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."
Global instant logistics leader, Zipline is partnering with UK drone delivery startup, Apian Aero to launch a drone delivery programme of critical medical
supplies for the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
The new service, expected to begin in the autumn of 2024, will see delivery of medical supplies to hospitals, GPs and care homes, using electric, autonomous drones.
Zipline announced the partnership on Sunday, and said drone delivery service will help provide timely access to prescription medicines, wound care products, joint
replacement implants, and other frequently ordered medical products, which could allow healthcare providers to reduce the number of cancelled procedures, and thus
decrease wait times.
Also, the expansion of the programme will help in creating local job opportunities in the region, it added.
The Pharmacy Collect team is now in position to supply additional stocks of lateral flow device (LFD) test kits to pharmacies that are still experiencing higher demand, Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) said in an update.
The team has informed the negotiator that LFD orders in some locations have reduced allowing them to work with Alliance Healthcare to facilitate extra deliveries.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which is continuing to deliver LFD stocks to Alliance Healthcare for onward delivery to pharmacies, distributed over 14.5 million tests to the company last week.
Community pharmacy contractors can seek up to three additional cartons of test kits by emailing the Pharmacy Collect team. This will be in addition to one carton daily order that contractors are allowed to get through Alliance Healthcare.
European asset management group Aurelius has completed the acquisition of McKesson UK, marking the company's fifth completed transaction in a year.
McKesson UK is the parent company of a number of healthcare businesses including LloydsPharmacy, John Bell & Croyden and AAH Pharmaceuticals.
It comprises four divisions and holds a substantial market share across each vertical: retail, digital, homecare and wholesale. McKesson UK's success has been underpinned by its strong LloydsPharmacy brand, its customer base and its leading commercial footprint across wholesale pharmaceuticals.
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.
LloydsPharmacy Clinical Homecare, a leading provider of home healthcare services in the UK, on Monday announced the appointment of Paul Adams as the
company's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Before assuming his role at LPCH at the end of last year, Adams was leading transformation efforts at DD Group, formerly known as Dental Directory.
With a career spanning over two decades, Adams has held influential positions at Diageo, Smith+Nephew, and served as a CEO for various Private Equity companies.
He has also co-authored "The Little Black Book of Change."
Adams will lead the LPCH's mission to pioneer the delivery of specialist clinical treatment therapies to patients, thereby enhancing patient outcomes within
homecare and community settings while improving accessibility.
In a strategic move to enhance healthcare delivery, the NHS has announced plans to intensify the utilisation of virtual wards under the the Urgent and
Emergency Care Recovery Plan.
The NHS virtual wards are aimed to reduce avoidable hospital admissions across England.
This follows a comprehensive analysis revealing significant benefits from virtual wards over the past year.
"Virtual wards offer a transformative approach to healthcare delivery, allowing patients to receive medical care from the comfort of their own homes," remarked
NHS national director for urgent and emergency care, Sarah-Jane Marsh.
"This initiative not only reduces the burden on hospital resources but also ensures that patients receive timely and personalised care."
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has reported growing concerns among its members regarding their safety at work as the far-right, anti-immigration
riots escalate across the UK.
"We have received calls from members who are concerned about their safety at work and feel vulnerable in communities where the violence and disorder are taking
place," the organisation told Pharmacy Business.
The PDA also reported that some hospital outpatient departments and GP surgeries were forced to close their doors to allow staff to get home safely, which may
impact services to patients.
In light of these challenges, the PDA is calling on employers to ensure that they are adequately communicating with pharmacists in locations at risk of conflict
and to prioritise the health and safety of staff and patients.
"We are aware that pharmacists and their teams working in areas where this criminal activity is taking place are feeling vulnerable but that they also want to
ensure that their communities are safe and have access to the vital services pharmacies provide.
Positive Solutions is set to launch its new, innovative, cloud-based medicines management system - HxCare which will be showcased in October at the Care Show.
HxCare will be free of charge to community pharmacies signing up to the HxCare Affiliate Programme (HxCAP) making it an ideal platform to support existing care home
business and attract new ones.
The cloud-based medicines management system aims to digitise workflows, reduce errors and free up care providers to spend more time delivering care to their residents.
Designed to be truly mobile, HxCare will be tablet based and has been developed by working closely with both care homes across the sector and their pharmacy partners
who relish the prospect of an eMAR solution that integrates into their Analyst PMR.
It is one of five new products being launched by Positive Solutions on the Hx platform this year.
HxConsult is already live supporting pharmacies looking to maximise their service revenue. HxIntel will deliver real-time dashboards, reports and insights into the
performance of pharmacy businesses of all sizes. My Health Hub will revolutionise patient pharmacy relationships whilst HxDispense is set to be the ultimate next
generation PMR system. This modular, cloud-based interoperable ecosystem takes healthcare technology to a new level.