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Cold and flu: we need a sector-wide standard for helping patients to self care
Setting a high quality standard for helping patients to self manage their cold and flu symptoms benefits everyone working in the healthcare sector.
For community pharmacists, the new contract does not add upSubscription
Changes outlined in the new pharmacy contract come into force on 1 October 2019, but pharmacists need clarity on these extra services and whether or not they will ultimately help or hinder patient care.
Providing self-care advice for cold and flu keeps antibiotics working
Antimicrobial stewardship is not just the remit of selected healthcare professionals — everyone in society has a role to play in protecting our supply of antimicrobial products.
We must declare Scotland's drug deaths a public health emergencySubscription
The number of drug-related deaths in Scotland has soared to the highest level in the EU. We know which strategies can tackle this crisis — we should be using them.
Duncan Craig: 'I'm concerned students' scientific acumen is completely ignored'Subscription
The chair of the Pharmacy Schools Council on five-year MPharm degrees, apprenticeships and the impact of Brexit on research.
Catriona Matheson: 'I support decriminalisation of illegal drugs for personal use'
Having spent her entire career researching pharmacy services for drug users, Catriona Matheson is the ideal person to head up Scotland’s Drug Deaths Taskforce. Here, she explains what the group will do to tackle rising drug deaths in Scotland.
Keith Ridge: 'This is the most fantastic time for pharmacy ever'Subscription
England’s chief pharmaceutical officer speaks about being in the driving seat during one of the most crucial times for pharmacy.
Stephen Watkins: 'What we're doing is about transformation of pharmacy'Subscription
Despite the recent announcement that it plans to close 200 stores, Stephen Watkins, director of pharmacy items at Boots, promises that its ongoing digital transformation will be a game changer for the entire industry.
Moratorium on online dispensing of opioids is requiredSubscription
An undercover investigation carried out by The Times is further proof that online pharmacies should be prohibited from prescribing and dispensing opioid medicines until they can prove they are safe.
Making consultations count in cold and flu
By adopting a unified approach to encourage consistent self-management for cold and flu, pharmacy teams can demonstrate the sector’s wider value on the healthcare landscape.
For patients' sake, no-deal Brexit must be avoidedSubscription
Despite much preparation, crashing out of the EU without a deal throws up too much uncertainty for patients for it to be a viable option.
No GP pharmacist should be left out in the coldSubscription
NHS England should look again at rules that are likely to prevent some pharmacists from working in primary care networks.
Why the newly licensed antibiotic cefepime should be introduced to UK formulariesSubscription
Healthcare trusts should consider introducing the antibiotic cefepime to their outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy services to tackle infections that are becoming resistant to carbapenem antibiotics.
At last, a new treatment option for diabetes-related chronic kidney diseaseSubscription
Guideline-changing trial results released earlier in 2019 suggest that SGLT2 inhibitors could be a viable treatment solution for patients with diabetes and evidence of kidney damage.
Pharmacists must embrace pharmacogenetic services before other professions beat them to it Subscription
Multidisciplinary genetic testing services will help patients receive more targeted medicines, and pharmacists are the obvious healthcare professional to lead them.
Pharmacists must work with others to roll back polypharmacy cultureSubscription
The new English Desprescribing Network will bring together healthcare professionals and researchers to stamp out medicine-related harm.
My pharmacy preregistration training provider wasn't up to scratch
Newly registered locum pharmacist Diba Keyhanfar moved training sites a number of times during her preregistration training.
Improving medicines safety as a volunteer pharmacist in Cambodia
In 2018, pharmacist Alda Hummelinck volunteered in Cambodia to help identify opportunities to improve medicines and patient safety.
Our experience of preregistration training in general practice
As general practice pharmacy preregistration training opportunities are now available through Oriel, three newly-qualified pharmacists share their recent placement experience.
Reflective account example: a community pharmacist reflects on his communication skills
Do you feel confident in completing your reflective account? This example helps you understand what you need to include in your GPhC submission
Marking the first World Patient Safety DaySubscription
Patient safety is a global challenge and, in May 2019, the 72nd World Health Assembly — through which World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its member states — agreed that a World Patient Safety Day would be commemorated annually each year on 17 September, commencing in 2019.
Reviewing the safe and appropriate prescribing of antipsychotic depotsSubscription
Antipsychotic medicine is prescribed to treat many mental health conditions, alleviate suffering and improve daily functioning[1].
The new NHS Patient Safety Strategy has a big hole in itSubscription
In August 2018, I expressed my concern in Clinical Pharmacist that the NHS, described as ‘an organisation with a memory’, was losing its patient safety memory and not addressing many important risks effectively[1]. Other reports from the Care Quality Commission
Evaluating the first NHS-funded sore throat test and treat service in the UKSubscription
In Wales, people with a sore throat may be offered advice and symptomatic treatment free of charge in community pharmacies through the common ailment service (CAS). However, antibiotics cannot be supplied and this can limit patients’ perceived value of the service. As a result, some patients continue to seek a GP appointment when they have a sore throat.
Honest and challenging look at the state of young people's mental health in the UKSubscription
Dispatches. Young, British and Depressed. London: Channel 4; 2019
Clear guide to managing the menopause and using HRTSubscription
Menopause: All you need to know in one concise manual by Louise Newson
Heartening documentary on the power of the sanitary padSubscription
A powerful short film documenting India’s revolution against the stigma of talking about menstruation.
Guide to prescribing children's medicine Subscription
Prescribing medicines for children: from drug development to practical administration, by Barker B, Turner M and Sharland M (eds).
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.
