NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard today (March 1) announced a new campaign to promote early detection of cancer, when it is easier to treat.
The campaign, which would run across TV, radio, and social media from Wednesday (March 2), is the first to focus on tackling the fear of cancer rather thanspecific symptoms.
It is in line with the NHS Long Term Plan's commitment to increase cancer detection at an early stage by 2028.
As per the NHS figures, the number of people getting checked for cancer increased by over half a million between December 2020 and December 2021.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Pritchard, said: "We know that the prospect of a cancer diagnosis can be daunting for people and that is exactly why we are launching this potentially lifesaving campaign - we want to allay people's fear about cancer and encourage them to get checked without delay.
The One Show on BBC One has put community pharmacy in the limelight, showcasing the sector's vital work during the pandemic to a primetime TV audience.
The five minute segment, aired on May 10, featured Sutton pharmacist Reena Barai and a reception at St. James's Palace for around 200 pharmacists, including Barai,
hosted by the Prince of Wales on May 4.
"It was great to be part of such a positive story," Barai, who is a board member of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), said.
"It's heartening that the national media are taking notice of the sector, because it's too often overlooked. Coverage like this both reflects public opinion and shapes it, that's why the NPA works so hard on keeping us in the public eye."
The segment told the story of community pharmacy's role during the pandemic and contained footage of a speech by the Prince of Wales, praising the sector for its
contribution to the nation's healthcare.
"Pharmacists are about people and places, not just pills, a place where science, as it were, meets society. I just want to thank you all, more than I can possibly say, for everything you do so brilliantly to keep people well, and above all, save lives. Thank you, everybody," Prince Charles is seen saying at the reception.
Governments should invest in vaccines for all strains of influenza virus that exist in the animal kingdom as an insurance policy in case of an outbreak in
humans, the incoming chief scientist at the World Health Organization said on Monday (Feb. 20).
Countries ranging from the United States and Britain to France and Japan have suffered record losses of poultry in outbreaks of avian flu in the past year.
The recent spread to mammals of H5N1 - commonly known as bird flu - needed to be monitored, but the risk to humans remained low, the WHO said earlier this month.
Incoming WHO chief scientist Jeremy Farrar said he would like to see the pharmaceutical industry at least conduct some clinical trials for all influenza strains such
that the world would not have to start from scratch to initiate global manufacturing should the need arise.
"My concern that we're in slow motion watching something which may never happen," he added in a media briefing. "But if it were to happen, would we look back on what
we're doing at the moment and say, why didn't we do more?"
The national pharmacy bodies has created 'Save Our Pharmacies' campaign website to give new focus to calls for fair pharmacy funding in England.
The newly launched site contains key messages for public, politicians and stakeholders, and hosts campaign resources to be used by pharmacy teams.
The pharmacy bodies encourage members of the public and pharmacy teams to show their support for the campaign on social media, as well as signing the petition
and contacting their local MPs about fair funding.
A further resource in the form of a window poster is being printed and will shortly be mailed out to all community pharmacies in England.
It is the latest output of a joint programme of work being coordinated by PSNC, CCA, AIM and the NPA.
Amid media speculations that a large pharmacy multiple was putting all its stores at risk of closure, PSNC supremo Janet Morrison said the sector was in
crisis and in danger of a significant collapse.
Addressing delegates via a video link at Sigma Pharmaceutical's 13th Annual Community Pharmacy Conference held last week (March 4 -9) in Punta Cana, Dominican
Republic, she said while "a lot of consolidation or sales" would continue, a lot of the smaller, independently-owned community pharmacies - which had to work harder
and harder to make ends meet - were just "hanging on in there".
"But I don't know how much longer people can go on," she said, adding that the risk of actual closure was rendering the remaining pharmacies so fragile that "they
may not be able to pick up the slack of many thousands of patients" who would need repeat prescriptions.
"The disruption is frightful and awful. We have got 53 per cent of the population on repeat prescriptions, so that matters."
Her comment on the opening day of the conference was a sober reminder that the sector - which relies heavily on income from prescriptions - couldn't afford to
"carry on with the current format of a contract and the current amount of money" it was paid to deliver numerous tasks which have been heaped on it to share the
burden of a crippling NHS.
There has been a lot of coverage in the national and pharmaceutical press of the prices being charged to pharmacy owners for certain medicines.
Leaving aside the reasons for steep price rises, I have been asked on social media and elsewhere whether pharmacy owners can refuse to supply prescribed medicines
if they would make a significant financial loss.
