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We must tear down the barriers to equality for BAME communities highlighted by COVID-19Subscription
There are two ways that we can begin to address the long-running health disparities between different ethnic groups, which have been highlighted by the disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We risk a cardiovascular health crisis if patients stop seeking help when they need it
Footfall in emergency departments across the world has decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and experts worry that patients with symptoms are staying at home for fear of burdening their healthcare systems. But preventing serious cardiovascular events is still as important as ever, says cardiology consultant pharmacist Rani Khatib.
There is a vulnerable group we must not leave behind in our response to COVID-19: people who are dependent on illicit drugs
None of us are safe from COVID-19, but the health status, needs and behaviours of those who use illicit drugs leave them particularly vulnerable — pharmacists can reduce this risk, says drugs researcher Amira Guirguis.
Ways to safeguard UK drug supplies during COVID-19 and beyond
The COVID-19 pandemic is stretching the NHS, including its supplies of essential drugs, to the limits. We may need new systems in place to ensure patients never miss out on medicines they need.
Jo Churchill: 'I'm having forceful conversations about new funding for pharmacy'
The pharmacy minister on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health support for pharmacists and what may be the enduring legacy for the sector.
Leyla Hannbeck: ‘COVID-19 has many pharmacies struggling to keep their heads above water’
The chief executive officer of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies speaks about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected pharmacy and the risk of impending closures.
Nikki Kanani: 'Shortages of the right pharmacists in some areas has been an issue'Subscription
The director of primary care at NHS England speaks about growing up in a pharmacy, her hopes for the sector and how to protect pharmacists from burnout.
Taiwo Owatemi: 'Like every pharmacist in the country, I’ve been frustrated by medicines shortages'Subscription
How pharmacy led Taiwo Owatemi, Labour MP for Coventry North West, to her new role in politics.
We need a national de-labelling drive for patients with penicillin allergySubscription
False penicillin allergies are placing patients at risk of resistant infections and are a threat to antimicrobial stewardship; we must safely de-label patients to avoid these costs to public health.
It should not have taken another pandemic to highlight BAME health inequalities
The high proportion of people from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups dying from COVID-19 has brought health inequalities between ethnic groups to the fore, but this should have been looked into long before the pandemic began.
Pharmacy must change as a result of COVID-19, or be left behind
The pharmacy sector must not underestimate the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will transform the NHS.
Serology testing for COVID-19 is the way forward, but we could face a long wait
While news of imminent serology testing is incredibly encouraging, we must be pragmatic about how quickly it can be made available to the general public.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the government to allow medicines reuse: we must not waste this opportunity to counter our throwaway cultureSubscription
Fears over drug shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic mean that, in care homes and hospices, costly medicines prescribed but unused by one patient can now be given to another, rather than destroyed. This formerly illegal practice should stay long after we recover from the pandemic, and be extended to other healthcare settings, so we can reap the financial and environmental benefits.
The future is giving patients control over their own medication recordsSubscription
The patient is the only person present at every stage of their treatment as they move between different healthcare settings, meaning that patient-held information could plug holes in our records and contribute to medicines safety.
Antidepressant withdrawal can be a horrible experience — are tapering strips a potential solution?Subscription
New evidence suggests that patients and practitioners can devise a personal schedule for gradually reducing antidepressant medication to limit severe withdrawal symptoms.
We must not forget transgender patients’ physiology if we are to prescribe safelySubscription
Pharmacists should always be respectful of patients’ identity wishes, but biological differences between the sexes mean that conflating sex and gender could have serious implications for prescribing.
The homophobia I faced as a pharmacy student is also evident in our health service
As we celebrate Pride month, pharmacy — and the wider NHS — has a long way to go before it fully supports the health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
I'm an academic pharmacist who retrained to give remote consultations during the pandemic
Pharmacy researcher Zoe Edwards could safely do her university work from home, but she knew there was another way she could help during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tell us how the coronavirus pandemic has affected your working conditions
This year’s Salary and Job Satisfaction Survey contains all the usual questions, but it also delves into how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the working lives of pharmacists.
How fearful medication requests have wreaked havoc on my general practice during the COVID-19 pandemic
Medication-related coronavirus media reports and worried patients have put pressure on general practices and local pharmacies, but we must continue to do right by our patients with chronic conditions, or risk ‘playing catch-up’ later on, says clinical pharmacist Danny Bartlett.
How collaboration was key at the NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the HumberSubscription
We were interested to read the article ‘The COVID-19 emergency hospitals: seizing the challenge’ in the May 2020 issue of The Pharmaceutical Journal, and here we report how working together across the hospitals in our area allowed the NHS Nightingale Hospital ...
BAME patients less likely to take up community pharmacy services in North West LondonSubscription
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the interplay between ethnicity and poor health outcomes has rightly come under scrutiny. A high proportion of those who have lost their lives to COVID-19 were from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups.
How we have facilitated workplace-based assessments amid social distancing measuresSubscription
Social distancing measures implemented to combat the COVID-19 pandemic have presented many challenges in the workplace. On the clinical pharmacy postgraduate diploma at the Liverpool John Moores University we need to balance compliance with these measures without compromising a practitioner’s training. This prompted me to consider alternative ways of facilitating workplace-based assessments (WBAs), especially for students who require observations of their practice.
Why community pharmacy should receive the hospital discharge letterSubscription
Patients who stay in hospital can often feel frightened, stressed and vulnerable, so hearing the words “we will discharge you today” can be so comforting. We need to make sure that these patients receive the best possible treatment after they have been discharged.
Fun but gimmicky show puts competing health theories to the testSubscription
Although it does not present any revolutionary ideas, The Twinstitute takes a fun look at health fads and alternatives to common medicines.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s health show is a quintessentially ‘LA’ mish-mash of self-indulgenceSubscription
‘The Goop Lab’ offers viewers an insight into controversial and costly alternative wellness therapies — be prepared to take it with a pinch of salt.
Peter Hylands (1946–2019) Subscription
As the first pharmaceutical scientist member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Peter Hylands’ respected and varied career specialised in natural products research.
Stewart Adams (1923–2019)Subscription
Having fallen into the pharmacy profession “purely by chance”, Stewart Adams OBE went on to discover ibuprofen, one of the world’s best selling anti-inflammatory painkillers.
‘Pioneer of pharmacy’: Graham Calder (1933–2018) Subscription
Described as a ‘pioneer of pharmacy’, former chief pharmacist of Scotland Graham Calder has been an inspiration for many pharmacy professionals during, and since, his varied career.
William Charles Evans (1924–2018) Subscription
Author of Trease and Evans’ Pharmacognosy, a seminal text on the chemistry and uses of medicinal plants, William Charles Evans was a prolific researcher and educator throughout his 60-year career.
