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Over the past two years, the Covid pandemic has resulted in a backlog of elective care within the NHS, with record numbers of patients on waiting lists across the UK. Despite efforts to catch up after the first wave, subsequent waves have put further strain on an already stretched NHS system. This has had a tremendous impact on many patients waiting for routine dermatology appointments and, while every effort has been made to see patients with suspected serious skin cancers within two weeks, this target is not always achieved. With rising waiting times, pharmacists are increasingly the first port of call for patients suffering with a broad range of skin problems. From acne and rosacea, eczema or psoriasis, to changing skin lesions or simple insect bites, pharmacists can give helpful advice, allowing some customers to find quick relief to their skin complaint in mild cases, while directing others to see their GP without delay. Below is some practical advice that pharmacists can give to their customers with commonly encountered skin complaints. Acne Acne is a common skin condition that not only affects teenagers but adults too. It is estimated that up to 40 per cent of women continue to suffer with acne into their adult years. Acne has been linked to an increased incidence of depression, anxiety and even suicidal ideation. Patients have reported feeling overlooked and often dismissed in their concerns by health care professionals. Unfortunately, these issues have been further compounded by delays in being seen and treated due to the ongoing Covid pandemic. Pharmacists are well placed to help acne patients choose the right skincare. This should consist of lightweight products, such as gel or milky cleansers, with moisturisers in serum, lotion or light cream preparations. Some acne suitable products are further labelled as non-comedogenic. Oil-based or occlusive preparations are best avoided. There are many good quality, non-comedogenic sun blocks suited

In a significant move aimed at improving patient care and alleviating hospital pressures, the National Health Services (NHS) has expanded its same day emergency care services across the UK. This has resulted in thousands more individuals receiving rapid tests and treatment, effectively avoiding overnight hospital stays. Recent data paints a promising picture, revealing an 11 per cent increase in the number of patients discharged on the same day they were admitted as emergencies. This advancement translates to several patients receiving urgent care within hours, subsequently freeing up beds for others in need. Over the past year alone, an impressive 206,446 more patients have been discharged on the same day, amounting to 2,024,129 individuals in the year leading up to January 2024, compared to 1,817,683 in the preceding year. The successful rollout of same day emergency care to every hospital in England has played a pivotal role in easing bed congestion and reducing hospital admissions by up to 30 per cent in certain NHS Trusts.

There has been extensive national media coverage today (August 11) on how medicine shortages have forced patients to visit multiple pharmacies to get their prescriptions filled or return to their GP to be prescribed alternative drugs. These media reports have been based on a survey involving more than 1,500 pharmacists in the UK, in which over a half of those polled said that their patients' health had been put at risk in the last six months. In response to a query from Pharmacy Business, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it monitors the medicines supply chain closely to prevent any shortages and acts swiftly when any issue arises. A DHSC spokesperson told Pharmacy Business: "We take patient safety extremely seriously and we routinely share information about medicine supply issues directly with the NHS so they can put plans in place to reduce the risk of any shortage impacting patients, including offering alternative medication.

A recent report by the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) has shed light on ongoing supply challenges in England's generic medicines market, revealing significant issues impacting patient care. The report highlights significant challenges faced in supply of medicines as currently, 51.72 per cent of generics in short supply lack licensed alternatives, posing substantial hurdles to ensuring continuous patient care. Additionally, 39.08 per cent of affected generics are branded, indicating widespread disruptions across the market. A notable 26.44 per cent of generics experiencing shortages have been affected for over six months, highlighting persistent difficulties in supply chain management. The report indicates that 0.15 per cent of generic medicine presentations listed in the Drug Tariff are currently facing supply issues, impacting accessibility nationwide.

