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Cost Of A Pint
The 'shocking' cost of alcohol misuse in Northern Ireland was highlighted by Health Minister Michael McGimpsey in June after estimates that its cost to society equates to £679.8million with a range of £500million to £884million. "This research shows that the cost to the Health Service alone may be as high as around £160million each year with a further cost of £82million to Social Services,î the Minister said. ìThese figures are particularly pertinent in the context of my Departmentís very challenging financial situation because this is money that could be spent providing key frontline services."
 
Heart In Hands
The British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland is appealing to fundraisers to help it reach its target of £80,000 by August. The campaign is to recruit more heart nurses to support patients throughout the province and to reduce secondary care admissions.
 
Haiti Fundraising
Staff at Holly Villa in the Tyrone and Fermanagh Hospital have raised over £320 for a group who are travelling to Haiti in October to build houses following the earthquake. The Tyrone Haiti Build is a project in conjunction with the Haven Partnership to support those affected by the disaster.
 
Secondary Care Supported
A new hospital in Omaghs fight for funding has been supported by Health Minister Michael McGimpsey. Speaking at a meeting with the Omagh joint liaison group, the Minister said: "I am fully committed to the development of the new Omagh hospital and will continue to press for the essential funding needed to make this a reality."
 
Commissioning Together
Pharmacists and GPs must work together to define the gaps in commissioning data, review how they can be filled and to determine the correct level of care provision for a particular area, according to Stephen Foster, the head of the new Healthcare Professionals Commissioning Network. The network is open to any health or social care professional who would like to engage in commissioning. tinyurl.com/HCPnetwork
 
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Pfizer Job Cuts Get Political PDF Print E-mail
Written by Laure James - Editor Pharmacy in Focus   
Tuesday, 01 February 2011 15:54

The home of one of the modern world’s greatest drug discoveries is set to close, costing almost 2,500 job losses or relocations from Pfizer's research and development plant in Sandwich, Kent. The factory which created Viagra is to close after the pharma giant announced global R&D activity cutbacks, saving around £930m.

Business secretary Vince Cable is concerned about the move but assured that Pfizer and other manufacturers still regard the UK as a primary location for research. “It is extremely disappointing that Pfizer has decided to end its research and development activity at its site in Sandwich," he said. "The company has been clear that this decision was part of its global programme of change and not based on a judgement of the UK as a location for pharmaceutical research.”

The secretary of state for Business, Skills and Innovation is also taking matters into his own department’s hands to minimise the impact upon the local economy, establishing “a local taskforce under the leadership of Kent County Council” to work with Pfizer and the new Local Enterprise Partnership, recruiting assistance from England’s health minister.

"David Willetts, Andrew Lansley and I will work closely with the Taskforce in the coming months to ensure every possible effort is made to mitigate the impact of Pfizer’s decision on local jobs and the local communities,” he added. “We will also be meeting with Pfizer, other key companies and local representatives as a matter of urgency to discuss innovative ideas for continuing R&D activities in this very well equipped facility, and how the key strands of the R&D portfolio based at Sandwich can best engage with academic teams across the UK who have the potential to drive forward the most innovative areas of UK bioscience.”