Legal obligation
The first thing to point out is that the National Health Service Act 2006 imposes a legal duty on the Secretary of State and NHS England to make arrangements for
people to receive sufficient prescribed drugs.
These arrangements involve the publication of the Drug Tariff.
The Drug Tariff includes reimbursement prices or a method for determining prices. Various factors can be taken into account in determining reimbursement prices. The
Drug Tariff does not provide a pound for pound reimbursement for medicines that pharmacies supply on NHS prescriptions.
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.
Britain has declined to sign the World Health Organization's (WHO) proposed pandemic accord, citing concerns over the redistribution of vaccines, as
reported by The Telegraph on Tuesday.
The accord aims to ensure fair distribution of resources during global health crises, including reserving 20 per cent of tests, treatments, and vaccines for
distribution in poorer nations.
According to media reports the Department of Health and Social Care stated that they would only support the adoption of the accord if it aligns with the national
interest and respects sovereignty.
However, a DHSC spokesperson refrained from detailing the specific proposals within the accord, emphasising that no agreements had been reached yet.
The WHO has not yet responded to requests for comment on this matter.
In a bid to address the ongoing deficit in staff in the UK's healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS) has entered into a new workforce agreement
with India.
According to media reports, the healthcare service plans to hire 2,000 doctors from India on a fast-track basis to alleviate this pressing issue.
It is learned that the NHS has set up training centres across many Indian cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Nagpur, Delhi, Gurugram, Indore, Mysore, Chennai,
and Calicut to provide postgraduate training for the first batch of doctors.
Post their training period (which ranges from six to 12 months), these doctors will be deployed at hospitals across Britain. They will also be exempted from the
Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) examination that is otherwise mandatory for practising in the country.
A drug dealer who was operating as an "unlicensed chemist" and selling prescription drugs online has been jailed for six years, according to Essex Police.
The convict, identified as 49-year-old Christopher Depp, aka David Jones, was supplying a range of drugs from his home to "vulnerable people" using the postal
service, local police revealed on Friday (February 16).
Police conducted a search operation at his address in Wood Street, Chelmsford, in July last year and found more than 50,000 pills and tablets of varying types,
stashed in toolboxes and spaces around the property.
To process the large-scale sale and shipping of controlled drugs across the UK, Depp had set up a room in his property as an office space.
He promoted the sale of medications through various social media platforms and messaging applications, and accepted payment from his large customer base
using "fraudulently obtained" bank accounts.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has released a series of resources to help pharmacy owners and their teams promote the new Pharmacy First service, which
is slated for launch on 31st January 2024.
Pharmacists can use a variety of resources, including posters, social media content, flyers and a local press release, to raise awareness of the new service to
patients and members of the public.
The promotional materials are now available to download from the Committee's website.
"The messaging and graphics have been developed with the input of pharmacists and pharmacy owners, to highlight the benefits of the service to patients, the
public, and the NHS," it said.
CPE has been providing a range of information, guidance and resources to support community pharmacies in the implementation of the new service.
Beginning Monday 29 January 2024, the committee will be hosting a series of online drop-in sessions (no need to register) to assist pharmacy professionals with
any queries they may have on the service.
The government will on Thursday launch a drive to boost childhood vaccination rates, health authorities said, seeking an "urgent reversal" to a fall in
uptake as the country faces a worsening measles outbreak.
Routine childhood immunisations in Britain for diseases including measles, mumps and rubella, diphtheria and polio, have been falling gradually over the past
decade, but dipped more sharply after the Covid-19 pandemic, mirroring a global decline.
Last year UNICEF said people worldwide had lost confidence in the importance of routine childhood vaccines during the pandemic, with misinformation, dwindling
trust in governments and political polarisation contributing to rising hesitancy.
Britons will begin seeing adverts from next week across various media, including a television campaign featuring children reminding parents of the risk of missing
out on vaccinations, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
"We need an urgent reversal of the decline in the uptake of childhood vaccinations to protect our communities," UKHSA chief executive Jenny Harries said in a
statement.
Boots customers were left disappointed as the retail giant closed three more branches, two in Kent and one in Glasgow.
On Sunday 21 January, Boots' branches in Cliftonville and Biggin Hill were closed, forcing locals to find an alternative pharmacy, Express.co.uk reported.
Cliftonville residents have taken to social media to express their disappointment over the closure of their local pharmacy on Northdown Road.
Even though there is another Boots branch in Margate, they said that Cliftonville branch is "much more accessible, with parking available right outside, on
the bus route and surrounded by a residential area within easy walking distance."
One resident has branded the retailer's decision as "crazy", as per the news portal.
