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Independent pharmacy chain, Peak Pharmacy, has sold two of its smaller branches - one in Little Eaton, Derbyshire, and the other in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Founded in 1981 by Peter and Jane Cattee, Peak Pharmacy has over 150 pharmacies across the UK. The pair of Midlands pharmacies dispense an average of circa 2,800 items per month, according to specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, which announced the sale. The pharmacy in Burton-on-Trent has been acquired by a local first-time buyer, Mohammed Wasim Gul, while the pharmacy in Little Eaton has been purchased by Amul Telrandhe, who is also the owner of Derwent Pharmacy in Derby.

Well Pharmacy, one of the UK's leading independent pharmacy chains, has been offering flu vaccinations for free. The chain says it is concerned as the winter flu season is now in full force, with hospital admissions reaching a peak and flu stats higher than they have been in recent years. Recent data shared by NHS England showed that there was an increase in flu cases by nearly 70 per cent leaving many in hospital each week. Well Pharmacy is worried about those who have yet to have the flu jab and has been urging people to get one for free. It recognises that only children aged 2-11, people over 50, and those with certain medical conditions are eligible for free NHS jabs, leaving millions who would normally have to pay for a flu vaccination which usually costs £15. Research recently undertaken by the chain shows that a quarter of people (25 per cent) think that after so many Covid-19 jabs in the last few years, 'vaccine fatigue' has led to a perceived lack of motivation in others to get their jabs.

NHS cancer check has set a new record, despite pressures on hospitals due to Covid-19, the number of people being treated for the cancer remained higher than before the pandemic, revealed NHS. Over the last 12 months almost three million people were referred for cancer checks which is up by over a tenth on the 2.4 million people referred before the pandemic. "Even at the peak of the Omicron wave, referrals for suspected cancer were at 116 per cent of pre-pandemic levels with around 11,000 people getting checked every day over the last year," said NHS. In order to meet increasing demand for cancer checks, NHS services across the country are expanding their diagnostic capabilities through one stop shops for tests, mobile clinics and cancer symptom hotlines, ensuring people are diagnosed and treated as early as possible to give them a much better chance of beating the disease. More than 30,000 people every month are being invited for lung cancer checks through NHS mobile trucks visiting at risk communities across the country, as part of the biggest programme to improve early lung cancer diagnosis in health service history.

PHOENIX UK and the British Heart Foundation has joined hands for a charity partnership to continue the ongoing commitment of improving heart health across the UK. The PHOENIX team have set the donation goal of £20,000 by June 2023 and are set to take on a range of exciting challenges over the course of the next year, such as a Tough Mudder and the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, all in a bid to raise funds for the heart health charity. Nigel Swift, Managing Director of Rowlands, PHOENIX UK's largest community pharmacy member organisation, commented: "We are thrilled to be partnering with The British Heart Foundation. Its lifesaving research perfectly aligns with our mission across PHOENIX UK - to enable more people to live happy and healthy lives - and so we look forward to raising vital funds and supporting the excellent work of the charity." Hayley Gough, Community Relationship Manager at The British Heart Foundation, added, "It's fantastic to see the team at PHOENIX UK commit to raising so much money for The British Heart Foundation. We can't wait to see all that they achieve and are so grateful for their fundraising efforts."

Prime minister Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday (January 19) that restrictions re-imposed in England last month would be lifted by from next Thursday (January 27). In the latest development, the government has decided to end the guidance on working from home, asking employers to make adequate arrangements to return safely to work. From the start of next Thursday, mandatory certification based on vaccines and tests will end, however, organisations can still choose to use the NHS Covid Pass voluntarily. Besides, the legal mandate to wear face masks will go away from next week. Making a statement to the House of Commons on Covid-19, he said that infection levels are falling in England mainly because of the country's "extraordinary booster campaign". He noted more than 36 million Covid-19 booster jabs had been delivered, with over 90 percent of over-60s now given a third dose. "Our scientists believe it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally," Johnson added, while cautioning "the pandemic is not over". "I encourage everyone across the country to continue with all the cautious behaviours that we know help to keep each everybody safe."

Global demand for Pfizer's oral Covid-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid has been unexpectedly low due to complicated eligibility requirements, reduced testing, and potential for drug interactions, according to a media report. Demand also has been hampered by the perception that Omicron infections are not that severe. Paxlovid was expected to be a major tool in the fight against Covid after it reduced hospitalizations or deaths in high-risk patients by around 90 per cent in a clinical trial. Thousands of people still die from Covid-19 every week, even as global infections are far off their peak. And there are only a few proven antiviral treatments, of which Paxlovid is the most attractive. The others are Merck & Co's far less effective rival pill molnupiravir, and Gilead Sciences' intravenous remdesivir.

