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NHS to receive ‘largest ever’ cash boost in spending review ... acies. Today, Ms Reeves also committed to ‘providing more funding to support the training of thousands more GPs to deliver millions more appointments’ and to roll out mental health support teams ‘in all schools in England’. ‘These investments will enable the delivery of our upcoming 10-year plan for health and put the NHS firmly back on the path to renewal,’ said Ms Reeves. She added: ‘To make sure th ... Date: 11-06-2025 Categories: • Community • Latest News • News
Interview: Martin Fidock on digital weight loss services and where community pharmacy fits in ... tronger messaging from ICBs and NHS England would help. GPs are the gateway to this service, which reduces re-access for related conditions like diabetes and mental health, and that’s a win for everyone.' Another potential barrier is the focus of the obesity treatment narrative on weight-loss jabs. 'The behavioural element of weight loss is critical for sustainable outcomes', says Fidock, 'so oversimplifyin ... Date: 11-06-2025 Categories: • Community • Interviews
DHSC issues supply notification for diabetes medication ... of medicines shortages on pharmacists. A Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) survey revealed in February that more than half of pharmacy professionals felt medicines shortages had impacted their mental health and wellbeing. According to a House of Commons research briefing which looked into medication shortages in the UK in April 2025, ‘supply chains for medicines are long and complex and shortages can be ca ... Date: 09-06-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Community • Diabetes and endocrinology • In Practice • News
Pharmacists are well placed to take the lead on ear health ... t. In addition, the postcode lottery of wax removal services in the UK is leading to dangerous self-management. Hearing loss is far more than just a minor inconvenience it has a profound impact on mental health, employability, and day-to-day quality of life. Left unaddressed, it can lead to social withdrawal, reduced cognitive function, and even linked to increase the risk of dementia. According to The Lanc ... Date: 09-06-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Community • Pharmacy First • Views
Community pharmacists report higher stress levels than those in general practice ... gether.’ CPE’s 2024 survey on pharmacy pressures also suggested that staffing issues was having a significant impact on workload and the mental health and wellbeing of pharmacy team members. ‘If the government wants to make full use of the clinical skills of community pharmacists and their teams, it must safeguard the pharmacy workforce and deliver on its commitment to work with us to set out a sustainab ... Date: 14-05-2025 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News
Government seeks pharmacists' views to underpin first-ever men’s health strategy ... scular disease and type 2 diabetes, the evidence call noted. Data shows that men in England live on average four years fewer than women at 79.1 years compared with 83 respectively. Mental health also forms part of the call with the Government noting that around three in four people who died by suicide in 2023 were men. The evidence call – which is open for 12 weeks – is asking questions around what to ... Date: 24-04-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Community • In Practice • Men's health • News
Pharmacists write just 1.5% of fit notes since reforms introduced ... it note with no medical justification. Patients and employers commonly felt that signing people off is ‘not always in their best long-term interest, particularly for their mental health’. Many GPs ‘seem to accept’ that the fit note system is open to misuse by some patients, but some said it was not their job to check people are not abusing the system, the report noted. Variation in fit note processes I ... Date: 16-04-2025 Categories: • In Practice • News
Breaking free: Exploring new stop smoking medications for a smoke-free future ... tion is not a barrier to providing the most effective treatment options. There have also been some concerns about whether the medications are safe and effective for people with mental health conditions. However, the EAGLES study found that there was no significant difference in adverse events when use of varenicline was compared to nicotine patches or a placebo. Given the compounding health inequalities of ... Date: 15-04-2025 Categories: • Mental health and addiction • Respiratory • Views
Violence against pharmacy teams: leaders call for expansion of NHS staff support ... similar support to be extended to members of community pharmacy teams. In a recent survey, more than three quarters (77%) of pharmacy team members said their work was negatively impacting their mental health and wellbeing, and one in three said they were either 'barely coping' or 'not coping at all'. Of these 56% mentioned abuse from patients as a contributing factor. And during the 2024 UK riots, The Ph ... Date: 10-04-2025 Categories: • Community • News
Depression meds to be added to NMS from October ... 25. The move was announced on Monday as part of the community pharmacy contractual framework for 2025/26. A training module is available to support pharmacists in consultations with people with mental health problems, although it is not mandatory. But if all pharmacists within the pharmacy have undertaken the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) Consulting with people with mental health p ... Date: 03-04-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Community • Mental health and addiction • News
Community pharmacies get £3bn deal for 2025/26 ... ion or follow up consultation. And from October 2025, depression medications will be covered by the NMS, with a related training programme on consulting with people with mental health problems included in the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS). Medication PGD added to smoking cessation service ‘Suitably trained and competent staff’ will be able to provide the smoking cessation service, alongside pharmacists an ... Date: 31-03-2025 Categories: • Community • News • Pharmacy First
Study suggests TikTok could be fuelling ADHD misinformation Information about ADHD on TikTok could be misinforming young people about the condition, a study has suggested. And mental health professionals could play a more active role in TikTok discussions around ADHD to address issues around misinformation, the researchers suggested. An analysis of the 100 most-viewed TikTok videos r ... Date: 24-03-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Mental health and addiction
Man who robbed pharmacy at knifepoint jailed after team member called police ... been brought to justice.’ In a recent survey by Community Pharmacy England, more than three quarters (77%) of pharmacy team members said their work was negatively impacting their mental health and wellbeing, and one in three said they were either 'barely coping' or 'not coping at all'. More than half (56%) said abuse from patients was making it hard to cope at work, while 92% cited workload, 85% cited p ... Date: 17-03-2025 Categories: • Community • News
DHSC surveying pharmacists in bid to improve medicines shortages response ... ing a heavy toll on their wellbeing.' In the most recent RPS workforce wellbeing survey, more than half of pharmacy professionals reported that medicines shortages have impacted their mental health and wellbeing. Date: 21-02-2025 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News
Adults with depression accrue long-term physical conditions at a faster rate ... ealthcare systems are largely designed to treat individual conditions, instead of individual people with multiple conditions, and they especially struggle to treat people with both physical and mental health conditions, the researchers noted. Study leader Kelly Fleetwood, a statistician at the University of Edinburgh, said the results suggest depression should be viewed as a ‘whole body’ condition, and inte ... Date: 19-02-2025 Categories: • Cardiovascular • Clinical • Mental health and addiction
Medicines shortages causing 'moral injury', suggests RPS survey Pharmacists are experiencing 'moral injury' with more than half of pharmacy professionals reporting that medicines shortages have impacted their mental health and wellbeing, according to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). Its most recent workforce wellbeing survey also found that inadequate staffing was affecting wellbeing for 70% of pharmacy profe ... Date: 18-02-2025 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News
