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United KingdomUpdates
SUB-TYPE:
Alliance Healthcare Partners with Mercedes-Benz Vans to Raise Awareness for Drivers’ Mental Health
To mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19 May) Alliance Healthcare UK, the UK’s leading wholesaler of healthcare products, has partnered with Mercedes-Benz Vans to bring van drivers together through sport.
Mercedes-Benz Vans and ex-Sky Sports football pundit Chris Kamara have launched Vantasy Football, the UK’s first five-a-side football tournament to bring van drivers together to help improve mental wellbeing.
A team of Alliance Healthcare delivery drivers taking part in the tournament joined Kamara for a football coaching session and as an opportunity to open up about driver mental health. The event comes as Mercedes-Benz Vans launched it’s Under the Bonnet report which revealed van drivers spend up to 25 hours a week alone with no one to talk to while a third (35%) have three or fewer conversations a day at work – compared with the national average of 27.
Alliance Healthcare’s 1,300 drivers deliver 2.4 million medicines to pharmacies and healthcare professionals across the UK every day to help ensure patients have access to the medications they need. Beyond the football training event, Alliance Healthcare has planned activities throughout the year to support positive mental health, including its annual football tournament that brings together over 100 players and their families from across the network.
Alliance Healthcare also supports the mental health of its drivers through ongoing education and awareness. The driver booklet ‘A road to wellness’ contains information relating to mental health and signposting to resources for further help and support. Alliance Healthcare provides all team members with access to an employee assistance programme, as well as the internal support (in-house) from 80 trained mental health first aiders.
Marie Evans, Managing Director of Alliance Healthcare UK, said: “Our 1,300 drivers are the backbone of our delivery network, working hard to ensure that pharmacies, healthcare professionals and patients across the UK have access to the medications they need. The campaign with Mercedes-Benz Vans shines an important light on some of the pressures faced by drivers across every industry. The initiative identified that sport, alongside ongoing education and awareness, reflects our continued commitment to support the mental health and wellbeing of our teams. While there’s always more to do, listening and understanding is an important first step and we’re proud to be supporting our drivers with greater resource, including dedicated mental health first aiders, and bringing them together through team sport.”
Antony Simmons, Head of Transport for Alliance Healthcare UK, said: “At Alliance Healthcare UK, we put our people first. On a daily basis as a driver, you face many unique and sometimes stressful situations; I’ve worked in transport for over 30 years and was a driver myself, so I understand the challenges faced by our drivers and the potential for it to become a pressurised and lonely role if you don’t have the support in place. That’s why I’m pleased that Alliance Healthcare UK is shining a light on mental health and proactively taking steps to support the safety, efficiency, and overall wellbeing of our drivers.”
SUB-TYPE: CLASS 4 CAUTION IN USE
Class 4 caution in use-PI Keppra tablets 500mg
Doncaster Pharma Limited have identified an error relating to the Braille printed on the cartons on various parallel imported packs which have been repackaged by BModesto B.V.
MHRA drug alert date: 15th May 2024
Pip code | Product description | Supplier | Batch Numbers |
8093569 | PI KEPPRA TABS 500MG | Doncaster Pharma | SEE ABOVE LINK |
This is a caution in use only we are not accepting stock returns
Further Information
For medical information and stock control enquiries please contact Doncaster Pharma on tel. 01302 365 000, email quality.enquiries@doncasterpharma.co.uk or commercial@doncasterpharma.co.uk
SUB-TYPE:
Spring 2024 Bank Holiday Opening Hours
To help keep our customers informed of changes to our service, we have published our Spring 2024 bank holiday opening hours for pharmacy and retail customers.
Spring 2024 bank holiday opening hours - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Spring 2024 bank holiday opening hours - Channel Islands and Isle of Man
SUB-TYPE: CLASS 3 RECALL
Class 3 recall-Suprefact 1 mg/ml solution for injection
Neon Healthcare Ltd is recalling the specific batch mentioned in this notification as a precautionary measure. This is because the named batch of Suprefact 1mg/ml solution for injection is being distributed in packaging intended for the Canadian market by Cheplapharm, instead of the correct UK packaging by Neon Healthcare Ltd for Buserelin 1 mg/ml solution for injection.
