In its effort to address workforce challenges, Health Education and Improvement Wales has outlined initiatives aimed at facilitating the return of pharmacy
professionals with refugee status to active practice within Wales.
This possibility has been stated in HEIW's Strategic Pharmacy Workforce Plan, which commits to investigating the practicality and significance of establishing a
registration pathway for pharmacy professionals displaced due to refugee status.
According to HEIW, it is currently investigating the viability and importance of revitalising 'return to practice' packages, formulating pharmacy apprenticeships,
initiating international recruitment initiatives, and establishing a registration pathway in Wales for displaced pharmacists and pharmacy technicians holding refugee
status.
"In the past two years, we have arrived at a point where maintaining the desired access to the volume and quality of pharmacy services for our population has proven
unattainable," said HEIW. "In Wales, instances of diminished pharmacy services are evident in both hospital and community settings. The trend of abrupt, temporary
closures in community pharmacies continues."
NHS England has confirmed the initial sites that will test and implement Martha's Rule in the first phase of the programme.
This follows the announcement in February regarding NHSE funding for the major patient safety initiative for this financial year.
The scheme is named after Martha Mills, who died from sepsis at the age of 13 in 2021. She had been treated at King's College Hospital, London, where a failure
to escalate her to intensive care and a lack of response to her family's concerns about her deteriorating condition contributed to her death.
Martha's Rule aims to provide a consistent and understandable way for patients and families to seek an urgent review if their or their loved one's condition
deteriorates and they are concerned this is not being responded to.
NHS England on Monday (27 May) announced that the scheme will be implemented at 143 hospital sites across the country by March 2025.
UK-based consumer health company Kenvue has developed a series of tools and materials to support healthcare professionals - including pharmacy teams - with
their conversations with smokers on their quit journey.
This is part of their newly launched Smokefree Families initiative, which aims to help reduce the number of smoking households with children in England.
Kenvue believes that pharmacists and their teams are vital to the success of this initiative, as they play a crucial role in supporting smokers in their quit
journey.
"As trusted sources of support and advice to families across the country, we firmly believe that community pharmacy teams are crucial to the success of our Smokefree
Families initiative," Manoj Raghunandanan, Area Managing Director, Northern Europe at Kenvue, told Pharmacy Business.
"To support them, we've created a series of tools and materials that can help pharmacists and other healthcare professionals tackle sensitive conversations with
new and expectant parents, their partners and support networks, and ultimately motivate them on their quit journey."
Pharmanovia, a global pharmaceutical company has announced increased targets to divert 40 per cent of its air shipments to sea in 2023, and 75 per cent by the
end of 2028.
It has made the pledge as it revealed the significant progress made towards achieving its ambitious science-backed ESG initiatives in its new Sustainability Report.
Its industry-leading air-to-sea pilot scheme, which focused on its Spain-to-Australia freight route, cut an estimated 470,000kg in potential CO2 emissions in
2022 - reducing Scope 3 upstream transport emissions by 18 per cent.
This initiative demonstrates Pharmanovia's role as an industry leader on carbon reduction and follows a recent report which stated just 16 of 500 pharmaceutical
companies measured their entire Scope 3 emissions.
The new Sustainability Report reveals that the Scope 2 emissions decreasing by 13 per cent in 2022, due to lower direct electricity demand within the office space.
The company's packaging audit seeing a 52 per cent increase in the percentage of products packed with at least one fully recyclable component, up from 12% in 2021
to 64 per cent in 2022
Strong progress in an initiative which saw Pharmanovia set ESG goals all employees across its global offices as part of annual performance awards. Employees achieved
a 98 per cent completion rate of the compliance training, including ESG modules
Grundon Waste Management has introduced what it claims to be the UK's first verified nationwide inhaler return and recycling initiative. NHS Trusts and
community pharmacies participating in the new scheme will have specialised recycling containers for inhalers installed to simplify public participation, Grundon
said in a statement.
Inhalers alone contribute to 4 per cent of NHS CO2 emissions, with around 73 million dispensed annually. By 2026, the health service aims to achieve a 50 per cent
reduction in carbon emissions from waste management, a target that rises to 80 percent between 2028 and 2032, as outlined in the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy.
"This scheme holds the potential to revolutionise the approach of NHS Trusts towards achieving heightened carbon savings and ultimately, net zero emissions," said
Chris Edwards, Grundon's General Manager - Technical. "Each discarded pressurised Metered Dose Inhaler (pMDI) contains highly polluting hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)
gases - a category of greenhouse gas known to be over a thousand times more detrimental than carbon dioxide in driving climate change."
