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The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has proposed a 7.5 per cent increase in all fees for pharmacies, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and foundation trainees, including those for registration and renewal from April 2024. According to the GPhC's proposal the pharmacist renewal fee would increase by £19 from £257 to £276; the pharmacy technician renewal fee would increase by £9 from £121 to £130 and the pharmacy premises renewal fee would increase by £27 from £365 to £392 Any changes would be effective from April 2024, which means fees will remain at current levels for this financial year, giving registrants and applicants time to prepare for any increase in subsequent years. Fees have been frozen for the last two years (2022 and 2023) to help reduce pressure on both pharmacy professionals and pharmacy owners. Chief Executive, Duncan Rudkin, said: "In the last few years, we have been able to avoid raising many of these fees by improving our efficiency and by using our financial reserves to cover any gap between our income and our outgoings. While we are continuing to look for ways to make savings, we now have to consider increasing fees.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has decided to increase the renewal fees of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy premises by 7.5% from April 2024. The pharmacy technician's renewal fee will see an increase by £9 from £121 to £130, pharmacists fees from £257 to £276, and pharmacy premises from £365 to £392. The following decision came even despite the renewal fees being frozen for individual registrants since 2019 and for pharmacy premises since 2021. This move was facilitated through cost savings measures like using financial reserves and downsizing to a smaller office. However, the council confirmed that the fee hike is due to higher rates of inflation, increase in utility bills and supplier costs. Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive and Registrar of the GPhC, said: "We know that these are challenging times and that this increase will come as unwelcome news to those we regulate. But to be effective in our role of protecting the public we need to make sure the fees we charge cover the cost of regulation going forward."

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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.

Boots pharmacists will receive a pay rise of 4.5 per cent as the pharmacy multiple and PDA Union jointly announce this year's pay settlement. Following discussions between Boots management services and the PDA Union negotiators, the agreement was reached in relation to this year's pay claim, effective from 1 November 2022. The union also announced that those who have already had a pay increase on or since 1 August 2022, where that increase has been less than 4.5 per cent, a 'top up' increase will be provided, from 1 November 2022, to ensure that all eligible members of the bargaining unit receive a pay increment of not less than 4.5 per cent in 2022. Boots and the PDA Union have agreed an increase to the pay of those above the maximum market range by 4 per cent with an additional 0.5 per cent non-consolidated payment.

The proposed increase in the national living wage (NLW) is expected to impose an implementation cost of £150 million to £195 million on the community pharmacy sector, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has warned. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt recently announced a 9.8 per cent increase in the national living wage, raising it from £10.42 to £11.44. "The Autumn Statement overlooks the knock-on effects these measures will have on small businesses like community pharmacies," CPE Chief Executive Janet Morrison said in a statement. "The majority of pharmacies employ staff on or around the NLW, which has increased nearly 40 per cent since the start of the current contractual framework." "This is at a time when pharmacies have faced a 30 per cent real terms reduction in funding since 2015," Morrison added. "No viable business can absorb these cost increases without significant support. This is just another cost pressure that pharmacies cannot control and must be addressed through a sustainable, long-term funding arrangement."

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The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has welcomed the Chancellor's commitment to increase the NHS budget, hoping that 'community pharmacies benefit from this investment'. The association is urging the government to address years of underfunding so that community pharmacies can avoid staff lay-offs to cover the increasing costs of the national living wage. The government's uplift of the National Living Wage was confirmed in its latest budget announcement to tackle the cost of living crisis. The NHS budget will also be increased in each of the next two years by £3.3bn. A recent NPA commissioned report by Professor David Taylor from University College London predicted that wage inflation and other cost pressures could combine with funding cuts to lead to cut-backs and pharmacy closures.

The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) Union says it will be reaching out to LloydsPharmacy soon over a better deal on salary increase after the majority of its members rejected a three per cent offer made by the company recently. Paul Day, director, PDA Union told Pharmacy Business: "The PDA Union will communicate the response of employed pharmacists to the company and seek further discussion to try and find an offer that will be acceptable to union members. "Both management and union representatives have a vested interest in working to find such a solution and that is the outcome we hope to achieve." After months of negotiation by the PDA Union, the company offered a three per cent increase in salaries from the 1.8 per cent in the earlier offer made by the company. "Through negotiation over last few months that was increased to 3.0 per cent, plus a long term incentive plan (LTIP). Though the LTIP potentially offers large bonuses, it isn't guaranteed. Therefore what we put to members was the confirmed offer of three per cent increase in salaries," said Paul.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published the latest national surveillance data on antibiotic prescribing and resistance. The English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance (ESPAUR) report showed an increase in antibiotic use in all settings (apart from dental) in 2022. According to the report, antibiotic prescribing rose by 8.4 per cent in 2022 compared with 2021, although the number remains below 2019 pre-pandemic levels. "There are many reasons behind the increase in prescribing, one of which is likely related to decreased immunity and exposure to infections during the COVID-19 pandemic that may have underpinned the increased transmission in co-circulating infections, namely: influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and group A streptococcus (GAS)," the report stated.

