Policy and politics

President should be elected by members

The cabal of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society English Pharmacy Board, using the small print in the regulation, has committed a coup d’état against the president. Perhaps the regulations should be amended so that, in future, the president is elected by the members as is the c…

How the exit of the UK from the European Union could affect healthcare, science and research

Should the UK remain a member of the European Union or should it leave? We put two opposing views together to help you decide. …

Hospital pharmacist elected to Scottish Parliament

Hospital pharmacist Maree Todd has become a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Scottish National Party (SNP) after standing for election for the first time.…

Uniting community pharmacy

In December 2015, the Department of Health (DH) and NHS England notified the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee of changes they intended to make to the remuneration of community pharmacies. The response to these proposals is unprecedented. At the time of writing, more than half a million …

If you want to influence pharmacy’s future, vote in the RPS elections

Our profession continues to face many challenges, not only those raised by the Department of Health consultation and the Carter review but also those such as the development of five-year integrated MPharm degree and improvements to training and experience in the preregistration year. Strong national…

Critical factors for pharmacy to survive reforms and funding cuts

Recent headlines have all been about the funding cuts for community pharmacy, which I have commented on previously ( The Pharmaceutical Journal 2016;296:39), but the planned reforms go much deeper. The intention is to look at access with potential changes in the number and distribution o…

Must fight against community pharmacy funding cuts

Pharmacists are making a huge contribution to improving the health of our nation. We are the most accessible healthcare profession bar none. Our clinical skills have never been better and they have never been more needed. The recent report demonstrating the phenomenal impact pharmacists are having i…

How proposed community pharmacy funding cuts will affect my business and my patients

I find it impossible to reconcile the government’s stated desire to put pharmacy at the heart of the NHS (as stated in its open letter to the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Commitee on 17 December 2015) with the suggestion that up to 3,000 pharmacies will close. Worse still is the suggest…

Community pharmacy cuts: a breakdown of a flawed rationale

The government’s decision to cut funding on a large scale for community pharmacy is short-sighted and will cause long-term damage to patients and pharmacy.…

Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Bill will not serve healthcare professionals

A bill claiming to help medical practitioners access innovative treatments has healthcare professions scratching their heads — because it wasn’t needed in the first place.…