Britain's Covid booster campaign is set to kick off this September, after the country became the first in the world to approve an Omicron-adapted shot. Around 26 million people in Britain are estimated to be eligible for an autumn Covid-19 booster, having had at least two Covid vaccine doses already, a UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) spokesperson said. The preference is to deploy what is known as a "bivalent vaccine" that targets both the original virus and the Omicron variant through the autumn campaign, but that will depend on the health regulator (MHRA) approving such shots and the state of vaccine supplies. The UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised boosters should be given to over-50s, individuals in clinical risk groups, frontline workers and care-home staff ahead of the winter, when respiratory viruses are typically at their peak. On Monday (August 15), the MHRA gave Moderna's bivalent shot conditional approval. The endorsement of the vaccine is based on data that showed it produced a marginally better immune response against some Omicron variants, versus the original novel coronavirus - although whether that translates into stronger protection against serious disease is unclear.

The NHS has made major improvements across long waits, urgent and emergency services, and cancer care, latest performance figures published on Thursday (11) have shown. The number of patients waiting more than 18 months fell to 10,737 by April - down by more than 90 per cent from 124,911 in September 2021 and by more than four-fifths since the start of January when there were 54,882. Around half of NHS trusts in England have no patients on their elective care waiting lists apart from those who have chosen to wait longer. More than one in five (21%) trusts had completely eliminated 18-month waits. However, the overall waiting list has risen to over 7.3 million entries in England. "I promised I would cut NHS waiting lists and we are delivering," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said. "Reducing 18-month waits by over 90 per cent is huge progress, and it is testament to the hard work of NHS staff who have achieved this despite one of the busiest winters on record. "We still have work to do, but backed by record government investment and the ongoing efforts of the NHS, I am confident we will get patients the care they need more quickly." Ambulance response rates have improved to their fastest in two years, with average category two response times now at 28.5 minutes and category one at 8 mins. The 62-day cancer backlog has fallen for the first time since before the pandemic, with those waiting two months or more down from 21,823 at the end of the last financial year (March 2022) to 19,248 at the end of this March (2023). This is down almost 15,000 from a peak of 34,000 in July 2022.

Olbas has announced the launch of its new TV ad campaign which will debut across the country this October. The TV campaign, which will be supported by a £1.5 million pound media investment, has been directed by commercial film director, Anthony Farquhar-Smith. The latest Olbas advertising creative will feature a new animated character, Lauren who is suffering with congestion caused by a cold. Lauren will be seen at home as the house begins to fill with balloons causing Lauren to feel uncomfortable and restricted, mimicking the 'bunged up' feeling of a heavy head cold. Olbas then saves the day as we see Lauren reach for a bottle of Olbas Oil to ease the symptoms of congestion, and as a result, the balloons deflate and the house returns to normal. Along with the large media investment, the campaign will also benefit from a strong PR programme to ensure the brand and retail sales are well supported throughout the peak cold and flu season. Owned by family-run health business, Lanes Health, Olbas Oil continues to be manufactured at their Gloucester based factory. Olbas uses only natural essential oils to provide a gentle but effective formulation to ease congestion and enhance breathing passages. The product offer includes Olbas Oil, Olbas For Children, Olbas Inhaler, Olbas Nasal Spray, Olbas Menthol Pastilles and Olbas Bath.

Superdrug has reported more than 400 per cent spike in sale of the chickenpox vaccines in the UK. To protect children against the disease during chickenpox season, nearly nine out of 10 patients (87 per cent) have taken their wards under the age of five for vaccination in the last eight weeks. Chickenpox can be a seasonal disease with children usually catching it in the winter and spring, with UK peaks often between March and May. The last two years of spending time in and out of various lockdowns have meant less interaction between people, and so less transmission across the general population. Caris Newson, head of healthcare services at Superdrug, said: "One of the knock-on effects of Covid is that people have a greater awareness and understanding of the benefits that vaccines can offer. "We launched the chickenpox vaccination service five years ago in 2017 and it's now that we're beginning to see greater interest in how it can support family health. In fact, our fully qualified nurses have told us that they've had more parents ask about the chickenpox vaccination service, and word of mouth has then spread amongst parents and schools."

The recent industrial action by junior doctors and hospital dental trainees, which is considered the longest strike in NHS history, caused a significant impact on the NHS services. Data published by NHS England showed that 113,779 inpatient and outpatient appointments were rescheduled due to the strike, which began on Wednesday 3 January at 7.00am and finished at 7.00am on Tuesday 9 January. Junior doctors make up around half of all doctors in the health service, but 25,446 staff remained absent from work at the peak of the last week's latest action. The ongoing dispute between junior doctors and government over the 2022/23 pay award has disrupted more than one million hospital appointments so far. The junior doctors' strike in December 2023 impacted 86,329 hospital appointments, and their previous action in October saw over 86,000 appointments cancelled.

Within 24 hours of the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton's, cancer diagnosis, National Health Service (NHS) England saw a 373% spike in visits to its cancer page, highlighting the growing focus on cancer awareness. Similarly, charities like Macmillan Cancer Support charity experienced increased traffic, with nearly 100,000 visits to their support pages since the announcement. Traffic to the NHS website's cancer symptoms page surged significantly, recording a remarkable 4,172 visits within three hours of the release of the Princess's video message. This sudden increase translated to an average of one visit every three seconds, a substantial rise from the 1,922 visits recorded during the same timeframe a week earlier. Notably, visits to the symptoms page peaked immediately after the announcement, with 1,678 visits recorded between 6 pm and 7 pm on the day of the announcement.