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Bladder leakage is one of the most common healthcare issues affecting women, with the effects of the condition having major effects on women's lives. 1 in 3 women over the age of 18 experience bladder leakage at some point in their lives,1 and in general, prevalence increases at the start of the menopause. It is a major taboo and due to embarrassment women sometimes struggle to discuss the condition and need help. It is now time for community pharmacy teams to take the lead and provide the proactive support your customers need - and don't just reach for the pads…. You can help them stop the leaks, and build customer loyalty. If women are regularly buying pads, or have struggled with using pharmacological solutions you can now offer alternative approaches. What is incontinence? Urinary incontinence is when a person accidentally passes urine when they don't want to. It occurs when their bladder is put under pressure, such as when they cough, sneeze, laugh or run. Frequent or occasional, it can vary from a few dribbles to a complete loss of bladder control. There are several known types of bladder and urinary incontinence. They receive their name from the origin of the issue that causes the passing of urine. Although they are similar and can have some of the same symptoms, they mostly differ in the way they come about: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) - causes the leak after a person strains or exerts themselves during a physical activity, including coughing, sneezing, laughing, running or jumping. This is the most common type of urinary incontinence.

Modulator therapies, manufactured by Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX.O), may no longer be available for new cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in the UK. A draft guidance recently published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) stated that it would not recommend the use of Kaftrio, Symkevi and Orkambi on new CF patients. Kaftrio and Symkevi are currently recommended for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in patients aged 6 years and older, while Orkambi is used for patients aged 1 and older. The NICE draft guidance highlighted medicine costs and the strain on resources and finances faced by the National Health Service (NHS) as reasons for removing these drugs.

Health secretary Sajid Javid urged people to book a Covid-19 booster shot on Wednesday (December 1) as he said there were 22 confirmed cases of the Omicron virus variant in the country. Javid said the government believed a booster campaign would help protect against severe disease from Omicron, even if it turns out that vaccines are not as effective against the variant as previous strains of the disease. He said he hoped to know more about Omicron within two weeks, as scientists work to understand what impact the new variant will have on transmissibility and serious disease. "At this point in time the case numbers are very low," Javid told Sky News. "For the UK we've got 22 confirmed cases at the moment and that will go up, it will certainly go up." Britain plans to offer all adults a Covid-19 booster shot by the end of January. Government data shows 81 per cent of the population aged over 12 have had two doses of the vaccine while 32 per cent have had a booster shot or third dose.

Health and social care workers in England, including those working in community pharmacy, will no longer have to have a Covid jab as a condition of employment from later this month, the government said on Tuesday (March 1). The government had announced on January 31 that it intended to revoke the regulations that made vaccination compulsory, subject to the results of a public consultation. The decision was taken because the Omicron strain of the virus was less severe than the Delta variant, and due to high rates of vaccination of people in the UK. Health secretary Sajid Javid told parliament in a written statement that more than 90,000 health and social care workers and members of the public responded to the consultation.

French drugmaker Sanofi said on Monday (June 13) an upgraded version of the Covid-19 vaccine candidate it is developing with GSK showed potential in two trials to protect against the virus's main variants of concern, including the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 strains, when used as a booster shot. While the two companies' first experimental Covid shot is undergoing review by the European Medicines Agency, Sanofi and GSK have continued work on a vaccine that is moulded on the now-supplanted Beta variant, hoping still that it will confer broad protection against future viral mutations. Sanofi said this new vaccine candidate was shown to significantly boost antibody levels against a number of variants of concern, when given to trial participants who had an initial course of mRNA vaccines, a type made by BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna. In a separate trial conducted by a French hospitals network, Sanofi's Beta-adapted booster shot triggered a higher immune response than Sanofi's first-generation shot or Pfizer-BioNTech's established vaccine in previously vaccinated volunteers.

Well Pharmacy is urging those eligible to take up the offer of a further Covid booster jab this spring. Adults aged 75 years and over and anyone over 5 years old and are immunosuppressed - such as those who are undergoing chemotherapy or have had an organ transplant - are entitled to have a further Covid booster jab from mid-April, said one of the UK's largest community pharmacy chains. Taking part in the vaccination programme again, Well Pharmacy is encouraging people to book another booster as soon as they are contacted by the NHS - which should be at least six months after their previous booster. The national booking site for those eligible opens this week. The jabs have been updated since the vaccines were introduced to now target newer strains of Covid-19, Well said in a press release issued on Wednesday, 5 April. Thousands of people are still testing positive for Covid each week according to Government data, and - while hospitalisations are down - a large number of people are still being hospitalised with Covid, so getting jabbed is as important as ever. And the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recently confirmed that hospital admissions last autumn highlighted that the risk of becoming seriously ill from coronavirus was noticeably higher in people over 75.

