By the end of this month the restriction that prevents pharmacists who qualified in the EU from being a pharmacist in charge of a newly established pharmacy in the UK is set to be scrapped. The current restriction has come about because of UK interpretation of the European Commission Directive 85/433/EEC (Article 2(2)), which permits […]

Are you currently looking for the opportunity to progress? Would you like the opportunity to work for a growing company that can offer you the encouragement and support that you need to reach your goals? Would you like an excellent basic salary? Flame Health Pharmacy are currently recruiting for 4 exceptional Pharmacy Managers in Plymouth. […]

As part of a public health campaign, Pharmacies in Wales will offer free diabetes risk assessments for two weeks in June. Pharmacists will offer a free paper-based type 2 diabetes risk assessment as part the initiative. The campaign, which works with Diabetes UK Cymru, aimed to take the delivery of public health campaigns to a […]

A survey has shown almost two thirds of its members do not believe they are being paid accurately by NHS Prescription Services (NHS PS) Numark has now called for an urgent review of the government’s prescription payment system. 90% of Numark members unable to check payments said the uncertainty was caused by the lack of […]

The University of Birmingham and the University of Durham may become the first in the UK to offer an integrated 5 year pharmacy degree, incorporating clinical practice when they are considered by the GPHC in June. The new five year programme would include two six month placements which would replace the requirement for the current […]

A study in London pharmacies has shown success after a 5 month pilot study. The study involved 27 pharmacies delivery alcohol screening and brief intervention service after a one day intensive training session. Assessing the service, it was found there had been a significant reduction in alcohol consumption. Patients who agreed to the service were […]

Delegates at the Royal College of Nursing conference called for action to reduce the ‘sheer madness’ of wastage levels of medicines newspapers reported last week. Nurses proposed labelling medicines with details of how much they cost and distributing leaflets to ensure patients used the repeat prescription process correctly. PSNC backed the comments and said it […]

The NPA has called for the abolition of prescription charges in England as the charge has rose to £7.40 per item, warning they add to pharmacists’ workload without helping patients. The call has come as Scotland abolished prescription charges joining Northern Ireland and Wales. The head of NPA pharmacy has said, “From a pharmacist’s point […]

The new medicine service (NMS) will see pharmacists paid to council patients with long terms conditions who are starting new medicines. pharmacists have backed this new service although some have cautioned it will require investment from pharmacies to be a success. Many have stated that this new scheme will emphasise the importance of pharmacists moving […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]