Prescribing

Diabetes medicines spend rises by almost 20% in one year

NHS Business Services Authority data have also revealed that almost 1 million patients received diabetes medicines in the most deprived areas of England in 2024/2025.…

Frailty and the patient journey

How to recognise opportunities for medicines optimisation and rationalisation during the course of the patient journey following a frailty-related hospital admission.…

Boots delivers more than 1 million Pharmacy First consultations

Boots says the most common condition for which customers have sought advice and treatment under Pharmacy First was uncomplicated UTIs in women aged under 65 years.…

Prescribing for allied health professionals to be expanded under government proposals

A consultation document has outlined how physiotherapists, radiographers and paramedics could prescribe and supply more medicines.…

Polypharmacy and deprescribing in older people

An overview of the risks of inappropriate polypharmacy in older people, highlighting the role pharmacists can play in the deprescribing process.…

Pharmacists could be given right to amend prescriptions to tackle medicines shortages

The Department of Health and Social Care has outlined proposals to give pharmacists the ability to supply an alternative strength or formulation to improve patient access.…

Assessing the suitability of antidepressant use during perimenopause

Perimenopause typically occurs during the decade leading up to menopause (with the average age of menopause in the UK being 51 years) and is associated with a range of physical and mental health symptoms. These symptoms are primarily caused by fluctuating hormone levels but are frequently misdiagnos…

Coroner issues warning after fatal penicillin treatment

The coroner’s report said hospital admission records showed no known drug allergies, despite the patient’s GP record stating an allergy to penicillin.…

NHS data show drop in prescribing of dependency-forming medicines

The medicines featured in the NHS Business Services Authority report include gabapentinoids, opioids, benzodiazepines and Z-drugs.…

MHRA ‘shares concerns’ over failure to meet epilepsy drug prescribing target

Exclusive: Alison Cave, chief safety officer at the MHRA, has echoed concerns about persistent sodium valproate prescribing raised by the Independent Fetal Anti-Convulsant Trust.…