Recently, the English Health Secretary has talked about introducing a 'Pharmacy First' model similar to that which exists in Scotland. This would be a win-win outcome providing people with better access to essential healthcare support, advice and treatment whilst relieving strain on other parts of the NHS, not least GPs and A&E. It is a no-brainer and yet despite a few media headlines there are still no firm proposals on the table to make this a reality. It surely cannot be right that you can receive a broad range of patient care services in Scotland which are not available in England. It works well in Scotland, Wales is keen to develop more pharmacy-based services and Northern Ireland, leaving aside the current funding dispute, has had a minor ailments service for many years. If the English Health Secretary is sincere in his interest in adopting an English version of the Scottish model, then there are critical aspects he needs to consider. Firstly, start with the patient journey through the healthcare ecosystem from illness prevention through to long-term condition management. What is the role of community pharmacy and how do we guide people to seek support from the most appropriate healthcare professional? What is the vision for community pharmacy delivering patient care in the next decade? The lesson from Scotland is that the government needs to sit down with the sector and map that out together. There are no quick fix overnight solutions. This needs to be a long-term commitment backed by adequate funding. Supervision regulations need to change and there needs to be a thought through workforce strategy which avoids community pharmacy shortages as that does nothing to deliver improved patient outcomes.

With the upcoming general election on the horizon, Proprietary Association of Greater Britain (PAGB) is leading the charge to integrate self-care into the core of all political party manifestos. The aim is to ease strains on the NHS and forge a sustainable healthcare system for the future. In a significant move, PAGB unveiled a comprehensive general election toolkit on Wednesday, laying out a compelling argument for the prioritisation of self-care among stakeholders. The toolkit underscores the importance of public interest, potential NHS cost savings, and the economic advantages of the over-the-counter (OTC) sector. Aimed at unlocking the full potential of self-care and nurturing an enabling environment for its implementation, PAGB's toolkit advocates for greater integration of pharmacy services into primary care.

In a groundbreaking move, the Department of Education has initiated the first phase of its ambitious childcare expansion plan, offering a lifeline to thousands of working parents of two-year-olds nationwide. Effective from April 1, working parents now have access to 15 hours a week of government-funded childcare, marking the onset of the largest-ever childcare provision expansion in the country's history. This milestone initiative aims to alleviate the financial strain on families and promote workforce participation, with over 150,000 children projected to benefit from government-funded places. By September 2025, the expansion will culminate in working parents gaining access to 30 hours of free childcare, offering substantial annual savings and enabling parents to navigate the delicate balance between work and family commitments. Acknowledging the pivotal role of childcare in supporting families and driving economic growth, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak emphasized the government's commitment to delivering on its promise of expanded childcare provision.

In a decisive move highlighting the financial strain faced by community pharmacies, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) submitted a £108 million invoice to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) today (16 May). According to the NPA, this substantial sum represents the amount that pharmacies in England personally covered for the dispensing of NHS medicines last month, as a result of inadequate funding. "The £108m figure is an average monthly figure based on the loss to pharmacy incomes over the past decade," it said. The association believes that mass closures can be prevented only when the government stops expecting pharmacies to subsidise the cost of delivering NHS care. NPA chief executive Paul Rees, said: "The soaring costs of dispensing medicine coupled with declining real terms funding has led to community pharmacies in England having to subsidise the dispensing of drugs to the tune of £108m a month.

A Lake District pharmacy is grappling with significant medication supply issues, affecting its ability to provide essential drugs to customers amidst nationwide drug shortages. According to Simon Butterworth, whose family has operated Collins & Butterworth Pharmacy in Hawkshead for nearly 40 years, voiced his concerns to the ITV stating that the staff is "having to spend time hunting for (medications), looking for it or doing our best to find ways to solve that problem" for distressed patients. "They've got to know when they can get the medications they need," he added. Butterworth also highlighted the financial strain pharmacies face due to the NHS's fixed tariff system. "Certain items are actually costing more to buy than we get paid for them by the NHS. An item we were trying to get this morning was 250 per cent higher than the tariff price, which is significant and builds up over lots of items," he explained.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) is gearing up to conduct a vital Pharmacy Advice Audit, calling on pharmacy owners and their teams to help measure the increasing reliance on pharmacies within communities. With years of financial strains impacting the sector, despite the much-needed £645 million recovery plan funding, the sector finds itself on the edge. The launch of Pharmacy First sparked a notable surge in people seeking advice from community pharmacies, both within and beyond the funded service, as revealed by recent sector polling. To accurately assess this trend and advocate for sustainable funding, CPE is initiating an audit to gather data crucial for showcasing the extent of unfunded care provided by community pharmacies. Scheduled to commence this week, the Pharmacy Advice Audit will entail pharmacy teams documenting informal healthcare advice dispensed over a single day.

