Politics

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…

Community pharmacist: the primary care experts

The need for strong and bold leadership is greater than ever before. Never has the pharmacy profession been presented with a greater opportunity to prove its worth than now. Medicines optimisation is a step change in the way in which pharmacists can help patients live well with their long-term condi…

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.…

How Claire Ward helps to give community pharmacy a voice

Claire Ward became the youngest female MP at the age of 24. She tells Emma Page about her career and explains why she now leads community pharmacy as chair of Pharmacy Voice.…

The sugar tax is the first right step to fight child obesity

UK Chancellor George Osborne’s announcement that a tax is to be placed on sugary drinks is most welcome. Although this is a hypothecated tax that will generate money specifically for schools, it is important to congratulate the government on its valuable first step to improve several aspects o…

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.…

Why I decided to approach my MP regarding community pharmacy funding cuts

As one of the many pharmacists who have approached their MP asking for support following the announced community pharmacy funding cuts in England of £170m in 2016–2017 (equivalent to a reduction of 6% of the total budget), I watched the debate unfold within our profession with inter…