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A new report based on research from pharmacists across England by Sanofi, has called for the introduction of a 'national self-care strategy' to relieve the burden currently faced by health services. The new report, titled 'Driving a self-care revolution in the UK', explores the views of pharmacists, patients and doctors on self-care and the support needed to deliver it more effectively. While self-care policy measures are estimated to increase monetary savings for healthcare systems and national economies by 16%, this report highlights the right tools and resources are not yet in place to enable pharmacists to play a greater role in delivering self-care advice and medicines to patients. "As many as 77% of pharmacists said they would support the creation of a National Self-Care Strategy to provide national leadership on improving understanding of self-care and encourage its use among both patients and clinicians," the report said. According to the report, currently, 33% of pharmacists working for independent or small pharmacy chains do not have the resources to support patients with self-care, alongside their other roles. "To tackle this, close to half (45%) of pharmacists believe greater emphasis by primary care practitioners on the benefits of self-care would leave pharmacists in a better place to support patients. Similarly, 42% believe that training and recruiting more pharmacists would improve their capacity to deliver self-care advice."

The Pharmaceutical Society NI (PSNI)'s Council has decided to freeze the annual registration fee for the current financial year 2023/24. The annual registration fee is considered each year by the PSNI's council. At its meeting in November 2022, Council members in recognition of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the personal and professional impact of the cost of living crisis on pharmacists, and the overall cost of regulation agreed to maintain registration fees at their current level for the next financial year. Pharmaceutical Society NI's Chief Executive Michaela McAleer said: "I am pleased with Council's decision to continue the freeze on registration fees for the 7th successive year. We are acutely aware of the pressures facing the pharmacy profession and hope this can provide some reassurance to the profession as we deal with these financially difficult times.

In an oral parliamentary debate on community pharmacy held on Monday (20 March), the government was asked for an indication of 'how much it would cost to make the best use of community pharmacies'. A number of Peers at the House of Lords spoke out in support of pharmacies, while others asked when would the government address the current crisis in the sector. Kicking off the session, Baroness Hodgson asked the responding minister, Lord Evans, about recent pharmacy closures as well as underfunding. She asked whether the government would 'enter into discussions with PSNC to look at introducing a fairly funded pharmacy first service as soon as possible which will help relieve the work load on GPs'. The minister responded: "We have already introduced and funded a range of service in community pharmacy that make use of the clinical skills of pharmacy teams… we continue to discuss with PSNC how the government can best support the sector to provide support to patients." The House of Lords oral questions session was opened by Baroness Hodgson on behalf of Baroness Cumberlege as follows: "To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for making the best use of community pharmacies".

The government, NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has begun the negotiations for a new voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing on Thursday (4 May). A new voluntary scheme is expected to take effect from 1 January 2024, replacing the current scheme which came into force in 2019 and ends on 31 December 2023 In their first meeting, the government, NHS England and industry - represented by the ABPI -expected to agree to a shared negotiation aim of working toward a mutually beneficial agreement that supports better patient outcomes and a healthier population, a financially sustainable NHS, and UK economic growth. Health Minister, Will Quince, said: "These negotiations will ensure a new scheme continues to deliver value for money by providing significant savings for our health services, securing access to innovative lifesaving drugs for NHS patients, and helping to reduce waiting times - one of the Prime Minister's 5 priorities. The current voluntary scheme supports investment in NHS services and saves billions of pounds for the NHS, while also promoting innovations and a successful life sciences sector.

Boots is planning to invest more than £3.5 million to accelerate its capacity to offer prescribing services in its stores across England. The company is inviting 500 of its pharmacists to apply for a bursary which will cover the cost of pharmacist independent prescriber (PIP) courses starting this September. The value of the bursary is up to £7,000 per pharmacist, and it will enable time off work for those who need it to complete the training. The move by Boots will support its current pharmacists to gain this qualification via courses accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). From 2026, all qualified pharmacists will be able to prescribe as part of new curricula for pharmacy degrees. Under current GPhC guidelines and with an independent prescribing qualification, pharmacists can prescribe autonomously for any condition within their clinical competence. Marc Donovan, the chief pharmacist at Boots, said the ambition of the company was "to have a pharmacist prescriber available at every store".