"Not improving our funding is not an option, if they want to continue to deliver anything like the level of patient care we have done in recent years," he emphasised as he prepares for the NPA'S Save Our Pharmacies Day of Action (June 20). Over the past two years, McElrea has navigated crises stemming from NHS Scotland policies, particularly concerning medicines price inflation and delayed payments. "The cost of medicines increased rapidly compared to inflation," McElrea stated, noting NHS Scotland's slow response in adjusting tariff prices. "This wiped out £50,000 of cash reserves and forced us into £30,000 of additional borrowings." Delayed payments further strained operations, with McElrea highlighting the impact of payments based on outdated pricing.

Do you want to make your normal workout regimen more challenging? Then, DynaPro's exercise balls can be a great addition to your workout. You can use them in several ways, depending on your fitness goals. Exercise balls are most often used for core strengthening and working lower and upper body. These professional quality workout balls can improve your sense of balance and agility, which can play key role in enhancing your performance in activities such as running, tennis, dancing and yoga. Incorporating a stability ball in your workout is a great way to transform your body even after an injury to reduce muscles and spinal strain during certain movements. Check 3 ways how these exercise balls can help you change the way you workout.

Tynor Walker Boot Tynor Walker Boot is designed for rehabilitation after injury, fracture , sprains or surgery of foot, ankle or lower leg. The boots provide support to the ankle and leg without inhibiting mobility. They can be a substitute for cast or can be used in case of early cast removal. With a wider rocker bottom, these boots promote a natural gait, reduced plantar pressure, enhanced stability and comfort to the lower leg. Light weight. Sturdy Support. Enhanced mobility. Maintains normal gait. Tynor Walker Boot Features Moulded foot Improves gait Rocker sole-helps in easy ambulation Offers stabilization of the foot ankle and the lower leg Comfortable positioning and protection of the foot Aluminum lateral bars Rigid support-Improved immobilization of the ankle and the lower leg Malleable, shape can be customized for better fitting and support Foam liner and Pad set Ensure extreme comfort Ensure perfect fit of the leg in the orthosis. Hook Loop system Easy removal and application of the product Allows wound inspection Allows personal hygiene Perfect fitting of the product Improved stabilization.

Tynor Wrist Splint with Thumb Applications Wrist and Thumb injuries. Injuries of the metacarpal. Early cast removal. Fracture management. Post-surgical protection and rehabilitation. Management of arthritic conditions of the wrist. Bursitis, Tendonitis, Tensosynovitis. Psychological assurance. Post extensor tendon repair surgery. Tynor Wrist Splint with Thumb Features Customizable Splints. Anatomical thumb abduction. Fits both left and right hand. Lace pull mechanism for easy application. Pleasing aesthetics. Tynor Wrist Splint with Thumb Measurements Measure circumference at a distance 6" from the wrist along the arm

Epidemiologists revealed that this year we will be attacked by terrible flu with rapid damage to the human body. A few hours after infect 'll be knocked out of bed the usual flu symptoms such as fever, muscle aches and malaise. Experts add that the virus this year will be slightly stronger than last year. Read more at http://stomachflu-symptoms.blogspot.com/2013/11/new-flu-knocks-us-just-30-minutes.html#RPuUDxGFUiVmttLD.99