"This initiative securely captures these gases and repurposes them for application in the refrigeration sector. By also recycling the plastic and aluminium
components of the device, we are making a noteworthy contribution to the circular economy," he added.
Once collected, these will undergo processing at Grundon's specialist recycling facility in Ewelme, Oxfordshire, which is capable of handling more than 200,000
inhalers a day. The company aims to recycle 80 per cent of all prescribed inhalers by 2025, the statement added.
"Anything is possible with focused strength, resilience and determination" said Bhavin Shah, Financial Director at Sigma Pharmaceuticals plc, after
completing the annual London Marathon.
Shah donned his running gear and completed the 26.2 mile route in a commendable time of 5 hours and 33 minutes, all in support of 'Team George', a cause
initiated by his close friend, Jonathan Bracey, who is the EVP of corporate development at Tanner Pharma Group.
Bracey started the crowdfunding initiative last year after his 2-year-old son George was diagnosed with a rare cancer (rhabdomyosarcoma) on his liver/bile duct.
Sigma Pharmaceuticals directors and staff have played a vital part in helping raise over £52,000 over the last 6 months for 'Team George', which included the
London Marathon Charity run on Sunday 21 April 2024. The funds will be donated to four charities that have been instrumental in George's path to overcoming
cancer - Rays of Sunshine ward at Kings College Hospital Charity, St Mary's Hospital, Alice's Arc and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
For over three months, Shah had been training himself physically and mentally for the marathon run to support his friend's initiative. He joined Bracey in the
marathon, along with more than 50,000 other competitors.
In a significant move to address health disparities and enhance clinical research, community pharmacies across several regions are set to become central
players in the Genes and Health study.
Led by Queen Mary University of London and funded by the Wellcome Trust, this national initiative aims to improve health outcomes within British-Bangladeshi
and British-Pakistani communities.
Professor Mahendra Patel, Director of the Centre for Research Equity at the University of Oxford, highlighted the importance of this approach.
"By engaging the broader pharmacy workforce, including technicians, we aim to establish a research-ready infrastructure within community pharmacies," Patel
told Pharmacy Business.
He shared that the initiative marks a transformative step in integrating pharmacies into the clinical research landscape.
The Thames Valley and South Midlands Clinical Research Network (CRN) is managing a pioneering pilot program for this study, which will initially focus on
pharmacies in Banbury, Oxford City, Reading, Slough, High Wycombe, and Aylesbury.
The National Pharmacy Association has announced the theme for this year's 'Ask Your Pharmacist Week' campaign - 'Meet Your Local Pharmacy Team'. The campaign,
scheduled for October 30 to November 6, seeks to enhance awareness of pharmacy services and initiate dialogues with local stakeholders, highlighting the role and
advantages of community pharmacy, the NPA said in a statement.
NPA has organised an array of promotional activities, spanning window displays, social media engagements, partnerships with patient groups, radio and TV interviews,
and visits to pharmacies by local dignitaries and politicians during the week.
"AYP Week 2023 will acquaint individuals with the pharmacist's skill set and the broader community pharmacy workforce, showcasing their collaborative efforts in
delivering a secure and efficient service, encompassing NHS clinical care," said Stephen Fishwick, NPA's Head of Communications. "As always, the NPA will furnish
campaign resources for our members and other participants interested in engaging with this enduring initiative."
The 14th Annual Community Pharmacy Conference by Sigma Pharmaceuticals began on Monday, 25 February at Sun City, South Africa.
Dr. Bharat Shah, Manish Shah, and Kamal Shah, co-founders of the company, extended a warm welcome to the delegates in attendance at the event.
In a written message, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak extended his best wishes to all the participants attending the conference.
The message read: "This conference is timely as it coincides with the launch of the Pharmacy First, a new initiative launched across England that will enable
patients to receive treatments for seven common conditions directly from a pharmacist without the need for a GP appointment or prescription."
"We are all grateful for the tremendous contributions that pharmacists make to our NHS. The fantastic work you do is critical to the success of Pharmacy First
and many other initiatives."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during today's (15th May ) Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs), reiterated his commitment to supporting community pharmacies amidst
growing concerns over pharmacy closures.
Addressing questions regarding the Pharmacy First initiative, Sunak assured the House of Commons of his dedication to bolstering resources for these vital healthcare
providers.
In response to a query raised by Member of Parliament, St Ives MP Derek Thomas, citing statistics from the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) about "committing to
directing funds towards Community Pharmacy to alleviate financial pressure and prevent closures, Sunak remarked that he "cares deeply about the future of community
pharmacies."
