News | Wales

Full electronic prescribing within five years, Welsh government pledges

The Welsh government aims to replace paper prescriptions and 'wet' signatures in primary care with electronic prescriptions and signatures in the next three to five years.…

It is ‘shocking’ that free flu vaccinations are not being offered to all pharmacists in England and Wales, says RPS

Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said the Society is "calling on the NHS to offer free flu vaccinations to pharmacists and pharmacy teams in both England and Wales, as is the case in Scotland”.…

Government fails to respond to calls for tighter controls after liquid morphine deaths

Exclusive: Coroners in England and Wales have investigated the deaths of thirteen people after overdoses involving liquid morphine since 2013, with some patients known to “swig” from the bottle to obtain pain relief.…

Cheryl Way: ‘Sometimes, we need to give ourselves a good talking to’

The chair of the Welsh Pharmacy Board on avoiding burnout, independent prescribing and what she would like to see happen in pharmacy post-COVID.…

Health services in Wales to receive extra £550m to cover COVID-19 costs

The Welsh government plans to spend £411m on pandemic-related costs, such as PPE and vaccinations, until April 2022, while £140m will be spent on tackling treatment waiting times.…

‘Unprecedented’ rise in drug overdoses in England linked with synthetic opioid

Public Health England has issued a National Patient Safety alert warning of a sharp rise in drug overdoses, which have resulted in 16 deaths around the country.…

Access to pharmacists at all times would reduce medication errors in hospital, concludes review

The review also said that wider implementation of electronic prescribing systems and an integrated electronic health record could help reduce errors.…

Pharmacists could supply and administer naloxone as part of new drugs strategy, says government

The proposals come as deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales rose by almost 4% in 2020, at 4,561 compared to 4,393 in 2019.…

NICE approves first treatment through fast-tracked appraisal pilot

Bimekizumab, which is used for the treatment of severe plaque psoriasis, is the first treatment to be approved by a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence sub-committee in a trial fast-track appraisal process.…

Hospital pharmacists’ body ‘extremely disappointed’ in 3% pay rise for NHS staff

The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists has criticised the government's announcement of a 3% pay rise for NHS staff.…