Ergonomic Wheelchair often spend a lot of time leaning on armrests or a table exactly because they are not being supported with good posture in their chairs. This is a matter of seat angle and back angle, adjusting them according to body shape and degree of upper body balance. Poor seating makes slump, trying to get stable. The optimal posture is more upright, allowing spine to support. Ergonomic chairs are designed to confirm to a person's physical dimensions, allowing them to sit naturally and comfortably for long periods of time, while reducing the risk of pressure ulcers. Ergonomic system (Intelligent s-shaped ergonomic seating) provides efficient pressure relief by spreading weight over a greater area, at the same time provides stabilization and reduced sliding. With their lightweight frames and seats designed to reduce or prevent pressure points, ergonomic wheelchairs provide a comfortable option for mobility impaired users who have the upper body strength to propel themselves, or a caregiver strong enough to do so. Karma S Ergo 115 Wheelchair: This model features our S-Shape Seating System and is our number one best seller for many reasons. At a mere 11.3 kg in weight with detachable foot rest and many features such as removable machine washable and dry-able cushions treated by AEIGIS treated anti-microbial coated seating system. Karma S-Ergo 115 Wheelchair Features: Ergonomic Handrims & S-Shape Ergonomic Seating System Fixed armrest w/ wider concave armpads Swing In & Away Footrests Backrest Pouch attached to the upholstery 24" flat free polyurethane tires, high tread, flat free wheels Seat width: 16"x17" or 18"x17" or 20"x 17" Silver 1/4" Aegis Anti-Bacterial Upholstery, washable Folding backrest / folding seat for easy traveling "Tube-in Center" foot-plate, assures better side leg support High strength, starting weight at only 11.3 kg. (w/o footrests) 7×1" Polyurethane front casters Upholstery: Black breathable mesh bottom & t

Karma Ergo Lite 2501 Wheelchair The extremely lightweight Ergo Lite 2501 Transport Wheelchair weighs only 8.16 kg. and features an ergonomically-designed seat and backrest, making it one of the most comfortable transport chairs on the market. The folding seat and backrest make the S-Ergo ideal for storage or travel, and the built in AEGIS anti-bacterial cushion provides added comfort and support. Despite its light weight, the S-Ergo features a 115 kg. weight capacity along with large, 14" flat-free polyurethane rear tires. Karma Ergo Lite 2501 Wheelchair Features Lightest transporter on the market! Patented S-Style Ergonomic Seat Frame 6061 T-6 Aircraft-grade Aluminum Only 18 lb . (w/ footrests) Built in Silver Aegis Anti-bacterial Cushion Fixed Armrests w/Concaved Armpads Pocket Behind Backrest & Small Carry Pouch on Each Armrest 6" x 1" Polyurethane Front Casters 16" x 17" or 18" x 17" Seat Width S-Style Ergonomic Seat 14" Rear Polyurethane, High Tread, Flat Free Wheels 3-Stage handle brake: allows light to firm grip for lock Folding Backrest/ Folding Seat for Transporting in Vehicle or Travel Fixed Footrests w/ Extra Wide Footplates Frame Color: Pearl Silver Weight Capacity of 100 kg Ergonomic Transporter w/ handle brakes Karma Ergo Lite 2501 Wheelchair Measurements Seat Width 16 inch., 18 inch. Seat Depth 17 inch. Armrest Height 8 inch. Seat Height 19 inch. Back Height 17 inch. Overall Height 36 inch. Overall Open Width 23 inch., 25 inch. Folded Width 12 inch. Overall Length 39 inch. Weight Without Riggings 8 kg. Weight Cap 100 kg. Shipping Dimensions 35" L x 30" H x 12" W

Pediatric wheelchairs enable child or teen to participate in all types of daily activities. Pediatric wheelchairs are lightweight, portable, and convenient for use at school, day programs, doctor visits, and recreation with family and friends. Pediatric wheelchairs comes in wide range of sizes and vibrant colors for every lightweight wheelchair. A variety of positioning options are also available. Pediatric wheelchairs are manufactured with unsurpassed quality and style, specializing in compact-folding, lightweight wheelchairs for children of all ages - from toddlers to teens! Custom built to child's specific needs, mobility aids offer rehabilitative benefits for physical disabilities from Cerebral Palsy to Autism. Pediatric, or child wheelchairs, are mobile aids designed for and used by children. Children require the use of a wheelchair for many different reasons, some may have suffered head injuries, some have muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy, some are amputees, and others only have an occasional use of their wheelchairs in lieu of a walking device or crutches. Certain types of pediatric wheelchairs are built to expand in size to accommodate increased bulk and weight by altering a cross balance on the bottom of the chair. The front frames for the legs can be lengthened as child's legs grow longer. For a pediatrician seeking to prescribe a Pediatric Wheelchair, must be sure that the patient has the proper upper body strength to use one. If the patient is too weak for self movement, the practitioner would be better to consider a powered wheelchair for mobility. While Pediatric Wheelchairs are smaller and can be just as manuverable as scooters, that depends upon the patient's own abilities in steering the chair. These are factors that the doctor must think about before recommending what type of wheelchair a patient should get. Pediatric Wheelchair with a body contouring S-Shaped seat frame and contoured armrests provides the user with all day comfort an