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The pharmacy market in England has seen a significant transformation in recent years, driven by a trend of large-scale disposals by corporate operators. Jonathan Board, Director - Pharmacy, Christie & Co, has told Pharmacy Business that several corporate operators are looking to sell off their marginal or non-performing assets while independent operators are eager to acquire and enhance businesses further. Due to their scale, corporate operators are compelled to adopt a 'one size fits all' approach. However, Jonathan believes this puts them at a disadvantage compared to many independent operators who are better positioned to meet local patient and community needs, delivering a more personalised approach to patient engagement, and a variety of other services "As such, where corporate disposals have taken place, there has been a steady stream of independent operators eager to take over and develop the businesses further," he said.

International day for persons with disabilities on 3rd December - Note on schemes for the welfare of persons with disabilities and concessions available to them. The Government of India is committed for the realization of full participation, protection of rights, and equal opportunities to all including persons with disabilities. India is a country where most of the population lives in the rural areas and accessing the health and rehabilitation services has always been a challenge. In a Backgrounder issued yesterday, a brief summary of the major steps initiated by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in this direction were given. Following is the Background Note on the legislative and Institutional framework along with the major schemes of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment for the welfare of the People with Disabilities (PwDs). The Note also contains information on facilities and concessions available to PwDs under other central schemes which are being run by other Union Ministries. OFFER ON INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY DAY Wheelchair @ 4499 INR Tricycle @ 6500 INR Legislative Framework: There are four important legislations dealing on disabilities issues- The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, has laid the foundation of recognition of rights for Persons with Disabilities and has facilitated development of specific programmes for their education, rehabilitation, employment, non-discrimination and social security. The Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992 regulates and monitors training of rehabilitation professionals and personnel. The National Trust for the welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999, aims at enabling and empowering persons with disabilities to live independently as fully as possible in their community. Mental Health Act, 1987, address to the specific needs of persons with ment

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.

Well Pharmacy has introduced a digital e-voucher platform for its corporate flu vaccination scheme. This platform simplifies the process of distributing flu vouchers to colleagues via email, employing individual flu voucher codes for each recipient, the company said in a statement. "Flu can disrupt business operations, especially during the bustling pre-Christmas period," said George Sandhu, Deputy Superintendent Pharmacist at Well Pharmacy. "Opting for staff flu jabs is a cost-effective means of safeguarding your business, employees, and their families. Our goal is to ensure a seamless setup, effortless administration, and convenient access to flu jabs for your colleagues, fitting into their schedules smoothly." According to the statement, Well Pharmacy's digital e-voucher platform offers effortless accessibility and various benefits, including swift email sharing, transparent upfront pricing and invoicing, and convenient tracking of voucher usage. Businesses can also track the utilisation and remaining availability of vouchers. "Just determine the desired number of vouchers and complete the order form," Sandhu added. "We'll provide a pre-filled agreement for your signature and return, along with an invoice. After setup, you'll receive a voucher code to distribute among your staff, along with promotional posters. They can access our website to obtain the necessary code for scheduling their vaccinations."

Dispensing activity by community pharmacy in England has witnessed a 4.2 per cent increase across the year 2021 till March 2022, the Pharmacy Market Review 2022 report revealed. The report launched by Christie & Co, said: "All pharmacy settings saw improvements in dispensing numbers, with standard community settings seeing the highest increase of 4.2 per cent, with the average moving to 7,173 items, albeit still below the combined average." "The independent sector fared better than corporate pharmacy, with a combined average increase of 3.5 per cent versus a 1.8 per cent increase in corporate dispensing. Despite some improvement, integrated pharmacies remained the lowest at 1.9 per cent, in part due to the continued restrictions on patient access." Dispensing activity for England across the year to March 2022 increased by 4.5 per cent to an average of 7,765 items per month, reversing the decline witnessed in 2021.

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Chaim Citronenbaum emphasises on the importance of corporate philanthropy for business survival.

Grab the best online travel deals available in Brawley CA for 20% corporate discount on hotel accommodation and 10% off on Townhouse Inn and Suites on Save Local Now. If you are looking for local businesses and their services available in your city for automotive, real estate, contractors, insurance, equipment rentals, health clubs then Save Local Now is the best source to find and share them.