Whether it's the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and those suffering with long Covid, or the financial pressures of rising living costs, these hard times can affect absolutely anyone's mental health. Mental health problems have worsened across all age-groups in the last few years, from lack of social interaction, unexpected bereavements or the significant impact of a physical injury or long-term illness taking its toll on mental wellbeing - these challenging experiences and situations that we face throughout life leave a big strain on the population. Ultimately, there is an urgent need to reduce rising levels of mental ill-health in our society. As a pharmacist with 25 years' experience in healthcare, I feel I have an obligation to my patients to support them with their healthcare needs, and mental health should be treated just the same as physical health. Despite efforts to improve NHS mental health services, patients may still not be receiving the appropriate immediate care as they are often provided with online counselling or an App for long-term support (online support introduced since the pandemic). Community pharmacists are in a unique position to be advocates for patients with mental illness as they are the healthcare professionals' patients see most often. This is a good opportunity for pharmacists to speak to patients face-to-face and give them advice in a more practical way rather than potentially waiting weeks for an GP appointment.

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.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has cautioned that patients in the UK will continue to encounter difficulties in accessing medicines unless the government addresses supply problems and resolves the critical financial state of community pharmacies. CPE Chief Executive Janet Morrison and Mike Dent, Director of Pharmacy Funding, on Monday 19 February, gave evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee's Pharmacy Inquiry, highlighting the impact of ongoing medicines supply issues on pharmacies and patients. Morrison indicated that a combination of the ongoing "financial squeeze, operational pressures, and medicines supply and pricing issues" has left pharmacy businesses fighting for survival. "As the NHS continues to grapple with wider challenges, this is a battle that patients cannot afford for pharmacies to lose," she said. Morrison warned that if pharmacies continue to close, not only business owners and pharmacy teams will suffer, but patients and local communities will also face the consequences.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and Pharmacist Support hosted a roundtable on the impact of pharmacy workforce wellbeing on patient safety on Wednesday (17 May). It also released its annual Workforce Wellbeing Survey which showed continued pressures on pharmacy teams. The discussion explored the actions needed to support staff so they can continue providing safe and effective patient care and included representatives from the NHS, professional bodies, employers, trade unions, education and regulators. A report of the roundtable will be published in the summer. Amandeep Doll, RPS Head of Professional Belonging, said: "We know that pharmacy teams go above and beyond for their patients, but are also under enormous pressure. "Now more than ever, we need to strive to make the pharmacy profession more inclusive and ensure that everyone's wellbeing is supported. "It is vital that we do all we can to encourage people into pharmacy and to support them so they can enhance their skills, develop their careers, and continue to deliver high-quality patient care. "This discussion was a welcome step and showed that making a difference for staff wellbeing requires a concerted effort from stakeholders across the whole of pharmacy.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) highlighted the role played by community pharmacies during pandemic to provide urgent care and vital support to people with long-term medical conditions at its opening remark in the Covid-19 public inquiry held on Tuesday (28 February). NPA is the core participant in the Covid-19 public inquiry. lawyer Brian Stanton made an opening statement on the NPA's behalf which focused on three areas- health inequalities and the needs of vulnerable patients; the impact of medicine shortages and medicine price increases and the challenge that community pharmacy faced in responding to the pandemic and maintaining patient services following long-term under investment. Stanton said: "The UK's community pharmacies were on the frontline of efforts to limit the impact of coronavirus and to keep people well, and as well as handling a massive increase in demand for healthcare advice and medicines, they also continued to provide urgent care and vital support to people with long-term medical conditions. "However, there are now very many at risk of closure during to underfunding and when the Inquiry comes to consider its recommendations the NPA would encourage you [the presiding judge] to think about how resilience can be built into future plans." The statement included a compelling account of the commitment typical of so many pharmacies during the pandemic - from husband and wife Pete and Sukhi Johal, both NPA members and pharmacists, who co-own Calow Pharmacy in Chesterfield.

