To DPP or not to DPP: who trains the trainers? The Pharmaceutical Journal’s health policy columnist considers the value of incentivising designated prescribing practitioners to supervise trainee pharmacists from 2025.…
Subscription model for antimicrobials could be expanded in new UK five-year AMR plan 'Confronting antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029', published by the UK government on 8 May 2024, builds on the existing 20-year antimicrobial resistance strategy published in 2019.…
NHS data reveal net loss of more than 400 community pharmacies England over the past year The Company Chemists' Association says that 35% of pharmacy closures since 2015/2016 have happened in the top 20% of the most deprived parts of the country.…
Pharmacists certified 1.4% of ‘fit notes’ from GP practices, NHS data show In the same period, 91.3% of fit notes were certified by doctors, 6.7% by nurses, 0.6% by physiotherapists and 0.03% by occupational therapists.…
PJ view: Pharmacy technicians are vital in efforts to rescue pharmacists from their workload Pharmacy technicians are best placed to take on more responsibility to alleviate workforce pressures across all pharmacy sectors.…
Chief pharmacist role should be mandatory, says RPS The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists has also raised concerns about the wellbeing of chief pharmacists, who it said face risk of burnout, in response to a consultation on draft standards for the role of chief pharmacists.…
‘Managing your service’ when the IT does not work This month, our health policy columnist reflects on the IT issues surrounding the roll out of the Pharmacy First service in England.…
The role of community pharmacy in addressing health inequalities An overview of health inequalities in the UK, using existing working examples to show how community pharmacy can help to address these.…
PJ view: Restore pharmacy opening hours to improve end-of-life care With a fifth of pharmacies in England reducing opening hours to save their business, people nearing the end of their lives have been added to a growing list of patient groups bearing the brunt of pharmacy underfunding.…
Clearer Pharmacy First messaging under consideration after reports of patient aggression, says negotiator There have been reports of confusion among adult patients because the Pharmacy First service specification states treatment for otitis media is only available for those aged under 18 years.…