Sunak acknowledged the indispensable role played by community pharmacists in alleviating pressure on urgent care services, emphasising the importance of initiatives
like Pharmacy First in government's commitment to supporting community pharmacies.
"There are over 10 and a half Community pharmacies across the country working incredibly hard to serve their patients," Sunak said praising the community pharmacists
and highlighted the concerning trend of pharmacy closures, citing a significant increase compared to the previous year.
As the general election campaign heats up, major political parties - including Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats - have released their
manifestos, detailing their plans and visions for the future of community pharmacy.
While the Conservative Party promises to expand Pharmacy First initiative, Labour pledges support for small businesses, with plans to overhaul the business
rates system.
The Liberal Democrats' election manifesto commits to developing a fairer and more sustainable long-term funding model for pharmacies.
Announcing their plans recently, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that they are investing in community care services to secure the future of the NHS and make
healthcare more accessible.
The Conservatives plan to fund these initiatives by cutting NHS managerial positions back to pre-pandemic levels and halving the government's management
consultancy expenditure.
the "Global Lung Cancer Drugs Market" will grow at a CAGR of 13.6% during the forecast period. The market has witnessed steady growth in the past few years with the introduction of novel products, which have augmented the acceptance of immunotherapy drugs in the market. The market is fueled by upsurge in the incidence of lung cancer cases across the globe - owing to increasing diagnosis rate and mainly due to increasing tobacco consumption, increase in the lung cancer treatment rates, increasing rate of effective drug approvals as first-line therapies, strategic deals to develop new products, increasing R&D spending, and rapid industrialization leading to increased pollution.
The report provides complete details about the sub-segments of the lung cancer drugs market. Through this report, the key stakeholders can know about the major trends, drivers, investments, vertical player's initiatives, and government initiatives towards the disease management in the upcoming years along with details of the existing pureplay companies and new players entering the market.
The 21st edition of the Pharmacy Business Awards have been postponed due to a dramatic rise in the number of Omicron cases nationwide in recent months.
The in-person event - initially scheduled to be held on February 3 - will now be held on Wednesday March 23 in central London.
The awards dinner hosted by the Asian Media Group - owners of Pharmacy Business - was initially scheduled to be held on February 3.
"Given the uncertainties around Omicron and the impact it could have on our community, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone the twenty-first edition
of the Pharmacy Business Awards," an AMG spokesperson said, adding: "We feel this is the best and safest decision for our award winners, guests and partners."
The Fitness-to-Practise Committee of the General Pharmaceutical Council has issued a three-month suspension to Mohammed Roohul Haque (Reg No: 2226084), a
locum pharmacist, due to incidents of workplace sexual misconduct.
According to the determination document issued by the regulatory body, Haque undertook the position of a locum pharmacist at Hollowood Chemists on July 12. It was
during this period that he encountered the dispenser (referred to as the "complainant"), a 40-year-old co-worker at the pharmacy, for the first instance. Following
this initial meeting, he proceeded to engage in making explicit sexual comments.
During the lunch break of the pharmacy's second dispenser, Haque asked the dispenser, who had lodged the complaint, to review photographs displayed on his mobile
phone, depicting renovations being carried out at his residence. The initial images focused on the ongoing renovation activities. However, he later switched to
displaying a full-screen photograph of his erect penis, the document said.
Despite the fact that the dispenser promptly distanced herself, Haque persisted in discussing the photograph with her. He went so far as to apologise, and even
asked if she had managed to closely observe the picture.
As part of efforts to streamline spending and enhance resource allocation within the healthcare system, the NHS has chosen to cease providing the free
vaccinations for all, which were initially introduced in 2020. Approximately 12 million British citizens will not have access to free flu vaccinations and
Covid-19 boosters during the upcoming winter, according to NHS.
Furthermore, the NHS plans to defer flu vaccine distribution to October, aiming to heighten protection for those aged 65 and older and other eligible groups in
the high-risk winter months. However, this has stirred panic among pharmacies, given their advanced planning based on the initial start date of September 1 for
vaccinations.
On Tuesday (Aug. 8), the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) released NHS guidelines indicating that Covid-19 booster shots, starting from autumn,
will not be provided to individuals aged 50 to 64 who are in otherwise good health. Similar guidance had already been released for flu, rendering 12 million
middle-aged Britons ineligible for free jabs, JCVI said.
Prior to the pandemic, influenza vaccinations were available to healthy adults aged over 65, alongside children and younger adults with medical conditions. Amidst
the pandemic, the distribution of flu vaccinations was expanded to include individuals aged 50 to 64, in alignment with the criteria for Covid-19 boosters.