Primary care

Over-simplistic view of the opioid substitution service

I read with disappointment the letter by Wai Sin Kung calling for opioid substitution services to be scrapped ( The Pharmaceutical Journal 2017;299:40). The views expressed were unfounded and simplistic. The opioid substitution service does indeed help some users to stop abusing drugs, b…

Screening for HIV in primary care is cost effective and should be promoted, say researchers

General practice-based HIV screening is an important public health intervention which should be used more widely, according to a study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine…

There is a clear demand for pharmacists, says RCGP in GP Forward View assessment

The Royal College of General Practitioners has said that good progress has been made in the roll-out of practice-based pharmacists…

More than 250,000 people in UK taking benzodiazepines and Z-drugs for longer than recommended

More than a quarter of a million people in the UK are likely to be taking dependency-forming benzodiazepines and Z-drugs far beyond the recommended usage of 2–4 weeks, according to a study in The British Journal of General Practice.…

How I support community health services as a national quality pharmacist

The opportunities for pharmacists within the community services sector are huge, says James Andrews.…

Experience of setting up and running a referral scheme from the secondary care anticoagulant clinic to community pharmacies in Swindon

The new medicines service (NMS) is an advanced service in the community pharmacy contractual framework. It consists of community pharmacist structured interviews with patients during their first month of treatment with a new medicine. The service aims to improve medicines concordance and improve pat…

Media training and media-facing roles in pharmacy

Pharmacy is too often left out of the media conversation on key healthcare issues, so it is important to strengthen our presence across all sectors, through both mainstream and social media. Gareth Malson explores how media training benefits both pharmacists and pharmacy.…

Sustainability and transformation plans: working together is not going to be easy

It is vital that pharmacy engages with sustainability and transformation plans now to avoid being left behind.…

HIV services need to evolve to meet new needs

A stronger, less fragmented system of HIV services is needed in order to keep pace with the changing needs of patients.…

Primary care clusters: RPS Wales gives evidence to Welsh Assembly committee

RPS representatives Mair Davies and Suzanne Scott-Thomas were invited to the Senedd to discuss the benefits of multidisciplinary working.…