Search The NPA Blog

Like so many others, I am proud of the NHS and what it stands for. For the most part, it has managed to stick to its founding principles, in particular that care is given based on need rather than a person’s ability to pay for it.

I will never forget this one patient who had schizophrenia and who had made several attempts to take her own life.

We are no strangers to bad weather in Scotland but when the Beast from the East struck, it was on another level. The response from my team and many other independent pharmacies was just fantastic though.

My proudest moment so far is when we referred a very poorly baby who it turned out had leukaemia. Baby and mum came into the pharmacy one Wednesday afternoon, when I was just a few months into my pre-reg year.

Becoming a pharmacy health centre, with nurses and pharmacists working together, was an incredible moment for me and the team.

When I entered my Wheathampstead branch on a Wednesday in March the atmosphere was supercharged and the emotion palpable. I noticed a distraught young mother being comforted by one of my counter staff while holding an obviously unwell child.

Globally, over 10 million people die each year due to raised blood pressure (BP). It is the number 1 contributing risk factor for global death, but because it is usually symptomless, the challenge is to ensure it is detected.  According to the PURE* study only 46.5% of people who have levels of BP which we believe need treatment (hypertension), are actually aware of the fact - despite detection…

Recently myself and a handful of other NPA members underwent some professional media training, with the agreement that we would speak to the media, both national and local, in the future. It’s part of the NPA’s plans to recruit and support a network of pharmacists who can advocate for the sector. The training was provided by the NPA in a professional broadcast studio.

This year will see 70 years since the so-called ‘Appointed Day’, designated by the National Health Act of 1946. The National Health Service’s first day of operation. I find myself invited to take part in a local expert panel convened to discuss this momentous day and deliberate on the future of this great national institution.

Community pharmacies across the UK have been making sure patients get their medicines, despite the weather, often making deliveries by foot. Olivier Picard, pharmacist and manager at Newdays Pharmacy in Reading looks back at his week.