Hospital Pharmacist
Vol 11 No 4 p125-126
April 2004

125 Minister announces boost for medicines management Twenty trusts in England are now to take part in the Hospitals Medicines Management Collaborative, doubling the number originally set to participate more

125 Salary scales announced for 2004/05 New salary scales for pharmacists working under both the Whitley Council and “Agenda for change” national pay schemes have been announced by the Department of Health. A 3.225 per cent increase is being applied to all salaries more

126 New president of guild elected Tony West, clinical director, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, was elected as the new president of the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists at the annual conference in Hinckley. Mr West was previously the vice-president more

126 Technicians should submit contact details Pharmacy technicians who hope to register with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society when the technicians register comes into force, have been asked to submit their contact details to the Society more

126 Pharmacists are youthful Just 1,432 (12 per cent) of qualified pharmacy staff employed by the NHS in England are over the age of 50, with the biggest demographic group being those between the ages of 25 and 29. These were some of the findings of the NHS non-medical workforce census, carried out on 30 September 2003 more

126 Leadership tool Leadership development for individuals, teams and organisations will be supported by the development of a new 360 degrees assessment tool more

125 NEWS IN BRIEF

Conflict resolution training is now available to all NHS staff who come in regular contact with the public in the course of their jobs. The one-day course will deal with recognising potentially violent situations, verbal and non-verbal communication and cultural awareness.

The Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection launched on 1 April replaces the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI). To be known as the Healthcare Commission, it will measure whether NHS services in England are meeting Department of Health standards.

Information on pay modernisation (“Agenda for change”) in the form of a question and answer document has been added to the Department of Health website. A link can be found here

Pharmacists who wish to pursue research interests or develop leadership skills are eligible to apply for awards from the Health Foundation, a charitable organisation supporting health professionals. Awards are for a period of upto two years, and provide locum, research and travel costs. Applications should be submitted before 5 August. Further information at www.health.org.uk

Health service staff are sceptical of the benefits of, and resistant to, change, according to a new study. (Quality and Safety in Health Care 2004;13:108–14).

Papers are requested for the 8th international pharmaceutical isolator conference. The conference takes place at the University of Warwick, from 6–8 December, and abstracts should be submitted to b.midcalf@leeds.ac.uk