NHS England on Monday (19 February) unveiled a new multichannel campaign to inform the public about the additional services offered at their local pharmacy
under the recently launched Pharmacy First service.
The extended service allows patients to get treatment and medicines from their local pharmacy for seven common conditions, including sinusitis, sore throat,
earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women, without needing to see a GP.
As part of its 'Help Us, Help You' campaign, NHS England has started running adverts across on-demand TV services, radio, bus stops and billboards as well as
social media, encouraging people to use their high street pharmacies for treatment of these common illnesses.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has announced that Ask Your Pharmacist Week 2024 will be organised from 4-11 November across the UK.
This annual event aims to raise awareness of pharmacy services and to prompt conversations at a local level about community pharmacy's role and benefits, the NPA
said in a statement.
Ask Your Pharmacist Week encourages local engagement through various activities such as window displays, social media campaigns, pharmacy visits by community
dignitaries, presentations to local patient groups, radio phone-ins, and TV.
The week holds a significant place in the pharmacy calendar, as NPA describes "it creates a "platform for public awareness activities that help patients and
stakeholders understand more fully the community offers."
The NPA, which organises the campaign, emphasises the importance of making appropriate use of NHS services and increasing public awareness of the skills and
expertise available in pharmacies across the UK.
A second day of action has been announced by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) to support the cross-sector #SaveOurPharmacies campaign.
This campaign aims to bring attention to the severe financial challenges facing community pharmacies due to ongoing cuts.
Scheduled for September 19, the day of action coincides with the political party conference season, aiming to emphasise the urgent need for government
intervention to ensure continued patient access to pharmacies.
The NPA's initiative follows the successful One Day to #SaveOurPharmacies event in June.
Approximately 6,000 pharmacies participated by dimming their lights, wearing black, and engaging on social media to spotlight the issues facing the sector.
There is a state of "emergency" across the community pharmacy sector, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned.
The organisation is holding a day of protest action, called 'One Day to #SaveOurPharmacies', on 20 June to draw attention to the sector's growing crisis.
During the protest, pharmacy teams across the UK are expected to take a range of symbolic actions - such as turning the lights out for a period, asking their
staff to wear black, blacking out windows, using the day to engage with patients, inviting parliamentary candidates and using #saveourpharmacies on social
media - signifying dark times for the beleaguered community pharmacy sector, the NPA said.
The organisation decided to choose 20 June for the protest as it marks the day from which the average pharmacy across the four nations will be "lossmaking
overall."
Despite being more connected than ever, the majority of Europeans are experiencing feelings of loneliness. The STADA Health Report 2024, released on Monday,
revealed that over half (52 per cent) of Europeans "always, often or occasionally" feel lonely.
Although the younger generation reports the highest levels of overall happiness, they are the ones most affected by this current loneliness epidemic.
Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of Europeans aged 18 to 35 reported feeling lonely, compared to 41 percent of those aged 55 and older - according to the report,
based on a survey of over 46,000 respondents aged 18 to 99 across 32 countries.
Extensive screen time is contributing to increased loneliness among younger people. Europeans under the age of 34 are much more likely to spend long hours on
their devices (41 per cent) than those aged 35-54 (22 per cent) and those over 55 (13 per cent).
The survey found that people who spend a "long" or "fair" amount of time on social media were significantly more prone to feelings of loneliness compared to
those who restrict their screen time. Moreover, extensive screen time was also associated with more intense feelings of loneliness.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated its concerns about tobacco companies' continued targeting of young people through various channels such as
social media, sports, and music festivals, as well as the introduction of flavored products.
In a joint report with industry watchdog STOP released on Thursday, the WHO accused these companies of attempting to ensnare a new generation in nicotine addiction.
While facing stricter regulations on traditional cigarettes, major tobacco firms and newcomers have turned to alternatives like vapes, arguing they are intended for
adult smokers.
However, the WHO and STOP highlighted in their report that these products often appeal to youth, with their attractive designs and fruity flavors making them more
appealing to children than to adults in many countries.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has taken an interesting step to increase public awareness and understanding of the Pharmacy First service.
The organisation has launched a new video animation that provides clear and concise information about the service, highlighting the seven conditions covered,
the eligible age ranges within the clinical pathways consultations, and explaining how patients can access these services.
Pharmacy owners and their teams are encouraged to use the new animation with existing resources to communicate the benefits and scope of the service to their
patients.
The animation can be linked to pharmacy social media content and downloaded for display on digital screens in pharmacies. General practices are also encouraged to
use the animation on digital screens in their practice waiting areas.
