Health and care policy

First pharmacogenomic testing service to be launched by pharmacy multiple later in 2022

Exclusive: If the Day Lewis service proves to be successful and cost effective, it could be commissioned more widely by the NHS.…

Nearly a third of trusts meet NHS targets for discharge medicines service ahead of schedule

Speaking at the Clinical Pharmacy Congress, Wasim Baqir, senior NHS England pharmacist, said that up to 42,000 30-day readmissions could be avoided if every NHS trust hit the 1.5% referral target.…

Pharmacist medication reviews not putting patient outcomes first, claim researchers

A series of interviews with pharmacists revealed that structured medication reviews were not being treated as a priority and corporate incentives were being put before patient outcomes.…

RPS to develop a joint vision for pharmacy in England with the King’s Fund

A consultation will begin in May 2022, aiming to incorporate views from pharmacy teams across all sectors.…

Everything you need to know about the debate over supervision

The supervision debate has been an ongoing point of contention for several years, but what exactly is the debate about and why is it so controversial?…

Collaboration not competition: the NHS masterplan to keep patients out of hospital

Health challenges and inequalities have been exacerbated by COVID-19, meaning providing joined up health and social care that keeps people out of hospital is more important than ever, and is central to the government’s blueprint for the NHS in England. Pharmacy teams are already playing an integra…

2020: the year of COVID-19

This year has been dominated by a single topic. Here, we look back at an extraordinary 12 months, and an extremely challenging time for pharmacy teams.…

The man and his ‘illegal’ van trying to fix Glasgow’s drug problem

A van providing a safe space for drug users to inject is being piloted in Glasgow but, despite backing for the idea of such a facility from the Scottish government, Westminster says that it is illegal.…

For community pharmacists to be treated as equals after the COVID-19 pandemic, they must become paid employees of the NHS

COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerabilities of having separate health and social care systems, but pharmacy can only help fill this gap if it is more embedded within the NHS.…

RPS calls for sweet e-cigarette flavourings to be banned

Sweet flavouring agents in e-cigarettes and vaping products “should be banned to minimise the appeal to young people”, an updated policy on e-cigarettes published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has said.…