John Nuttall: You might say "close stores", but we like to play the long gameSubscription
Chief executive of Well Pharmacy, the third largest pharmacy chain in the UK, discusses the independent multiple’s strong position despite cuts to community pharmacy funding and how the business is preparing for online competition.
How to provide patients with the right information to make informed decisionsSubscription
A tailored approach can help pharmacists support patients to make better treatment choices and have a more successful outcome.
How to ace pharmacy calculations
Newly qualified pharmacists Abida Begum and Urvasi Patel share their eight tips for tackling the calculations paper in the GPhC registration assessment.
Ignorance is not bliss: why we need more empowered patients
Shared decision-making should become a mandatory part of training for all healthcare professionals to improve collaboration with their patients, save the NHS billions, and ultimately improve patient outcomes, say Aseem Malhotra and Sue Bailey.
Special report
Pre-registration exams
With preparation well underway for the GPhC registration exam scheduled for 28 June 2018, we have put together all our relevant articles about the assessment, including tips for pre-registration trainees on how to tackle the calculations paper, general advice about exam preparation and what candidates can expect on the day.
CPD Learning for Pharmacists
A new series of ebooks from The Pharmaceutical Journal. The first book in the series focuses on the care of older patients.
RPS supports reclassifying cannabis for medicinal use
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has written to home secretary Sajid Javid to express the Society’s support for the rescheduling of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
How to provide patients with the right information to make informed decisionsSubscription
A tailored approach can help pharmacists support patients to make better treatment choices and have a more successful outcome.
Heavy menstrual bleeding: diagnosis and management optionsSubscription
Heavy menstrual bleeding has a major impact on a woman’s quality of life. This article covers the most recent guidance and available treatment options.
How to ace pharmacy calculations
Newly qualified pharmacists Abida Begum and Urvasi Patel share their eight tips for tackling the calculations paper in the GPhC registration assessment.
Christine Heading: career breaks, freelancing and following your gutSubscription
A minute in the company of the pharmacist and academic.
Success in lobbying and digital publishing celebrated in 2017 RPS annual review
The introduction of a UK-wide criminal defence against inadvertent dispensing errors is one of the highlights of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s 2017 Annual Review.
From the Archives: pharmacists' views on the new National Health Service
In January 1948, a rousing message from Jean Kennedy Irvine, the Society’s first woman president, greeted members on opening their New Year’s issue of The Pharmaceutical Journal.
Is it worth all community pharmacies having an online presence?Subscription
With multiples tackling the threat of online retailers head on, should smaller chains and independents try to compete with the big boys?
The global race to combat antimicrobial resistanceSubscription
The Longitude Prize has relaunched after 300 years and this time teams around the world are racing to develop a rapid point-of-care diagnostic test that will help prevent the overuse of antibiotics and put them in the running to win £8m.
Special report
Promoting self-care this summer
Pharmacists are well placed to help patients take care of themselves — from advising on sun protection and skin cancer risk to offering tips on managing hayfever. Read The Pharmaceutical Journal's special report on self-care and help patients in your community pharmacy to help themselves stay well this summer.
Read more
Give pharmacists the tools and we will finish the job
Locum pharmacist Emmanuel Chisadza shuns the current reimbursement framework for community pharmacy, and calls for a model that recognises that value of pharmaceutical care.
John Nuttall: You might say "close stores", but we like to play the long gameSubscription
Chief executive of Well Pharmacy, the third largest pharmacy chain in the UK, discusses the independent multiple’s strong position despite cuts to community pharmacy funding and how the business is preparing for online competition.
Ignorance is not bliss: why we need more empowered patients
Shared decision-making should become a mandatory part of training for all healthcare professionals to improve collaboration with their patients, save the NHS billions, and ultimately improve patient outcomes, say Aseem Malhotra and Sue Bailey.
Should community pharmacy stock homeopathic remedies?Subscription
Two pharmacists argue whether homeopathic remedies should be available to buy in community pharmacies after the High Court’s support for the decision to stop funding homeopathy on the NHS.
