Care of older people

Warning over risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome following RSV vaccination

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that, as of 2 June 2025, it had received 21 Yellow Card reports of suspected Guillain-Barré syndrome in older adults aged 75–79 years after they received the Abrysvo vaccine.…

How we reduced polypharmacy by 1.6 medicines per patient in a care home

A pharmacist-led study revealed statistical significance in the reduction of medicines and anticholinergic burden, following structured medication reviews in care home patients.…

Pharmacy flu vaccine delivery to over-65s increased by 20 percentage points in five years

Data from the UK Health Security Agency show that since 2019/2020, the proportion of vaccines administered to at-risk patients via community pharmacies rose from 11.4% to 26.7%.…

Continuity of care and reducing risk during transitions of care

This article considers the evidence of interventions to reduce risk during transitions of care and explains best practice for pharmacy teams.…

NICE recommends cladribine for treating active relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis

Cladribine (Mavenclad; Merck) is recommended for treating active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in adults when high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies would be offered.…

How do we solve a problem like medicines adherence?

Despite decades of research, rates of adherence to medicines remain stubbornly low. New ways of thinking and innovative use of technology may help us turn a corner.…

Community pharmacy RSV expansion programme to be expanded four-fold

The Department of Health and Social Care said up to 200 community pharmacy sites could be commissioned to provide the respiratory syncytial virus vaccination in 2025/2026.…

Foundation trainees need experiential placements in hospices to help manage an ageing population

As the population ages and requires more complex care, pharmacists should be trained early on how to use their skills in a hospice setting.…

Pharmacy teams are essential to driving responsive palliative care

Researchers from Marie Curie are calling for greater integration between pharmacy and palliative care teams to improve care quality, proposing a toolkit to bridge the gap between theory and practice.…

Use community pharmacies to combat falling vaccine uptake, report urges

A report published by the Company Chemists’ Association on behalf of the Pharmacy Vaccinations Development Group has suggested that community pharmacies are well placed to increase vaccine uptake, raise patients’ confidence and prevent ill health.…