Hospital Pharmacist
Vol 12 No 3 p85-88
March 2005

85 Revision of the Duthie report launched by the Society group Safe and secure handling of medicines is reviewed in a new report published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society this month more

85 Guild says pension review “breach of faith” Developments achieved in service delivery and recruitment and retention under Agenda for Change could be lost under the Government’s pension proposals. This is the opinion of members of the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists terms and conditions committee, which met on 9 February to discuss the NHS Pension review consultation more

86 Pharmacists benefit heart failure patients Pharmacist involvement in heart failure clinics benefits patients, according to a study more

88 Pharmacists help to cut A&E waiting time Pharmacists have been key to the award of extra capital funding to some of the accident and emergency (A&E) departments that have met the Government target for patient waiting times more

88 Independent prescribing consultation announced Independent prescribing by pharmacists has moved a step closer with the announcement by the Secretary of State for Health, John Reid, of a consultation period more

85 NEWS IN BRIEF

“Your Guide to Breast Cancer Services 2005” has been launched by the charity Breast Cancer Care. The guide, which is set to be updated and published annually from now on, is designed to help patients make informed decisions about accessing care. Pharmacists and other health professionals interested in the guide can order a copy via www.breastcancercare.org.uk or review it online

Should the UK follow the Australian system of subsidising private health care in order to take pressure off public health services? Alan Maynard and Jane Hall, professors of health economics at the University of York and University of Technology, Sydney, respectively, warn against this in a recent BMJ article (2005;330:357–9), suggesting that it could create cost inflation, lead to greater inequity in health care and cause an increase in admissions to hospitals.

A clampdown on the unethical advertising of pharmaceutical products is promised by The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. It launched tougher guidance (PDF 360K) on advertising at a seminar in London on 22 February attended by industry representatives. Every review of an advertisement will be published on its website and companies that regularly breach the guidelines will be subject to a review of their entire portfolio. For further information visit www.mhra.gov.uk.

The readership survey circulated with this issue can be completed online