The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has welcomed the Health Secretary Sajid Javid's plan to appoint Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) tsar to tackle the medicine shortages.
On Sunday (April 24) Sajid Javid told the Mail that he planned to tackle the problem (shortage of HRT medicine) by appointing a new HRT tsar with the role modelled on that of Kate Bingham, who successfully led the government's Covid vaccine taskforce.
"The difficulties in accessing HRT medicine have unfairly impacted women's mental health," said RPS President, Professor Claire Anderson.
"I look forward to working with this new champion for HRT and the Government on how we can better support women's health, building on the positive move to reduce
prescription charges for HRT for women."
Anderson also stressed that "the Government should now go further and end unfair prescription charges for patients in England altogether."
England won't have any new Covid-19 restrictions before the end of 2021, health secretary Sajid Javid said on Monday (December 27) whilst the government awaits more evidence on whether the NHS can cope with high infection rates in the new year.
"There will be no further measures before the new year," Javid told reporters, adding: "When we get into the new year, of course we will see then whether we do need to take any further measures."
He said that the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus now accounted for around 90 per cent of cases across England and urged people to celebrate New Year
cautiously.
The government's attention is focused on the number of patients being hospitalised with Omicron after early data last week suggested the variant carried a lower
risk of admission.
The latest data showed the number of patients in hospital in England with Covid-19 was its highest since March, at 8,474, but a long way off peaks above 34,000 in January.
A combination of factors, including Britain's vaccination programme, the lag between infections and hospitalisations and the potentially less harmful effects of the Omicron variant have all been put forward by health experts as possible explanations for lower numbers.
The Department of Health and Social Care has issued a Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) in response to a significant ongoing disruption to the supply of Paracetamol 120mg and 240mg suppositories.
Effective from Tuesday (Jan 25), SSP015 provides that for every Paracetamol 120mg or 240mg suppository originally prescribed, one Paracetamol 125mg or 250mg
suppository must be supplied.
SSP015, authorised by the Secretary of State, has been developed by clinicians and provides pharmacists with procedures to follow in providing either of these suitable alternative products to help reduce the number of patients having to return to their prescriber for a replacement prescription.
The SSP may be amended or revoked at any time but currently expires on 18 February 2022 - PSNC will update contractors on any changes.
Britain on Monday (January 10) put the biggest private health companies on high alert to deliver crucial treatments such as cancer surgery should Omicron
overwhelm National Health Service hospitals in England.
The United Kingdom's death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic stands at 150,154, the world's seventh worst official Covid toll after the United States, Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico and Peru.
Prime minister Boris Johnson has bet on refraining from lockdowns to deal with the Omicron variant which in recent weeks has swept across the UK, albeit with death
rates significantly lower than previous waves.
In a sign of just how stretched the NHS could become, health secretary Sajid Javid ordered England's NHS to strike a three-month deal with private health companies to allow patients to get treatments such as cancer surgery outside.
"Millions of patients have already got their tests and treatment quicker thanks to our existing deal with independent providers," said David Sloman, NHS England chief operating officer and Covid incident director.
The minimum Covid-19 self-isolation period in England will be cut to five days from seven if someone tests negative twice, health secretary Sajid Javid said on Thursday (January 13) - a move that could reduce staffing disruption in businesses and infrastructure.
The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has fuelled a spike in Covid-19 cases to record highs in Britain, and the surge has cause major disruption to the staffing of hospitals, schools and transport as staff have to self-isolate.
"We've made the decision to reduce the minimum self-isolation period to five full days in England," Javid told parliament.
"From Monday, people can test twice before they go, leaving isolation at the start of day six."
The government had previously reduced isolation period to seven days from 10 days to people in England who get a negative result on a rapid lateral flow test two days in a row.
Britain will offer a Covid-19 booster shot to all adults and could halve the dose interval for booster jabs from six to three months in a bid to accelerate its vaccination programme amid concern over the new Omicron coronavirus variant, as number of new cases found in the country rise.
The move, backed by a scientific advisory body and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, comes as ministers scramble to react swiftly to the new variant, which was first detected in South Africa.
Prime minister Boris Johnson has responded to the emergence of Omicron by making mask-wearing compulsory in shops and on public transport in England.
