PJ, March 2023, Vol 310, No 7971

Former RPS Scottish Pharmacy Board chair receives Charter Award

Jonathan Burton was one of the first community pharmacist prescribers in Scotland and was involved in the development of NHS Pharmacy First Scotland.…

Ethnicity awarding gap for UK pharmacy graduates narrowed during COVID-19 pandemic

Exclusive: Data analysis suggests a 4-percentage-point drop in the difference between the proportions of white and ethnic minority MPharm graduates awarded an upper-class degree.…

Carina Rosalind Livingstone (1961–2023)

On 13 March 2023, Carina Rosalind Livingstone, aged 62 years, of North Lancing, West Sussex. Dr Livingstone was a former member of the Society. Tribute After graduating with first class honours from the University of Bradford and undertaking a hospital pre-registration placement, Carina h…

Infographic: the ethnicity awarding gap for the pharmacy degree during COVID-19

Changes to pharmacy degree assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic may have helped to narrow the awarding gap between white graduates and their ethnic minority counterparts, but work is ongoing to understand why.…

Progestogen-only pill found to have similar risk of breast cancer to combined hormonal contraception

Researchers found that women with any hormonal contraception prescription had a 25% increased risk of breast cancer compared with women with no hormonal contraception prescriptions.…

Survey reveals 9% of people with long-term health conditions cannot afford to collect their prescriptions

It was announced on 10 March 2023 that prescription charges in England would rise to £9.65 per item in April 2023.…

Warm words cannot mask the true picture of pharmacy neglect

The Pharmaceutical Journal's health policy columnist looks at why ministers keep talking about Pharmacy First in England, but there is a lack of progress when it comes to its implementation.…

Autism: identification, management and support

Healthcare professionals need a robust knowledge of autism and the challenges faced by autistic individuals and their carers to provide effective support. Pharmacists can ensure medicines are used appropriately and make reasonable adjustments to provide equitable access to services.…

Four point-of-care tests for UTIs ‘show promise’, says NICE in early guidance

NICE said it needs more data on the accuracy of the tests in detecting and identifying bacteria before it can recommend them for use in the NHS.…

Sharp increase in prescribing of generic Parkinson’s disease medicines since 2017, analysis finds

Exclusive: Analysis by The Pharmaceutical Journal has revealed significant increases in prescribing of generic medicines for Parkinson's disease between 2017 and 2021, while prescribing of branded medicines decreased.…