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Pharmacists can dispense Paracetamol 120mg suppositories in accordance with the prescription, as the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed that sufficient stocks are available to meet normal demand. This means the Serious Shortage Protocol - SSP033 - for Paracetamol 120mg suppositories has now expired since 26 August 2022. Top tips for SSP claims NHSBSA advise that contractors must follow the specific endorsement guidance issued with each SSP and endorsements should be clear and unambiguous - NHSBSA processing staff must be able to determine what has been supplied. NHSBSA have published information on common SSP endorsing errors they see when processing claims. Any paper prescriptions with SSP claims need to be placed in the red separator provided by the NHSBSA. Although an SSP cannot be used outside its period of validity, claims can be submitted up to three calendar months after expiry or withdrawal of the SSP to help manage any owings for other items issued on the same prescription form. For example, for SSP033 Paracetamol 120mg suppositories, which expires at 23.59pm on Friday 26 August 2022, the NHSBSA would continue to look for the "SSP" endorsement on prescriptions for Paracetamol 120mg suppositories that are submitted with the August batch (submitted by 5 September), September batch (submitted by 5 October) and October batch (submitted by 5 November).

As a researcher, it is important to communicate your findings to your peers effectively. After all, the whole point of conducting research is to contribute new knowledge to the field. One way to do this is by presenting your search results in a clear and easy way for others to understand. USE A VARIETY OF SOURCES It is always best to use a variety of sources when conducting research. This allows you to get a more well-rounded view of the topic. Additionally, using multiple sources can help to ensure that your research is more accurate. When you can find different perspectives on the same topic, it allows you to understand the issue better and make informed decisions. When it comes to demonstrating your search results to your peers, it is essential to remember that they may not be familiar with all of the same sources that you are. Therefore, it is helpful to provide a variety of sources for them to review. Doing so will give them a better understanding of the issue and your research findings. Additionally, they will be able to see how you arrived at your conclusions.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the charity Marie Curie have developed a consultation on 'professional standards for palliative and end of life care for community pharmacy'. The consultation will be open for four weeks for community pharmacists, organisations with a role in community pharmacy or palliative/end of life care, or patients or carers with first-hand experience of palliative and end of life care to share their views until 1st December 2022. Through this consultation, Society aims to that ensure the standards are clear, relevant, current, and fit for purpose from the perspective of the community pharmacy team, the wider health team and patients/carers. "The final standards will be published in 2023 and will help community pharmacies across the UK to self-assess and continuously improve their palliative, end of life and bereavement care," said RPS.

The consequences of NHS workforce crisis is not limited to general practice, community pharmacies are also suffering, commented Community Pharmacy England after the General Medical Council (GMC) published a report on Friday (23 June) which warned of the burnout in the workforce. The report calls for urgent actions to break a 'vicious cycle' of unmanageable workloads, dissatisfaction and burnout that is causing UK doctors to take steps to quit. Chief Executive Janet Morrison, said: "The GMC's report is yet another clear signal of the scale of the mounting the NHS workforce crisis, and this is not limited to general practice: community pharmacies are also suffering the consequences of it." "Pharmacy teams are overstretched, feeling immense pressures, and dealing with significantly increased workloads. Pharmacy owners are also finding it impossible to make ends meet, not least given the rising staffing costs which are being driven up by workforce issues. Findings show the number of doctors who reported working beyond their rostered hours on a weekly basis rose from 59% in 2021 to 70% in 2022, and 42% said they felt unable to cope with their workload each week (up from 30% in 2021). Just half said they were satisfied in their work, down from 70% in 2021.

The new board of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has adopted 10 principles for transforming the contractual framework in England. The board met for the first time in April, believes that the current Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework is failing NPA members, the wider sector, the NHS, Government and patients. The association's new vice chair, Jay Badenhorst, said: "We can't wait until the current framework limps to its finish line in 2024 before giving serious thought to the new race we must all run in the future." "Before negotiations for a new contract begin in earnest, we want to make our position clear to all of those who will be involved in its development. Years more of the same would be totally unacceptable. Tinkering at the edges of the current arrangements as the basis for a new deal could not achieve the transformation that is needed." Former chair of the NPA, Andrew Lane, listed some of the principles in a speech to industry leaders in January, but this is the first time the approach has been agreed in its entirety, following months of testing with NPA members.