Until now, only adults in the UK aged 40 and above were eligible for a booster dose six months after their last.
But that timeframe will now be halved to three months, alongside the programme's expansion to all over-18s, with priority given to older people.
"These measures will protect more people, more quickly and make us better protected as a nation," Javid told MPs.
Hundreds of workers at pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline are set to strike over a "derisory" pay offer way below the level of British inflation, a union
said on Wednesday (April 20).
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham accused GSK of "colossal corporate greed" over an effective pay cut in real terms as Britain experiences its highest inflation
in 30 years.
GSK said it was "disappointed that the Unite union has taken the decision to strike", adding that the British group "remains committed to… a solution".
It said in a statement: "We recognise the impact inflation rates are having on people around the country and are strongly committed to supporting the skilled people
who work in GSK manufacturing."
About 500 Unite members, or around 13 per cent of GSK's UK manufacturing workforce, voted to strike, the drugs group said. GSK said it had offered a four-percent
increase in base salary plus one-off awards.
Carolyn Harris, Labour MP for Swansea East and co-chair of the Menopause Taskforce, has raised concerns over overcharging of HRT medicines by some online pharmacies, The Telegraph reports.
Carolyn, according to the newspaper, has claimed that some HRT products are being sold online for up to "three times as much as they're worth".
She has also accused the companies of "profiteering" from HRT shortage.
Carolyn has vowed to raise this issue in parliament and will also ensure that health secretary Sajid Javid is aware. She also intends to write to Javid to make sure he is up to date with the alleged "profiteering" taking place.
"Get your act together, this is just exploitation. Anybody who thought it was a good idea to hike the price up because there was a shortage… it's awful, it's just complete profiteering, and making a profit off the back of somebody's desperation is never a good look," she told The Telegraph.
A combination of factors, including the doctors' strike, medicine shortages, and funding scarcity, indicates that this upcoming winter could be the most
challenging period for both community pharmacies and the NHS, Community Pharmacy England has said.
In a September 4 blog post, CPE Chief Executive Janet Morrison emphasised that the relentless pressures show no signs of easing. "Pharmacy businesses, like
numerous other sectors, are grappling with the challenges of staying afloat in the current economic climate, compounded by the detrimental effects of historical
funding cuts."
"The doctors' strike, despite ongoing assurances from the Health Secretary that their pay deal is final, will inevitably exacerbate the demand for both primary
and secondary care, leading people to turn to their local pharmacies for assistance," she added. "This, in turn, will heighten the pressure on community pharmacies."
"Whatever the coming winter brings I am sure of two things: that community pharmacies are going to be more critical to the health of the population than ever
before, and that your representatives here will be fighting on all fronts to get you the help that you need."
Those of us who work in community pharmacy know there is a workforce crisis created in large measure by PCNs actively recruiting pharmacists and pharmacy
technicians from our sector. It is welcome, if long overdue, that this has now been officially acknowledged in a report commissioned by the English Health Secretary.
PCN hiring 'exacerbates pharmacist shortage' says DH-commissioned report, which states such recruitment has "on occasion exacerbated the problem of a general
shortage of pharmacists" which has compounded "the problem of community pharmacy closures."
We have been telling the government this for years only to be told "problem? What problem?"- but now that Steve Barclay has his own official report sitting on his
desk, he and NHSE cannot continue in denial mode. The facts are there for all to see. Time to act. No more dithering, delay or indifference. You asked if there was
a problem and you have been told there is.
In the absence of a holistic workforce strategy and cross-sector career pathways, PCNs poaching from community pharmacy is a zero sum game adding nothing to
improving patient care.
The government has earmarked £200 million to enhance NHS resilience and expedite patient care during the upcoming winter season. This extra amount will
bolster the health service during its busiest period, while protecting elective care so we can keep cutting waiting lists, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said.
On August 13, the Prime Minister and Health and Social Care Secretary met with clinical leaders and NHS Chiefs to strategise and refine planning for urgent and
emergency care, while prioritising the preservation of waiting list targets for the upcoming winter season.
