The Know Daily - Wednesday 31 January 2024

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Pandora - the world’s largest jewellery company by volume - has announced that it will only source 100% recycled silver and gold for its collections from now on, in order to reduce its environmental footprint.

🩺 New powers for pharmacies

From today, people suffering from seven common and minor illnesses - including sore throats and urinary tract infections (UTIs) - can access treatments directly from pharmacists, bypassing the need to see a doctor.

Tell me more.
Under a new NHS England scheme called the Pharmacy First Service, more than 100,000 pharmacies are now able to provide care for patients without them having to visit their GP. 

NHS bosses say enabling pharmacists to issue prescriptions without a doctor’s referral will save up to 10 million GP appointments a year and help people “access quicker and more convenient care”. According to the BBC, similar services are already offered in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

What conditions does the service cover? 
Acute Otitis Media (more commonly known as earache), impetigo, shingles, infected insect bites, sore throat, sinusitis and uncomplicated UTIs in women are all covered by Pharmacy First.

Most of the service can be delivered remotely, said GPonline, provided “there is the ability to conduct a face-to-face assessment either in person or via a ‘good quality’ video consultation if necessary”. Only earache needs an in-person consultation as in that case an examination is required. 

Anything else I should know?
From last month, thousands of women across England have been able to access the oral contraceptive pill through participating pharmacies without needing a GP referral. A similar scheme was rolled out in 2021 to enable pharmacists to carry out blood pressure checks. 

While the changes have been welcomed by pharmacy groups and largely backed by GPs, concerns have been raised that the new scheme “will barely make a dent on the rising workload which saw 426 million appointments last year”, said The Times.