NHS England has commissioned the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) to develop guidance that helps community and hospital pharmacy teams across Britain to reduce the impact of pharmacy services, pharmaceutical care and medicines on the environment. The RPS said the Greener Pharmacy Guidance will enable pharmacies to self-assess their impact against the standards, benchmark and improve through evidence-based activities and actions. "I'm delighted our strong commitment to helping pharmacy reduce its environmental impact can now be taken to the next level through developing guidance and accreditation for pharmacy teams," RPS president Professor Claire Anderson said. "Medicines account for 25 per cent of carbon emissions within the NHS and this initiative underscores our commitment to promoting sustainable healthcare and supporting the NHS's goal of achieving 'net zero' emissions by 2040." Peter Morgan, medicines assistant director at NHS England, commented: "Pharmacy staff are involved in the purchasing and dispensing of almost every medicine used in the NHS and the new Greener Pharmacy Guidance and Self-accreditation scheme will provide support for pharmacy professionals by outlining clear actions to deliver more environmentally sustainable pharmacy practices." The RPS said the guidance and digital self-assessment toolkit will integrate with carbon calculator tools to help pharmacy teams to measure their carbon footprint, action plan to reduce use of carbon and improve sustainability.

Pfizer's plan to sell its Haleon stake is not a surprise, the consumer health company's finance chief Tobias Hestler told Reuters on Wednesday (3 May). London-listed Haleon was carved out as an independent company in July and comprises consumer health assets once owned by GSK and Pfizer. Pfizer, which has a 32% stake in the maker of Sensodyne toothpaste and Panadol painkillers, told the Financial Times on Tuesday that it intends to offload that stake in a "slow and methodical" manner within months. Hestler said Pfizer has long been clear about its intention to sell off the stake, suggesting that the reason the potential of the selloff has gained traction is because the selling window opens around the time that Haleon's results are announced. "This will happen every quarter from now until they're sold off…this is just what's expected," he said, adding: "If I get a courtesy call the evening before they do it then that would be nice, but they don't even have to do that." Shares of the world's biggest standalone consumer health business were down more than 3% in early trading.

Health secretary Sajid Javid and chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak have both resigned on Tuesday (July 5) after a slew of scandals undermined the government of prime minister Boris Johnson. Javid and Sunak sent resignation letters to Johnson within minutes of each other in which both took aim at his ability to run an administration that adhered to standards. The resignations came as Johnson was apologising for appointing a lawmaker to a role involved in offering pastoral care, even after being briefed that the politician had been the subject of complaints about sexual misconduct. In his resignation letter to Johnson, Javid said "it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership - and you have therefore lost my confidence too". He was appointed to lead the Department of Health and Social Care in June 2021, when his predecessor Matt Hancock quit after being caught having an affair with an adviser, in breach of social distancing guidelines.

Professional leadership bodies from around the world discussed workforce shortages in community pharmacy and other challenges affecting the sector at a global meeting held in Paris last month. Delegated from Denmark, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, US and the UK updated the conference on how the profession was progressing in practice, technology and workforce development in their respective countries. The UK was represented at World Pharmacy Council meeting by National Pharmacy Association chair Andrew Lane and chief executive at the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee Janet Morrison. Lane said: "It's very useful to be part of a global network of pharmacy bodies who are all going through similar challenges as we are in the UK. Sharing intelligence on other pharmacy systems around the world helps us to prepare the right strategy for engaging with the NHS at home. "Hearing some of the strides in services and digital technology in the profession gives us hope for the future of the sector. It's clear however that key challenges such as workforce shortages are starting to have an effect in other parts of the world too."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has appointed Neville Carter as its new chief education and membership officer. Neville joins RPS from the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) where he is currently director of engagement, leading a team of over 60 and responsible for creating a combined directorate accountable for education, membership, philanthropy, and business development. He has, in particular, led on the development of a digital education strategy and launched professional development training programmes for members. Prior to joining the RSM, Neville worked as director of product and sales at the British Medical Association with responsibility for membership growth, supporting corporate transformation and developing and managing member benefits and relationships with third-party providers to support revenue growth. He also has senior manager experience at the RAC and at British Airways. Commenting on the appointment, Paul Bennett, RPS CEO, said: "I'm delighted that Neville will be joining our Executive team. He brings a wealth of relevant experience and this, in combination with a strong existing education and membership team at RPS and a clear ambition to strengthen the relevant functions further, will enable the organisation to deliver a dynamic offering for our members.

