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In a move towards greater diversity and inclusivity, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has welcomed three accomplished women to its board of key members. Aisling O'Brien, Sukhi Basra, and Sehar Shahid-who is the youngest member- have joined the board, marking a significant step in the organisation's commitment to equality and representation. The announcement, made on the occasion of the International Women's Day, by chief executive, Paul Rees MBE via X reflects the organisation's dedication to celebrating and empowering women in the pharmacy profession. Sukhi Basra, the inaugural female board member since last April, adds a valuable dimension to the NPA. With her role as a Community Pharmacy KCW committee member and her experience in clinical pharmacy spanning over 25 years, she brings a wealth of knowledge and a distinctive viewpoint.

All 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) in England have signed memorandums of understanding for the NHS Independent Prescribing Pathfinder programme, the first nationally-funded prescribing service in the country. Anne Joshua, interim deputy director of pharmacy commissioning at NHS England, made the revelation during the 'Chief pharmaceutical officer bi-monthly webinar' held on 7 March 2024, as reported by The Pharmaceutical Journal. In the initial phase of the programme, 210 community pharmacies across all ICBs will trial independent prescribing, ahead of establishing a commissioning framework for the service. Giving an update on the pathfinder programme, Joshua confirmed that 164 of these potential pathfinder sites had registered for the programme as of 29 February 2024. Additionally, she announced the clinical models to be followed by the participating pharmacies and presented a graph showing an overview of the services they will provide.

Well Pharmacy's parent company, Bestway Group, announced on Wednesday (20 March) that it recorded a five per cent growth in revenues to £4.74 billion for the year ending June 2023, alongside a pre-tax profit of £420.9 million. During the year, the company also completed acquisition of Lexon UK Holdings, a leading pharmaceutical wholesaler serving over 3,000 retail pharmacy customers across the UK and Eire. Furthermore, the Group completed the construction of two cement plants in Pakistan, bringing its total cement manufacturing capacity to 15.3 million tonnes per annum. Sir Anwar Pervez OBE, founder and chairman of Bestway Group, expressed optimism about the new business year and said: "The Group has continued on its growth trajectory in 2023 and we are confident that our businesses will continue to gain share within their respective markets during 2024."

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has revoked its initial enforcement order imposed on Pharmacy2U Limited (Pharmacy2U) concerning the acquisition of Metabolic Healthcare Ltd (Lloyds Direct). In the revocation order issued on February 12, the regulator said its decision was "based on the evidence it has received in its assessment of the Merger to date." The CMA served an initial enforcement order under section 72(2) of the Enterprise Act 2002 on Pharmacy2U, P2U Holdings Limited, G Square Capital II L.P., G Square Healthcare Private Equity LLP (collectively, the Acquirer Group) and Lloyds Direct on 28 November 2023. It announced that it was considering "whether it is or may be the case that a relevant merger situation has been created and whether the creation of that situation has resulted or may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition in any market or markets in the United Kingdom (UK)."

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has announced the names of five new members who will be joining its governing Council over the next two years. The new council members are: Professor Dianne Ford, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Northumbria University. Gareth Powell, a chartered accountant and a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Port of Milford Haven, the UK's largest energy port. Adeyemi (Ade) Williams MBE, Superintendent Pharmacist and Director of the M J Williams Pharmacy and lead Pharmacist at the Bedminster Pharmacy, Bristol. Tim Jaggard, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Raliat Onatade, Chief Pharmacist and Director of Medicines and Pharmacy for North-East London Integrated Care System. Professor Ford, Powell and Williams will begin their terms on 1 April 2024, replacing Jo Kember, Mark Hammond and Arun Midha.

Bristol-based Invatech Health has announced that it is fully funding the development of a new medical centre for families displaced by war and disaster in Northern Syria. The company has donated £54,000 to Action for Humanity for the medical centre, which would be part of a new village being constructed by the NGO, which provides clean water food, shelter, healthcare and education for millions of Syrians. According to the technology company, their donation is one of the charity's largest ever single donor contributions. The new village is set to accommodate 750 families, offering newly constructed homes, each featuring two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom.

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.