"Patients can be reassured that I will always back the NHS, so that those who most need help and support will get the care they need," Sunak said. "Winter is
the most challenging time for the health service, which is why we've been planning for it all year - with huge government investment to fund new ambulances, beds
and virtual wards."
"This £200 million investment, assured by the Department of Health and Social Care as new and additional funding, should aid NHS leaders in their preparations and
mitigation for what will be a seriously difficult winter period," said Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of NHS Confederation. "The priority now is swift allocation
of funding to local systems for optimal utilisation."
Pharmacists on the temporary register will be automatically removed on April 1, unless they have applied to rejoin the permanent register, the General
Pharmaceutical Council has said.
The government asked the GPhC and other pertinent health professional regulators to close temporary registers by March 31, 2024.
According to the GPhC, this decision is based on the anticipation that the emergency conditions justifying the establishment of these temporary registers will
cease after the approaching winter.
The temporary register was established after the Health and Social Care Secretary asked the Council to utilise its emergency powers to swiftly register pharmacy
professionals for their essential role in the national COVID-19 response.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who had previously opted to withdraw from the GPhC register or failed to renew their registration are now eligible for
immediate re-registration, the regulator added.
The BAME Pharmacists Network of the Pharmacists' Defence Association has elected three women pharmacists as it's new officials.
Following the network's second set of elections since its launch in April 2020, Sima Hassan has been elected as president, Wai Chan Lau her deputy and Osariemen
Egharevba-Buckman as honorary secretary.
A community pharmacist for over 18 years and an academic, Ms Hassan will take over from outgoing president Elsy Gomez Campos who saw through the work of the network
during a very difficult period in the midst of a global pandemic.
Ms Hassan has been a prominent member of the BAME pharmacist community. She recognises and appreciates the complexities of issues that BAME pharmacists face and the
scope for work that needs to done for wider recognition.
The English health secretary has fumbled the opportunity to prevent a crisis in the NHS this winter. She either does not understand or value the role of
community pharmacy as the third pillar of patient access to essential healthcare.
Her announcement that she wants community pharmacy to provide more services to take the strain off A&E departments and GP surgeries comes on the same day DHSC
announces no new long-term investment to sustain the sector.
Does she not understand that as a result of years of government underinvestment in England the network is in decline with random closures across the country? Too
many pharmacies are temporarily closed every day due to workforce shortages beyond the control of pharmacy owners.
Adding a new service here and there, even with some additional funding, does not address the longer term viability of the network which needs to know which patient
services it will be expected to provide over the next 10 years - not just the next few months - and how those will be adequately remunerated.
Asking more from our sector with no new investment is a strategy which is bound to fail. The pharmacy contract remains economically illiterate. The sector's finances
need open heart surgery not a couple of paracetamol tablets.
A winter NHS crisis is inevitable unless the government acts now to reverse the worrying decline in community pharmacies. Years of government underfunding could
see 3,000 pharmacies in England - around a third of the network - having no option but to shut their doors to patients in the next few years.
That figure is based on independent assessments from Ernst & Young and UCL/LSE healthcare professors: it is not scaremongering - it is the reality the country faces.
Fifty per cent of pharmacies are already in financial distress because government funding has been falling in real terms since 2019 and that figure is predicted to
rise to 75 per cent within the next two years.
The government needs to act now and invest in pharmacy or sleepwalk into a healthcare disaster as we have seen with access to dentistry care. Prescription volumes
have risen consistently year-on-year by roughly 2 per cent which means fewer pharmacies doing more work and under greater pressure than a decade ago. Ten years ago
around 11,200 pharmacies in England were dispensing roughly 79,000 prescriptions; nowadays around 11,500 are dispensing roughly 89,000 prescriptions.
The secretary of state recently asked pharmacy to do more to avoid a winter NHS crisis and at the same time said there will be no new money to pay for those
additional services. This at a time when the network is in decline with random unplanned pharmacy closures - 640 closures since 2016 - and pharmacy staff face huge
workload pressures as prescription demand is increasing year-on-year. The government's approach to pharmacy literally does not add up: the pharmacy contract is not
fit-for-purpose now let alone dealing with a NHS winter crisis.
