PJ, March 2018, Vol 300, No 7911

Prescription charge rises by 20 pence

The NHS prescription charge in England will rise by 20 pence, to £8.80 per prescription item, from 1 April 2018, the government has announced.…

Pharmacy sector says transparency is key as Jeremy Hunt tackles drug errors

The public can be confident that pharmacists and doctors “already work collaboratively to make sure the use of powerful prescription medicines is safe and effective”.…

Deaths: Douglas Davidson

On 1 February 2018, Douglas Davidson FRPharmS, aged 89 years, of Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross. Mr Davidson registered with the Society in 1951. He was conferred fellowship of the Society in 1989. Mr Davidson qualified in 1951 and began his career in the family firm of Walter Davidson and Sons.&nb…

Tribute: George Norris

I was very sorry to hear the sad news of the death of my former colleague, George Norris. George moved from his pharmacy business in Ashton-on Mersey in 1967 to take up the post of the Society’s London inspector. For much of his time, George was responsible for a vast swathe of London, both north…

Antidepressants more effective than placebo for adults with acute major depressive disorder

Antidepressants are more effective than placebo for the acute treatment of adults with unipolar major depressive disorder, according to a new meta-analysis.…

CAC rules on which Boots pharmacists can vote in union ballot

Only Boots-registered pharmacists at levels 5, 6 and 7 and pre-registration pharmacists will be allowed to vote in a ballot to decide whether to de-recognise the Boots Pharmacists’ Association…

Pharmacists invited to bid for £8.5m contract to run pharmacy services in Scottish prisons

Pharmacists are being invited to tender for an £8.5m contract to provide pharmacy services to prisons in Scotland.…

Which? uncovers lack of advice from pharmacies

Three in ten pharmacies are failing to give important safety advice to customers buying over-the-counter medicines, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen.…

Analysis of LloydsPharmacy closures finds some branches were ‘performing well’

Data from NHS community pharmacy listings and script activity held by NHS Digital show that some branches which were either closed or sold dispensed a “reasonable number” of prescriptions.…

Tribute: Ellis Vincent Brock

Ellis studied pharmacy at Leicester School of Pharmacy and undertook his pre-registration training with Boots, joining the register in 1958. After his National Service in the Royal Army Medical Corps, he returned to pharmacy practice with Boots. In 1961, the United Cambridge Hospitals were recruitin…