In a bid to revolutionise healthcare in the UK, the Reform Party has announced ambitious plans to offer tax incentives to pharmacies.
This move comes despite record extra funding in recent years, which has failed to halt a decline in NHS healthcare outcomes.
The party argues that while healthcare remains free at the point of delivery, significant reforms are essential to enhance results and eliminate waiting lists.
Central to the Reform Party's strategy is a set of critical reforms aimed at addressing NHS challenges within the first 100 days.
The implementation of tax breaks for pharmacies is intended to enhance accessibility and alleviate pressure on NHS resources.
Alliance Healthcare UK team members Nick Atkins, Swansea Service Centre Manager, and Karl Goodall, Swansea Driver Team Manager, have climbed Pen y Fan in
South Wales to support the Alzheimer's Society and raise money for dementia. The pair raised over £1,500, a cause close to Nick's heart, as his mother is a
dementia patient.
Dementia mainly affects people aged 65 and over, with 65 per cent of the 944,000 individuals living with dementia in the UK being women. Nick and Karl, dressed
as 'glamorous grannies' with wigs, tights, and dresses, completed the mountain trek in six hours, carrying an Alliance Healthcare medicines cool box weighing over
35 kg.
Alzheimer's Society supports people with dementia and their carers through national care and research efforts. Alzheimer's Society Cymru is the sole UK dementia
charity funding both biomedical and care research.
Alitam has announced that it has merged with clinical skills training provider MHRx to upskill UK pharmacists so that its chain of community pharmacies in the
UK can diagnose and treat minor medical ailments "quickly and safely".
This is a second merger deal announced by the group that has 100-plus pharmacies, just days after its merger with Pharmadoctor to "radically transform the UK and
Ireland's community pharmacy sector" into a truly preventative healthcare system.
Following the merger with MHRx, Alitam will now be providing a career development platform for its pharmacy teams, which also include nurses and other healthcare
professionals.
MHRx's training incorporates every aspect of general practice alongside relevant topics including making appropriate patient consultation records in line with NHS
guidelines.
This, Alitam believes, will allow community pharmacies to carry out formal diagnoses, formulate differential diagnosis plans, and perform full clinical examinations.
According to the founder and CEO Feisal Nahaboo, mergers such as these will lead to "a healthcare revolution predicated on building the world's first truly
preventative healthcare model".
People in the UK have a high level of trust in pharmacies and many are keen on seeing the Pharmacy First initiative expanded, according to the 2024 STADA
Health Report published today (24 June).
The 10th annual health report by global healthcare leader STADA Arzneimittel AG, the parent company of Thornton & Ross, involved a survey of over 46,000
respondents across 23 countries, including 2,000 participants from the UK.
The UK data showed an overwhelming trust in UK pharmacies, with 94 per cent of those surveyed (more than nine out of 10 Brits) saying they have only ever had
good advice from a pharmacist.
The report also indicated a strong desire for the Pharmacy First scheme to be expanded, with 44 per cent of respondents advocating for an increase in pharmacists'
scope of responsibilities to support doctors.
Balmedie Pharmacy based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland has been purchased by local expanding multiple operator JMF Healthcare.
Balmedie Pharmacy is a well-performing community pharmacy that dispenses an average of 5,255 items per month. It lies completely unopposed in the large Aberdeenshire
village of Balmedie, which is circa eight miles north of Aberdeen City Centre.
The pharmacy has been owned by Brian Arris since 2004 and was recently brought to market to allow him to pursue other pharmacy business opportunities.
Following a confidential sales process with Christie & Co, JMF Healthcare to benefit from new housing developments in this area of Aberdeenshire such as 300 new
homes planned in Balmedie, approved plans for up to 500 new homes in Trump Menie Estate, and 284 new homes planned in Blackdog Village.
Brian Arris, previous owner of Balmedie Pharmacy, comments, "I'm sad to see the business go as the excellent staff have helped grow the pharmacy from scratch since
2004 and we've all put our hearts and souls into providing good pharmaceutical care for the village and surrounding area. I'm confident everyone is left in safe
hands with John at the helm now."
Boehringer Ingelheim UK & Ireland has appointed Vani Manja as its new Country Managing Director and Head of Human Pharma.
