medicine

The pharmacist will see you now...

People in Devon are being urged to think “Pharmacy First” to fix their winter health problems.

Many people are unaware of the wide range of services available from their local pharmacist and they spend time waiting unnecessarily for a GP appointment or even in busy hospital Accident and Emergency departments, which are often under extreme pressure at this time of year.

Local...

Plymouth's role in Sierra Leone Ebola-free status

Sierra Leone officially declared Ebola-free – partly thanks to a team of medical education researchers and virtual learning technicians from Plymouth.

The team, made up of clinicians, academics and programmers from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry (PUPSMD) and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, has worked with Masanga Hospital in Sierra Leone and the Masanga...

Medical school gets seal of approval

Plymouth University Peninsula School of Medicine has been given the seal of approval in its General Medical Council report, with assessors stating that “the quality of medical education was found to be high.”

The report is part of the GMC’s remit to ensure that all medical schools comply with the standards and outcomes set out in “Tomorrow’s Doctors”. The report comes from meetings...

Research finds GMC decisions are fair to doctors under investigation

New independent research published today has found that the decisions made about doctors during a GMC investigation are fair and consistent.

In 2014 the General Medical Council (GMC), the regulator of doctors in the UK, commissioned researchers at Plymouth University to undertake a review of decision-making in its fitness to practise procedures.

The research looked at 187...

Medicines should 'mimic' the body to avoid side effects

Debilitating side effects associated with prescription medication for some of today’s most common conditions could be eradicated if they mimicked the body’s natural hormone secretion cycles, a new report has said.

Scientists from Exeter and Bristol have studied how conventional steroid treatments – commonly used to treat a range of conditions from steroid deficiency to inflammatory...

Members of the public wanted to help make NHS treatment policy decisions

The NHS in Devon wants to involve members of the public in helping to make difficult decisions about treatments.

Voluntary public representatives, also known as lay members, are being recruited to Devon’s clinical policy committee to help make sure the best decisions are made when it comes to the funding of medicines and treatments.

Northern, Eastern and Western Devon...