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Major health, care and research bodies, including the Department of Health and Social Care and the Office for National Statistics, should establish a national health data service in England to improve patient care and research - an NHS-commissioned review has recommended. Professor Cathie Sudlow's independent review of the UK health data landscape concluded that "complex and inefficient" data systems prevent and delay crucial analysis of health conditions affecting millions of people across the UK. The review - 'Uniting the UK's health data: a huge opportunity for society', published on 8 November 2024 - stressed the need for coordinated action across multiple organisations and stakeholders to ensure the greatest benefits for patients and the public from health-relevant data. They identified several barriers to using health data for public benefit and set our five recommendations for overcoming these barriers and transforming the national health data ecosystem. These include the establishment of a national health data service for England, embedded within existing organisational structures but with accountable senior leadership and a ring-fenced budget. Professor Sudlow said: "We are simply not maximising the benefits to society from the rich abundance of health data in the UK.

The Company Chemists' Association (CCA) has voiced strong support for a recent report from the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), which advocates for the establishment of a 'Digital Health Record' (DHR) for every individual in the UK. The CCA, which was interviewed as part of the report's development, believes that the creation of a DHR could significantly enhance the NHS's efficiency, improve preventative healthcare, and help the health service harness the full potential of artificial intelligence (AI). The TBI report highlights that the current health and care system suffers from fragmented data, with individual records scattered across various providers, including community pharmacies. This siloed approach often hampers the delivery of seamless and effective care. A unified DHR, the report argues, would consolidate all relevant health data into a single, accessible record, ensuring that patients receive timely and appropriate care across the entire healthcare system.

Britons paying privately for obesity drugs are increasingly choosing Eli Lilly's Mounjaro over Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, online pharmacies say, in a sign the US drugmaker is gaining ground on its European rival. Mounjaro is appealing to people because of its greater efficacy, six online pharmacies and two patients told Reuters, showing Novo's first-mover advantage is being challenged in the UK even though some pharmacies sell starter doses for the weekly injection for up to 40 per cent more than Wegovy. "Mounjaro is now vastly outstripping Wegovy," said Chemist4U CEO James O'Loan, who said for the past three to four months, Mounjaro has won about 70 per cent of its sales. Chemist4U and another online seller, Simple Online Pharmacy, estimate that as many as 500,000 people in the UK currently take either Mounjaro or Wegovy via prescriptions from private online pharmacies. Mounjaro, unlike Wegovy, is not available through the National Health Service (NHS) though it likely will be next year. Wegovy is only available through the NHS at specialist obesity clinics and in limited circumstances. There is no public data on prescription numbers but the government said last year it had capacity to treat about 35,000 patients.

The National Health Service(NHS) has reported a record number of attendances at Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments and emergency admissions for any June, reflecting significant pressure on healthcare services amidst hot weather and recent strikes by junior doctors. Last month, hospitals across the UK handled over 2.29 million A&E attendances and more than 536,884 emergency admissions, marking increases of 3.1 per cent and 7.2 per cent respectively compared to the previous year. Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, acknowledged the strain on frontline teams: "Frontline teams are continuing to work exceptionally hard under significant pressure to provide the best care they can for patients."

In response to concerns raised by Community Pharmacy England (CPE), ministers have decided to lower the October threshold for the Pharmacy First service to 20. This decision addresses a major worry for pharmacy owners who have struggled to meet the required number of clinical pathways for monthly Pharmacy First payments, especially as the October increase to 30 pathways approached. CPE has been actively engaged in discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England over the past few weeks to address this issue. Commenting on the decision, Janet Morrison, CEO of Community Pharmacy England, said: "It is great that ministers have responded to our concerns about another increase to the Pharmacy First payment threshold: this decision will save many community pharmacies from missing out on a vital payment this month." Morrison added that CPE will continue to monitor service data and, if needed, make further representations to ministers about future months. She also emphasised the need to find a long-term solution, which involves "NHS England marketing Pharmacy First effectively and ensuring that GPs are actively referring people to the service."

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has promoted Louise Edwards to the position of Chief Strategy Officer and Deputy Registrar. Louise is currently the Director of Regulation and Digital Transformation at the Electoral Commission, responsible for the organisation's regulatory work and digital, data, technology and facilities infrastructure. This includes funding and spending at elections and referendums, registering political parties, enforcement work, and data and information management. Louise will take over Mark Voce, the GPhC's current Chief Strategy Officer and Deputy Registrar, who is retiring early in July 2024. Louise said: "Pharmacy services are at the heart of health care for many people. Having effective regulation and standards in place can transform and give confidence in the quality of care that people receive.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has called for immediate intervention by Health Secretary Neil Gray to compensate pharmacies left in financial chaos due to flaws in Scotland's new pharmacy payment system. Introduced last year, the system was designed to streamline payments to pharmacies, dispensing doctors, and medical appliance suppliers. However, the NPA, which represents independent pharmacies across the UK, reported that many pharmacies were facing repeated shortfalls in expected funding under the system. Some pharmacies have encountered discrepancies of tens of thousands pounds due to errors in the Data Capture Validation & Pricing process introduced by NHS National Services Scotland. In other cases, NHS Boards have clawed back money from pharmacies at short notice, following processing errors that had initially resulted in an overpayment.