for Citizens Advice Watford, their selected charity of the year, during the recent Sigma annual conference held in Sun City, South Africa. Additionally, Sigma played a vital part in raising more than £52,000 for 'Team George' at the London Marathon Charity run held on Sunday, 21 April 2024 to support cancer charities. Throughout the year, Sigma will continue to partner with Citizens Advice Watford, a local charity that provides frontline service to the community, giving free, expert and impartial advice and support to 8,000 people a year, many of whom are facing crisis situations. Applauding the work done by this charity, Dr Bharat Shah CBE, Founder and Managing Director at Sigma, said: "It has been eye-opening to learn about the life-changing impact the charity has on the lives of so many people. "We have seen how their expert team works day in and day out to speak up for people who have nowhere else to turn, ensuring they receive the support and services they're entitled to."

A recent report from Healthwatch England has highlighted that while people highly value the accessibility of community pharmacies, both in terms of location and prompt service, they also encounter challenges in getting the most out of their pharmacy care experience. The report titled 'Pharmacy: What people' is based on the research conducted by the organisation in November last year, involving 1,650 people who shared their experiences of pharmacy services in England. It showed the country's notable dependence on community pharmacies, with 72 per cent of respondents saying they have used a community pharmacy in the past three months. Usage of online pharmacies is considerably lower than community pharmacies, with only 18 per cent of individuals having used an online pharmacy in the past three months, according to the report published on Tuesday (30 April).

Campaigners have submitted an open letter to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), urging the Minister for Primary Care and Public Health to freeze prescription charges to keep people with long-term conditions alive and well. The campaign is led by the Prescription Charges Coalition, which represents over 50 organisations, including Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA). Currently, the prescription charge is £9.65 per item, and campaigners have asked the government to freeze it for 2024 and 2025 as people living with long-term health conditions in England are "being forced to choose between heating, eating, and taking their vital medication on a daily basis." In 2023, a study conducted by the Prescription Charges Coalition revealed that almost 10 per cent of survey participants had skipped medication in the previous year due to the cost of prescriptions. This led to increased physical and mental health problems, as well as impacted the time they took off work. Laura Cockram, Chair of the Prescription Charges Coalition and Head of Campaigns at Parkinson's UK, expressed deep concern that a further rise in the charge this year will lead to people skipping or not taking the full dose of their medication, which will affect their health and put more pressure on the already under pressure NHS.

Insect bites and stings typically increase in the summer in England. This year, however, there's been an earlier-than-usual spike in the number of people seeking NHS advice on the condition. According to the NHS England, visits to its insect bites and stings web page have nearly tripled in the last three weeks compared to the same period last year, peaking at an average of one visit every 22 seconds in the past week. Over the span of 21 days, a total of 68,986 visited the page, marking a significant 162 per cent increase compared to the 26,368 visits recorded in the first three weeks of May 2023. Although insect bites or stings are usually not serious and people tend to get better after a few days, the health service has cautioned that they can lead to infection or severe allergic reactions. people are encouraged to refer to the NHS website for advice or visit their local pharmacy to get advice and treatment for common health conditions, including infected insect bites.