Decline in drug deaths in Scotland

A new report has shown drug-related deaths have declined by a small amount in Scotland (National Records of Scotland, 2023). The statistics demonstrate that in 2022 there were 1051 deaths due to drug...

Supporting new prescribing colleagues

Do you remember your first few weeks and months as a qualified prescriber? I imagine you do, regardless of how long ago you obtained the qualification. I liken it to driving a car for the first time...

NHS Long Term Workforce Plan launched

The UK government has now published its strategy for the NHS, the ‘NHS Long Term Workforce Plan’, which it calls ‘a strategic direction for the long term, as well as concrete and pragmatic action to...

Learning to live with COVID-19

Welcome to this June issue of Journal of Prescribing Practice. It's been a busy time since I last wrote to you all. We have welcomed our new Editor Polly and a lot has been happening in the healthcare...

Contraceptive services for women in the UK

Welcome to the May issue of Journal of Prescribing Practice, my first since taking the reins as editor last month. This edition of the journal has a focus on sexual health and contraception in women...

Celebrating non-medical prescribers

As I write my final editorial for the Journal of Prescribing Practice, I reflect on my nearly four-years and the significant developments within the non-medical prescribing sector during this time. It...

New government initiative to reduce cost of HRT for menopausal women

On the 21 February 2023, it was announced that the UK government would start subsidising the price of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), with around 400 000 women in England potentially benefiting...

When was the last time you held an FP10 prescription in hand?

A visit to my GP recently, which required a prescription, led me to ask myself: when was the last time I held a paper FP10 green prescription in my hand? As someone with a long-term condition...

Strike action looms as we enter 2023

Hello and happy New Year from the Journal of Prescribing Practice. As always, when writing a new year editorial, it's important to look to the year ahead and envision what we might encounter. While...

The question of social prescribing

A new review, published in the BMJ Open (Kiely et al, 2022), found that there is no consistent evidence that social prescribing improves social support or physical function, or reduced the use of...

Women empowered by new treatment options

New social prescribing scheme to be trialed