Our knowledge and understanding of e-cigarettes is still limitedA letter from M Cunningham exhorts “those in the profession opposed to e-cigarettes to come around in light of growing evidence” ( The Pharmaceutical Journal 2014;293:599). To support this argument, she cites the opinion of experts who spoke at a recent co…
Triaging urgent care patients via a non-emergency telephone helpline Reema Caddies splits her time working between urgent care helpline NHS 111 at Yorkshire Ambulance Service and managing medicines for Local Care Direct, which operates an out-of-hours GP service.…
Inquiry criticises NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for failure to appoint antimicrobial pharmacist Failure to adopt ’prudent’ antibiotic prescribing practices contributed to the deaths of 34 hospital patients from Clostridium difficile infection.…
Chief pharmacists warned of need for succession planning for procurement roles Succession planning is urgently needed to prepare for the swathe of experienced pharmacists buying medicines for hospitals who will shortly retire, an independent review has warned.…
Community pharmacists could screen at-risk groups for liver disease According to The Lancet’s commission, community pharmacists could play a key role in helping to improve liver disease services in primary care, say hepatology specialists.…
Delay to planned management change of NHS smartcard systemA planned change to the management of the smartcard system used by pharmacists in England when accessing the electronic prescription service has been delayed.…
Ibrutinib launched for treatment of mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia Ibrutinib, a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been launched in the UK for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.…
Provision of pharmacy services in England has increased, statistics show The number of medicines use reviews and new medicine service interventions has risen steadily in England’s community pharmacies.…
NHS England issues naloxone warningInappropriate use of naloxone can cause patients severe distress and can be fatal, says NHS England in a Patient Safety Alert.…
EllaOne to be available without prescriptionEllaOne (ulipristal acetate), an emergency contraceptive, is to be made available without a prescription from community pharmacies throughout the European Union.…