Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

As NHS England prepares to relaunch its Pharmacy First public-facing campaign on Monday, 11 November, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has highlighted the need for a sustained, large-scale effort to maximize the service's impact. Minor updates have been made to the original campaign materials from earlier this year, including additional information on the age criteria for the clinical pathways. Community pharmacies are informed that campaign materials are available on the Department of Health and Social Care's Campaign Resource Centre website. These include a campaign toolkit, social media assets, and posters. These materials can be used ahead of the official launch date. CPE chief executive Janet Morrison said: "It's good that we are finally seeing the resumption of the NHS Pharmacy First marketing campaign, alongside new resources to help with promotion, as we head into winter.

A Labour Party analysis of NHS trust figures has revealed that around 148,000 people died last year while waiting for treatment in England. This is more than double the figure recorded in 2017/18, which stood at around 60,000 deaths. It even surpasses the mortality rate observed in 2021, during the peak of the Covid pandemic. The Labour Party obtained the data through a freedom of information request sent to every NHS trust in England. Out of the 169 acute and community trusts contacted, 80 responded. The total number of deaths reported by the respondents was 61,396. Extrapolating this figure to all trusts would suggest a total of 148,227 deaths.

The Professional Records Standards Body (PRSB), which develops information standards for health and social care records, has appointed Professor Reecha Sofat as the new Chair. She will assume the role at the end of October 2024, succeeding Professor Maureen Baker CBE, who will step down after seven years as Chair of the PRSB. A Clinical Pharmacologist, Professor Sofat has held many leadership roles across the NHS, academia and scientific societies. Professor Sofat is Breckenridge Chair of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Liverpool. She practices general internal medicine and is also an Associate Director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Data Science Centre (DSC) which is led by Health Data Research UK (HDRUK). With a passion for data science and extensive clinical and research insights, Professor Sofat is focused on embedding research into routine health and social care. She said: "I am passionate about using the rich health data that is already collected across NHS and social care to better understand the causes and consequences of disease and improve health outcomes.

The University of Oxford's Centre for Research Equity (CfRE) has entered into a historic partnership with the Health and Social Care Research and Development (HSC R&D) Division in Northern Ireland to advance health equity across the region and ensure everyone benefits from healthcare advancements. Unveiled during an event at Parliament Buildings in Stormont Estate on Wednesday, this groundbreaking partnership makes Northern Ireland the first UK region to partner with CfRE. Supported by the Department of Health Northern Ireland and key health and social care agencies, the partnership aims to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities through collaborative research. Northern Ireland's Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, highlighted that this new partnership represents "a significant step forward in efforts to address health inequalities" in the region. "By bringing together leading experts and resources from across sectors, we can work towards conducting research that truly benefits all of our communities," he said.

With the improvement of people's diet, many anorectal diseases are not considered serious or serious. But the level of trouble and pain is at the forefront of various diseases. Our company's Single Use Hemorrhoidal Stapler, single use anorectal ligation device and components are suitable for the two surgical methods of hemorrhoidal mucosa circumcision and internal hemorrhoid ligation, which provide patients with more select.

Three more pharmacy system suppliers have received approval to roll out their software in community pharmacies to support electronic prescribing service (EPS) in Wales. The approval means all seven pharmacy system suppliers who have contracts with pharmacies in Wales can now deliver EPS. Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) announced on 17 January 2025 that healthcare technology firms Cegedim Rx, EMIS and PharmacyX have successfully developed and tested systems capable of handling electronic prescriptions. "Following robust monitoring, any pharmacy using the suppliers' software will be able to use EPS, providing they have completed a number of readiness activities," DHCW stated. System suppliers Invatech, Boots, Positive Solutions and Clanwilliam completed testing of their software systems last year. Apotec is currently undergoing the assurance process, according to DHCW. This development marks a significant milestone in DHCW's aim to move from a paper-based prescription process to a digital system.

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.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has called on the NHS and the Department of Health to immediately publish the government-commissioned analysis of pharmacy underfunding and reveal the true scale of the crisis. Commissioned by NHS England, the long-awaited independent review is expected to "lay bare the perilous financial state" of community pharmacies, which is a vital part of the nation's health infrastructure. However, the NPA is concerned that the government may delay its release until after current funding consultations are concluded. The NPA argued that the public needs to understand the fragile nature of the pharmacy network before any new deal can be agreed. It has also warned health officials not to hide "the true scale of funding needed to reverse a decade of swingeing cuts", which has forced record numbers of pharmacy closures. NPA chair Nick Kaye said: "It would be a scandal to keep that evidence buried secret and leave MPs, pharmacies and the public in the dark." He acknowledged that the new government has inherited a crisis in pharmacy funding and emphasised that it will need to take "strong action" to maintain access to medicines.