Challenges in accessing the NHS waiting list are pushing more and more people toward private-funded alternatives for access, diagnosis and treatment, thereby increasing the demand for private health cover. According to a report published by health data provider LaingBuisson, the demand for private health cover, including medical and dental insurance and cash plans, has surged to its highest levels since 2008. The UK's overall health cover market reached £6.7 billion in 2022, an increase of £385 million from the previous year. During the period from 2020 to 2022, the market experienced annual growth rate of 6.1 per cent, a significant increase compared to the average annual growth rate of 1.7 per cent observed between 2008 and 2019, the research found. A total of 4.2 million people were subscribed to medical cover schemes in 2022. When dependents covered by these policies were included, the number reached 7.3 million - the highest count since 2008. LaingBuisson's analysis showed that medical cover volumes were steady through most of the 2010s, but began to increase alongside rises in the NHS waiting list from 2018.

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If you have low testosterone levels, there is a good chance you have felt some physical side effects from that. You may have heard that certain physical activity helps combat the depletion, and there is truth in this. There is a link between increasing and fine-tuning an exercise agenda and raising testosterone levels. Below, the relationship is explored in more detail. WHAT DOES TESTOSTERONE DO? There is more to the function of testosterone than just in relation to your sex drive. Of course, that is important, but it also impacts muscle building, strength, energy levels, hair growth, and red blood cells. When levels are low, there are big consequences for anybody from hair loss to weak muscles and even exhaustion too. TESTOSTERONE AND OBESITY One of the biggest things that affects testosterone is being overweight. If you are carrying a few extra pounds, it would be beneficial to try to get into some healthier habits if you want to promote an organic increase in T-levels. HOW EXERCISE PLAYS A ROLE Exercise seems to be a natural inhibitor of testosterone, especially when you focus on particular strategies and workout styles such as strength training. Levels have been shown to rise immediately after exercise for anything from fifteen minutes to an hour plus. While it is different for everyone, the link is clear.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has raised concerns over the upcoming increase in the National Living Wage, saying it will make things even worse for local pharmacies already facing nearly a decade of cuts in real terms. Scheduled to go up from £10.42 to £11.44 per hour starting April, the National Living Wage rise is expected to put a lot of financial pressure on many pharmacies. The NPA says "it will cost them over £10,000 in salary bills, and for some, even more, without getting more from the NHS funds. and has asked the government to deal with the ongoing problem of underfunding for community pharmacies. The association has warned that without additional funds, pharmacies could face staff layoffs or reduced services to cover the increased wages, calling for a "comprehensive new funding deal to prevent further closures of vital local services, which have been shutting at the rate of eight a week."

Boots and the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) Union have released a joint statement to confirm that there will be a pay increase for trainee pharmacists in England and Northern Ireland from April 2024. From 1 April 2024, the new hourly pay rate for trainee pharmacists working at Boots pharmacies will be £12.69 for Zone A in England/Northern Ireland, £13.79 for Zone B in England and £14.05 for Zone C in England. "This increase will be applied centrally in the April pay run," said the statement from the Boots and the PDA Union. Team members can see the new rate of pay in the Benefits Box during the annual enrolment window from 20 February 2024, it added. In August 2023, pay for trainee pharmacists at Boots in England and Northern Ireland was increased to £11.64 per hour for Zone A, £12.77 per hour for Zone B and £12.88 per hour for Zone C.

Boots registered a twelfth consecutive quarter of retail market share growth, with a reported retail sales increase of 5.9 per cent for the three months ending on 29 February 2024. This impressive growth comes on top of a 16 per cent increase recorded during the same period in the previous year, the UK's leading health and beauty retailer revealed. Strong growth was observed across digital platforms, namely Boots.com and the Boots app, with a 16.8 per cent surge in digital sales, particularly driven by "strong sales of beauty and personal care products." The growth of in-store sales remained consistent, registering a 4.5 per cent increase, with flagship, shopping center, and travel stores demonstrating particularly strong performance.

Many people are now aware of the benefits of regular exercise, and an increasing number of us are taking up running, walking, cycling, swimming and a host of other activities. They are seeing the advantages of this healthy lifestyle change in the form of better overall health, more energy, increased fitness, weight loss and increased muscle tone. In addition they are reducing their risk of developing a serious health condition in the future.

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Testosterone is a naturally occurring hormone that builds physical features in the body. It has a great role in building muscles, increasing red blood cells in the body, and supporting endurance. Due to its great role, athletes and body builders use this hormone to increase their muscles size and to gain energy. Proper diet also has a great role in increasing testosterone levels in the body.