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ECG has launched a new 'simple and straightforward' Patient Group Direction (PGD) service for pharmacists working in primary care, together with a service which offers direct access to an NHS Consultant for medical advice to offer robust safeguarding as and when needed. Taking on more clinical services with the PGDs can feel daunting and a big responsibility for healthcare professionals. ECG's new medical advice service (for anyone purchasing their PGDs) will offer pharmacists the opportunity to call and speak to a clinical member of the ECG team who will triage the calls and support them. If required, the call will be connected to an experienced NHS Consultant to offer immediate medical advice. The service will start with a Monday-Friday 08:30-16:30hrs provision with an option to increase to 24 /7 for those working out of hours. This is inclusive in the PGD pricing offer. ECG has been the market leader in providing vaccination training to pharmacists since 2004, providing robust knowledge and clinical skills to enable pharmacists to develop their private and NHS commissioned vaccination services (such as flu and covid). By developing their close working relationship with all of the multiples, many smaller chains, membership groups and independents over the years, ECG has continued to further consolidate their 'one stop shop' approach to supporting the sector. ECG wants to offer this sector choices in the level of guidance and support that the individual healthcare professionals feel they need to offer safe care to patients.

"It is crucial that patients can access care when they need it, whether from a pharmacist or a GP, " Paul Rees, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has said. In response to a recent survey conducted by the General Medical Council (GMC) highlighting alarming trends among General Practitioners (GPs), the NPA has issued a warning about the growing crisis in the UK's primary care system. Rees emphasised the urgent need for government intervention, saying, "Only by reversing these cuts and providing pharmacies with a new funding deal will we be able to end the 8am scramble for appointments." The GMC survey reveals that there is a significant increase in the number of doctors reducing their working hours to safeguard their wellbeing, spotlighting concerns about the long-term impact on patient care. According to the report, nearly half of GPs ( 48 per cent) are struggling to manage their workload, with several resorting to decreasing their hours or declining additional work to protect their mental and physical health.

Diabetes Can affect your oral health and make your body more prone to bacterial infections. Steps that can safeguard you may include regular health checkup by Cosmetic Dentists.

Diabetes Can affect your oral health and make your body more prone to bacterial infections. Steps that can safeguard you may include regular health checkup by Cosmetic Dentists.

Teva UK has alerted the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to the problem posed by steep energy prices. Teva's UK General Manager Kim Innes wrote to the minister seeking assurances that the distribution of medicines to patients will be safeguarded over what's likely to be a difficult winter. The problems posed by steep energy prices and the potential for power rationing is putting pharmacies under pressure from increased costs and the risk of losing power supplies as a 'non-domestic' energy user, said the company. Kim said: "In our letter to the Secretary of State we acknowledged that the government knows that medicines manufacture is strategically important and that it's a vital component in maintaining patient health." "But I wanted to make sure that the Secretary of State also realises the consequences of the energy crisis further down the supply chain - for example, the need for a pharmacy to have a fridge switched on at all times for storing cold chain products."

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee announced last week that it is in discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England about relieving capacity pressures, such as a relaxation of pharmacy opening hours requirements. PSNC is also scheduling webinars to talk with contactors about the steps they might be willing to take in future, to cut costs, should emergency financial relief fail to materialise. The pharmacy regulator reported that many of its members felt that it was no longer tenable for pharmacies to keep offering all of the free and non-core services to patients that they would like to, and that all contractors should consider what steps they could take to try to safeguard their businesses and their core services for patients. PSNC is also keen to talk to contractors about their current situation and the steps they might be willing to take in future, should emergency relief not be forthcoming.

Community Pharmacies are set to significantly upgrade their digital security as the mandatory rollout of NHSmail Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) begins this month (August 1, 2024). In an announcement by the Community Pharmacy England (CPE), pharmacies are urged to make the updates following a period of optional MFA implementations that began in late 2023. According to the new requirements, the mandatory update is crucial for protecting patient privacy and the integrity of their health records. By adding an extra layer of security beyond the standard email address and password, MFA helps safeguard against unauthorised access. This is especially vital in light of increasing cyber threats targeting healthcare systems. Cyberattacks, including ransomware, can compromise patient records and disrupt care delivery, making robust security measures essential. The introduction of MFA aims to curb these risks. According to cybersecurity research, MFA can prevent up to 80 per cent data breaches and block over 99.9 per cent of compromised accounts.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has expressed a neutral stance on assisted dying, while emphasising the importance of certain safeguards in any proposed legislation. In particular, they have urged the Bill Committee to include clauses addressing conscientious objection and criminal liability for health professionals involved. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which passed its second reading on 29 November 2024, would allow terminally ill adults to request assistance in ending their life, subject to safeguards and protections. The RPS has submitted a written response to a House of Commons committee examining the Bill, urging consideration of several key points. The RPS insisted that there should be "no obligation for any pharmacist to participate in any aspect of assisted dying if they feel this is against their personal beliefs." Instead, they proposed an "opt-in" model, allowing pharmacists and other healthcare professionals to choose to participate in aspects of assisted dying by completing the necessary training, rather than being required to "opt out." "This would help avoid the need for anyone ethically opposed to assisted dying to signpost to another health professional, as this can also pose an ethical dilemma." "This opt-in model would also help identify where it may be more difficult to access health professionals who are willing to support assisted dying, such as in a specific care setting or in remote regions," it explained.

Pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock highlighted the role of community pharmacies in the Labour government's proposed healthcare reform during his speech at the 24th annual Pharmacy Business Awards on Wednesday. He outlined the government's vision for three strategic shifts: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. Emphasising the crucial role that community pharmacies will play in achieving these changes, he said: "Pharmacies are based in, and recruit from, and are part of their communities, and we have to put you right at the heart of those three shifts if we are to deliver the change that our country so desperately needs." Kinnock also acknowledged the contribution of pharmacies in safeguarding the nation's health. He stated: "I've already heard, just in the short time that I've been in government since 4 July, of many examples of just how much patients and communities rely on your services and the lengths to which you go to deliver care."

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) will ask its members to vote on taking industrial action in order to bring to the public's attention the "slow death of community pharmacy", the organisation's chief executive has told Pharmacy Business. The NPA, which represents 6,000 community pharmacies across the UK, announced today that it will be sending a formal ballot to its members to vote on work to rule plans to protest against a decade of cuts to pharmacy funding. The ballot will ask pharmacies to consider a range of actions if the financial situation for pharmacies does not improve. This includes, reduction in services; cut hours to contract minimums; withdraw free deliveries or end the provision of free blister packs; cease to share data with the NHS unless it's a legal requirement; and consider serving notice on a range of locally contracted services, negotiated directly with local authorities. The ballot will be open for responses for six weeks and any action supported by a majority of pharmacies could take place before Christmas.