PJ, September 2021, Vol 307, No 7953

Recruitment of 3,000 pharmacists into general practice is ‘causing challenges’, admits NHS pharmacy chief

Speaking at the Clinical Pharmacy Congress on 24 September 2021, Keith Ridge said the "osmotic draw" of primary care networks is causing workforce challenges.…

Community pharmacies to provide three-month supply of desogestrel as bridging contraception

Providing a three-month supply of contraception is expected to give patients "time to access their GP or sexual health services" for long-term prescriptions.…

NHS to publish blueprint for shared care records by end of 2021

The guidance will provide the next step towards the target for wider implementation of shared care records in 2023/2024.…

‘Revolutionary’ cancer genomic testing service launched in Wales

The Cymru Service for Genomic Oncology Diagnoses uses sequencing to screen specific genes and provide information on a patient's prognosis, as well as the recommended treatment.…

Andrew Carruthers: ‘Pausing recruitment of GP pharmacists is not the answer’

The chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Scottish Pharmacy Board speaks about pharmacy's role in preventing drug deaths, tackling health inequalities and providing vaccinations.…

Pharmacists increasingly offered starting bonuses to counter workforce shortage

After pharmacists were added to the Home Office's shortage occupation list, the number of joining bonuses worth thousands of pounds for pharmacy jobs were found to have increased during summer 2021.…

We must work together to enable safer prescribing in children

I write a letter in response to The Pharmaceutical Journal article 'GPs must take on more responsibility for paediatric prescribing from hospitals' by Alison Tennant, published on 13 September 2021. The opinion piece sets out to raise questions as to why more paediatric prescribing does not occur in…

Pharmacy brief shifted to new health minister following government reshuffle

Maria Caulfield’s appointment follows the government reshuffle on 16 September 2021, which initially saw the pharmacy remit given to Maggie Throup.…

Building on hepatitis C testing: the potential to identify alcohol-related liver disease through community pharmacy

Community pharmacy can identify people who may have alcohol-related liver disease, but research is needed to ascertain the best approach.…

Break in cancer treatment cuts side effects and does not affect life expectancy, study finds

A trial has shown that breaks from first-line treatments for patients with metastatic and/or locally advanced kidney cancer did not cause meaningful detriment to their life expectancy or quality of life.…