Social sciences and humanities

Andrea Leadsom appointed as new pharmacy minister

Previously the government’s early years adviser, Andrea Leadsom becomes the fifth pharmacy minister since 2022.…

Victoria Atkins appointed as new health and social care secretary

Former health secretary Steve Barclay has been moved to the role of secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs.…

Factors influencing effective communication when prescribing

Understanding the factors that impact communication is critical for the delivery of person-centred prescribing. This article explores how to identify these factors and develop an optimised communication strategy for each patient.…

Government proposes different levies for old and new products under statutory scheme

The Department of Health and Social Care has proposed changes to the statutory scheme for branded medicines pricing, including differing levy rates that are dependent on a product's age.…

Lessons community pharmacy could learn from the junior doctors’ strike

The Pharmaceutical Journal's health policy columnist considers what pharmacists can take from the junior doctors' approach to industrial action.…

New Scottish health secretary appointed

Michael Matheson moves from his role as net zero, energy and transport cabinet secretary.…

Warm words cannot mask the true picture of pharmacy neglect

The Pharmaceutical Journal's health policy columnist looks at why ministers keep talking about Pharmacy First in England, but there is a lack of progress when it comes to its implementation.…

Taiwo Owatemi: ‘Pharmacists should be able to refer patients straight to secondary care’

Labour MP and locum pharmacist Taiwo Owatemi shares her views on how to handle pressures on the NHS and why the government is dragging its feet with England’s ‘Pharmacy First’ scheme.…

Tackling pharmacy’s reliance on single-use plastic

A project that began in 2019 has resulted in annual savings of 300,000 pieces of single-use plastic across two large acute NHS trusts.…

Nitrous oxide could be harming people as much as the planet

Why healthcare workers have a duty to act now to prevent nitrous oxide waste.…