NICE approves house dust mite allergy therapy for those with severe symptoms ... d and watery eyes. In the most severe cases the condition can be debilitating and cause facial swelling, fatigue and affect people’s sleep – including impacting sleep, mental health and daily activities. Avoiding house dust mites is almost impossible, and patients and their families have a high burden of trying to eliminate house dust mites by cleaning, the committee noted. Helen Knight, director of m ... Date: 03-02-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Community • In Practice • News • Respiratory
Pharmacists still most popular ARRS role, latest PCN figures indicate Pharmacists continue to be the most popular role employed through the additional roles reimbursement scheme, latest monthly primary care workforce figures indicate. The NHS Digital data reports from the Nationa ... Date: 29-01-2025 Categories: • In Practice • News
'Wide range of views' sought on pharmacy professional leadership ... the UKPPLAB 'provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to catalyse real and lasting changes to pharmacy leadership across all four nations in the UK'. Karen Shuker, president of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy, said the engagement was 'a rare opportunity to input your views into a shared, unified and collaborative voice for UK pharmacy with the aim of directly improved outcomes for patients'. Mea ... Date: 27-01-2025 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News
Adults with ADHD ‘living shorter lives than they should’, finds study ... o be biological links with autoimmune and other physical health disorders.’ He added that services to support adults with ADHD and improve both physical and mental health outcomes lag behind those for other common conditions such as anxiety, depression, hypertension and obesity. ‘Of particular concern are limited access to diagnosis and treatment including psychosocial support. Until this is addressed t ... Date: 23-01-2025 Categories: • Clinical • In Practice • Mental health and addiction • News
What changes to expect for medical devices in 2025? ... learning from the Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP) and exploring options for controlled and safe early access. Software roadmap and digital health By March 2025, draft guidance on digital mental health technologies and AI development and deployment are expected. The long-awaited IVD Roadmap is also being reviewed, with a revised version expected in Spring 2025. Transition timelines and industry fee ... Date: 21-01-2025 Categories: • Views
Community pharmacists spend ‘a day a week’ dealing with medicines shortages EXCLUSIVE: Community pharmacists across the UK are spending eight hours every week trying to alleviate medicines shortages, a snapshot survey by The Pharmacist has suggested. Sourcing medication is taking time ... Date: 14-01-2025 Categories: • Community • News
Just one in three community pharmacists see long-term future in sector ... Staffing and Morale Report which he said showed 'there are simply not enough pharmacists or wider pharmacy team members', which was having 'a significant impact on their workload as well as their mental health and wellbeing'. The sector's baseline funding needed to be 'appropriately reset' to allow community pharmacy employers to recruit and retain pharmacists and other staff members, Mr Buxton said. 'If ... Date: 10-01-2025 Categories: • Community • Investigations • News • Workforce report
Stepping into no man’s land: How pharmacies can improve men’s health ... y brought up to value stoicism and self-reliance, to minimise the significance of symptoms, and to avoid asking for help. Disclosing a health problem, especially one related to mental health, is at the least embarrassing and experienced by many as shameful. The way many services are delivered also makes them difficult to use, compounding men’s reluctance to seek help. The location of services, inconvenient ... Date: 10-01-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Community • Men's health • Views
Irregular sleep patterns may increase risk of heart attack and stroke ... rction, heart failure and stroke, was tracked over the next eight years using hospital records and death registries. Variables such as age, levels of physical activity, and general physical and mental health were accounted for. Irregular sleepers were 26% more likely to have a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) compared to regular sleepers. Moderately irregular sleeping patterns led to an eight% incr ... Date: 19-12-2024 Categories: • Cardiovascular • Clinical
Atomoxetine and stimulants best treatments for adult ADHD, study suggests ... e synthesis on the treatments for ADHD and should inform future guidelines,’ he said. Dr Celso Arango, director at the Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health at the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, said the study ‘highlights a clear shortage of research on ADHD in adulthood’, particularly beyond 12 weeks. He said the findings are ‘applicable only to short-term treatment’, but noted tha ... Date: 19-12-2024 Categories: • Clinical • In Practice • Mental health and addiction
Orpington PCN pharmacists named Pharmacy Team of the Year at GP Awards ... ancer care coordinator Vienna Griffiths. The Orpington PCN team shared that they were excited to continue working on some 'amazing cancer projects', work around learning difficulties and serious mental health that they had recently won funding for. The wellbeing café was introduced to build trust with elderly patients. For many patients, especially those with a dementia diagnosis, this informal approach ... Date: 13-12-2024 Categories: • Cardiovascular • In Practice • News • Pain
ARRS has potential to reduce prescription rates, study finds ... RRS staff – which includes pharmacists – was ‘significantly associated’ with lower prescription rates and higher patient satisfaction. The lower prescribing rates were particularly seen in mental health medications, according to the authors. ARRS was established in 2019 and provides funding towards the salaries of additional roles in PCNs such as pharmacists, social prescribers and physiotherapists. T ... Date: 13-12-2024 Categories: • Clinical • In Practice • Mental health and addiction • News
Award winner calls on government to stop ‘abandoning’ pharmacy ... . He was recognised for the significant part he played in ensuring a woman who arrived at a Wellbeing Pharmacy in Coventry in a state of distress got the support she needed. The patient had a mental health illness and came to the pharmacy crying and unable to sleep. She was also holding a bag of medication. Mr Raza said she didn’t know where she was, and she was unable to breathe properly. Worried ... Date: 06-12-2024 Categories: • News
Cost of mental health drugs soars by £12 million despite slight increase in patient numbers NHS England paid 7% more for mental health drugs this summer than it did in the preceding three months, the latest data release from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) shows. But the number of patients recieving these medications ... Date: 05-12-2024 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News
Government launches first-ever men’s health strategy The government will introduce a men’s health strategy to tackle cardiovascular disease, prostate and testicular cancer and mental health, health secretary Wes Streeting has announced. It will include a call for evidence on what is working and what more needs to be done to close the life expectancy gap between men and women, Mr Street ... Date: 02-12-2024 Categories: • Cardiovascular • Clinical • Men's health • Mental health and addiction • Sexual health
Pharmacist MPs among split opinions as assisted dying bill vote passes ... death,' Ms Owatemi wrote in a statement shared on X. And she shared concerns that 'the introduction of assisted dying will divert attention away from the improvements that mental health services and palliative care in this country desperately need'. Ms Owatemi also said that she had been influenced by research into assisted dying in Portland, Oregon, where as a pharmacist, she 'found the lack of informat ... Date: 29-11-2024 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News
Lord Darzi: Pharmacy closures ‘a grave concern’ that must be investigated by MPs ... from secondary care and towards community and primary care and prevention. Also speaking during the session was Tom Kibasi, chairman of NHS community and mental health providers in North West London, who supported Lord Darzi with the review. Mr Kibasi told the committee of cross-party MPs that he wanted to see community pharmacists ‘involved in managing complex regimes of medicines’ and ‘in an integrate ... Date: 20-11-2024 Categories: • Community • News • Pharmacy First
