Prescription fees and dental charges will increase from 1st April. Prescription fees will go up by 20p to £7.40 and dental charges will increase, with band 1 treatments going up to £17, band 2 treatments increasing to £47 and band 3 treatments increasing to £204. The announcement has been greeted with anger, just days after […]

Spring cleaning is not just for houses! Dental Health Experts advise that it is a great ethos to adopt when it comes to avoiding gum disease. Spring is a great time to tackle the hidden oral hygiene problems that could be undermining your body’s overall health. Health Experts recommend the below to spring cleaning our […]

Recruitment was one of the best represented sectors in this year’s Sunday Times ‘Best Companies to Work For’ list This is extremely positive news for the industry. REC Chief Executive Kevin Green says, “This strong representation from the recruitment industry is extremely encouraging. It is hugely positive for the industry as a whole. Actively promoting […]

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has been unable to reveal how many pharmacists renewed their membership by the 1st March deadline due to IT problems. The RPS has said that over half of registered pharmacists had renewed but it needed to clear the backlog of applicants online before it could provide an accurate figure. The society […]

The Scottish Government has won the approval of Holyrood’s health committee to remove the current £3 NHS prescription charge. Labour supports this plan however the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats believe the cash could be better spent in other areas. Wales and Northern Ireland have already removed NHS prescription charges, which cost £7.10 per item in […]

Flame Pharma attended the recent AstraZeneca careers fair on 16th February.  The day was the second time that we were invited to attend the careers fair, and provided us chance to speak to candidates and clients regarding new opportunities and our services.  We had a successful visit, interacting with scientific and clinical professionals looking for […]

The GPHC is seeking views on its proposed fees for 2012, which include a plan to raise pharmacists’ renewal fees to £272. A consultation on the proposals has now been launched and will run until 12th May. As a pharmacist, do you feel these renewal fees are acceptable? The GPHC said the 4% fee rise […]

Comic Relief has announced sight as a key theme of its celebrity challenge. A 5 day challenge will see celebrities trek 100km across the desert in Northern Kenya. During the trek they will witness the trachoma and cataract work of international charity Sightsavers, which will benefit from money donated to Comic Relief. Flame Health think […]

If funding from the optical profession is secured then a new scheme could be rolled out to highlight optometry as a future career option for 14-17 year olds. Pilots were put in place in 7 schools last year which proved to be a success. The scheme would cost £75,000 to reach around 2,000 schools across […]

The NHS Modernising Pharmacy Careers programme has proposed a 5 year course with employers taking more responsibility for pharmacy training and the pre reg year being replaced by 2 six month placements worked in years 4 and 5. A pharmacy degree allows a student to understand the technical knowledge to be a pharmacist, only by […]

Flame Pharma will be attending the AstraZeneca Career Fair on 16th and 17th February at their Charnwood site. Following on from a previous visit to Charnwood and Avlon Works, Flame Pharma are continuing to help AstraZeneca during the closure by attending again. Attending the fair will be Neil Dewsbury, managing consultant of Flame Pharma and […]

Reports published by the REC and KPMG has shown that permanent staff placements and temporary/contract staff billings both rose at faster rates in January. These results are the most marked for 6 and 7 months respectively. 3 key points of the report are: stronger expansions of both permanent and temporary appointments, pay pressures remained muted […]

Flame Health will be again attending Optrafair from 9th – 11th April 2011 at the NEC in Birmingham. Optrafair is the biggest optical showcase of optical business opportunities in the UK. This year Optrafair owners have even opened up more floor space to accommodate a larger number of suppliers who wish to reach out to […]

Industry leaders have commented that the community pharmacy sector should have a bigger role in helping to deliver NHS flu vaccinations following reports of shortages this year. Pharmacies do have the commercial experience and expertise required, this could the free up GP’s to focus on the delivery of the vaccination programme. A Boots spokeswoman says: […]

According to the latest NHS stop smoking figures, pharmacies continue to have the lowest stop smoking rates among NHS providers in England. From April to September 2010 there was a 44% successful quit rate among pharmacy patients. Quit rates were higher among other providers such as hospitals wards and prisons, with military bases coming out […]