Leading pharmacy bodies and associations are looking forward to working with 'reappointed' Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, on
'future roles' and 'funding' for the community pharmacy.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) England Country Board Chair, Thorrun Govind, hopes that the ministers will now be able to focus on addressing the key
challenges facing the health service and the country.
"This means not just getting through the winter, but planning for and investing in the future."
She added: "It will be crucial to use the skills of all our health professions to support the NHS recovery, reduce health inequalities, manage the growing cost
of long-term conditions, and deliver best value from medicines.
The health secretary, Steve Barclay was asked over the delay of 'Pharmacy First' model in England that was proposed by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating
Committee (PSNC) last year, at the Health Committee evidence session held on Tuesday (31 January).
Taiwo Owatemi MP (Chair of the Pharmacy APPG) asked whether he was adhering to his statutory responsibility to ensure continued access to medicines and cited the
CCA's closures in areas of deprivation research.
Barclay replied that the government is 'investing more'. He said, "We put an extra 100 million on top of the 2.6 billion a year we commit to community pharmacy to
expand the range of clinical services. We've got over 2 million patients that have been referred to community pharmacy from NHS."
He further added: "One of the issues I'm very keen on is to explore what more we can do in pharmacy not least given the pressures on GP and the opportunity to look
at what it is currently people go to GPS for where potentially the risk to do more at the pharmacy and we're already doing that."
A polio vaccine booster campaign is being launched for almost a million children in London aged between 1 and 9 after confirmation that poliovirus is
spreading in the capital for the first time since the 1980s.
The UK Health Security Agency has identified 116 polioviruses from 19 sewage samples this year in London, after first sending an alert about finding the virus in
June. The levels of poliovirus found and genetic diversity indicated that transmission was taking place in a number of London boroughs, the agency said on Wednesday
(Aug 10).
Health secretary Steve Barclay said: "I recognise parents and guardians will be concerned about the detection of polio in London, however I want to reassure people
that nobody has been diagnosed with the virus and the risk to the wider population is low…
"Vaccines offer the best defence to children, and those around them, so I would encourage families to ensure they are up to date with their routine jabs, and to come
forward for the polio booster as soon as they are contacted by the NHS."
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued two new Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) for Estraderm MX 25mcg and 100mcg patches.
Effective from 8 September 2022, SSP035 and SSP036 provide that for every Estraderm MX 25mcg or 100mcg patch originally prescribed, one Evorel 25mcg patch or
100mcg patch must be supplied, respectively. Both SSPs are currently set to expire on 16 September 2022.
Both SSPs, authorised by the secretary of state for health, have been developed by clinicians and provides pharmacists with procedures to follow in providing
either of these suitable alternative products to help reduce the number of patients having to return to their prescriber for a replacement prescription.
DHSC informed that there are no SSPs in place for Estraderm MX 50mcg patches and 75mcg patches - these strengths are not affected by supply disruptions and should
continue to be dispensed in accordance with the prescriptions
"The SSP035 and SSP036 only allow substitution of Estraderm MX 25 or 100 patches with Evorel 25 or 100 patches, respectively."
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, health secretary Steve Barclay stated that he has asked his officials within DHSC to look at a "pharmacy first"
approach to alleviate pressures on A&E departments in order to avoid the widely predicted NHS winter crisis.
On the face of it, this a welcome if long overdue recognition that community pharmacy is an essential part of our national healthcare infrastructure alongside our
GP and A&E colleagues. But let's not get carried away - we have had lots of praise from politicians in the past which have not then been backed by firm commitments
for a sustainable future for the network.
Could this be a turning point? I hope so, but I am not confident it will be. I fear this may turn out to be another emergency stop-gap measure which does nothing to
secure the long-term viability of the sector in England.
The role of community pharmacy during the recent Covid pandemic demonstrated clearly how important we are to ensure people have easy access to essential healthcare
support, advice and services. The NHS winter crisis can only be avoided or at least mitigated if the potential of the community pharmacy network to provide more
patient care services is unlocked and that Barclay requires you to end pharmacy funding austerity and start investing.
The Treasury will no doubt say there is no more money, but what then the alternative other than a NHS winter crisis? And, of course, treating people in secondary care
settings is far more costly than community pharmacy based interventions.