England

Prescription fees set to increase to £9 from April 2019

Prescription charges in England are set to increase from £8.80 to £9 as of 1 April 2019, the government has announced.…

Medication errors: where do they happen?

Reducing medicines-related harm requires a clear understanding of where and when errors occur. This visual summary shows the latest estimates in England per year.…

English Pharmacy Board meeting: 31 January 2019

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS’s) English Pharmacy Board (EPB) held its first meeting of the year on 31 January 2019, at the Society’s London headquarters.…

Opioid prescribing highest in more deprived regions of England, study shows

Opioid prescribing in general practice is highest in the North West of England and the East Midlands, mirroring general geographical health inequalities, a study published in the International Journal of Drug Policy has found.…

Third biological treatment for severe asthma approved by NICE

An injectable drug for patients who struggle to control their asthma with inhalers has been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.…

NHS England to fund flash glucose monitoring devices for all eligible diabetes patients

All patients with diabetes who qualify for a flash glucose monitoring device will be able to receive it on prescription from April 2019, NHS England has announced.…

Ending gluten-free prescribing entirely would have more health benefits and save more money, government assessment finds

Ending the prescribing of all gluten-free foods would save the NHS more money and generate more health benefits rather than restricting prescribing of gluten-free foods to breads and mixes — the option preferred by the government — an impact assessment has f…

New care home roles for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will not be filled until March 2019

NHS England has said that 240 pharmacy roles in care homes supported by the Pharmacy Integration Fund will not be fully deployed until March 2019, despite expectations that they would be filled five months earlier.…

English Pharmacy Board meeting: 4 October 2018

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s English Pharmacy Board’s autumn meeting was held on 4 October 2018 at the Society’s London headquarters.…

Community pharmacy funding for 2018/2019 to be maintained at £2.59bn, PSNC announces

Community pharmacy funding will not be cut by £33m for the 2018/2019 financial year as expected and will instead be maintained at £2.59bn, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has announced.…