Sanctions for 'inadvertent dispensing' of puberty blockers will be 'proportionate and case-by-case' ... absence of an identifiable, consistent referral pathway across England, Wales and Scotland hampers the ability to provide optimal care, potentially leading to significant negative impacts on the mental health and well-being of children and young people,' the RPS said. Pharmacists and pharmacy teams are under 'undue pressure' when faced with having to decline to supply treatment when this 'often means the c ... Date: 22-10-2024 Categories: • Community • News
Community pharmacies sound alarm over staffing shortages ... fter finances (73%) and medicine supply issues (69%). Three quarters 'barely' or 'not coping' More than three quarters (77%) of pharmacy team members said their work was negatively impacting their mental health and wellbeing, and one in three said they were either 'barely coping' or 'not coping at all'. Nearly all (92%) said workload was making it hard to cope at work, 85% cited problems sourcing medicine ... Date: 21-10-2024 Categories: • Community • News
ARRS linked to reduced prescribing, study suggests ... ion. The study found that practices with more ARRS staff had lower prescribing rates for all prescriptions, including statins, analgesics and antibiotics, but they were particularly low for mental health medications. And it recognised that pharmacists were 'by far the most common [ARRS] role'. The study also found that overall patient satisfaction was high, with patients especially satisfied with the ... Date: 02-10-2024 Categories: • In Practice • News
Food insecurity puts pregnant women at risk of both mental and physical illness Pregnant women who have limited access to healthy, nutritious and affordable food are up to four times more likely to have poor mental health, including anxiety and depression, new research shows. In the study, researchers found that women who were pregnant and experiencing a lack of access to good quality food, known as ‘food insecurit ... Date: 13-09-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • Diabetes and endocrinology • In Practice • News • Nutrition and gastroenterology • Women's health
Pharmacists in practice a 'positive development', finds Darzi report ... itals, for example, is to build up the capacity, capability, infrastructure and technology base of care that is delivered in the community, including general practice, community services, and mental health services. By keeping people well for longer, they are less likely to need hospital treatment,’ he added. However, the Darzi report noted that 'there have been positive developments in growing the wider wo ... Date: 12-09-2024 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News
Darzi report: access to pharmacies 'a great strength' but 'at risk' ... forced: performance standards are focused on hospitals, not on primary care, community services or mental health, as is measurement. Single-year budgets necessarily reinforce the status quo—and when things go wrong the knee-jerk response is to throw more money at hospitals where the pressure is most apparent.’ He noted that while ‘successive governments have promised to shift care away from hospitals and in ... Date: 11-09-2024 Categories: • Cancer • Community • Diabetes and endocrinology • Mental health and addiction • Musculoskeletal and rheumatology • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections
Suicide rates highest seen in 25 years, official figures show ... kesperson said: ‘Every suicide is a tragedy and these figures show a clearly worrying trend, which this government is committed to reversing. ‘We know that people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need. That’s why we will fix our broken health system to ensure that we give mental health the attention and focus it deserves. ‘Alongside acting to improve mental health suppor ... Date: 30-08-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • In Practice • Mental health and addiction • News
Pharmacist in practice: How a primary care ADHD service is 'life changing' for patients ... out for how to increase doses gradually, and what to look out for in terms of reviews and follow ups,’ Kelvin says. And a team of specialist practitioners, including doctors and mental health practitioners, are on hand within the practice to support clinicians. He says patients describe the service as ‘life changing’. ‘There's always been a very big demand for ADHD/autism assessments. You hear a lot ... Date: 28-08-2024 Categories: • Clinical • In Practice • Mental health and addiction
Puberty blockers can still be prescribed in some cases, says NHS England ... sed they should speak to their GP’. In this case, the GP team should ‘offer to see any young person’ and assess whether a referral to the Children and Young People Gender Service or for mental health support are required. However, from 1 September, GPs will no longer be able to refer young people directly onto waiting lists for children gender services, with referrals only accepted from paediatric or men ... Date: 28-08-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • In Practice • News
NHS 111 to offer mental health crisis support NHS 111 will now provide direct support to patients experiencing a mental health crisis, NHS England has announced. The service expansion announced today means that patients can now call 111, select the mental health option and speak to a mental health professional if they are ... Date: 27-08-2024 Categories: • Clinical • In Practice • Mental health and addiction • News
Lowest summer registration pass rate since 2019 ... June 2024 registration assessment page.' Support for students who did not pass Mr Rudkin pointed disappointed or struggling students to the charity Pharmacist Support, which provides help with mental health and wellbeing as well as practical advice on steps like re-sits and appeals. The Pharmacist Support website said it was 'only natural' to feel disappointed if trainees had failed the assessment. Conce ... Date: 30-07-2024 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News
Pharmacist practice partners asked for views on GP 'collective action' ... d take into account the ‘secondary impacts and consequences’, including potential pressure on urgent and emergency care, elective and discharge pathways and impacts on mental health and community services. It said: ‘It remains our hope that action will be averted. However, whilst discussions take place it is important we plan for all contingencies to keep patients safe – as we have in other periods of indus ... Date: 23-07-2024 Categories: • In Practice • News
ADHD medicine prescribing on the rise, as new diagnosis test recommended The NHS recorded substantial increases in the prescribing of a range of mental health drugs in England last year, with a particular hike for ADHD medicine. And this week NICE has recommended a new digital tool which could speed up ADHD diagnoses and help clinicians rule out more ca ... Date: 17-07-2024 Categories: • Clinical • In Practice • Mental health and addiction • News
King’s Speech confirms tobacco and vapes bill ... sis of need, regardless of the ability to pay’. King Charles III also highlighted a focus on prevention, as well as efforts to reduce waiting times. And he said the government would ‘ensure mental health is getting the same attention and focus as physical’, including by improving mental health provision to young people and modernising the Mental Health Act. Paul Rees, chief executive of the National P ... Date: 17-07-2024 Categories: • Community • News
Health and social care ministers appointed ... Labour pledged to ‘shift resources to primary care’ and trial Neighbourhood Health Centres which aim to ‘bring together’ existing services including district nurses, GPs and mental health specialists. The Labour Party has also committed to undertake ‘a programme of reform’ for social care to create a ‘National Care Service’ that will be ‘underpinned by national standards, delivering consistency of care acro ... Date: 09-07-2024 Categories: • Community • News
Coroner investigates death after 'huge' quantity of drugs bought online ... future deaths. Hospital discharge letter 'not actioned' Mr Dixon was a 64-year-old army veteran who had a past medical history of physical and mental health issues, including depression, suicide attempts, being sectioned, chronic alcohol misuse, and an opioid dependence. He was in the process of being weaned off morphine with support of his GP when he was admitted to hospital on 3 February 2023 for an op ... Date: 09-07-2024 Categories: • Community • News
Interview: Pharmacist becomes lead GP practice partner ... the way that we manage things, you know, the right person is doing the right role.’ Bringing business acumen to general practice Mental health crises surged in Brighton following the pandemic, and the death by suicide of a child waiting for years for an ADHD assessment prompted the practice team to set up an ADHD clinic for its patients. ‘That's probably where we've grown quite a lot, because lots of peo ... Date: 04-07-2024 Categories: • In Practice • Interviews

