The government will on Thursday launch a drive to boost childhood vaccination rates, health authorities said, seeking an "urgent reversal" to a fall in
uptake as the country faces a worsening measles outbreak.
Routine childhood immunisations in Britain for diseases including measles, mumps and rubella, diphtheria and polio, have been falling gradually over the past
decade, but dipped more sharply after the Covid-19 pandemic, mirroring a global decline.
Last year UNICEF said people worldwide had lost confidence in the importance of routine childhood vaccines during the pandemic, with misinformation, dwindling
trust in governments and political polarisation contributing to rising hesitancy.
Britons will begin seeing adverts from next week across various media, including a television campaign featuring children reminding parents of the risk of missing
out on vaccinations, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
"We need an urgent reversal of the decline in the uptake of childhood vaccinations to protect our communities," UKHSA chief executive Jenny Harries said in a
statement.
A Labour Party analysis of NHS trust figures has revealed that around 148,000 people died last year while waiting for treatment in England.
This is more than double the figure recorded in 2017/18, which stood at around 60,000 deaths. It even surpasses the mortality rate observed in 2021, during
the peak of the Covid pandemic.
The Labour Party obtained the data through a freedom of information request sent to every NHS trust in England. Out of the 169 acute and community trusts
contacted, 80 responded.
The total number of deaths reported by the respondents was 61,396. Extrapolating this figure to all trusts would suggest a total of 148,227 deaths.
The Galien Foundation recently announced the winners of the 2024 Prix Galien UK Awards, with the University of Oxford receiving accolades for its
groundbreaking contributions to public sector innovation through the PRINCIPLE and PANORAMIC Trials.
These trials, spearheaded by Oxford's team of experts, have set a new standard for scientific innovation aimed at improving global health outcomes.
Led by University of Oxford, the PRINCIPLE and PANORAMIC Trials epitomize a remarkable collaboration aimed at combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hobbs, who joined the company in 2019, navigated it through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and successfully oversaw the acquisition and integration
of Lexon in 2023. He will retire from the company at the end of September 2024.
"After five years with the company, I am retiring at the end of September to spend time with my wife who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year," Hobbs
said.
"I wish to extend my personal thanks to our owners, the Bestway Group, for their kindness and understanding of our situation.
"It has been a privilege to lead the Well Pharmacy, now Bestway Healthcare organisation. The business is resilient for today and fit to prosper in the long term.
When I leave it will be with gratitude and admiration for the 7,500+ people in Bestway Healthcare who are committed to improving the lives of our patients and
customers, thank you all."
When you don't have access to a sink with soap and water, hand sanitizer comes in very handy. This pocket-size VR Labs aloe vera Hand sanitizer bottle contains 70% alcohol and can eliminate 99.9% of most common germs.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has issued an advisory information to community pharmacy contractors about Paxlovid antiviral treatment for
non-hospitalised patients.
"Patients will be assessed to see if they meet the criteria for inclusion and will need careful checking to see if Paxlovid therapy is safe due to the significant
number of drug interactions. Assessment and prescribing are provided via dedicated services with dispensing and supply arranged by the central supply service or
via participating community pharmacies," said the PDA.
Every pharmacist can support this service by making themselves familiar with the service set up in their area. This is so that they can provide advice and signpost
to healthcare colleagues and patients.
Pharmacists working in general practice may also be able to help with identifying newly diagnosed highest risk patients. Whilst most of this group should have
already been identified and contacted, no system is entirely foolproof.
The PDA's advisory note provides information around indemnity and links to information about the prescribing and administration of Paxlovid since it is being
provided under a temporary authorisation, and is subject to numerous drug-drug interactions, and is a recommended first-line treatment.
Beginner workouts can provide real results from the comfort of your own home. Starting a new exercise routine can be intimidating , especially if you're new to fitness. But don't worry! These 10 easy workouts for beginners is a great way to jump-start your Fitness Goals.
The World Health Organization says it is tracking a few dozen cases of two new sub-variants of the highly transmissible Omicron strain of the coronavirus to assess whether they are more infectious or dangerous.
It has added BA.4 and BA.5, sister variants of the original BA.1 Omicron variant, to its list for monitoring. It is already tracking BA.1 and BA.2 - now globally dominant - as well as BA.1.1 and BA.3.
The WHO said on Monday (April 11) it had begun tracking them because of their "additional mutations that need to be further studied to understand their impact on
immune escape potential".
Viruses mutate all the time but only some mutations affect their ability to spread or evade prior immunity from vaccination or infection, or the severity of disease they cause.
For instance, BA.2 now represents nearly 94% of all sequenced cases and is more transmissible than its siblings, but the evidence so far suggests it is no more likely to cause severe disease.
Private healthcare provider CityDoc has partnered with the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) in its bid to widen a "nationwide network of vaccine clinics" to
increase footfall to community pharmacies that come onboard.
The company says NPA member pharmacies that join the network will have their own dedicated page on the CityDoc website, while benefiting from having online marketing
done on their behalf via an extensive Google AdWords campaign and local listings optimisation - all paid for by CityDoc.
The participating pharmacies will also have access to their own booking system, marketing materials and access to the latest vaccine and private healthcare
information.
