The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 271 No 7271
18 October 2003

Back issues

Previous   Next

Leading Article PDF (65K)   532

Collective interests or the sum of its parts? 532
Text  
An early draft for the supplemental Charter that was granted in 1953 stated that “... ‘the protection of persons carrying on business as chemists and druggists’ to be replaced by an object embracing the maintenance of the honour and promotion of the interests of the pharmaceutical profession.”


News & Features   533-540

News summary 533-538
Text   PDF (380K)

Modernisation: how pharmacists are regulated and represented elsewhere 539-540
Text   PDF (75K)
As the process of modernising the Royal Pharmaceutical Society continues with this week's publication of a revised draft Charter, Clare Bellingham looks at the way pharmacy is regulated and represented in a selection of other developed, English-speaking countries


Products PDF (75K)   541

• Products Text 541
• Announcements Text 541

• Drug tariff updates Text
• Recalls & Drug alerts: METHOTREXATE Text 541


Broad Spectrum PDF (55K)   542

Community pharmacists must not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory 542
Text 
By Graham Phillips


Letters PDF (90K)   543-545

Text  
Concordance / The Profession / Remuneration / Consultants / Modernisation / Workforce census / SOPs / Specials / The Society


Agenda for 2003 PDF (55K)   546
Agenda articles

Pharmacy student numbers are bound to affect educational standards 546
Text   
By Kevin Taylor and Ian Bates
Over the past 20 years, student intakes into schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom have more than doubled. Nevertheless, the demand for pharmacists remains high, with shortages in both community and hospital sectors


Continuing Professional Development (CPD)   547-549
Recent articles

Heart disease series

(8) Arrhythmias: part 2  547-549
PDF (110K)
By Helen Williams, DipPharmPrac, MRPharmS, Elizabeth Greenwood, MSc, MRPharmS and John Paisey, BM, MRCP
This is the second part of an article about arrhythmias


Articles   550-552

The national workforce census series

(6) The gendered nature of pharmacy employment in Britain 550-552
PDF (75K)
By Karen Hassell, PhD
The final article in our series on the national workforce census focuses on the employment and work patterns of female pharmacists


Meetings and Conferences   553-558
Reports page

UniChem convention 553-555
Text   PDF (160K)
Our coverage of the UniChem convention, which was held in Dubai from 26 September to 3 October, concludes this week. It includes reports from Dawn Connelly on investment in information technology, the importance of lobbying, pharmacist prescribing and the new contract

European College of Neuropsychopharmacology 556
Text   PDF (70K)
The 16th annual congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology was held in Prague from 20 to 24 September. Lin-Nam Wang reports

European Foundation for the Advancement of Healthcare Practitioners 557
PDF (70K)
Medicines risk management was the topic of a one-day conference held at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s headquarters, London, on 3 October. Christine Clark reports

UK Medicines Information 558
Text   PDF (90K)
The 29th annual UK Medicines Information conference was held at Bath University from 4 to 5 September. The conference theme was “Pushing the boundaries”. Meghna Joshi, Wessex Drug and Medicines Information Centre, reports

Palliative care pharmacists study day 559
Text   PDF (70K)
Pharmacists working in palliative care need a broad outlook in order to respond to the many and varied queries they face. A study day, held on 12 September at St Christopher's Hospice in South East London, combined four different subject areas. Margaret Gibbs, senior pharmacist, St Christopher's Hospice, reports


Onlooker PDF (70K)   560

Dangerous fad The term “tattoo” is derived from the Tahitian word “tatau”, meaning a mark, and was introduced into our language by Captain James Cook in 1769. Tattooing has usually been practised to denote membership of a social group, or else in an attempt to deflect some external evil influence that the wearer fears Text

Ethical science A biochemist of the University of Otago, New Zealand, remarks in a letter published in Nature for 11 September that it is regrettable that ethics has been split from science and renamed bioethics. He insists that ethics is an integral part of science and, like science, it calls for consistency and empirical justification Text

Keeping a grip We hear a great deal today about that strange entity called bureaucracy, and all the criticism seems to be adverse Text

Making real progress In the history of any civilised nation, the story of its development in art, dress and manners forms a truer record of its progress than a dreary catalogue of its wars, pestilences, and famines Text


The Society PDF (150K)   561-566

Charter links and articles
• Another chance to influence the Charter Text 561
• Fit for the future
    Listening to pharmacists: a revised draft Royal Charter PDF (100K) insert

News
• Practice research awards for 2003 announced Text 561
• Two nominated members attend Palace reception Text 561
• Society and NPSA in safety project Text 562

Law and Ethics Bulletin 2001 to present
• Dispensing of methotrexate Text 562

Good Practice Points 2003 to present
• Dispensing methotrexate Text 562
• OTC requests and responding to symptoms, for methotrexate patients Text 562

Registration of overseas pharmacists Text 563
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Adjudicating Committee is responsible for setting registration requirements for overseas pharmacists wishing to work in Britain (other than those from the European Union or certain other countries whose qualifications are automatically recognised). At the Council meeting on 30 September, the committee's chairman, Linda Stone, explained procedures recently introduced to streamline the committee's operations

Welsh Executive: A unique service for pharmacists in Wales Text 564-565
In our final article examining the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's activities on behalf of its members, the chairman of the Welsh Executive, Andrea Robinson, takes a look at what the Society delivers for its members in Wales. Previous articles considered activities in England and in Britain generally and in Scotland

Obituaries & tributes Text 565

Official notices 2001 to present
• Statutory Committee inquiries Text 565
• Conference Science Medal 2004 Text 565-566


Diary Text

• Branch meetings Text 566
• Society meetings Text
• Future events Text 541
• Conferences Text 541
• Reunions Text

Front Cover Picture
This week’s front cover picture illustrates our news feature which looks at the way pharmacy is regulated and represented in a selection of other developed, English-speaking countries

Revised draft new Charter
The Society has issued the text of a completely revised draft Royal Charter for further consultation. The revised draft Charter is published as an eight-page centre pull-out section in this week’s issue of The Journal (PDF 100K)

National workforce census
The final article in our series on the national workforce census focuses on the employment and work patterns of female pharmacists (PDF 75K)

Meeting reports
There are several meeting reports in this week’s issue. Our coverage of the UniChem convention concludes with reports on investment in IT and the importance of lobbying

A report of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology focuses on the impact that age and gender could have on the treatment of depression

Also included are reports from a one-day conference on medicines risk management (PDF 70K)

the UKMi conference

and a palliative care pharmacists study day

Drug alert
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has advised caution in use for several batches of methotrexate injection and tablets in Cyanamid livery