Pharmacy professionals to be included as key stakeholders in the implementation, delivery and evaluation of a wide range of genomic services, said the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). RPS's statement has been developed in collaboration with pharmacy organisations who have co-badged the report, such as the British Oncology Pharmacy Association, the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association, Association of Pharmacy Technicians and the College of Mental Health Pharmacy. It looks at current and future roles for pharmacy professionals in genomic medicine across many aspects of practice such as person-centred care and collaboration, professional practice, education, leadership, management and research. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the UK have already established roles in the application of genomic medicine in some areas of practice, such as antimicrobial stewardship and infectious diseases, and the management of certain genetic conditions, such as cystic fibrosis. The society believes, the current role of pharmacy professionals in genomics can be expanded upon in the future to both lead and support many relevant aspects of genomic implementation. These are described across all healthcare sectors, within the Genome UK strategy produced by the UK Government, and within the implementation plans published in England, Scotland and Wales. Lead for Pharmacogenomics at RPS Sophie Harding said: "Pharmacy professionals are the gatekeepers of medication safety and efficacy across all areas of healthcare. They are skilled at interpreting complex scientific data and use evidence-based medicine to maximise the benefits of treatments for patients, whilst supporting shared decision-making with patients and the multidisciplinary team.

Reacting to recommendations from a UK-first independent review, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has outlined action to tackle potential bias in the design and use of medical devices. Professor Dame Margaret Whitehead, professor of public health at the University of Liverpool, was appointed to lead the review, which focused on three areas - optical devices such as pulse oximeters, AI-enabled devices, and polygenic risk scores (PRS) in genomics. The DHSC commissioned the medical devices review after concerns were raised that pulse oximeters - widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic to monitor blood oxygen levels - were not as accurate for patients with darker skin tones. There were worries that this could cause delays in treatment if dangerously low oxygen levels in such patients were missed. However, no evidence was found from NHS studies indicating that this differing performance had an impact on patient care. Accepting the report's conclusions, the DHSC has committed to several actions, such as ensuring the safe use of pulse oximeter devices across a range of skin tones within the NHS and eliminating racial bias from data sets employed in clinical studies.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) on Wednesday announced that it is spearheading a new project, which aims to delve into the root causes of the growing challenge of medicines shortages across the United Kingdom and provide solutions to mitigate its impact on patients and pharmacy practice. A newly formed advisory group, chaired by RPS Fellow Dr. Bruce Warner, is set to convene later this month. The group will have experts from primary and secondary care, patient advocacy groups, the pharmaceutical industry, suppliers, regulatory bodies, governmental representatives, and NHS officials. The group aims to formulate a robust report to provide expert thought leadership and support for the wider debate on UK policy. Their work will be informed by a thorough literature review, stakeholder interviews, online RPS member events, and patient stories.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has urged health and care professionals to meet relevant regulatory standards amidst the shortage of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs). The council said: "We are concerned to hear that people with Type 2 diabetes are experiencing problems accessing GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs). We know that these are being widely prescribed for weight loss purposes and in some cases prescribed off-label." "We recognise the adverse impact that shortages and supply chain issues can have on patients, the public and wider health and care teams. The Council understands that health and care professionals are using their professional judgement and making decisions in challenging situations, balancing a range of factors such as individual patient needs, wider public health and pressures and limitations on available resources such as medicines shortages or other supply chain issues.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has launched a new draft 'Equality Guidance' for pharmacies to tackle discrimination and make sure that everyone can access safe and effective person-centred pharmacy care. GPhC's consultation is seeking views on "the structure and language of the guidance, if anything is missing and the impacts on patients and members of the public, pharmacy staff, pharmacy owners, and individuals or groups sharing any of the protected characteristics." The regulator said the draft guidance is designed to support pharmacy owners to: demonstrate that they are meeting our standards for registered pharmacies fulfil their legal and regulatory duties in relation to equality help protect the rights of individuals advance equal opportunities for staff, patients and the wider public help improve the experience and healthcare outcomes of patients and members of the public.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England have written a letter to pharmacy professionals thanking them for providing the best possible services to patients and the public, despite experiencing high and sustained demands and pressures. GPhC Chief Executive Duncan Rudkin and CPhO David Webb indicated that there will be further challenges over the coming weeks and months due to the ongoing industrial action, and staff shortages due to sickness or caring responsibilities. They expressed concerned that increased pressure will have a significant and potentially prolonged impact on pharmacy teams both personally and professionally. Acknowledging that pharmacy professionals may have to make some difficult decisions as they deal with the pressures they face, the leaders have urged those working in pharmacy to use "your professional judgement to assess and mitigate risk, and to deliver safe and effective care for your patients within your scope of practice."