Help us understand your experience of supporting patients with osteoarthritis
The Pharmaceutical Journal launches insight-led campaign to advance pharmacy’s role in management of osteoarthritis.
Breakdown of the OTC medicines market in BritainSubscription
The over-the-counter medicines market grew by almost 1% in 2017 to reach £2.56bn. Although pain relief remains the highest value category group, the most growth was seen in eye care and gastrointestinal products.
Hepatitis C: tackling the silent killerSubscription
About 200,000 people are living with hepatitis C in the UK, but it is estimated that around half of these remain undiagnosed. Identifying those at risk, offering tests and connecting those infected with treatment are crucial to tackling the disease.
Lung cancer: advances in management and therapySubscription
An overview of traditional and emerging immunotherapy-based targets and treatments available for lung cancer, their side effects and the impact immune checkpoint inhibitors have had on the treatment of non–small-cell lung cancer.
Refractory epilepsy: management in tertiary careSubscription
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness or convulsions, associated with neurones exhibiting abnormally high electrical excitability in the brain.
Valuable and easy-to-use drug information resourceSubscription
AHFS Drug Information 2018, edited by Gerald K McEvoy
Pharmacy’s role in antimicrobial resistance and stewardshipSubscription
This article summarises the evidence supporting the role of pharmacists and pharmacy teams in antimicrobial stewardship and outlines the impact of their activities.
Community pharmacists' contribution to public health: assessing the global evidence base
In the UK, community pharmacies are more accessible to the general population than general practices. Therefore, government white papers and briefing documents from pharmacy professional bodies have advocated the expansion of the role of community pharmacists, particularly in relation to the provision of services that contribute to disease prevention and health improvement. It is unknown whether the same evidence exists globally for the expansion of these roles. This article attempts ...
Glucose-lowering drugs and cardiovascular risk: how recent outcome trials have informed practice
Although large clinical trials with glucose-lowering drugs have consistently shown beneficial reductions in microvascular complications, their effects on macrovascular complications have been controversial. Interpreting these trials is complicated by substantial differences in their design, the populations studied and data analysis. This article examines how the trials have evolved and how they impact the use of glucose-lowering agents in the routine care of patients with type ...
Optimising the health and wellbeing of older people living with HIV in the United Kingdom Subscription
Care for people with HIV has improved, meaning that more people are living with HIV into older age with normal life expectancy. Therefore, there are various challenges and opportunities facing healthcare professionals when providing care to this changing demographic.
Impact of an integrated pharmacy service on hospital admission costsSubscription
Northumberland was chosen as one of the national vanguard sites in early 2015, in response to the Five year forward view initiative. This article describes the evolution of the integrated pharmacy service, which now operates across organisational boundaries and in collaboration with other healthcare professionals, as well as the improvements in patient care, harm reduction and increased efficiencies achieved using a sustainable model of care.
The implications of the Montgomery judgment on pharmacy practice and patients with learning disabilitySubscription
The judgment in Montgomery v Lanarkshire (Scotland) 2015 introduced a new definition of informed consent which has implications for all healthcare professionals. This article focuses specifically on the implications for pharmacy practice and patients with learning disability. During consultations, both pharmacist prescribers and non-prescribing pharmacists must adhere to the provisions of the judgment to ensure patients provide informed consent. Particular issues arise where patients ...
Research article
Point-of-care C-reactive protein testing in community pharmacy to deliver appropriate interventions in respiratory tract infectionsSubscription
This pilot study sought to evaluate the potential use of point-of-care (POC) C-reactive protein (CRP) testing for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in a rural community pharmacy in North Staffordshire, UK, in conjunction with local GP practices. The study found that the use of POC CRP testing in community pharmacies has the potential to reduce the number of GP appointments caused by RTIs and, therefore, may help reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing.
Improving medicines optimisation for care home residents: Wigan Borough CCG’s approachSubscription
Although clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are not responsible for monitoring or regulating care homes, Wigan Borough’s approach demonstrates that it is possible for CCG staff to work collaboratively with care home and social care teams to improve outcomes for patients.