Boots has become the first community pharmacy in the UK to transport prescription medicines by a drone. The pharmacy multiple completed a test flight transporting prescription-only medicines by drone from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight earlier this month. The flight departed from the British Army's Baker Barracks on Thorney Island near Portsmouth and arrived at St. Mary's Hospital on the Isle of Wight. The medicines were collected by Boots personnel and transported to the multiple's pharmacies across the island, where they will be dispensed to patients with prescriptions for them. Boots worked with medical drone start-up Apian to facilitate the test flight and is now assessing the future potential for drones in medicines delivery. Rich Corbridge, chief information officer at Boots, said: "Drones have a huge potential in the delivery of medicines and it is incredibly exciting to be the first community pharmacy in the UK to transport them in this way. An island location like the Isle of Wight seemed like a sensible place to start a trial of drones and their value to the delivery of medicines to more remote locations is very clear.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has called the future prime minister to deliver on the commitments made by the previous health secretaries to reform primary care through a 'pharmacy first' approach and fairly fund community pharmacies to avoid closures. In an open letter, the NPA has urged Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, the two leadership contenders of the Conservative Party and prime ministerial candidates, to think radically about the role of England's 11,000 pharmacies, which are on the frontline of healthcare across the country. NPA also highlighted how pharmacies could help clear the NHS backlog, free up millions more GP appointments, dramatically improve access to primary health care and do more to prevent ill health and support people with long term medical conditions. "Because of our unparalleled presence in deprived areas, we also have great potential to level up access to healthcare and address health inequalities. We set these ideas out in How We Can Help, which is an improvement plan already welcomed by many of your colleagues."

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Wales has welcomed proposals from the Welsh government to increase access to PrEP via community pharmacies for people at risk of HIV. The new HIV Action Plan for Wales consultation proposes a shared care model between primary care and specialist sexual health services to improve access to PrEP. Commenting on the proposal, chair of RPS in Wales Cheryl Way said: "Increasing access to the medicines has been a long-standing issue of concern for us at RPS and we're therefore delighted to see the proposals outlined by the Welsh government to develop a model which will enable PrEP to be provided by community pharmacies across Wales. "PrEP are highly effective medicines, that reduce the chances of getting HIV, as proven by the Welsh Government's three year PrEPARED study which found no new diagnoses of HIV among over 1,200 people taking PrEP in Wales. This is clear evidence that PrEP should be made as easily accessible as possible to those who need it.

The British scientists behind one of the major therapeutic Covid-19 trials have turned their focus to treatments for monkeypox, a viral disease that has been labelled a global health emergency by the World Health Organization. The team from Oxford University behind the so-called RECOVERY trial - which honed in on four effective Covid treatments - on Tuesday unveiled a new trial, dubbed PLATINUM, to confirm whether Siga Technologies' tecovirimat is an effective treatment for monkeypox. Although there are vaccines developed for the closely related smallpox that can reduce the risk of catching monkeypox, there are currently no treatments that have been proven to help hasten recovery in those who develop the disease. The UK has over 3,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox. The virus is transmitted chiefly through close contact with an infected person. It typically causes mild symptoms including fever, rash, swollen lymph nodes and pus-filled skin lesions. Severe cases can occur, though people tend to recover within two to four weeks. Siga's drug, branded Tpoxx, has been cleared to treat diseases caused by the family of orthopoxvirus that includes smallpox, monkeypox and cowpox by the European Union and United Kingdom, but due to limited trial data it is generally only used in severe cases in Britain.

