PJ, September 2019, Vol 303, No 7929

GPhC to further work on five-year integrated training as 76% of consultation responses show support

The General Pharmaceutical Council has said that it will “take forward work” on implementing five-year integrated education and training for pharmacy students after more than two-thirds of respondants to a consultation agreed with the proposal.…

Majority of pharmacists need support managing stress at work, survey finds

More than 60% of pharmacists need support with stress at work, a survey carried out by the charity Pharmacist Support has revealed.…

More than 500,000 patients in England were prescribed an opioid for over three years, PHE finds

A review published by Public Health England has found that more than 500,000 patients in England were continuously prescribed an opioid for three years or more, despite a lack of evidence showing their efficacy in the long term.…

UK ‘not fully prepared’ for medicines importation in a no-deal Brexit, says hospital pharmacist body

The UK is “not fully prepared for the implications of a no-deal Brexit” despite ongoing government contingency plans, the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists has said.…

Pharmacists to be offered training to become doctors, NHS England chief executive says

Pharmacists are set to be given the opportunity to become doctors through extra training, Simon Stevens, chief executive at NHS England, has said.…

Switching inhalers can boost adherence

Inhaler switching in asthma and COPD is not associated with negative impacts on patients’ health, study results published in Thorax have shown.…

PSNC holding ‘urgent talks’ with government on new contract funding

“Urgent talks” are taking place between pharmacy negotiators and the government on how funding from the new community pharmacy contract will be distributed, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has said.…

Deaths: John Owen Herbert Newstead

On 27 July 2019, John Owen Herbert Newstead, aged 88 years, of Norwich. Mr Newstead was a former Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. …

High-dose statins could be supplied by pharmacies without a prescription

High-dose statins could be available without a prescription from community pharmacies following a government review, NHS England has announced.…

Switching to ‘best-value’ generics and biosimilars saved the NHS £294m in 2018/2019, figures show

The uptake of ‘best-value’ medicines, such as generics and biosimilars, saved the NHS £294m in 2018/2019, according to figures released by NHS England.…