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has notified pharmacies over the shortage of Buserelin (Suprefact) 5.5mg/5.5ml solution for injection vials is out of stock until mid-August 2022. Limited supply of Buserelin (Suprefact) 5.5mg/5.5ml solution for injection vials remains available in NHS Trusts and health boards. Buserelin (Suprecur) 5.5mg/5.5ml solution for injection vials are currently available, however, this stock is short dated (expires end of July) and further stock is expected mid-August 2022. Buserelin (Suprecur)150microgram/dose nasal spray is out of stock until late-December 2022. Limited supply remains available in NHS Trusts and Health Boards. Nafarelin (Synarel) 200microgram/dose nasal spray remains available but is currently unable to support an uplift in demand (until mid-August 2022 when it can support a partial uplift in demand).

The University of the West of England (UWE) is conducting a survey to explore current practice in community pharmacy regarding the management of individuals who present with bladder and/or bowel incontinence. Approximately one in five people experience bladder or bowel leakage and they often do not know those simple conservative strategies can make a difference. A team from the UWE is conducting a study to understand the views on the Pharmacy Role In proMotion of continencE (PRIME); learn from current experiences; and explore what is feasible to develop, for improved bladder and bowel continence promotion. The survey should take around 10-15 minutes to complete and should be completed by one member of staff working within the community pharmacy.

Community pharmacy teams are urged to share their views relating to the new NHS Booking and Referral Standard (BaRS). "This will ensure that the tool supports the needs of pharmacy team members and their patients," said the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC). BaRS is an interoperability standard for healthcare IT systems which should enable booking and referral information to be sent to or from care providers, such as community pharmacies, quickly, safely and in a format useful to clinicians. "The intentions are that the BaRS IT standard will eventually be available in all care settings. The way the standard could be used in pharmacies is currently being considered, including the potential for use for referrals from NHS 111 to community pharmacy." The BaRS team are conducting interviews (usually lasting 30-45 minutes) to hear more the current experiences and the future preferences regarding sending and receiving referral messages.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned of multi-million financial hit for community pharmacies, while the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has renewed its calls for urgent financial support amid a looming energy bill crisis. NPA board member, Olivier Picard, this week shared a screenshot of his estimated electricity bill on WhatsApp groups. Upon expiration of his current arrangements, in October, his electricity bill could rise from its current £1,821 for one pharmacy to an estimated £6,914 - a near fourfold increase. Piccard said: "This is an eye-watering rise in costs for my own pharmacies and adds to the intense financial pressure we're already under. My standing charges will multiply by 10 and the overall cost to each pharmacy amounts to about £5,000." His comments come just ahead of an NPA-commissioned report into pharmacy inflation which will provide an analysis of inflationary costs pressing on the community pharmacy sector, from utilities and workforce to medicines purchasing.

The routine, twice-weekly asymptomatic Covid-19 testing by pharmacy staff can be paused from the end of August. The health regulator announced that regular asymptomatic testing for Covid-19 will be paused in all remaining health and care settings from 31 August 2022. Currently all pharmacy staff test twice-weekly for Covid-19, using a self-administered Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test at home. "Prevalence of Covid-19 in the community has fallen and remains at a comparatively low level as we emerge from the current Omicron wave. This means that the likelihood that individuals entering healthcare settings are infectious has also reduced and the relative risk of onward transmission into these settings is lower."

A £5m project has been launched to introduce new blood tests in the National Health Service (NHS) that can diagnose Alzheimer's disease. The blood tests could be available on the NHS within five years and they can diagnose the disease earlier and more accurately than current methods, experts have said. Alzheimer's Research UK, the Alzheimer's Society and the National Institute of Health and Care Research have jointly launched the project. Susan Kohlhaas, Executive Director of Research and Partnerships at Alzheimer's Research UK, said that the NHS doesn't possess the "required levels of diagnostic infrastructure" to cope with the "growing demand" for dementia diagnosis. "Low-cost tools like blood tests that are non-invasive and simpler to administer than current gold standard methods are the answer to this," she added.