NHS to receive ‘largest ever’ cash boost in spending review ... acies. Today, Ms Reeves also committed to ‘providing more funding to support the training of thousands more GPs to deliver millions more appointments’ and to roll out mental health support teams ‘in all schools in England’. ‘These investments will enable the delivery of our upcoming 10-year plan for health and put the NHS firmly back on the path to renewal,’ said Ms Reeves. She added: ‘To make sure th ... Date: 11-06-2025 Categories: • Community • Latest News • News

Interview: Martin Fidock on digital weight loss services and where community pharmacy fits in ... tronger messaging from ICBs and NHS England would help. GPs are the gateway to this service, which reduces re-access for related conditions like diabetes and mental health, and that’s a win for everyone.' Another potential barrier is the focus of the obesity treatment narrative on weight-loss jabs. 'The behavioural element of weight loss is critical for sustainable outcomes', says Fidock, 'so oversimplifyin ... Date: 11-06-2025 Categories: • Community • Interviews

DHSC issues supply notification for diabetes medication ... of medicines shortages on pharmacists. A Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) survey revealed in February that more than half of pharmacy professionals felt medicines shortages had impacted their mental health and wellbeing. According to a House of Commons research briefing which looked into medication shortages in the UK in April 2025, ‘supply chains for medicines are long and complex and shortages can be ca ... Date: 09-06-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Community • Diabetes and endocrinology • In Practice • News

