NHS

Medicines pricing system creating ‘false economy’ that drives shortages, says CCA report

A report published by the Company Chemists’ Association found that the number of price concessions granted for generic medicines increased by over 740% from 2015 to 2024.…

Community pharmacy needs to be smart in contract negotiations following plans to abolish NHS England

This month, our health policy columnist looks at how the government’s plan to scrap NHS England will affect pharmacy.…

Pharmacists asked to assist in switching patients from Promixin by end of April 2025

A national patient safety alert advises that Colicym 1-million-unit power for nebuliser solution unit dose vials should be considered as an alternative treatment.…

Pharmacy involvement absent from almost half of TB services in England, report finds

The report, authored by the Getting It Right First Time projects team at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, pointed out that pharmacy was absent in 43% of TB services.…

BMI should be recorded annually for people with long-term conditions, says NICE

The draft quality standard on overweight and obesity management also advises healthcare professionals to seek permission in a sensitive, non-judgemental way before discussing weight.…

Two-thirds of cholesterol point-of-care tests fail to meet standards, researchers warn

Authors of a literature review found that only two out of six point-of-care tests “mostly met” necessary standards for use in the NHS Health Check programme.…

Gail Caldwell receives RPS Charter Award

The director of pharmacy at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde was given the award for being a “driving force” behind improvements to pharmacy service and workforce development in Scotland.…

NICE recommends first combination pill for long-term treatment of endometriosis

Relugolix combination therapy is a second-line treatment option for endometriosis that is faster acting than injectable treatments and can be taken at home.…

HIV patients should switch to long-acting antiretroviral injectable treatments sooner, study concludes

Researchers found that 98% of patients who were not virally suppressed at the start of the study had non-detectable viral loads after 11 months of long-acting antiretroviral injectable treatment.…

Pharmacy First budget ‘shockingly underspent’ in first half of financial year

In response to a written question to the Department of Health and Social Care, health minister Stephen Kinnock revealed that, as of November 2024, only £82m out of the £645m community pharmacy clinical services budget had been spent in 2024/2025.…