Manja has been associated with Boehringer Ingelheim for over 11 years, in successful leadership roles in Germany, the United States and most recently as General
Manager, India.
Her career started as a commissioned officer in the Indian Army Ordnance Corps which preceded leadership roles at Becton Dickinson and McKinsey.
She brings extensive experience of strategy, marketing, sales, business development, people management, and cultural transformation and is passionate about tackling
healthcare inequalities and advancing sustainable healthcare.
Commenting on her new role, Manja said: "It is with great heart that I bring the spirit of conscious leadership to my new role. I look forward to being fully present
and partnering with key stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem in our collective quest to improve health for humans and animals in the UK and Ireland."
The wholesale supplier and distributor, Alliance Healthcare has successfully raised over £100k for three charities following a series of events in the last
three months.
The healthcare company hosted a Sports Championship event in October to raise funds for Action Medical Research, Vitamin Angels UK, and the Theodora Children's
Charity.
The following competition saw colleagues competing against each other in various football and netball tournaments.
Last month, two teams of seven members participated in a thrilling 2023 Tour D'Alliance cycle challenge to pedal and cover over 300 miles from Great Yarmouth
to Swansea Service Centre.
Digital transformation is sweeping across the healthcare landscape. Fuelled by ambitious government policy, exciting innovation and huge injections of funding,
it's hard for anyone in the sector not to catch a dose of digitisation fever.
But digitisation is not a universal tonic, and it certainly isn't always a 'good thing'. In fact, there's a real danger to digitising healthcare. Such a fundamental
change to the very nature of care delivery is an inevitably high-risk process: sometimes things or people get forgotten, vital processes stall, or new systems fail
to replicate the strengths of those they replace. Take, for instance, the digitisation of pharmacies.
Over recent years, the public's use of online-only pharmacies have boomed: in March it was reported that the number of items dispensed from distance-selling
pharmacies in England, UK quadrupled between 2016 and 2021.
These online providers offer an attractively convenient way for patients to receive their medicines; replacing a trip to a high street pharmacy with a package
delivered straight to their door. On the surface, this digital solution seems perfect not only for young patients with busy schedules, but also for older patients
or for those with restricted mobility who may struggle with in-person collection.
Alliance Healthcare, the UK's largest pharmaceutical wholesaler, announced today (December 7) the appointment of Marie Evans as its new managing director.
Evans, who is the current commercial and category director of the firm, will report to Juan Guerra, Alliance Healthcare's senior vice president and managing director of International Wholesale.
Commenting on the new appointment, Guerra said: "The last 18 months has shown just how important wholesale and distribution is to the NHS and I am so excited to
welcome Marie to her new position at this critical time.
"Her experience and leadership will be key as we continue to evolve our services in response to the changing needs of pharmacy, the health service, and industry."
STADA has appointment Nigel Stephenson as General Manager UK with effect from 1 August 2023.
Based in Huddersfield, UK, Stephenson will report directly to STADA's Head of Western Europe and Germany, Stephan Eder.
He will take over from Rudolf Bär, who has successfully led the UK business for almost one year in addition to his responsibilities for STADA's Mid-Sized European
Markets.|
A dynamic and modern commercial leader with extensive experience in sales and marketing across Western, Central and Eastern Europe, and the UK in leading
pharmaceutical, consumer healthcare and fast-moving consumer goods companies.
He joins STADA from consumer healthcare leader Haleon, where he most recently served as General Manager Switzerland.
"With his strong people and results orientation, along with deep purpose-driven engagement, Nigel will support our UK team in realizing its full potential
through innovative and inclusive leadership," stated Eder.
Errors of any kind in medical settings can have dire consequences for patients and healthcare systems. Unfortunately, negligence, misdiagnosis, and
medication errors aren't uncommon in the UK.
In this article, we discuss the nature of medication errors in the NHS, outline potential causes, and delve into how and why technology could be turning the tide
on the issue.
Prevalence and consequences of medication errors
Medication errors are incidents involved with the administering, prescribing, dispensing or monitoring of medicine to patients. It can happen at many different
steps in the healthcare process and by any medical professional in the system. Many cases are avoidable.