Pharmacists are well placed to take the lead on ear health ... t. In addition, the postcode lottery of wax removal services in the UK is leading to dangerous self-management. Hearing loss is far more than just a minor inconvenience it has a profound impact on mental health, employability, and day-to-day quality of life. Left unaddressed, it can lead to social withdrawal, reduced cognitive function, and even linked to increase the risk of dementia. According to The Lanc ... Date: 09-06-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Community • Pharmacy First • Views

Community pharmacists report higher stress levels than those in general practice ... gether.’ CPE’s 2024 survey on pharmacy pressures also suggested that staffing issues was having a significant impact on workload and the mental health and wellbeing of pharmacy team members. ‘If the government wants to make full use of the clinical skills of community pharmacists and their teams, it must safeguard the pharmacy workforce and deliver on its commitment to work with us to set out a sustainab ... Date: 14-05-2025 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News

Government seeks pharmacists' views to underpin first-ever men’s health strategy ... scular disease and type 2 diabetes, the evidence call noted. Data shows that men in England live on average four years fewer than women at 79.1 years compared with 83 respectively. Mental health also forms part of the call with the Government noting that around three in four people who died by suicide in 2023 were men. The evidence call – which is open for 12 weeks – is asking questions around what to ... Date: 24-04-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Community • In Practice • Men's health • News

Pharmacists write just 1.5% of fit notes since reforms introduced ... it note with no medical justification. Patients and employers commonly felt that signing people off is ‘not always in their best long-term interest, particularly for their mental health’. Many GPs ‘seem to accept’ that the fit note system is open to misuse by some patients, but some said it was not their job to check people are not abusing the system, the report noted. Variation in fit note processes I ... Date: 16-04-2025 Categories: • In Practice • News

Breaking free: Exploring new stop smoking medications for a smoke-free future ... tion is not a barrier to providing the most effective treatment options. There have also been some concerns about whether the medications are safe and effective for people with mental health conditions. However, the EAGLES study found that there was no significant difference in adverse events when use of varenicline was compared to nicotine patches or a placebo. Given the compounding health inequalities of ... Date: 15-04-2025 Categories: • Mental health and addiction • Respiratory • Views

Violence against pharmacy teams: leaders call for expansion of NHS staff support ... similar support to be extended to members of community pharmacy teams. In a recent survey, more than three quarters (77%) of pharmacy team members said their work was negatively impacting their mental health and wellbeing, and one in three said they were either 'barely coping' or 'not coping at all'. Of these 56% mentioned abuse from patients as a contributing factor. And during the 2024 UK riots, The Ph ... Date: 10-04-2025 Categories: • Community • News

Depression meds to be added to NMS from October ... 25. The move was announced on Monday as part of the community pharmacy contractual framework for 2025/26. A training module is available to support pharmacists in consultations with people with mental health problems, although it is not mandatory. But if all pharmacists within the pharmacy have undertaken the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) Consulting with people with mental health p ... Date: 03-04-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Community • Mental health and addiction • News

Community pharmacies get £3bn deal for 2025/26 ... ion or follow up consultation. And from October 2025, depression medications will be covered by the NMS, with a related training programme on consulting with people with mental health problems included in the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS). Medication PGD added to smoking cessation service ‘Suitably trained and competent staff’ will be able to provide the smoking cessation service, alongside pharmacists an ... Date: 31-03-2025 Categories: • Community • News • Pharmacy First

Study suggests TikTok could be fuelling ADHD misinformation Information about ADHD on TikTok could be misinforming young people about the condition, a study has suggested. And mental health professionals could play a more active role in TikTok discussions around ADHD to address issues around misinformation, the researchers suggested. An analysis of the 100 most-viewed TikTok videos r ... Date: 24-03-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Mental health and addiction