Period problems, women's health research and support for domestic and sexual abuse victims are among the government's priorities for women's health in 2024, which Health Secretary Victoria Atkins announced at the Women's Health Summit on Wednesday. Organised in central London, the event marked the second year of the landmark Women's Health Strategy for England. Victoria joined women's health champions to celebrate successes of strategy's first year and outlined plans for coming year, which also include improving maternity care and support for mothers who suffer birth trauma. Successes achieved over the strategy's first 12 months include reducing the cost of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for nearly half a million women and the rollout of specialist women's health hubs in every local health area. A new dedicated women's health section of the NHS website was also created, providing updated information, advice and practical resources for women's health across the life course.

Britain's drug regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on Monday announced that fluoroquinolone antibiotics must only be administered when no other antibiotics are appropriate for use. It elaborated that fluoroquinolones given systemically (by mouth, injection, or inhalation) should only be prescribed "when other recommended antibiotics have failed, will not work due to resistance, or are unsafe to use in an individual patient." Previous regulations on fluoroquinolones stated that this class of antibiotics should not be prescribed for mild to moderate or self-limiting infections, or non-bacterial conditions. Further restrictions have been introduced after receiving reports from patients who have experienced long-lasting or disabling reactions following use of fluoroquinolones, the MHRA revealed. Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer, said: "Patient safety is our top priority. We have listened to the experience of patients regarding long-lasting and potentially irreversible adverse reactions following use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, in some cases prescribed for mild-to-moderate infections.

The UK government on Wednesday (7 February) announced a new plan to ensure faster, simpler and fairer access to NHS dental care across England. Supported by £200m of funding, the plan aims to deliver more than 1.5 million additional NHS dentistry treatments or up to 2.5 million NHS dental appointments for patients over the next 12 months NHS dentists will be offered a 'new patient' payment of between £15-£50, depending on treatment need, to treat new patients who have not seen a dentist in two years or more. Additionally, one-off payments of up to £20,000 will be given to around 240 dentists for working in under-served areas for up to three years. This is to "attract new NHS dentists and improve access to dental care in areas with the highest demand," NHS England said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Wednesbury Pharmacy in Sandwell, West Midlands has been purchased by Sukh Gill of Sodaskill Limited who already owns a community pharmacy in the area, Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, announced on Thursday (1st January) Located in the Friar Park area of Wednesbury, this pharmacy dispenses an average of 7,600 items per month and follows standard opening hours. It was owned by Enimed Limited for over five years before it was brought to market last year. The ownership of the business was changed to Gill, who already owns Friar Park Chemist just a few doors up the road, following a confidential 'off-market' sales process at Christie & Co. Carl Steer, Director - Medical at Christie & Co, said, "It is always pleasing to complete a sale, but when you have been able to perform to the brief a client dictates, all the better.

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co. has announced the sale of Manns Pharmacy, which is located in the residential area of Mapperley, Nottinghamshire. According to the broker, the community pharmacy was dispensing an average of 5,000 items per month. Gurinder Singh Mann, who owned the business for more than two decades, decided to put it on the market to allow him to retire. After undergoing a discreet sales process, the pharmacy was acquired by a pair of first-time buyer friends, named Mitan Maisuria and Rahul Patel, for an undisclosed amount.

At last Friday's Clinical Congress Conference, the NHSE Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England at NHS England, David Webb, announced the upcoming launch of the Pharmacy Stakeholder Forum- an initiative led by NHS England aimed to improve pharmacy professional leadership and foster collaboration within the sector. Webb highlighted the forum's significance as a platform for driving transformative change in pharmacy leadership. "The aim is to deliver collaboration to develop a stronger and more united voice for pharmacy professionals," Webb emphasised. Highlighting the need to drive transformative change in pharmacy leadership, he underscored that "the overarching goal is to address key challenges facing the pharmacy profession and chart a course for future development and innovation." Scheduled to commence in June, the Pharmacy Stakeholder Forum will provide a space for diverse organisations and networks with a vested interest in pharmacy professional leadership to converge.

