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% HTN 'Making an Impact' Award Winner 2022 Ashtons e-Works e-prescribing
wins at the HTN Now Awards Find out more We are delighted to have won the 'Making an Impact' award
from Health Teach News in 2022, for the incredible impact that
e-Works has had for our clients in reducing prescribing
and administration errors

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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Patient care in hayfever season

Almost one in four people in the UK suffers from hay fever (allergic rhinitis) and the numbers are rising. This common chronic condition is an inflammation of the inside part of the nose caused by pollen (allergen) produced by plants in susceptible individuals. Symptomatology includes: sneezing and coughing; a runny or blocked nose; itchy, red…

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Sun care and photosensitivity

During summer direct sun exposure increases; boosting vitamin D levels, improving bone health and even mood. Melanin production is also stimulated by the sun; this hormone makes the skin darker in people who acquire a tan. Overexposure to ultraviolet rays could have very damaging long-lasting consequences, like: premature ageing of the skin or skin cancer;…

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Measuring controlled drugs

How to prevent unaccounted-for losses of controlled drugs Harold Shipman, known as Britain’s most prolific serial killer, was successful in diverting a large quantity of controlled drugs (CDs) for his own criminal purposes. The subsequent enquiry against him highlighted major limitations in the information available to audit the prescribing and supply of controlled drugs. This…

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The CQC is changing the way they inspect

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carries out regular checks on health and social care services and is changing their approach to these inspections. At the moment their focus is on services that have been previously rated ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’. However, end of life care has a high profile so we must not get complacent…

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Smoke-free society

Smoking is still the largest cause of preventable death in England. It costs communities an estimated £12.6 billion annually with an additional annual cost of £2.5 billion to the National Health Service (NHS)(1). Public Health England is aiming for a “smoke-free society by 2030 with adult prevalence of five per cent or less”(2). Patients with…

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Pre-order your flu vaccines for next winter 2022/2023

The 2022/2023 flu vaccine from Ashtons is available to pre-order now, for both your patients and your staff. Ordering now guarantees you our best price for winter 2022/2023, as we will pre-book your vaccines with the manufacturer. There is no minimum order quantity. Please contact our Customer Service Team on 0345 222 3550 or email…

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Ashtons’ new courier delivery service

At Ashtons, we are always looking to improve the services we provide to our customers. Our latest service enhancement is to introduce a new courier services provider. All customers will transition to the new service provider by early March 2022. In recent years, courier services have evolved and improved with the addition of a variety…

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Ashtons commits to ESG

With the rise of global sustainability challenges such as climate risk, privacy and data security, along with regulatory pressures, companies in recent years have been looking increasingly at sustainability and the impact their business has on the environment around them. ESG is a way for companies to evaluate their sustainability status, and it is commonly…

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Your training allocation for 2022 is available

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 End-of-life Care for People with Parkinson’s Disease Management of Diabetes Towards the End of Life Managing Oral Problems in Palliative…

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Reflections on being a palliative care pharmacist

Margaret Gibbs looks back at her 28 years in the job Looking back at dates, I realise that I’ve been a palliative care pharmacist for 28 years, which is two-thirds of my working life. I was working at a local NHS Trust when Greenwich and Bexley Cottage Hospice (as it was then known – now…

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