Man who robbed pharmacy at knifepoint jailed after team member called police ... been brought to justice.’ In a recent survey by Community Pharmacy England, more than three quarters (77%) of pharmacy team members said their work was negatively impacting their mental health and wellbeing, and one in three said they were either 'barely coping' or 'not coping at all'. More than half (56%) said abuse from patients was making it hard to cope at work, while 92% cited workload, 85% cited p ... Date: 17-03-2025 Categories: • Community • News

DHSC surveying pharmacists in bid to improve medicines shortages response ... ing a heavy toll on their wellbeing.' In the most recent RPS workforce wellbeing survey, more than half of pharmacy professionals reported that medicines shortages have impacted their mental health and wellbeing. Date: 21-02-2025 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News

Adults with depression accrue long-term physical conditions at a faster rate ... ealthcare systems are largely designed to treat individual conditions, instead of individual people with multiple conditions, and they especially struggle to treat people with both physical and mental health conditions, the researchers noted. Study leader Kelly Fleetwood, a statistician at the University of Edinburgh, said the results suggest depression should be viewed as a ‘whole body’ condition, and inte ... Date: 19-02-2025 Categories: • Cardiovascular • Clinical • Mental health and addiction

Medicines shortages causing 'moral injury', suggests RPS survey Pharmacists are experiencing 'moral injury' with more than half of pharmacy professionals reporting that medicines shortages have impacted their mental health and wellbeing, according to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). Its most recent workforce wellbeing survey also found that inadequate staffing was affecting wellbeing for 70% of pharmacy profe ... Date: 18-02-2025 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News

NICE approves house dust mite allergy therapy for those with severe symptoms ... d and watery eyes. In the most severe cases the condition can be debilitating and cause facial swelling, fatigue and affect people’s sleep – including impacting sleep, mental health and daily activities. Avoiding house dust mites is almost impossible, and patients and their families have a high burden of trying to eliminate house dust mites by cleaning, the committee noted. Helen Knight, director of m ... Date: 03-02-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Community • In Practice • News • Respiratory

Pharmacists still most popular ARRS role, latest PCN figures indicate Pharmacists continue to be the most popular role employed through the additional roles reimbursement scheme, latest monthly primary care workforce figures indicate. The NHS Digital data reports from the Nationa ... Date: 29-01-2025 Categories: • In Practice • News

'Wide range of views' sought on pharmacy professional leadership ... the UKPPLAB 'provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to catalyse real and lasting changes to pharmacy leadership across all four nations in the UK'. Karen Shuker, president of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy, said the engagement was 'a rare opportunity to input your views into a shared, unified and collaborative voice for UK pharmacy with the aim of directly improved outcomes for patients'. Mea ... Date: 27-01-2025 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News

Adults with ADHD ‘living shorter lives than they should’, finds study ... o be biological links with autoimmune and other physical health disorders.’ He added that services to support adults with ADHD and improve both physical and mental health outcomes lag behind those for other common conditions such as anxiety, depression, hypertension and obesity. ‘Of particular concern are limited access to diagnosis and treatment including psychosocial support. Until this is addressed t ... Date: 23-01-2025 Categories: • Clinical • In Practice • Mental health and addiction • News

What changes to expect for medical devices in 2025? ... learning from the Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP) and exploring options for controlled and safe early access. Software roadmap and digital health By March 2025, draft guidance on digital mental health technologies and AI development and deployment are expected. The long-awaited IVD Roadmap is also being reviewed, with a revised version expected in Spring 2025. Transition timelines and industry fee ... Date: 21-01-2025 Categories: • Views

Community pharmacists spend ‘a day a week’ dealing with medicines shortages EXCLUSIVE: Community pharmacists across the UK are spending eight hours every week trying to alleviate medicines shortages, a snapshot survey by The Pharmacist has suggested. Sourcing medication is taking time ... Date: 14-01-2025 Categories: • Community • News

Just one in three community pharmacists see long-term future in sector ... Staffing and Morale Report which he said showed 'there are simply not enough pharmacists or wider pharmacy team members', which was having 'a significant impact on their workload as well as their mental health and wellbeing'. The sector's baseline funding needed to be 'appropriately reset' to allow community pharmacy employers to recruit and retain pharmacists and other staff members, Mr Buxton said. 'If ... Date: 10-01-2025 Categories: • Community • Investigations • News • Workforce report

Stepping into no man’s land: How pharmacies can improve men’s health ... y brought up to value stoicism and self-reliance, to minimise the significance of symptoms, and to avoid asking for help. Disclosing a health problem, especially one related to mental health, is at the least embarrassing and experienced by many as shameful. The way many services are delivered also makes them difficult to use, compounding men’s reluctance to seek help. The location of services, inconvenient ... Date: 10-01-2025 Categories: • Clinical • Community • Men's health • Views

Irregular sleep patterns may increase risk of heart attack and stroke ... rction, heart failure and stroke, was tracked over the next eight years using hospital records and death registries. Variables such as age, levels of physical activity, and general physical and mental health were accounted for. Irregular sleepers were 26% more likely to have a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) compared to regular sleepers. Moderately irregular sleeping patterns led to an eight% incr ... Date: 19-12-2024 Categories: • Cardiovascular • Clinical