NPA member Nick Daines, who runs Lifestyle Pharmacy in Bath, said he has partnered with CityDoc for six years and seen "a significant increase in revenue from
private services."
He added: "The CityDoc partnership has allowed us to establish Lifestyle Pharmacy as a go-to venue for healthcare within Bath.
"We have seen significantly increased footfall thanks to our partnership with CityDoc, which in turn has allowed us to grow the NHS and retail aspects of the business."
If you have asthma, it's important to know when you should see a doctor about an asthma flare-up. A flare-up is a sudden increase in your symptoms, which can
include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Flare-ups can be mild or severe, and they can occur at any time. If you're not sure whether
you're having a flare-up, here are six obvious signs that it might be time to see a doctor.
1. YOU'RE USING YOUR INHALER MORE THAN USUAL
If you have asthma, you likely have a rescue inhaler that you use when you're having symptoms. This inhaler contains a medication that can quickly relieve your
symptoms. If you find that you're using your rescue inhaler more often than usual, it could be a sign that your asthma is getting worse and you need to see a doctor.
By seeking a doctor near me online, you can find a reputable physician who will accurately diagnose and treat your asthma. Always look for a second opinion, as one
doctor's opinion might differ from others. For example, some doctors might recommend that you use a daily inhaler, while others might only recommend using it when
you're having symptoms.
The Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Taskforce head Madelaine McTernan has returned to working full time as the director general of the Vaccine Taskforce for
autumn booster campaign preparation.
She has presented a few key recommendations to help ensure continued HRT supply to meet rising demand. "Improved access to data on prescriptions to more easily see
where there are shortfalls between HRT packs prescribed and HRT packs supplied by manufacturers," she suggested. "Taking lessons from the HRT supply chain work to
inform broader medicine supply work."
Madelaine said: "I am pleased to see the situation with HRT supply is improving across the country. I want to thank suppliers and manufacturers for their engagement
and positive action to tackle this serious issue.
Pharmacy bodies have welcomed the new minister in charge of the profession amid warnings that he will find the sector in a state that is "more fragile that
ever" due to "untenable funding and workforce pressures".
Neil O'Brien was re-appointed as parliamentary under secretary of state in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on October 25 and was later assigned the
pharmacy brief.
The Conservative MP for Harborough - who will have a wide-ranging portfolio of responsibilities, including primary care and pharmacy - has taken over the position
from Will Quince MP, who had a brief stint as pharmacy minister but remains at the department on a different role.
O'Brien was was handed a junior minister's job at DHSC on 7 September 2022 in the government led by Liz Truss but fellow Conservative Quince was assigned primary
care duties including pharmacy.
Welcoming him to his new role, The Company Chemists' Association said that the minister would find that the community pharmacy sector was "more fragile than ever"
with untenable pressures over funding and workforce.
Two dozen parliamentarians from across the political spectrum have called on the prime minister to act as a wave of pharmacy closures in recent years has
threatened to spiral out of control.
A letter to the prime minister signed by 24 MPs and peers has warned that worse could be yet to come after "spiralling business costs" and "year after year of real
terms funding cuts" have led to hundreds of pharmacy closures.
New data from the PSNC shows that over 639 local pharmacies have been lost in England since 2016.
"This is the equivalent to just short of one pharmacy closure per constituency", the cross-party group warned.
The letter comes as MPs came together at a parliamentary summit to call for pharmacies to be embraced as a "game-changer" for tackling healthcare backlogs and taking
pressure off other areas of the NHS. A 'Future of Pharmacy' event was attended by 53 parliamentarians on July 5 in the Palace of Westminster.
At the event parliamentarians heard directly from frontline pharmacists and representatives of pharmacy bodies where a map of constituency-specific pharmacy numbers
was also unveiled, with details of the number of pharmacy closures in MPs' local area.
A new legislation has been introduced to allow authorised pharmacists along with other healthcare professionals in Northern Ireland to certify 'fit notes',
health minister Robin Swann has announced.
Pharmacists and some other healthcare professionals in England, Scotland and Wales are already allowed to sign 'fit notes'.
Swann announced that 'fit notes' were also set to go fully digital in the future, meaning they would no longer need to be signed in ink.
He said: "I am delighted to introduce this legislation in Northern Ireland. This change will make it easier for people and employers to get the advice they need so
people can stay in work and will help free up doctors' time.
"Too often we see people being faced with unnecessary challenges to get a fit note. More professionals being able to offer this vital service will speed up the
process and support people to return to or remain in work."
The UK government has awarded a £1.7 million contract to Ensilicated Technologies Ltd (EnsiliTech), a University of Bath spinout company dedicated to
making vaccines safer, to develop the world's first thermally stable mRNA vaccine.
mRNA vaccines have a huge potential to prevent infectious diseases and a range of previously unpreventable conditions, but currently, these vaccines require
ultracold storage, needing to be kept at -70 or even -80 °C.
The company's ensilication technology allows vaccines and other biological materials to be transported and stored without the use of refrigeration.
Dr Asel Sartbaeva, co-founder and CEO at EnsiliTech, believes that the technology could save tens of thousands of lives every year.
She commented: "We're so proud to have won this important government grant."