Insights Care is honored to present "The 20 Leading Healthcare Solution Providers 2017" which are adapting novel technologies to meet and exceed the health care standard. We have, on our cover, Validic - a cloud-based platform and the market leader in health data connectivity that provides healthcare organizations access to personal health data, gathered from FDA-listed in-home medical devices, wearables and healthcare apps. Led by company's CEO and co-founder, Drew Schiller, Validic serves as a technical partner and strategic advisor, guiding its clients through digital health data integration and innovation. At Validic, Drew leads corporate strategy, drives key initiatives and works closely with senior executives at partner organizations to stay ahead of the technology curve. He believes that digital health will reshape healthcare.

Ahead of the launch of UK's first state-of-the-art automated hub for independent community pharmacists, HubRx has announced the appointment of Karl Wooldridge as operations director and Matthew Tollefson as chief financial officer. Karl brings more than 14 years of sector experience to his new role with HubRx. Having begun his career as an independent community pharmacist, Karl has gone on to hold key roles within pharmacy automation, including managing Phoenix Medical Supplies' offsite dispensing service. Commenting on his appointment, Karl said: "I'm delighted to have joined the team. The pandemic has further highlighted the important role pharmacists can play in keeping the nation healthy, not least in the delivery of the latest vaccination programme. The focus is now on pharmacists offering more clinical services, but to be able to achieve that the dispensing burden needs to be reduced. "HubRx is pioneering, our approach will transform community pharmacy. We're investing in cutting-edge technology to create an automated dispensing hub that will create capacity for pharmacists, allow them to grow and expand their skills." Matthew joins from Leeds-based corporate finance firm, Sentio Partners having also held positions with Mazars and Ernst & Young.

Independent pharmacies played a leading role in administering Covid-19 vaccines in the country, latest data compiled by the National Pharmacy Association has revealed. According to the latest research conducted by the NPA and PharmData, independent community pharmacies were the biggest deliverers of Covid vaccines during January - September 2021 as compared to corporate-run pharmacy sites. The PharmData figures which looked at 610 pharmacy sites around the country showed that 85 per cent of them were independents, most of whom are NPA members. NPA chief executive Mark Lyonette said: "These figures show us that flexible, locally engaged, entrepreneurial independent community pharmacies are making a huge contribution to the vaccine programme.

The Pharmaceutical Defence Association (PDA) has urged health ministers of the UK to take a strict and necessary action against the unnecessary closures of pharmacy. Concerned over the rising number of pharmacy closures, PDA has written an open letter to health secretary Steve Barclay; Robin Swann, health minister for Northern Ireland; Eluned Morgan, minister of health and social services for Wales; and Humza Yousaf, the Scottish health secretary. In its letter, PDA said: "The minister of health must now ensure the regulation of poor business behaviours and be prepared to take over rogue pharmacies, however large their corporate owner may be. If patients' access to NHS services is to be protected from the consequences of avoidable full or part-day pharmacy closures." The association believes it is only a matter of time before serious harm to patients' health will be caused by the decisions of mainly large chains of pharmacies to close some of their branches for all or part of a day, instead of engaging an available pharmacist to cover their agreed opening hours. "While a small number of unforeseen closures have always occurred from time to time in pharmacies for genuine reasons, the indiscriminate scale at which closures have now become commonplace seems to have evolved over the last 20 months."

McKesson UK has announced that it has changed its name to Hallo Healthcare Group. This year, in April, European asset management group Aurelius completed the acquisition of McKesson UK. Over recent years, the company has benefited from the introduction of additional services delivered across its more than 1,300 pharmacies, a growing digital offering and the ability to support the increasing trend of primary care being delivered to patients in their home. On Monday, the company posted on LinkedIn: "Today we have officially changed our name from McKesson UK to Hallo Healthcare Group. This marks our separation from the McKesson Corporation and the start of our exciting new world under Aurelius Group ownership."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has appointed Neville Carter as its new chief education and membership officer. Neville joins RPS from the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) where he is currently director of engagement, leading a team of over 60 and responsible for creating a combined directorate accountable for education, membership, philanthropy, and business development. He has, in particular, led on the development of a digital education strategy and launched professional development training programmes for members. Prior to joining the RSM, Neville worked as director of product and sales at the British Medical Association with responsibility for membership growth, supporting corporate transformation and developing and managing member benefits and relationships with third-party providers to support revenue growth. He also has senior manager experience at the RAC and at British Airways. Commenting on the appointment, Paul Bennett, RPS CEO, said: "I'm delighted that Neville will be joining our Executive team. He brings a wealth of relevant experience and this, in combination with a strong existing education and membership team at RPS and a clear ambition to strengthen the relevant functions further, will enable the organisation to deliver a dynamic offering for our members.

