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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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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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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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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Advance planning for flu vaccination clinics has become an important part of patient care. The flu vaccination delivered in the following year provides vulnerable patients with protection against the strands of flu that are going to be the most prevalent over the next year. This is even more important this year, as hospitals deal with…
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Looking back on my emails, I see that my first COVID-related message came in on 3rd March. At first, it was impossible to judge the impact the virus was going to have on our healthcare system and hospices. The shocking lack of their inclusion in the two essential components – PPE and testing – soon became apparent. Many of our senior hospice colleagues have described how they had to ‘fight’ for what was needed –on top of caring for very sick patients who may or may not have the virus and staff having to isolate for the statutory period…
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For many years the NHS has struggled to fulfil the NHS Out of Hours (OOH) standards that stated ‘patients should be able to access the medicines they need at the time and place of the OOH consultation’. The Drug Tariff, which determines the list of products which can be prescribed on FP10 and their re-imbursement costs, still includes a rather dated ‘Out of Hours national formulary’ which categorises a wide range of medications for emergencies which include palliative care…
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The pandemic has made it difficult for hospices to arrange training and there has been less demand for Ashtons pharmacists to present seminars at sites. Consequently, Ashtons is now able to make seminar presentations available via online platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, meaning that all available staff with online access can participate in the training, without having to meet up in a room together…
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Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be a national drive to increase the uptake of flu vaccinations, to reduce pressure on the NHS. Healthcare staff and people with certain health risk factors are the current focus for flu vaccination and this list may be expanded to include other people at risk. Ashtons have placed advance orders of the flu vaccine with suppliers for the 2020/21 winter season, but will endeavour to obtain further quantities if there is a demand…
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Ashtons have commenced supplying all fridge lines in the environmentally friendly fridge boxes in place of the polystyrene boxes previously used. The replacement fridge boxes are manufactured from wood pulp, together with the insulation inserts, and are therefore biodegradable and, being a paper-based product, fully recyclable. The coolant packs, which are used to keep the fridge box between 2°C and 8°C, are made from a low-density polyethylene (LDPE 4) pouch. The contents of the coolant pack consist of an aqueous (water-based) gel…
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