Atomoxetine and stimulants best treatments for adult ADHD, study suggests ... e synthesis on the treatments for ADHD and should inform future guidelines,’ he said. Dr Celso Arango, director at the Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health at the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, said the study ‘highlights a clear shortage of research on ADHD in adulthood’, particularly beyond 12 weeks. He said the findings are ‘applicable only to short-term treatment’, but noted tha ... Date: 19-12-2024 Categories: • Clinical • In Practice • Mental health and addiction

Orpington PCN pharmacists named Pharmacy Team of the Year at GP Awards ... ancer care coordinator Vienna Griffiths. The Orpington PCN team shared that they were excited to continue working on some 'amazing cancer projects', work around learning difficulties and serious mental health that they had recently won funding for. The wellbeing café was introduced to build trust with elderly patients. For many patients, especially those with a dementia diagnosis, this informal approach ... Date: 13-12-2024 Categories: • Cardiovascular • In Practice • News • Pain

ARRS has potential to reduce prescription rates, study finds ... RRS staff – which includes pharmacists – was ‘significantly associated’ with lower prescription rates and higher patient satisfaction. The lower prescribing rates were particularly seen in mental health medications, according to the authors. ARRS was established in 2019 and provides funding towards the salaries of additional roles in PCNs such as pharmacists, social prescribers and physiotherapists. T ... Date: 13-12-2024 Categories: • Clinical • In Practice • Mental health and addiction • News

Award winner calls on government to stop ‘abandoning’ pharmacy ... . He was recognised for the significant part he played in ensuring a woman who arrived at a Wellbeing Pharmacy in Coventry in a state of distress got the support she needed. The patient had a mental health illness and came to the pharmacy crying and unable to sleep. She was also holding a bag of medication. Mr Raza said she didn’t know where she was, and she was unable to breathe properly. Worried ... Date: 06-12-2024 Categories: • News

Cost of mental health drugs soars by £12 million despite slight increase in patient numbers NHS England paid 7% more for mental health drugs this summer than it did in the preceding three months, the latest data release from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) shows. But the number of patients recieving these medications ... Date: 05-12-2024 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News

Government launches first-ever men’s health strategy The government will introduce a men’s health strategy to tackle cardiovascular disease, prostate and testicular cancer and mental health, health secretary Wes Streeting has announced. It will include a call for evidence on what is working and what more needs to be done to close the life expectancy gap between men and women, Mr Street ... Date: 02-12-2024 Categories: • Cardiovascular • Clinical • Men's health • Mental health and addiction • Sexual health

Pharmacist MPs among split opinions as assisted dying bill vote passes ... death,' Ms Owatemi wrote in a statement shared on X. And she shared concerns that 'the introduction of assisted dying will divert attention away from the improvements that mental health services and palliative care in this country desperately need'. Ms Owatemi also said that she had been influenced by research into assisted dying in Portland, Oregon, where as a pharmacist, she 'found the lack of informat ... Date: 29-11-2024 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News

Lord Darzi: Pharmacy closures ‘a grave concern’ that must be investigated by MPs ... from secondary care and towards community and primary care and prevention. Also speaking during the session was Tom Kibasi, chairman of NHS community and mental health providers in North West London, who supported Lord Darzi with the review. Mr Kibasi told the committee of cross-party MPs that he wanted to see community pharmacists ‘involved in managing complex regimes of medicines’ and ‘in an integrate ... Date: 20-11-2024 Categories: • Community • News • Pharmacy First

Sanctions for 'inadvertent dispensing' of puberty blockers will be 'proportionate and case-by-case' ... absence of an identifiable, consistent referral pathway across England, Wales and Scotland hampers the ability to provide optimal care, potentially leading to significant negative impacts on the mental health and well-being of children and young people,' the RPS said. Pharmacists and pharmacy teams are under 'undue pressure' when faced with having to decline to supply treatment when this 'often means the c ... Date: 22-10-2024 Categories: • Community • News

Community pharmacies sound alarm over staffing shortages ... fter finances (73%) and medicine supply issues (69%). Three quarters 'barely' or 'not coping' More than three quarters (77%) of pharmacy team members said their work was negatively impacting their mental health and wellbeing, and one in three said they were either 'barely coping' or 'not coping at all'. Nearly all (92%) said workload was making it hard to cope at work, 85% cited problems sourcing medicine ... Date: 21-10-2024 Categories: • Community • News

ARRS linked to reduced prescribing, study suggests ... ion. The study found that practices with more ARRS staff had lower prescribing rates for all prescriptions, including statins, analgesics and antibiotics, but they were particularly low for mental health medications. And it recognised that pharmacists were 'by far the most common [ARRS] role'. The study also found that overall patient satisfaction was high, with patients especially satisfied with the ... Date: 02-10-2024 Categories: • In Practice • News

Food insecurity puts pregnant women at risk of both mental and physical illness Pregnant women who have limited access to healthy, nutritious and affordable food are up to four times more likely to have poor mental health, including anxiety and depression, new research shows. In the study, researchers found that women who were pregnant and experiencing a lack of access to good quality food, known as ‘food insecurit ... Date: 13-09-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • Diabetes and endocrinology • In Practice • News • Nutrition and gastroenterology • Women's health

Pharmacists in practice a 'positive development', finds Darzi report ... itals, for example, is to build up the capacity, capability, infrastructure and technology base of care that is delivered in the community, including general practice, community services, and mental health services. By keeping people well for longer, they are less likely to need hospital treatment,’ he added. However, the Darzi report noted that 'there have been positive developments in growing the wider wo ... Date: 12-09-2024 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News

