The world of travel health has just gotten a little more exciting with the recent approval in the UK of IXCHIQ®, the first-ever vaccine designed to protect adults against the debilitating Chikungunya virus. This ground-breaking development, marks a crucial step forward in safeguarding travellers and individuals in endemic regions. What is Chikungunya? Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne […]
The proposed upcoming changes to the General Practitioner (GP) contract for 2025/26 (Annex E) will bring significant adjustments to the routine childhood immunisation schedule. These changes aim to streamline delivery, improve protection against vaccine-preventable diseases, and align the UK more closely with global best practices. Below, we explore what’s changing, why these updates are being […]
The healthcare sector in the UK is constantly evolving, with regulatory updates shaping the practice landscape for professionals. One of these recent changes involves the regulation of Physician Associates (PAs) and Anaesthesia Associates (AAs) by the General Medical Council (GMC), that came into effect on the 13th December 2024. This development helps to bring clarity […]
Deprescribing in my opinion can be more important than the act of prescribing but what does this involve? Deprescribing is a term first used in 2003 and is defined by deprescribing.org as ‘planned and supervised process of dose reduction or stopping of medication that might be causing harm or no longer be of benefit’. Deprescribing […]
At the beginning of November 2024, it was reported in the news that 77-year-old, Patricia Lines, had sadly died shortly after receiving a Vitamin B12 injection the year before, in October 2023. On the day following the injection, she had become unwell and was admitted to hospital with a confirmed Group A Streptococcus infection. She […]
Globally, the loss of a baby through miscarriage or stillbirth remains a difficult topic to discuss, often surrounded by silence. Unfortunately, this silence can sometimes be linked to feelings of stigma or shame, which need to be addressed openly. According to the Office for National Statistics, in the UK, there were over 4,500 baby deaths […]
Shingles, a painful and often debilitating condition, remains a significant public health concern, particularly among older adults and those with weakened immune systems. While the UK vaccination programme has dramatically reduced the incidence of shingles and its complications, there is still much work to be done to protect vulnerable populations. We have now reached the […]
As the importance of vaccinations continues to grow, especially in the wake of increasing awareness around respiratory viruses, questions often arise about who is legally and practically able to administer vaccines. One VERY common question at the moment is whether healthcare assistants (HCAs, also know as Healthcare Support Workers or HCSWs) can administer the RSV […]
Before you ask, no, we haven’t gone back in time…it’s still 2024 and despite it being the middle of the summer, we are in fact, fast approaching the flu season! The NHS England has now confirmed the start dates for the 2024/25 flu vaccine programme with two main risk groups prioritised for the initial rollout; […]
Patient group directions (PGDs) have long been a valuable tool for streamlining medication access in the UK healthcare system. Traditionally, their use has been reserved for pharmacists and other registered healthcare professionals, however as of 26th June 2024, their application has been expanded to allow registered pharmacy technicians to supply and administer prescription-only-medications (POM) under […]
