Healthcare provision

Principles of person-centred practice for prescribing

Effective prescribing requires an understanding of the patient’s individual needs, preferences and values. This article introduces the principles of person-centred practice and how they can be implemented in pharmacist prescribing.…

Pharmacy leaders warn that funding for independent prescribing pilot programme could leave community pharmacies ‘out of pocket’

Funding for the independent prescribing pathfinder programme has been described as “unviable” by sector leaders.…

Improving safety of warfarin prescribing and administration using clinical decision support

There are several benefits of electronic prescribing and medication administration (EPMA) systems, including the ability to support the reduction in medication omission errors​[1,2]​. Researchers suggest that medication administration errors account for ju…

Hydrocortisone manufacturers to be fined almost £130m after tribunal upholds ruling

The Competition and Markets Authority said NHS spending on hydrocortisone tablets rose from £0.5m per year to over £80m.…

Case-based learning: safe withdrawal and tapering of antidepressants

How to use hyperbolic tapering to avoid withdrawal effects when stopping an antidepressant.…

GPhC facing biggest ever backlog of open fitness-to-practise cases at initial assessment stage

Council papers said there were more than 700 open initial assessment fitness-to-practise cases.…

PJ view: Post-registration support for newly qualified pharmacists from 2026 must be a collaborative endeavour

Joined up working across Great Britain — and across pharmacy sectors — is vital to ensuring newly trained pharmacists get the support they need as independent prescribers from day one.…

How palliative care pharmacists in community practice are improving access to medicines

Tarun Nayyar’s work as a pharmacist at Birmingham Hospice is enabling faster access to specialist medicines for palliative care patients at home.…

‘Blanket switch’ to greener inhalers not recommended in prescribing guidance

The Scottish government has published a consultation on draft guidance emphasising that patients should only be switched to greener inhalers “if effectiveness, safety or adherence is not compromised”.…

Charting the course to advancing pharmacist prescribing

Attendees at a roundtable hosted by The Pharmaceutical Journal emphasised the need for robust training and support for newly qualified independent prescribers to ensure that individuals use their qualification.…