According to analysis from BMJ, there are an estimated 237 million medication errors made in England every year. The majority of these are minor errors, but 1 in 4
cases has the potential to cause moderate to serious harm to patients.
Not only do these errors cost the NHS significantly, at almost £100 million every year, but there is a shocking cost to public health. Lives are being lost because
of medication errors which is unforgivable and tragic for the families involved.
Drains on NHS resources have widespread impacts on public health and the operations of healthcare organisations up and down the country. Individual errors and
mistakes may seem inconsequential (in minor cases), but they all add up in the big picture to a significant concern for policymakers.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) today released a new guidance to pharmaceutical companies using Disclosure UK which it said will boost transparency in the relationships between healthcare professionals, other relevant decision-makers and the industry.
The guidance encourages companies to use 'Legitimate Interests' as their lawful basis for processing individual's data, in order to increase the number of named healthcare professionals and other individuals on Disclosure UK, the database showing the payments and benefits in kind made by the pharmaceutical industry to doctors,nurses and other health professionals and organizations.
"I'm pleased the ABPI is launching this new guidance which will boost patient safety and public confidence in our healthcare professionals," Patient Safety and Primary Care Minister Maria Caulfield commented.
Northern Ireland will see changes in the regulatory landscape following the issuance of the Windsor Framework on 27th Feb 2023 and the corresponding EU
Commission proposal. An agreement, in principle, has been reached by the UK and EU.
The new path forward of the Windsor Framework marks a turning point in how both the UK and the EU will work together collaboratively and constructively to ensure
that the same medicines are available in Northern Ireland at the same time as they are in the rest of the United Kingdom.
Whilst this is a successful result for Northern Ireland patients, this is major change for companies that have made specific provisions in their supply chains for
Northern Ireland. The supply chains of companies where provisions and changes were made such as introduction of GB specific pack may be impacted as a result.
However, the burden on the UK Pharma supply chain will be eased.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak walks with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Windsor on February 27, 2023
Pharma companies will need to carefully consider making changes within their processes and supply chains pending the issuance of clear guidance from the MHRA on
the regulation changes resulting from the Windsor Agreement and the corresponding EU Commission proposed regulatory changes associated with medicinal products
within the Northern Ireland market.
Smooth access to the EU market for Northern Ireland pharmaceutical and medical technology firms has been safeguarded within the constraints of the agreement. The
pragmatic dual-regulatory system protects business, patients and healthcare services, and reflects that it is an essential state function to maintain and oversee
the supply of medicines within the whole United Kingdom.
In a mutual agreement with the STADA board, Roger Scarlett-Smith has stepped down from his role as head of UK.
The company has assigned the responsibility of UK operation to Rudolf Bär with current responsibilities as cluster head for Mid-Sized European Markets.
Scarlett-Smith joined STADA in October 2018 to lead the UK operation upon the retirement of Dieno George. Prior to this, he had enjoyed an illustrious career in
the Consumer Healthcare sector, largely with GlaxoSmithKline, for which he held positions including as President North America, President EMEA and Head of Global
Categories.
Under his leadership, the STADA UK business has grown sales by 50 per cent and profitability has more than doubled. He has reshaped the business to improve efficiency.
There has been a marked acceleration of product innovation including key line extensions to the Zoflora disinfectant range as well as the introduction of a
salmeterol and fluticasone inhaler in the Rx respiratory sector. Meanwhile, T+R has developed a fine reputation regionally, being voted number 1 regional company
last year and winning many national industry awards.
Highlighting the growing workforce challenges in the UK, a new report has indicated that nearly one in five (18 per cent) flexible health and care sector
workers, engaged in agency work through private providers, might leave the sector in the next two years.
With tens of thousands of flexible staff working within the sector every week, providing care for thousands of people, the report cautioned that failure to address
their concerns could result in poor system performance and patient experience.
The report is based on views drawn from over 10,000 flexible health and social care professionals, including a significant number of those working in pharmacy,
gathered by strategic workforce partners Acacium Group.
According to the report, 24 per cent of workers surveyed reported feeling overstretched by their workload, contributing to burnout and dissatisfaction.
Concerns about working conditions and the level of support from management were cited as key reasons why some healthcare professionals are considering leaving
the sector.
