Hospital Pharmacist
Vol 12 No 6 p194
June 2005

197 Responsibility for pharmacy issues now with new Minister Jane Kennedy is the new Minister responsible for pharmacy issues at the Department of Health. She effectively takes over the pharmacy portfolio from Rosie Winterton more

197 Guidance for clinical trials launched Pharmacy clinical trial services practice guidance was launched at a meeting at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on 19 May. The guidance has been jointly written by the Society and the Institute of Clinical Research more

198 Hospital pharmacist fellows attend presentation at Society Pharmacists working in hospitals who were designated as fellows of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society during 2004 were among those presented with their fellowship certificates at a ceremony that took place before the Society’s annual general meeting on 24 May more

198 Nottingham pharmacy department renamed The pharmacy department at the Queen’s Medical Centre University Hospital is to be known as “The University of Nottingham, School of Pharmacy — Department of Medicines Management and Hospital Pharmacy.” more

198 Agenda for Change progress to date is slow Only 21 per cent of NHS organisations have met the target of transferring at least a half of their staff to Agenda for Change pay bands by the end of April more

197 NEWS IN BRIEF

Improvements in working practices and pharmacy services, as a result of the best use of IT, are the subject of the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists and First Databank Information Technology Award 2006. The prize is worth £2,500. Entries should be submitted by 7 November and further information is available in a PDF file (80K). (See p231 for details about the 2005 award-winning project)

The programme for this year’s Hospital Pharmacist conference, “Pharmacy at the interface — bridging the gap” is announced in this issue. The conference takes place at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on 10 November. The programme and booking form start on p227.

Over 540 questionnaires were returned as part of the Hospital Pharmacist readership survey. An article reviewing the results will be published in a forthcoming issue. The names of Nia Evans from Cardiff and Sarah Corlett from Canterbury were randomly drawn as the prize winners. They will each receive a copy of Martindale and three month’s free subscription to Medicines Complete.

The eighth edition of “The Maudsley prescribing guidelines”, which cover psychiatric prescribing in the UK, has been launched. The guidelines are based on a combination of literature review, clinical experience and expert contribution. New treatments in the latest edition include aripiprazole, atomoxetine, buprenorphine and duloxetine. Copies can be obtained from Taylor and Francis on 01264 343071. Price £19.95.