Included in our
summer newsletter
- out now! Breathlessness in palliative care READ NOW Breathlessness is a common respiratory problem in palliative care and a key trigger for acute admissions.

We cover the causes, and both the pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches that can be used to manage it in our review on breathlessness in palliative care. All courses
accredited
with CPD-UK! Transform your learning experience Find out more New modules, new content and engaging new learning techniques, with all courses accredited with CPD-UK With the new Ashtons e-learning system FIND OUT MORE ABOUT E-WORKS Ashtons e-Works Electronic Prescribing and Administration System Watch our brand new video to find out how e-Works can help you! Proven to reduce prescribing errors by 86% and administration errors by 93%

Hospice Pharmacy Services

Ashtons is proud to be the leading provider of specialist pharmacy services to independent healthcare providers in the UK. We have more than twenty five years experience in promoting the safe and effective use of medication.

We are committed to helping you ensure your patients get the very best palliative care treatment. Our range of pharmacy services has been designed, developed and continually refined for over 25 years to help hospices throughout the UK meet the specific requirements of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW).

Medicines Management

Maintaining best practice and professional standards in medicines management is crucial to the delivery of high quality patient care. We ensure our clients are using medicines management policies and processes that meet these standards and are in line with regulatory requirements.
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Regulatory Compliance

Helping to maintain and develop the reputations of our partners is a key goal for Ashtons. We will also work with you to review your medicines policies and procedures to help minimise clinical risk and help you achieve best practice standards.
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Product Supply

Due to changes in legislation we are aware that many hospices are having to obtain medication from different sources. This hybrid system of supply is often overly expensive, complex and time-consuming for nursing staff. Your hospice can order everything you need from Ashtons. We truly are a one stop shop.
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Training

Our training courses are tightly focused to be relevant to the needs of doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants working for our hospice clients. They support compliance goals and help enhance skills and continuous development.
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About us

We are experts in medicines management

Our team includes an industry-leading expert in palliative care pharmacy, founder members of the Hospice Pharmacy Association, and a team of experienced palliative care pharmacists. We are focused on helping hospices to use their medication safely, effectively and in compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements.

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Summer Newsletter 2021 – A welcome from the Editor

With trepidation we are beginning to take steps away from the crisis brought about by COVID-19. Thanks to the extraordinarily well organised vaccination programme, a large majority of the adult population has now at least one dose of the vaccine with second dose figures following swiftly, so that even if there were a rise in…

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steroid cards

Use of new steroid emergency cards in palliative care

In August 2020, in response to four deaths and more than 300 reported incidents with steroid replacement therapy involving patients with adrenal insufficiency, a National Patient Safety Alert was published by NHS England and NHS Improvement announcing the introduction of a new patient-held steroid EMERGENCY card. All patients with primary adrenal insufficiency are steroid dependent…

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Management of VTE and thromboprophylaxis in palliative care

It is acknowledged that cancer patients have a higher risk of developing pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) than the rest of the population due to the over-secretion and activation of thrombotic chemicals such as thrombin, tissue factor and factor VIIa1. The risk increases as the disease progresses. The Department of Health risk…

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Queries from our hospices – Summer 2021

1. Can you put an Abstral tablet in an easy-to-open container for a patient to take when necessary? It is not advisable to take an Abstral tablet from its packaging and store it somewhere else. The nature of the many products that are designed to dissolve easily in the mouth means they are very sensitive…

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Person browsing our new e-learning system on an ipad

Welcome to Ashtons’ new e-learning system

Our new e-learning system has been designed to transform your learning experience, with new modules, new content and engaging new learning techniques to help you get the best understanding of our clinical topics. Our new system is simple and easy to use, with new engaging content to help your staff achieve confidence in a range…

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Medicines news – MST granule sachets

MST granule sachets have been discontinued. If you still have some in stock it is fine to continue to use them, and wholesalers may have a little stock left, but it will eventually run out. If you need to offer a modified release morphine product to a patient with swallowing difficulties or a feeding tube,…

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Antipsychotics in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects approximately one in every 500 people in the UK. It is more prevalent in men than in women and it usually starts after the age of 50. PD is caused by the loss of neurons in the substantia nigra in the brain, which is usually…

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Your training allocation

Ashtons provides a wide range of training courses, including e-learning and clinical training seminars. You can now choose from these 12 clinical training seminars: Anaphylaxis Cannabis oil Controlled drugs for hospices Drug interactions for hospices NEW End-of-life care for people with Parkinson’s disease NEW Management of diabetes towards the end of life Managing oral problems…

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Breathlessness in palliative care – general review

Last November, the Association of Supportive and Palliative Care hosted a virtual conference that included an exceptional talk called ‘Taking your Breath Away’ by Dr Helen Meynell, Consultant Pharmacist in Respiratory and Palliative Care in Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS foundation trust. This article is based on the various interesting points discussed in that presentation and…

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Ashtons announces partnership with St Joseph’s Hospice

Ashtons Hospital Pharmacy Services, the UK’s leading provider of specialist pharmacy services to independent healthcare providers, is delighted to have entered into a partnership this spring with St Joseph’s Hospice, the largest and one of the oldest hospices in the UK. St Joseph’s Hospice was founded by the Sisters of Charity, who came from Ireland…

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