A new analysis by the Nuffield Trust has revealed that NHS trusts in England are experiencing their worst financial deterioration in a decade, raising concerns that the government's reform plans could be at risk. The report found that the NHS trust sector, which makes up three-quarters of NHS day to day spending, recorded a £1.2 billion overspend last year, amounting to 0.9% of income in 2023/24. This is double the previous year's overspend, recorded at £448 million, and significantly worse than the modest financial surpluses seen in 2020/21 and 2021/22. The sector is in "as precarious a position it was in immediately prior to the pandemic," the report said. NHS trusts in the most deprived areas suffered the worst financial deterioration in 2023-24, with North West and Midlands reported the deepest deficits, accounting for 2.2% and 1.5% of revenues, respectively. The North East and Yorkshire have also seen the steepest declines in financial health since 2022/23. The underlying gap between stable incomes and outgoings across the provider sector was at least £4.5 billion last year.

The 2025/26 pharmacy contract consultation will include a review of the medicine margin and reimbursement arrangements, health and care minister Stephen Kinnock has confirmed. Kinnock made this statement in response to a written question from Nick Timothy, Conservative MP for West Suffolk, who asked the secretary of state for health and social care, if he will review the reimbursement system for pharmacies and GP practices dispensing medicines. Kinnock stated that consultation with Community Pharmacy England (CPE) for the 2025/26 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) has started and will include "reviewing the allowance for medicine margin as part of funding, and any further changes to the reimbursement arrangements." However, he clarified that there are currently no plans to review the reimbursement system for general practices (GPs) dispensing medicines. Kinnock said: "Dispensing practices receive a dispensing fee, approximately £2.00 to £2.30 per item, which is intended to cover dispensing costs. "This fee is calculated based on forecasted volumes of prescriptions to be dispensed and the size of the funding envelope, according to a methodology agreed by the Department, the General Practitioners Committee (GPC), NHS Employers, and the Welsh Government."

PAGB, the consumer healthcare association, has launched a new eLearning platform, open to both members and non-members, offering a comprehensive range of online training and development resources for the consumer healthcare industry. Launched at the end of 2024, the eLearning platform was initially exclusive to PAGB members. It has now been expanded to include non-members, along with the addition of new content and courses. Fully integrated with PAGB's website, the eLearning platform provides a variety of on-demand training courses and webinar recordings, complementing the association's year-round schedule of workshops and events. From Essentials courses that cover foundational topics such as UK medicines regulations, to Deep Dive courses offering in-depth knowledge on specific areas like CBD and novel food, the eLearning content is designed to support users' professional development and expertise. Additionally, the platform offers a collection of webinar recordings from past events, offering insights into various areas of consumer healthcare and PAGB membership. These recordings are currently exclusive to PAGB members.

Are you passionate about staying at the forefront of cardiology breakthroughs? Join MD Newsline, the ultimate hub for heart health professionals and advocates. What You'll Gain: * The latest cardiology research to keep you informed. * Actionable insights to enhance patient care and outcomes. * Cultural sensitivity education tailored for today's diverse healthcare needs. Why MD Newsline? We're more than a resource-we're a partner in advancing your cardiology expertise and improving heart health globally. Start Transforming Lives Today! Explore MD Newsline's cardiology-focused content and join a thriving community of healthcare changemakers. Visit https://mdnewsline.com/ Take the first step in advancing your cardiology knowledge-start with MD Newsline now!

Pharmacy leaders from across the sector need to work together in order to have a stronger voice in the future of the healthcare system, Sir Hugh Taylor, chair of the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board (UKPPLAB), has told Pharmacy Business. The establishment of this board in April 2024 was the principal recommendation of the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership's report, published in February 2023. The report outlined that there is "an urgent need for the pharmacy professions to work collaboratively to deliver on their potential and, together, address a wide range of professional issues". "There's always been a measure of collaboration. And indeed, as we've begun our work, we've begun to unearth more examples of it, which is encouraging. But I think the conclusion that the UK Commission drew was that the fragmented nature of the professional leadership in pharmacy required something more concerted and organised in the form of the board," said Sir Hugh. Setup by the four UK chief pharmaceutical officers, the UKPPLAB is an independent public body, with the aim to enable greater collaboration across the pharmacy professional leadership bodies (PLBs) and specialist professional groups (SPGs), which are its constituent members.