GSK Consumer Healthcare has recently unveiled a three-year programme to support the pharmacy profession with additional practical resources, mental health provisions and proposed policy changes as part of its new report Standing with Pharmacists in the Age of Self-Care. The new report summarises findings from a roundtable hosted by GSK Consumer Healthcare in collaboration with the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) earlier this year, which convened the pharmacy community, policy experts, and industry leaders to discuss the critical role of pharmacy in the age of self-care following the Covid-19 pandemic. "We've seen Covid-19 have a significant impact on consumers' understanding of self-care, leading to an increased focus on wellbeing and everyday healthcare. During this time, pharmacies played a vital role in providing care and advice to their patients - particularly with many other health facilities closed. Our research shows that more than half of Europeans are planning to consult their pharmacist more often than before the pandemic. Yet in general, pharmacists remain under-utilised, despite being the most widely distributed health resource in Europe," said Tess Player, global head of expert at GSK Consumer Healthcare.

People in the UK are increasingly relying on community pharmacies for health advice and support as they are unable to access their general practitioner (GP). According to a recent report by the Liberal Democrats, there was a significant increase in the number of patients waiting four weeks or more to see a GP in England last year, rising from 12.8 million in 2022 to 17.6 million. Responding to this research report, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) highlighted that GPs are also struggling to meet the increasing demand for their services due to severe staff shortages. Dr. Victoria Tzortziou-Brown, Vice Chair of the RCGP, stated that the average number of patients each GP is responsible for has increased by 158 compared to five years ago. Although she acknowledged that many patients are forced to wait for weeks to see their GP, she said that doctors too are grappling with "unmanageable and unsustainable workloads" and "we can't keep doing more with less."

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have been tasked to evaluate the impact, safety and effectiveness of the Pharmacy First service, which was launched across England in January 2024. They have been awarded £2.4million by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to generate evidence on the new service that allows pharmacies to provide advice and treatment for seven common conditions without the need for a GP appointment. After consultation, if necessary, a community pharmacist can supply some prescription-only medicines to treat earache, sore throat, sinusitis, impetigo, shingles, infected insect bites or uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women. The LSHTM researcher team will be working together with experts at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Universities of Oxford, Manchester and Nottingham on the project. Dr Rebecca Glover, assistant professor in Antimicrobial Resistance at LSHTM, who will lead the three-year project, said they will evaluate "Pharmacy First's impact on GPs and the wider NHS, pharmacy services and patients."

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.

Patients suffering from chronic and episodic migraine attacks are set to benefit from a groundbreaking recommendation by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) regarding a new medication. The atogepant, a first-of-its-kind preventive drug for migraine, offers hope for those grappling with this debilitating condition and can be taken orally. Published as part of the final guidance draft, NICE has greenlit the atogepant, also known as Aquipta and manufactured by AbbVie, as an option for preventing both chronic and episodic migraines in adults. Specifically, this recommendation is for individuals who have experienced at least four migraine days per month and have failed to find relief with at least three previous preventive treatments. With approximately 4.5 million people in the UK affected by various forms of migraine, this new recommendation marks a significant advancement in migraine management as the condition significantly impacts patients' day-to-day activities as well as places a heavy burden on the NHS and the wider economy.