Northern Ireland

Pharmacy profession welcomes dispensing error decriminalisation legislation

Pharmacy leaders have welcomed new legislation that will protect community pharmacists from prosecution over dispensing errors.…

New premises standards outlined for pharmacies in Northern Ireland

Retail pharmacists in Northern Ireland are set to be given greater autonomy over how to run their services under proposed new standards.…

Pharmacy needs to ‘up its game’, Ridge tells RPS annual conference delegates

Pharmacy must “up its game in terms of quality”, Keith Ridge, the chief pharmaceutical officer (CPO) for England, told delegates at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS) 2017 annual conference.…

What the changes to the apprenticeship levy mean for pharmacy

Changes to the apprenticeship levy in England came into force in April 2017, meaning that regardless of the size of your pharmacy business, the apprenticeship programme should be seen as an opportunity to strengthen your workforce. Vanessa Kingsbury and Nick Marler explain what these changes mean an…

Government should take a common sense approach and abolish prescription charges

It is time for England to follow the lead of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and abolish prescription charges.…

Why legal action is not the best way to address the community pharmacy funding crisis in England

As pharmacy contractors in England suffer budget cuts and their leaders instigate legal action, Northern Ireland pharmacy contractor Terry Maguire argues why this might not be a good idea and what English contractors might learn from their Celtic cousins.…

Criminalisation of dispensing errors continues to haunt pharmacy

The suspended prison sentence passed on Northern Ireland pharmacist Martin White is deeply troubling for the pharmacy profession ( Pharmaceutical Journal online, 22 December 2016). White was convicted under section 64 of the Medicines Act 1968 for supplying a product that was not o…

Celesio’s acquisition of wholesaler Sangers gets competition approval

Celesio has received the all-clear from the Competition and Markets Authority for its acquisition of the Northern Ireland-based pharmaceutical wholesaler United Drug Sangers.  Celesio has already acquired other businesses owned by United Drug Sangers’ parent company UDG Healthcare: …

Drone flies abortion pills to Northern Ireland to highlight its abortion laws

A drone carrying abortion pills landed in Northern Ireland on 21 June 2016 as part of a stunt organised to highlight the strict abortion laws in the province.…

UK health departments set lower limits for safe drinking

New guidelines issued by the Department of Health have set lower limits for the consumption of alcohol after research found that any level of drinking raises the risk of disease, including mouth, throat and breast cancers.…