Letters

Letter

Supporting palliative and end-of-life care in Welsh community pharmacies: a pilot study

The demand for palliative and end-of-life care in Wales is projected to almost double by 2040, increasing from 25% to 47%1. This underscores the increasing importance of community pharmacies in supporting patients with life-limiting illnesses. Palliative and end-of-life care is vital because i…

Published: 20 December 2024

Letter

Raising concerns about the cancellation of 2025 board elections

I am writing to comment on the recent notice to make amendments to the regulations relating to the 2025 elections. Although I have sympathy with the underlying concerns that have given rise to the agreement of the Assembly to these changes, I do have some serious concerns. The Special Resoluti…

Published: 11 December 2024

Letter

Becoming an emergency preparedness pharmacist

‘Emergency preparedness, resilience and response' (EPRR) is a programme of work that focuses on planning for and responding to a wide range of incidents and emergencies that could affect health or patient care. It is a new, novel and exciting prospect in pharmacy and, although it may be atypical f…

Published: 28 November 2024

Letter

What do Black pharmacists say about their professional progress?

In recent years, various attempts have been made to better understand and address racial disparities within pharmacy leadership positions. The Inclusive Pharmacy Practice initiative1, the publication of the first national overview of the varied experiences that registered pharmacy professio…

Published: 28 October 2024

Letter

Contributing to global health needs: examples of roles and our top tips for those interested in global health

World Pharmacist Day, led globally and yearly by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) on 25 September, is an opportunity to recognise the essential role pharmacists play in healthcare. The theme for 2024 is ‘Pharmacists: meeting global health needs’. Here, three pharmacists who have…

Published: 25 September 2024

Letter

Management of overprescribing of oral nutritional supplements in a community hospital

Malnutrition costs the UK an astounding £23.5bn annually1, an increase from £19.5bn reported by the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) in 2015, with half of this amount spent on its treatment in older people aged over 65 years2. Dehydration and malnutritio…

Published: 23 September 2024

Letter

How knowledge mobilisation led to the NASA team visiting the UCL School of Pharmacy

In the ever-evolving landscape of scientific discovery and innovation, the concept of knowledge mobilisation has become vital for linking research to real-world impact. It involves actively sharing knowledge between communities to ensure that academic findings extend beyond laboratories and journal …

Published: 20 September 2024

Letter

Royal college proposals show that the RPS has listened to members’ concerns

Over recent years I have been a critical friend of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). I have repeatedly questioned its lack of ambition, some of its decisions that were seemingly designed to undermine its own credibility, and its lack of engagement with members. I …

Published: 18 September 2024

Letter

Opioids stewardship: an opportunity for community pharmacy

Opioid prescribing is a necessary component of post-operative pain management but carries a risk of misuse and dependency formation1. Community pharmacists are uniquely placed to contribute to effective opioid stewardship2. We previously reported on potentially valuable entries on PharmO…

Published: 30 August 2024

Letter

Reflecting on the benefits of my cross-sector placement

I want to share with readers about my cross-sector hospital placement. It proved to be an enlightening journey, rich with educational opportunities that broadened my understanding of clinical pharmacy practice and afforded me the chance to discern practical differences between hospital and community…

Published: 7 August 2024