May 7, 2004
The first UK chair of Remote and Rural medicine is to be established in the Western Isles, Scotland  ( Outer Hebrides ) and, currently, it is planned that it will be based at Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. The post will soon be advertised as the holder will be expected to begin work in autumn of 2004 with the first courses being run in the academic year of 2005/2006. The post is a joint venture between the Western Isles NHS Board and the University of the Highlands and Islands, Millenium Institute.

Further information from Iain Maciver Press Officer WINHSB on 0851 708005

May 1, 2004
Drug Tariff goes online

The Prescription Pricing Authority is launching an electronic version of the Drug Tariff on its website at www.ppa.org on May 1.

Updated on a weekly basis, it will provide free access to the current edition of the National Health Services Drug Tariff for England and Wales , compiled on behalf of the Department of Health by the PPA.

Although the monthly paper copy of the Tariff will continue, it is hoped that users will move towards the electronic version in due course. Approximately 28,000 copies of the 600 plus page paper document are produced each month and distributed, free of charge, to prescribers and to dispensers who provide NHS Pharmaceutical Services

Yellow Card direct

The Yellow Card system for reporting suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) now has its own website at www.yellowcard.gov.uk.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) launched the site to provide direct access the the electronic Yellow Card, removing the need to navigate through the general MHRA site.

The MHRA will continue to accept paper ADR reports

Prescribing data published

The Department of Health has published the prescription cost analysis for England for 2003. It covers all prescriptions dispensed in the community - by community pharmacists, appliance contractors, dispensing doctors and items personally administered by doctors. The data shows that there were 649,702,700 items dispensed with a net ingredient cost of £7,510,133,600 in the 12 months to December 2003, implying an average net ingredient cost per item of £11.56 .