The UK government has announced plans to update legislation to enable more services and individuals to provide take-home supplies of naloxone - a life-saving opioid overdose antidote - over the next few weeks. Naloxone can immediately reverse the effects of an opioid overdose by reversing breathing difficulties. The medicine can be administered by anyone in an emergency. However, current legislation allows only drug and alcohol treatment services to supply it without a prescription to individuals for future use. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed on Tuesday (14 May) that more professionals, including nurses, paramedics, police officers, probation officers and pharmacy professionals, will be able to supply the medicine without a prescription to save lives. Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins warned that opioid addiction can ruin lives and it accounts for the largest proportion of drug-related deaths across the UK.

"Patients deserve choice, but wherever they go they will find vacant nursing posts and overstretched services," responded Professor Pat Cullen, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, to the introduction of the new pilot scheme for out-of-hospital patient care. The NHSE and the DHSC have announced a new pilot scheme commencing in autumn "offering patients a choice of where they receive out-of-hospital care". Under the initiative, individuals requiring treatment outside of hospitals will have the opportunity to select from a range of providers across both the NHS and the independent sector. Patients can select their care provider for in-hospital consultant-led services post-GP consultation, offering a choice from at least 5 providers with details on waiting times, distance, and quality.

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."

Superdrug is bolstering its physical presence by launching 25 new stores this year as it celebrates its 60th year on the British high street. Additionally, the health and beauty retailer has announced plans to extend seven of its existing branches and refit another 60 throughout 2024. However, the retailer has confirmed the locations for only four upcoming stores - Wheatley Centre Shopping Parkin Doncaster, St David's Centre in Cardiff, Bluewater Shopping Centre and Westfield Stratford City. As reported by Mirror, the Donacaster site is expected to open by the end of this month, followed by the relocation of its existing Cardiff store to a new 11,3000 sq. ft space shortly thereafter. Superdrug is also shifting its Westfield Stratford City store, doubling its size to 9,892 sq. ft. Likely to be opened in the summer, it will be one of the retailer's biggest stores.

"Record long NHS waits are forcing huge numbers of people out of work, including doctors and nurses," said Wes Streeting MP, Labour's Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary as Labour announced a new partnership with Nuffield Health today to tackle joint pain issues among NHS staff and reducing waiting lists. Musculoskeletal problems, including back, knee, hip, and neck pain, are the second leading cause of NHS staff absences, surpassed only by mental health issues. In December 2023 alone, NHS workers missed a record 198,000 days due to these issues, marking a 13 per cent increase from the 174,000 days recorded in December 2019. Nurses and health visitors accounted for 52,000 of these days, up from 47,000 pre-pandemic, while doctors took 3,500 days off, a 9 per cent increase from 2019. The partnership with Nuffield Health will provide up to 4,000 extra places for NHS staff in Nuffield Health's Joint Pain Programme at no cost.

Reena Mehta, consultant pharmacist in the Critical Care team at NHS King's College Hospital, has been announced as chair of the Learning Division for the Intensive Care Society. Mehta took up the post with effect from 8th April, and is the first pharmacist to hold the role of Chair of the Learning Division within the Society. "It is a privilege to be part of the Society and support its life-saving work to enhance our understanding of critical illness and deliver better care to patients," "The intensive care community is made up of multiple professions, each playing a vital role within the critical care team, and I am extremely proud to be the first pharmacist appointed to this important role." In her role as chair of the Learning Division, Mehta will oversee the content of the Society's study days and be responsible for exploring new opportunities for the Intensive Care Society to provide training for our multi professional intensive care community.

Well Pharmacy, the UK's largest independent pharmacy chain, recently announced the opening of a new store inside WHSmith's flagship airside location at Birmingham Airport. This expansion is part of Well Pharmacy's ongoing collaboration with WHSmith, the global travel retailer. Situated within the departure lounge of Birmingham Airport, the biggest and busiest airport in the Midlands and the seventh largest in the UK, the new pharmacy will offer travelers a wide range of pharmacy products and expert healthcare services. The new pharmacy complements WHSmith's extensive selection of health and beauty items, travel essentials, food-to-go, and tech products. Andrew Caplan, chief retail officer at Well Pharmacy, expressed enthusiasm about the continued partnership. "Well Pharmacy are delighted to continue to work in partnership with WHSmith in providing a one stop shop for all travellers' needs," he stated.