Brexit: What Could It Mean for Science and Pharma?

by Ryan Watts | May 9, 2016 | Blog

A new £44 million Brain Research Imaging Centre is to open on the 7th June 2016. The centre, based at Cardiff University, is said to be significant for the university, Wales, the UK and the whole of Europe.  The centre is said to house some of the most powerful...

European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA) qualified Pharmacists performing the duties of a Pharmacist or Responsible Pharmacist (RP) in The UK.

by Ryan Watts | May 9, 2016 | Blog

Working in a pharmacy as a dispensing assistant or medicines counter assistant is a useful way to gain practical experience. But before you gain this experience, you need to know who will regulate, help and support you. The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is the...

Taking the next step in your pharmacy career and becoming a Superintendent Pharmacist for a pharmacy or group of pharmacies?

by Ryan Watts | May 9, 2016 | Blog

Even within the Community Pharmacy setting, pharmacists work in a wide range of professional environments and operations. If you are wanting to take on a Superintendent Pharmacist role what experience do you have? Have you had wide or narrow exposure to different ways...

Beware the Falsified Wholesaler

by Ryan Watts | May 9, 2016 | Blog

Wholesalers are not immune to identity theft. Of late there has been reports of rogue companies setting up fake websites and bank accounts and using a legitimate company’s wholesale dealer’s authorisation to ‘successfully’ run a wholesaling operation. The use of a...

Flu services

by Ryan Watts | Apr 8, 2016 | Blog

The London’s city wide flu scheme has been given the green light for a third year, the LMC are waiting to see the detail of the scheme before they decide how best to work with pharmacies in the city. If you are in the city and you want to offer the service, ensure...

New GPhC Powers to disqualify premises from being used as a pharmacy

by Ryan Watts | Apr 8, 2016 | Blog

When the new law comes into force, GPhC fitness-to-practise committees will have the power to disqualify premises from being used as a pharmacy. The scope of the GPhC’s powers will in future extend to non-pharmacy premises, which might include warehouses or premises...

IG Toolkit Completion Date has passed now did you complete it?

by Ryan Watts | Apr 8, 2016 | Blog

The deadline for the completion of the IG toolkit has passed and as contractors you should have completed the annual declaration. The next task is to prepare the annual NHS complaints report for the year – ending 31 March 2016. If you need help with the report the...

Hub-and-Spoke Model will lead to pharmacy closures

by Ryan Watts | Apr 8, 2016 | Blog

The hub-and-spoke model is not going away and it is a major threat to retail pharmacy and even if the legal barriers for operating a hub are removed there will not be a “level playing field” however it would give the independent pharmacies across the UK a wider choice...

Pharmacy2U reduced service levels due to move to a new Automated facility does not bode well for Hub and Spoke.

by Ryan Watts | Apr 8, 2016 | Blog

Earlier in the year, the GPhC called on Pharmacy2U to take urgent steps to improve its service levels, after it failed to deliver prescriptions over Christmas. Pharmacy2U had been experiencing “unforeseen difficulties” with...

Two Prickly Subjects

by Ryan Watts | Apr 8, 2016 | Blog

Internet pharmacies partly owned by GPs, sharing patient data or indeed any pharmacy sharing patient data when partially owned by GPs.If you have an internet pharmacy you must ensure that your procedures are robust enough on the website to allow patients to provide...