News | Paediatrics and neonatal

Opinion

It is an exciting time to be a respiratory pharmacist — and we need more of them 

Specialist respiratory pharmacists are in short supply in England and Wales, but investing in developing this workforce will show benefit for pharmacy and patients.…

Published: 12 March 2025

News

NHS England to commission whooping cough vaccination service through community pharmacies

The respiratory syncytial virus and pertussis vaccination service is aimed to help supplement vaccination programmes delivered by GPs and NHS trusts.…

Published: 6 March 2025

News

Community pharmacy offers ‘key opportunity’ for increasing flu vaccination uptake in children, says NHS England chief

Amanda Pritchard said exploring the use of other flu vaccination providers — including community pharmacy — to expand convenience was one of three “key opportunities to go further” identified by NHS England.…

Published: 6 March 2025

News

Whooping cough cases increase by 1,600% in a year, data show

Data from the UK Health Security Agency show that in 2024, the total number of pertussis cases exceeded the total cases observed during the 2012 whooping cough outbreak in England.…

Published: 25 February 2025

News

Two-clinician review for men taking valproate not required, says MHRA

The requirement that two specialists must review any patient aged under 55 years taking valproate will now only apply to patients who are starting the drug.…

Published: 14 February 2025

Letter

Look out for PANDAS in the UK

'Paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infection' (PANDAS) is a neuropsychiatric disease found in children. The onset is sudden and is characterised by symptoms akin with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), such as tics and anxiety (including separation anxie…

Published: 29 January 2025

News

Melatonin prescribing in children rises by 245% in nine years, data show

Exclusive: The uptick in prescribing melatonin in children runs parallel with a decrease in the prescribing of other medicines used for insomnia, including Z-drugs and benzodiazepines, data show.…

Published: 17 January 2025

News

Regional pharmacy minor ailments scheme leads to 60% increase in consultations

Data suggest that the local walk-in consultation service has saved an estimated 30,000 GP appointments.…

Published: 16 January 2025

News

Ban on puberty blockers in the UK made indefinite, government says

Independent expert advice provided by the Commission on Human Medicines has urged that the ban continue while progress is made towards safeguarding children and young people.…

Published: 16 December 2024

Feature

Microsampling: a patient-centred approach to therapeutic drug monitoring

While adopting microsampling techniques could mean faster, less stressful blood tests for vulnerable patients, introducing this method into existing NHS infrastructure has proved both costly and challenging.…

Published: 29 November 2024