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Opinion

Hear the opinions and comment from some of the top names in pharmacy. Make sure you get in touch and share your opinions with us too.
debra-ainge-iethico

Opinion: Medicines substitution is the answer

More flexibility around medicines substitution is essential to help community pharmacists circumnavigate shortages and better manage their workloads to deliver more clinical care, says Debra Ainge, chief executive of medicines sourcing platform iEthico

03 May 2024 , 4 Min Article

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Editor’s view: Time to take stock over skill mix

Developing the capabilities of pharmacy teams is essential to advance clinical practice but the sector – and public – need clarity over roles and responsibilities and the right educational building blocks must be put in place, says Pharmacy Magazine editor Richard Thomas.

23 Apr 2024 , 2 Min Article

paul-rees-summary

Opinion: Pharmacy has been dealt a double whammy

National Living Wage increases and Drug Tariff changes are a double whammy for cash-strapped pharmacies, says NPA chief executive Paul Rees.

19 Apr 2024 , 3 Min Article

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Opinion: Funding model needs immediate radical change

There’s no point tinkering. Pharmacy needs a radically different funding model that reduces prescription volume and margin as its main funding drivers. The current system is broken beyond repair, says Mark Lyonette, previously chief executive at the NPA.

26 Mar 2024 , 5 Min Article

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Editor’s view: Sector let down by Pharmacy First IT shambles

The start of Pharmacy First in England has been far from plain sailing. Urgent action is necessary to sort out myriad problems, writes Pharmacy Magazine editor Richard Thomas.

22 Mar 2024 , 2 Min Article

andrew-mccoig-summary

Opinion: I need a robust, secure community pharmacy

Two years ago, I wrote an article in Pharmacy Magazine based on my observations as both a regular patient and a retired community pharmacist. The subsequent period has seen many changes, not many of them good, says Andrew McCoig. A former health minister from the 1970s had the right idea...

22 Mar 2024 , 5 Min Article

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Supervision changes: let’s keep it simple

In this blog written exclusively for Pharmacy Magazine, Community Pharmacy Scotland outlines its response to the Government’s supervision consultation and asks – do the proposed changes fall short of achieving what modern pharmacy practice really needs?

21 Feb 2024 , 5 Min Article

reena-barai

Blog: First week thoughts on Pharmacy First

I feel immensely proud of how pharmacy teams, like mine, have stepped up within a short space of time to be ready to deliver Pharmacy First, says Reena Barai.

14 Feb 2024 , 4 Min Article

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Editor's view: Pharmacy First up and running – just about

Whisper it quietly, but the early indications are that England’s Pharmacy First common conditions service has got off to a promising start, writes Pharmacy Magazine editor Richard Thomas.

14 Feb 2024 , 2 Min Article

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Opinion: Now it’s time for action

If last year was dominated by planning and reform, then the year ahead is all about delivery for community pharmacy, says NPA chair Nick Kaye.

29 Jan 2024 , 3 Min Article

jeremy-thorpe-tillotts

Opinion: VPAG can only lead to further medicines shortages

Targeting older medicines for punitive rebates will disproportionally impact smaller to medium sized pharmaceutical companies and undermine the Government’s ambition for the UK to be a life sciences superpower, says Jeremy Thorpe, managing director of Tillotts Pharma UK.

22 Jan 2024 , 5 Min Article

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A remarkable feat of resilience and commitment

Wherever you practise in the UK, winter means more work. Pharmacies have a lot on their plate – and I don’t just mean Christmas dinner, says NPA chair Nick Kaye.

14 Dec 2023 , 3 Min Article

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Opinion: To charge or not to charge...

I find it so upsetting that we have had to stop offering free home deliveries – but we can no longer bear the cost, says NPA vice chair Jay Badenhorst.

05 Nov 2023 , 4 Min Article

richard-thomas

Editor’s view: Stirrings from Sheffield

Pharmacy’s reimbursement system is finished. Urgent reform is needed or more businesses will bite the dust, says PM editor Richard Thomas.

01 Nov 2023 , 3 Min Article

health-tech

Our IT systems need to focus on the patient

A coroner recently criticised a pharmacy IT system, suggesting that it could have contributed to the death of a child. Could this be the time to pause and ask whether our pharmacy systems are fit for purpose for the future, asks Liam Stapleton

05 Oct 2023 , 1 Min Article

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