Corrinne Burns

Royal Pharmaceutical Society Correspondent

Corrinne Burns is Royal Pharmaceutical Society Correspondent at The Pharmaceutical Journal.

Focus on early stages of supply chain to address medicines shortages, study finds

Researchers said that other contributing factors to global supply issues were poor forecasting based on “outdated” prescription data and procurement policies.…

Former chief pharmaceutical officer concerned about lack of government policy on critical medicines stockpiling

Keith Ridge, now a non-executive director at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, said that Cabinet Office documents “do not specify that the medicines supply chain has a risk”.…

National pharmacy board meetings: September 2025

In September 2025, the national pharmacy boards heard updates on new or updated policies on patient safety, aseptic preparation services and assisted dying.…

Health Innovation Network’s polypharmacy programme comes to an end

The National Polypharmacy Programme has supported over 2,000 healthcare professionals to address overprescribing since its launch in 2022.…

Digital skills should be a ‘core competency’ for all healthcare staff

Attendees at a Royal Pharmaceutical Society roundtable emphasised the need to equip pharmacy workers “with confidence and competence to use digital tools to ensure safe and equitable patient care”.…

Expanding community pharmacy services could save NHS almost £4bn

The National Pharmacy Association also notes that the data in its report equate to “over 100,000 years of additional healthy life per annum" for patients.…

Combination inhaler therapy cuts asthma attacks in children by almost half

Study results revealed that the annualised rate of asthma attacks was lower in participants who used a budesonide-formoterol inhaler compared with participants who used a short-acting β2-agonist inhaler.…

Cannabis could be effective for chronic lower back pain, phase III trial results suggest

Researchers reported that, during an initial double-blind treatment phase, participants who took a full-spectrum extract of cannabis experienced a significant mean pain reduction compared with the placebo.…

Jeremy Miles praises ‘incredible’ work of pharmacists and announces review of general practice pharmacy

Exclusive: The Welsh cabinet secretary for health and social care said “there is a huge role which pharmacists are playing in a range of settings, and I want to see that grow”.…

Geraldine McCaffrey appointed RPS director for Wales

The current chair of the RPS Welsh Pharmacy Board will take over from Elen Jones on 1 December 2025, who is moving onto the role of pharmacy dean at Healthcare Education and Improvement Wales.…