Pip code | Product description | Supplier | Batch Numbers |
0308429 | SUPREFACT VIAL | Neon Healthcare LTD | 3F022A |
Further Information
For medical information or stock control enquiries please contact: Neon Healthcare Ltd via Medinfo@neonhealthcare.com or +44 (0) 1992 926 330
Please return all affected stock to your original supplier for credit. Unfortunately we can only accept stock purchased from us (Alliance Healthcare Distribution Limited). Any other stock will be returned to your stores/Pharmacies.
SUB-TYPE:
Cencora UK leaders collaborate with IHP to aid vulnerable global communities
Leaders from Alloga, PharmaLex, Alliance Healthcare, and World Courier came together to support our longstanding charity partner, International Health Partners with a donation of medicines.
The volunteering saw senior team members Marie Evans (Alliance Healthcare), Nick Blurton (Alloga UK), Paulina Wroblewska (Alloga), Ryan Williams (Alloga), Trey Anderson (Alloga), Jon Jeffery (PharmaLex), Regina Dawkins (PharmaLex) and Simon Beaumont (World Courier) ] build and distribute Essential Health Packs for IHP. These packs contain a diverse range of medical supplies that are destined for people and communities around the world that need them the most. Acting as portable pharmacies, each pack contains crucial medicines such as antibiotics and analgesics and their compact size makes them ideal for reaching even the most hard-to-reach and remote areas.
Claire Ward, Labour’s East Midlands Mayoral candidate, also joined the activity during her visit to the Alloga and Alliance Healthcare Customer Service site.
SUB-TYPE:
Alliance Healthcare Opens Access to Cancer Symptom Referral Scheme to UK Pharmacies Following Successful Launch Across Alphega Pharmacy Network
The ‘Not Normal for You?’ (NNFY) scheme, which enables pharmacists to refer patients showing potential cancer symptoms to their GPs, will be available to pharmacies across the UK following Alliance Healthcare’s decision to expand the scheme to all pharmacies.
As part of the rollout, Alliance Healthcare will provide pharmacies with marketing materials - including leaflets and referral cards, free-of-charge, as part of their standard delivery.
The scheme, pioneered by Alphega Pharmacy member - Jackie Lewis, owner of Lewis Pharmacy in Exmouth, was rolled out across the Alphega Pharmacy network of more than 1,000 pharmacies in the UK in October 2023.
Through the scheme, pharmacy teams are trained to spot potential early symptoms of cancers and other illnesses. All pharmacy staff, from counter assistants to pharmacists, will be trained to look for ‘red flag’ symptoms and behaviour, which may be indicative of certain cancers.
Following the identification of symptoms, a pharmacist can discuss the issue with the individual and encourage them to visit their GP if appropriate. Symptoms are written on the back of an eye-catching ‘Not Normal for You?’ orange referral card which can be presented to a GP inorder to confirm symptoms. Although the NNFY card does not enable a faster GP visit, it acts as a mode of validation of symptoms which makes it quicker for a GP to give a referral.
The brightly coloured referral card often acts as a prompt for patients to book an appointment with their GP, further increasing the likelihood of diagnosis after potential symptoms have been identified by pharmacy staff.
The initial rollout of the scheme across Alphega pharmacies showed that NNFY was extremely effective in enabling pharmacists to refer patients to their GPs, which was largely due to the existing relationship between pharmacy staff and their patients.
Jackie Lewis first rolled out the scheme to 10 pharmacies across East Devon after she was awarded £10,000 in funding from the National Pharmacy Association’s (NPA’s) Health Education Forum. Jackie is also extremely grateful to Bristol Myers Squibb for their grant which enabled material development, upscale and roll out of the project. The pilot of the scheme was a success and led to its rollout across Alphega pharmacies.
Jackie has also developed a free online training programme called: ‘Let’s communicate cancer’ which aims to teach pharmacy teams about cancer symptoms using videos and quizzes. The resource is hosted on the British Oncology Pharmacy Association website and the NPA’s websites.
During the pilot a patient in one pharmacy was encouraged to visit his GP following a repeat request for purchase of cough medicine. The pharmacist concerned attended a practice meeting and was informed that this particular patient had been diagnosed with lung cancer as a result of her referral, six months later his wife came into the pharmacy and thanked the pharmacist as her husband was now in remission.
This case study is in Module 1 of Let’s Communicate Cancer.
The pilot also revealed several cases of skin cancer.
Participation in the scheme will be open to pharmacies across the UK. More information about the scheme and how to participate can be found at: Bopa.org.uk/cancerhub
Jackie Lewis said: “The ‘Not Normal for You?’ scheme offers pharmacists and their staff resources and training for the early identification of cancer in patients visiting their pharmacy. The timely detection of cancer is incredibly important and I would encourage pharmacies across the UK to participate in the scheme. By equipping frontline healthcare providers with the tools to recognise potential symptoms, lives can be saved through early treatment.”