The fusion of the unique in-depth understanding of medicines by pharmacists together with the competence to prescribe offers will improve access to care and increase capacity in the health system, said the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Director for England Ravi Sharma to Parliament at the Health and Social Care Select Committee's inquiry on workforce on Monday (May 23). However, he also stated that a new workforce strategy must support and harness the skills of pharmacist independent prescribers in clinical care with investment in training, both for new and existing workforce; access to supervisors; protected learning and development time; and commissioning of services to make best use of independent prescribers across care settings, supported by appropriate prescribing budgets in community pharmacy. "We're about to see new generation of pharmacists independent prescribers that will make a huge difference to the clinical role of pharmacists to support patient care, but this must be underpinned by protected learning time and a more ambitious approach to commissioning new services to use their skills," Ravi said. He spoke to MPs in Parliament at the Health and Social Care Select Committee's inquiry on workforce, highlighting the vital contribution of pharmacy teams during the pandemic and called for action to support the current and future workforce. Some of the key issues highlighted in the parliament included, the risk of burnout and the need to help boost staff retention; staff wellbeing, including a zero tolerance of abuse from the public; the importance of professional development and protected learning time to enhance patient care and support rewarding careers; the potential of new pharmacist independent prescribers and the need for investment in the current workforce and the need for better workforce data and a pharmacy workforce strategy.

More than half of pharmacists working in England are considering changing their roles over the next 12-18 months because of work-related issues, a recent survey by The Pharmacists' Defence Association revealed. The survey which concluded on February 18, 2022 had more than 2,500 participants including employed and locum pharmacists from all four UK nations. In the survey, PDA asked respondents about their current roles and future career plans. The initial feedback showed that unsatisfactory pay and working environments, lack of professional fulfilment, and poor management were the key factors for pharmacy professionals to reconsider their current positions.

Maxwellia has appointed Ian Adamson as strategic advisor to shape the next phase of pharmacy medicine launches - a process which involves identifying and converting suitable prescription only medicines into versions people can choose to buy under the supervision of a pharmacist. Ian brings over 30 years' international consumer health and personal care experience to the Maxwellia team. He is currently an advisor to the board of the UK independent pharmacy chain Day Lewis plc, an advisor to the board of Spanish healthcare company ReVa Europe S.L and board advisor to East Midlands Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Prior to this Ian was Chief Commercial Officer and a main board director at SSL International plc (prior to its sale to Reckitt Benckiser) with responsibility for a $1bn portfolio of brands, which included Durex and Scholl. Ian's appointment follows the landmark reclassification of the progestogen only pill by the MHRA, a change spearheaded by Maxwellia, and the company's subsequent launch of its first product Lovima in July 2021; and the current MHRA public consultation on the reclassification of Maxwellia's new pharmacy brand, Aquiette 2.5mg Tablets (Oxybutynin Hydrochloride) for the treatment of overactive bladder symptoms which are not adequately controlled by bladder training alone.

Amid media speculations that a large pharmacy multiple was putting all its stores at risk of closure, PSNC supremo Janet Morrison said the sector was in crisis and in danger of a significant collapse. Addressing delegates via a video link at Sigma Pharmaceutical's 13th Annual Community Pharmacy Conference held last week (March 4 -9) in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, she said while "a lot of consolidation or sales" would continue, a lot of the smaller, independently-owned community pharmacies - which had to work harder and harder to make ends meet - were just "hanging on in there". "But I don't know how much longer people can go on," she said, adding that the risk of actual closure was rendering the remaining pharmacies so fragile that "they may not be able to pick up the slack of many thousands of patients" who would need repeat prescriptions. "The disruption is frightful and awful. We have got 53 per cent of the population on repeat prescriptions, so that matters." Her comment on the opening day of the conference was a sober reminder that the sector - which relies heavily on income from prescriptions - couldn't afford to "carry on with the current format of a contract and the current amount of money" it was paid to deliver numerous tasks which have been heaped on it to share the burden of a crippling NHS.