It is important to revisit our financial situation early in the tax year and the various ways in which we could save some tax, extract cash from the business and reduce tax liabilities. We list below some of the tax planning opportunities available in the current tax year (05 April 2023 for individuals and 31 March 2023 for corporates). Salaries As a director of a limited company, you are entitled to be paid a salary for your work and so are members of your family who work for the company. Paying at least a small salary can be very beneficial, particularly when the recipient does not already have the 35 qualifying years needed for entitlement to the full single-tier state pension, which is payable to those who reach state pension age on or after 06 April 2016. To preserve entitlement to state pension, and to ensure the year counts as a qualifying year, it is advisable to pay a salary at least equal to the lower earnings limit for National Insurance Contributions (NIC) which is set at £578 per month for 2022/2023 i.e., £9,100 per annum. Salaries may be beneficial where funds are needed in a recession for example, and the company does not have sufficient reserves to pay dividends. Dividends The annual tax-free dividend allowance for 2022/2023 is £2,000. Although referred to as an "allowance", it is actually a zero-rate band and therefore uses up your basic or higher rate band as appropriate. Dividends are treated as the top slice of income and for 2022/2023, dividend income is taxed at 8.75% to the extent it falls within the basic rate band, 33.75% if it falls within the higher rate band and 39.35% to the extent it falls within the additional rate band.

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.

Two weeks prior to the closing of the hub and spoke consultation, issues around patient safety, costs and competition as well as practicalities such as what to do with uncollected medicines were discussed in a webinar on hub and spoke dispensing on Wednesday (May 26). The webinar was organised by Sigma Pharmaceuticals in association with the National Pharmacy Association (NPA). NPA director of corporate affairs Gareth Jones chaired the event and was joined by Sigma's Hatul Shah and Raj Haria as well as NPA vice chair Nick Kaye and NPA head of advice and support services Jasmine Shah. Kaye said: "There are still many 'unknown unknowns' with hub and spoke and the jury's still out on any potential benefits. I have lots of reservations about cost and it worries me how efficient this is for the business and the long term sustainability for the sector as a whole. Above all we need to think about the patient at the centre of all this and the potential confusion for them." Jasmine Shah felt patient safety was going to be the key in regards to whether the spoke and the hub would hold the ultimate responsibility and "who is going to take the accountability as far as patient care goes". She added: "It is most important that GPhC standards and NHS requirement are both met in identifying all the risks associated with the arrangement with hub and spoke and ensuring that (patient safety) measures are in place. Everything that needs to be looked at is by putting the patient at heart of the arrangement and seeing what is the safest way for them to receive care from both spoke and hub."

Health secretary Sajid Javid visited Medicine Chest Pharmacy in London on Friday (January 28) and thanked pharmacy teams across England for delivering well over 20 million Covid-19 jabs. According to the latest research conducted by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and PharmData, independent community pharmacies were the biggest deliverers of Covid-19 vaccines during January 2021 to September 2021 as compared to corporate-run pharmacy sites. As of January 2022, pharmacies across the whole sector had delivered 22 million Covid jabs, with the majority of them being independents of whom most are NPA members. In a video message released after the visit, Javid said: "Today I am here at Medicine Chest pharmacy in London to thank them, all pharmacies, the NHS, for the fantastic job they have done particularly over the last few months to get our country boosted. It's because of this phenomenal success that today we are able to return to Plan A as we see Omicron in retreat and we learn to live with Covid."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has opened a survey which asks its members how they would want to take part in and learn about decisions made by the RPS. The RPS said the survey was a core part of the independent review of member participation and communications led by communications consultancy Luther Pendragon. It said: "We will be asking our members to join focus groups to give their opinions on how participation can be developed and strengthened, and how RPS communications about decisions it has taken on behalf of the profession through its governance boards can be improved. We will also be asking our elected members and key external stakeholders for their views over the coming weeks." The Luther team will then build a series of recommendations for RPS and develop a corporate communications strategy which will include action plans to enable greater participation. RPS president Claire Anderson said: "We want to hear from as many of you as possible through our survey to inform how the organisation works with and engages with you, our members.