CCG

CCG urges people to return unused antibiotics to pharmacies

Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin CCG makes its plea ahead of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week.

CCGs to be 'subsumed' into ICS before end of 2021

ICSs will also take on community pharmacy commissioning once they are established.

Community pharmacists vaccinating housebound patients

A team of 22 community pharmacists in South Tyneside have begun vaccinating housebound patients against coronavirus in a new local scheme. 

New structures could take on CCG commissioning role

Views sought on options for giving ICSs “a firmer footing in legislation" from April 2022.

GP video consultations set to mushroom

Nearly 2 million more NHS patients in England will have access to video consultations with a doctor.

Over 80 CCG mergers likely by April 2020

Nearly half of CCGs are proposing to merge in the biggest cull of NHS organisations for more than a decade.

The slow burn?

Just starting a conversation about smoking cessation can help save a life.

At your service

LPC chairman and NPA board member Dilip Joshi seeks clarification over EHC provision and is inspired by pharmacy practice north of the border.

Going, going, gone!

It has been an enormous privilege and I have been fortunate enough to be asked to speak at several weddings, forums all over the world, and even three eulogies. Two of these requests came from patients’ families, and at the last one the priest joked he was scared because it sounded like I could do his job! But an old university friend who’d been let down at the last minute gave me a unique invitation that I couldn’t refuse.

We met at her local town hall, which was stuffed to the gunwales with people who’d donated prizes. There were dozens of them, and I know because I was the auctioneer.

Silly season frustrations

It is the season of sunburn, bites, stings, hayfever, burnt sausages and badly cooked chicken. Or – as we call it in the trade – Imodium Season! Soon the flu season will be upon us, but it always feels like the silly season because you just cannot prepare for the random or silly things that people do.

A lady brought in a urine sample for a pregnancy test in a sealed plastic takeaway box wanting me to verify what she had tested at home. It was half full!

Coping with Capita

Tuesday July 5

I am at a Southwark commissioners’ meeting this evening. It has been called by members of the local GP federation. They wish to learn more about our LPC’s service-provider model with a view to working for mutual benefit. There are suggestions of operating through Local Care Networks in the presentations.

GP federations have been funded to assist with their set up, whereas our provider company has not. A key difference is that GPs seem to have used their funds to create various remunerated positions and are looking to make them sustainable through additional funding of commissioned services.

We have, on the other hand, started a low-cost model without extensive infrastructure or office facilities, opting instead to pay for administration costs through top-slicing monies received for services. This, to me, seems to be a more efficient model than PCT-like administrations with associated costs and red tape.

Newham pharmacists develop patient 'wellbeing plans'

Newham scheme helps people take control of their health

Keeping it special

The latest news from the specials market