There is a clear opportunity for community pharmacists and their teams to lead best practice when it comes to supporting the ongoing health needs of older
people. As the global population continues to age, the demand for specialised healthcare services tailored to the elderly is rapidly increasing. Community
pharmacists, with their accessible locations and frequent interactions with patients, are uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in addressing this growing need.
The ageing population presents a complex set of health challenges, including multiple chronic conditions, polypharmacy, and increased susceptibility to adverse
drug reactions. Community pharmacists, armed with their extensive knowledge of medications and their effects, can serve as the first line of defence in managing
these issues. By leveraging their expertise, they can implement best practices that not only improve the quality of life for older individuals but also reduce the
burden on the broader healthcare system.
One of the primary areas where community pharmacists can make a significant impact is in medication management. As people age, they often find themselves taking
multiple medications for various conditions. This polypharmacy can lead to dangerous drug interactions, side effects, and compliance issues. Community
pharmacists can lead the way in implementing comprehensive medication reviews, ensuring that each patient's drug regimen is optimised for their specific needs
and minimising potential risks.
Charac, an NHS-integrated one-stop platform for independent community pharmacies, has secured £1 million strategic investment from the Royal Mail Group,
enabling its time-saving platform to assist more local pharmacies and patients across the UK to easily manage their prescriptions and consultations online.
The company said this new money will enable it to leverage strong levels of trust that pharmacists enjoy within the communities they serve in and will ensure
pharmacies remain a cornerstone of vibrant high streets and an invaluable provider of frontline healthcare products and services, including vitally needed
consultations.
Charac says it is aiming to sign up over 1,000 UK pharmacies in the next 12 months by expanding its geographic footprint beyond current cities, including London,
Manchester and Birmingham, and targeting small multiple and independent pharmacies, accounting for almost 40 per cent of the UK's community pharmacy network.
The announcement also sees the addition of Stefan Kulik, a managing director at Royal Mail, to the Charac board. Stefan is responsible for leading Royal Mail's
expansion into the healthcare industry and brings a breadth of experience, having previously worked in healthcare with companies including Johnson & Johnson.
At the Future of Britain Conference 2024, the newly appointed Secretary of Health and Social Care, (DHSC) Wes Streeting, stated that "Labour's DNA is in
the NHS".
He also called for a long-term approach to reform the broken health sector and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to steer the healthcare system
towards sustainability and growth.
Hosted by Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and My Life My Say today, Tuesday, 9, Streeting discussed the plans to fix the healthcare system and role of
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in "making the right choices" by bringing in three essential shifts in the healthcare.
Criticising the previous Conservative administration for leaving "massive burning deck issues" due to constant reshuffling within the Department of Health and
Social Care (DHSC), Streeting lamented that this "instability" and "indecisions" have made comprehensive reform even more pressing.
Drawing inspiration from Chancellor Rachel Reeves' speech on economic growth, Streeting stressed the interconnectedness of health and economic prosperity.
Wes Streeting MP has been appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in the new Labour Government.
The Ilford North MP will now take on the critical role of overseeing the National Health Service (NHS) and implementing Labour's ambitious health agenda.
At the core of the Labour Party's healthcare reform manifesto is enhancing accessibility to primary and community healthcare. This involves implementing a
'Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service,' to empower pharmacists with independent prescribing rights where clinically suitable.
This initiative aims to alleviate the strain on GP practices and enhance service accessibility.
Additionally, the manifesto proposes piloting Neighbourhood Health Centres, to integrate various healthcare services -such as family doctors, district nurses,
and mental health specialists under one roof.
The UK Government is investing £100 million to accelerate the use of AI in life sciences and healthcare under a new mission.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the AI Life Sciences Accelerator Mission in his speech last week.
The new initiative will capitalise on the UK's unique strengths in securing "health data and cutting-edge AI."
It will also help to identify those at risk of "dementia" and will ensure that patients participate in the trials at the right time to develop new treatments
effectively.
Henceforth, it will provide us with better data on how well new therapies work.
Sunak said: "AI can help us solve some of the greatest social challenges of our time. AI could help find novel dementia treatments or develop vaccines for cancer."