Darzi report: access to pharmacies 'a great strength' but 'at risk' ... forced: performance standards are focused on hospitals, not on primary care, community services or mental health, as is measurement. Single-year budgets necessarily reinforce the status quo—and when things go wrong the knee-jerk response is to throw more money at hospitals where the pressure is most apparent.’ He noted that while ‘successive governments have promised to shift care away from hospitals and in ... Date: 11-09-2024 Categories: • Cancer • Community • Diabetes and endocrinology • Mental health and addiction • Musculoskeletal and rheumatology • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections

Suicide rates highest seen in 25 years, official figures show ... kesperson said: ‘Every suicide is a tragedy and these figures show a clearly worrying trend, which this government is committed to reversing. ‘We know that people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need. That’s why we will fix our broken health system to ensure that we give mental health the attention and focus it deserves. ‘Alongside acting to improve mental health suppor ... Date: 30-08-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • In Practice • Mental health and addiction • News

Pharmacist in practice: How a primary care ADHD service is 'life changing' for patients ... out for how to increase doses gradually, and what to look out for in terms of reviews and follow ups,’ Kelvin says. And a team of specialist practitioners, including doctors and mental health practitioners, are on hand within the practice to support clinicians. He says patients describe the service as ‘life changing’. ‘There's always been a very big demand for ADHD/autism assessments. You hear a lot ... Date: 28-08-2024 Categories: • Clinical • In Practice • Mental health and addiction

Puberty blockers can still be prescribed in some cases, says NHS England ... sed they should speak to their GP’. In this case, the GP team should ‘offer to see any young person’ and assess whether a referral to the Children and Young People Gender Service or for mental health support are required. However, from 1 September, GPs will no longer be able to refer young people directly onto waiting lists for children gender services, with referrals only accepted from paediatric or men ... Date: 28-08-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • In Practice • News

NHS 111 to offer mental health crisis support NHS 111 will now provide direct support to patients experiencing a mental health crisis, NHS England has announced. The service expansion announced today means that patients can now call 111, select the mental health option and speak to a mental health professional if they are ... Date: 27-08-2024 Categories: • Clinical • In Practice • Mental health and addiction • News

Lowest summer registration pass rate since 2019 ... June 2024 registration assessment page.' Support for students who did not pass Mr Rudkin pointed disappointed or struggling students to the charity Pharmacist Support, which provides help with mental health and wellbeing as well as practical advice on steps like re-sits and appeals. The Pharmacist Support website said it was 'only natural' to feel disappointed if trainees had failed the assessment. Conce ... Date: 30-07-2024 Categories: • Community • In Practice • News

Pharmacist practice partners asked for views on GP 'collective action' ... d take into account the ‘secondary impacts and consequences’, including potential pressure on urgent and emergency care, elective and discharge pathways and impacts on mental health and community services. It said: ‘It remains our hope that action will be averted. However, whilst discussions take place it is important we plan for all contingencies to keep patients safe – as we have in other periods of indus ... Date: 23-07-2024 Categories: • In Practice • News

ADHD medicine prescribing on the rise, as new diagnosis test recommended The NHS recorded substantial increases in the prescribing of a range of mental health drugs in England last year, with a particular hike for ADHD medicine. And this week NICE has recommended a new digital tool which could speed up ADHD diagnoses and help clinicians rule out more ca ... Date: 17-07-2024 Categories: • Clinical • In Practice • Mental health and addiction • News

King’s Speech confirms tobacco and vapes bill ... sis of need, regardless of the ability to pay’. King Charles III also highlighted a focus on prevention, as well as efforts to reduce waiting times. And he said the government would ‘ensure mental health is getting the same attention and focus as physical’, including by improving mental health provision to young people and modernising the Mental Health Act. Paul Rees, chief executive of the National P ... Date: 17-07-2024 Categories: • Community • News

Health and social care ministers appointed ... Labour pledged to ‘shift resources to primary care’ and trial Neighbourhood Health Centres which aim to ‘bring together’ existing services including district nurses, GPs and mental health specialists. The Labour Party has also committed to undertake ‘a programme of reform’ for social care to create a ‘National Care Service’ that will be ‘underpinned by national standards, delivering consistency of care acro ... Date: 09-07-2024 Categories: • Community • News

Coroner investigates death after 'huge' quantity of drugs bought online ... future deaths. Hospital discharge letter 'not actioned' Mr Dixon was a 64-year-old army veteran who had a past medical history of physical and mental health issues, including depression, suicide attempts, being sectioned, chronic alcohol misuse, and an opioid dependence. He was in the process of being weaned off morphine with support of his GP when he was admitted to hospital on 3 February 2023 for an op ... Date: 09-07-2024 Categories: • Community • News

Interview: Pharmacist becomes lead GP practice partner ... the way that we manage things, you know, the right person is doing the right role.’ Bringing business acumen to general practice Mental health crises surged in Brighton following the pandemic, and the death by suicide of a child waiting for years for an ADHD assessment prompted the practice team to set up an ADHD clinic for its patients. ‘That's probably where we've grown quite a lot, because lots of peo ... Date: 04-07-2024 Categories: • In Practice • Interviews

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