Along with pharmacists, pharmacy technicians in England are now able to perform blood pressure checks as part of the Hypertension Case-Finding Service and deliver the Smoking Cessation Service (SCS). The government has amended Drug Tariff and includes the amendments to The Pharmaceutical Services (Advanced and Enhanced Services) (Amendment) (England) Directions 2023. Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) said: "The service specifications for both services are currently going through NHS England's publication process; when these are published PSNC will alert contractors through their normal communication channels. PSNC resources for both of these services are also currently being updated."

A change in medication can benefit patients on blood pressure-lowering therapies significantly more than increasing the dose of their current medication. A recent study from Uppsala University that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) demonstrates this. In this study, four different blood pressure-lowering medications were tested out on 280 individuals over the course of a year. "The effect of a change of medication can be twice as great as the effect of doubling the dose of the patient's current medication. It was clear in our study that certain patients achieved lower blood pressure from one drug than from another. This effect is large enough to be clinically relevant," said Johan Sundstrom, cardiologist and Professor of Epidemiology at Uppsala University, who is the first author of the study. Most Swedes develop high blood pressure sooner or later; more than two million Swedes have high blood pressure at the present time. Only a fifth of them have managed to bring their blood pressure under control through drug therapy, and some studies suggest that only half of them take their blood pressure medication as intended. Could this be because the efficacy and side-effects of the drugs differ from individual to individual?

A survey report by market research and data analytics firm, YouGov, has indicated that while there is a demand for home pharmacy delivery among consumers, the current supply or awareness of this type of service appears to be low. The poll found that approximately one-fifth of British consumers (18 per cent) have used a pharmacy delivery service in the past year. However, more than double that figure (40 per cent) expressed their intent to use such a service in the next 12 months if it were available, suggesting an opportunity for growth in this sector. This difference is especially pronounced in the Midlands, Scotland, and Wales, where the potential demand more than triples actual use. Compared to other regions, the current use of pharmacy delivery services is notably low in the Midlands, standing at 12 per cent, and in Wales and Scotland, where the collective usage rate stands at 14 per cent.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will introduce new arrangements for the setting of Drug Tariff Category A reimbursement prices from April 2024. Driven by ministers, DHSC's decision aims to equalise access to margin on Category A medicines and it's part of a series of drug reimbursement reforms proposed by the department following a public consultation in 2019. Currently, prices of medicines in Category A are subject to monthly adjustment. From 1 April 2024, these will be updated quarterly based on sales and volume data obtained by DHSC under the Health Service Products (Provision and Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2018. The transition will conclude in July 2025 when the reimbursement prices will be exclusively determined by the new method. Advance notice for contractors regarding the 'new arrangements' has been outlined on the NHSBSA website. However, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) did not support the introduction of the changes at this time as pharmacies are currently grappling with "wider challenges" and there is uncertainty about the potential impact of these changes on the already "turbulent" medicines supply chain

In the next 10 years, the incidence of first-time stroke cases in the UK is projected to increase by 60 per cent, costing the government £75bn in healthcare and lost productivity, a charity has suggested. A new manifesto published by the Stroke Association has urged the next UK government to make stroke "the priority", stressing that the next decade is crucial for stroke prevention, treatment and recovery. Currently, stroke is the UK's fourth biggest killer and a leading cause of disability. On a daily basis, 281 individuals experience a stroke. Next year, the cost of stroke in the UK will be £43 billion. The charity predicted that by 2035, there will be 151,000 hospital admissions due to stroke every year, averaging 414 admissions per day, with 42,000 people estimated to die every year. In 2035, the UK is projected to have 2.1 million stroke survivors, imposing a financial burden of £75 billion on the public purse, nearly half the current NHS budget.