Dr Mandeep Mudhar, Head of Alphega Pharmacy UK, adds: “The ‘Not Normal for You?’ scheme has been positively received by Alphega Pharmacy members and engagement continues to increase. With 1.6 million people visiting their community pharmacy each day in England, pharmacists are well-placed to support, and Jackie has worked tirelessly to increase awareness and empower pharmacists to have more agency when supporting their patients. We will continue to encourage our members and pharmacies to offer this service to their patients as part of our ambition to create healthier futures for all.”
SUB-TYPE: CLASS 3 RECALL
Class 3 recall- Co-Codamol 8/500mg effervescent tablets (Key pharmaceuticals livery
Accord-UK Ltd is recalling a specific batch of Co-Codamol 8/500mg Effervescent Tablets (Key Pharmaceuticals Livery) as a precautionary measure due to the internal tablet blister strips being printed with an incorrect expiry date.
Pip code | Product description | Supplier | Batch Numbers |
Alliance do not stock | CO-CODAMOL EFF TAB 8/500MG | Accord (Key livery) | G2301502 |
Further Information
For medical information enquiries please contact Accord-UK Ltd’s Medical Information Department on 01271 385257, or email medinfo@accord-healthcare.com
For stock control enquiries please contact Accord-UK Ltd’s Customer Services Team on 0800 373573, or email customerservices@accord-healthcare.com
Please return all affected stock to your original supplier for credit. Unfortunately we can only accept stock purchased from us (Alliance Healthcare Distribution Limited). Any other stock will be returned to your stores/Pharmacies.
Please note that anything not returned to us, or notified to us, within 3 months of this notification, cannot be reimbursed by way of a credit.
SUB-TYPE:
Early May 2024 bank holiday opening hours
To help keep our customers informed of changes to our service, we have published our Early May 2024 bank holiday opening hours for pharmacy and retail customers.
Early May 2024 bank holiday opening hours - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Early May 2024 bank holiday opening hours - Channel Islands and Isle of Man
SUB-TYPE: CLASS 3 RECALL
Class 3 recall- OPDIVO 10 mg/mL concentrate for solution
Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited has informed the MHRA that a potential product quality issue has been detected, relating to incomplete crimping of the metal crimp cap of OPDIVO 10mg/mL concentrate for solution for infusion (nivolumab) (1VLX10ML)
MHRA drug alert link: https://www.gov.uk/drug-device-alerts/class-3-medicines-recall-bristol-myers-squibb-pharmaceuticals-limited-opdivo-10-mg-slash-ml-concentrate-for-solution-for-infusion-nivolumab-el-24-a-slash-11
Pip code | Product Description | Affected Batches |
Alliance do not stock | OPDIVO 10 mg/mL concentrate for solution | 8053520 |
Further information
For medical information enquiries please contact the Bristol Myers Squibb Medical Information Department by phone (0800 731 1736) or email medical.information@bms.com.
Please return all affected stock to your original supplier for credit. Unfortunately we can only accept stock purchased from us (Alliance Healthcare Distribution Limited). Any other stock will be returned to your stores/Pharmacies.
Please note that anything not returned to us, or notified to us, within 3 months of this notification, cannot be reimbursed by way of a credit.
SUB-TYPE:
Best Kept Secret: the value of Clinical Homecare to the NHS, patients and society
A new independent report commissioned by the NCHA has been released, shining new light on the value of Clinical Homecare. ‘Best Kept Secret: the value of Clinical Homecare to patients, the NHS and society’ has been steered by an independent panel of experts and shines new light on the benefits of homecare to patients, NHS and society.
Clinical Homecare can significantly enhance patients’ lives, enabling them to maintain independence, sustain relationships and pursue work or education. Clinical Homecare also provides significant financial savings and benefits to the NHS and wider society. Despite this, Clinical Homecare remains absent from long-term NHS plans, resulting in a significant missed opportunity.
Follow this link to read the full report: clinicalhomecare.org/bestkeptsecret
Alcura is proud to be a full member of the NCHA, adhering to its stringent Code of Practice and membership criteria. Our commitment to these standards ensures that we provide patients, healthcare professionals and commissioners with the assurance of rigorous excellence in all aspects of Clinical Homecare services we offer.