Rising chronic illnesses and an aging population are threatening to bankrupt the National Health Service, Labour's Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said on October 11. Streeting announced a substantial £1.1 billion injection to strengthen the NHS with the goal of clearing the backlog and introducing additional clinics on evenings and weekends. The frontbencher outlined a reform agenda to ensure NHS is back on its head for the future of healthcare in the UK. Streeting said that a Labour government will not waste "money we don't have"- instead aims to revolutionise the NHS by shifting its focus from hospitals to communities. "Our emphasis is on transitioning from an analogue to a digital framework and prioritising prevention over sickness-oriented healthcare," he noted.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has created a new NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) to support the successful delivery of health and social care research in England. The network, which will start operating from next year, will play a critical and active role in implementing government policies. It will support in implementing the Life Sciences Vision, the Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery vision, and policy for life sciences research and development. The new network would be mainly working on growing the amount of commercial clinical research as its key strategic ambition. Also, NIHR RDN will be responding to the findings of the Lord O'Shaughnessy review, which set out a clear blueprint for how the UK can return to its global leadership role.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has published the results of the common registration assessment for aspiring pharmacists held on 2 November, 2023. An overall pass rate of 66 per cent was recorded this year, as compared to 56 per cent in 2022 and 61 per cent in 2021. A total of 1,067 candidates took the registration assessment, held jointly by the GPhC and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI), of which 700 candidates cleared the assessment In 2022, 937 candidates sat the registration assessment of which 525 passed the assessment. Commenting on the results, GPhC Director of Education and Standards, Mark Voce, said: "I would like to congratulate all those who passed the November registration assessment and I look forward to them joining our register to continue to the next stage of their career. "There will be candidates who unfortunately did not pass the assessment. If this is the case, the information on our website outlines all the possible options of what to do next.

Diabetes affects over 537 million people worldwide; by 2045, this is estimated to increase to 783 million. [1] With the growing prevalence of diabetes, it's even more important to utilise all options to support people with diabetes (PwDs) in managing their daily life with diabetes. Where do PwDs most often access healthcare support? On average, PwDs visit the pharmacy three-to-eight times more than the general population to obtain medicines and testing supplies.[2] It is clear that pharmacists play an integral role in empowering the self-management needs of PwDs beyond the traditional role of supplying medicines. This relationship, however, may be underutilised. Research suggests there is a lack of broad recognition of pharmacists as a key source of diabetes care, and that resource constraints - particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic - can interfere with patient education provision and training.[3,4] Furthermore, the circumstances and role of the pharmacy vary, nationally and internationally. At Roche Diabetes Care we would like to shine a light on the increasing value of community pharmacists as important figures in the well-being of PwDs.

A new study has revealed that the risk of death from COVID-19 decreases significantly after vaccination, but this protection diminishes after six months, providing evidence for continued booster doses. Researchers from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), who analysed more than 10 million cases of COVID-19 in adults in England between May 2020 and February 2022, found a clear association between vaccination and reduced mortality. But they also highlighted a crucial timeframe - within six months of the last vaccine dose - when Case Fatality Risk (CFR) - the proportion of cases that resulted in death - was consistently at its lowest across all age groups. After this, the protective benefit of the vaccine began to wane and CFR increased.

Statistics show that 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. While this disease can be deadly, it is also preventable. This blog post will discuss six things you need to know about breast cancer prevention. Knowledge is power when it comes to fighting cancer, so read on and learn how you can protect yourself. UNDERGO ROUTINE CHECKUPS One of the first things you can do to prevent breast cancer is to undergo routine checkups. This means going for mammograms and clinical breast exams regularly. In this case, your doctor may even recommend using ultrasound technology to get a clear picture of the breast tissue. Rest assured that your doctor will be able to detect any changes in your breasts and will be able to determine if there is anything to worry about. The earlier you catch any abnormalities, the better your chances of beating cancer. BE AWARE OF YOUR FAMILY HISTORY Another important factor to consider is your family history. If you have close relatives who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, your risk may be higher. This is because some forms of breast cancer can be hereditary. As such, it is important to be aware of your family history and to let your doctor know if there is a history of breast cancer in your family. From there, you should discuss your options with your doctor and make sure to get regular screenings. More often than not, early detection is key when it comes to surviving breast cancer which is why family history is so important.