Front cover news
I am an experienced NCTJ-qualified Journalist and Broadcast Assistant (radio), currently working as a Reporter for the B2B publications Building Better Healthcare and Cleanroom Technology. My previous bylines include Chemist & Druggist. Additionally, I have covered local news for the South London Press, where I achieved a front-page byline.
Front cover news
My Tanswell Estate story is on the front page and Sydenham Hill Wood story published on page 10
Articles published in print and online
A case study about two Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) across two pages in issue 3 of Building Better Healthcare
My article across 3 pages in the August issue of Cleanroom Technology
My article in the September 2024 issue of Cleanroom Technology
3 page feature on the NHS hospitals most affected by RAAC in issue 1 2024 of Building Better Healthcare
A one page article about the New Hospital Programme
My double page feature in Issue 2 of Building Better Healthcare
My article across 2 pages in issue 2 of Building Better Healthcare
Double page feature in issue 2 of Building Better Healthcare
Residents are being forced to keep their children indoors due to an infestation of hundreds of rats, which are seen 'all the time, night and day'. People living on the Tanswell Estate, just off Westminster Bridge Road in Waterloo, have complained to Lambeth council about the rodents plaguing the estate.
Various articles of mine published in print
Exclusives
Bouygues UK has used the new Uniwall method for the build of Oriel, a centre for advancing eye health, and is set to complete the build by its 2027 target
Building Better Healthcare speaks to contemporary artist, Lynne Hollingsworth, who is on a mission to make hospital settings less clinical with nature-inspired murals
LSI Architects shares with Building Better Healthcare the process of designing diagnostic centres for James Paget University Hospital and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn, amongst the first in the NHS Community Diagnostic Centre initiative
Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is replacing its old outpatient building that contained RAAC and has told Building Better Healthcare that construction works on the redevelopment is "progressing at pace"
Alcidion Chief Medical Officer, Dr Paul Deffley, spoke to the Editor of Building Better Healthcare, Sophie Bullimore, about the main issues affecting the digital transformation of the NHS
Lloydspharmacy's former retail boss has been appointed as Superdrug's new healthcare director, C+D can exclusively reveal.
Louis Purchase has stepped down as Well Pharmacy's operations director after two years in the role, it has emerged.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has taken action six times in fitness-to-practise (FtP) cases related to online pharmacies since last August, it has revealed to C+D.
Different tax rates and other deductions mean that accepting lower hourly pay through a limited company could put more money in locum pharmacists' pockets, an accountant has suggested.
The long-awaited England Pharmacy First scheme has come under attack from a group of scientists who claim that enabling community pharmacists to treat seven minor illnesses could lead to antibiotic resistance.
The £645 million government investment into pharmacies announced last week equates to only around £28-30,000 per pharmacy per year, a specialist accountant has warned.
The pharmacists' union has said that it is "unlikely that suitable alternative roles will be available for all" as 300 Boots branches are set to close.
Pharmacy London has recommended that the 1,498 local pharmacies it represents do not sign up to the NHS pharmacy contraception service, C+D has learned.
Kamsons Pharmacy has acquired five Lloydspharmacy branches this month, C+D can exclusively reveal.
Tesco has confirmed the locations of all eight of its in-store pharmacies that will close from August, C+D can reveal. Find out their locations.
Pharmacy locum rates for the start of Eid were "not attractive enough", leading to an unusually high number of cancellations, C+D has learned.
Breaking News
UK-based construction company Sir Robert McAlpine has announced the appointment of Neil Martin as its new Chief Executive
Boots has revealed plans to close 300 branches where they are located "in close proximity to each other".
The chief financial officer (CFO) of Boots has quit after almost five years at the multiple, it has announced.
Boots has been hit by a "global data vulnerability" that included the personal details of some of its staff, it has confirmed.
National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chief executive, Mark Lyonette, has announced his plans to retire in 2024 after five years of leading the organisation.
Only 7% of pharmacy owners say that their business is "profitable", the pharmacy negotiator's annual pressures survey has revealed.
Lloydspharmacy has confirmed that it is "selectively selling" some of its branches, but stressed that only those located in Sainsbury's stores are "at risk of closure".
WH Smith will expand its "one-stop-shop format" to eight major Network Rail locations to include an extensive range of pharmacy, health and beauty products, it has announced.
Features
HKS designed the over £900m Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, completed after a decade of collaboration with Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust and co-consultants
Cleanroom Technology talks to PH Group Director, James Sira, about the company's latest product launch, the Otect N310, a cleanroom glove system that offers a solution to the longstanding problem of people contaminating cleanrooms
AVM Group tells Cleanroom Technology about the process of creating a cleanroom for Swagelok Cleveland
US-based cleanroom and containment expert AVM Group talked exclusively to Cleanroom Technology about the history behind the separate companies and the project collaborations that led to the landmark merger
Judging by the explosion of eCommerce during and since the COVID-19 pandemic, it might be assumed that online pharmacies face the same bright future. However, new figures go some distance to disprove this expectation, with profitability at the heart of the issue.
Alessandro Grenci discusses the importance of safety in the digital age and why he thinks the GPhC's approach to online pharmacy is "fair"
Charac CEO Santosh Sahu discusses how embracing technology can help community pharmacies thrive in an increasingly digital world
Rana Rahimpour has faced death threats, rape threats, travel bans, asset freezes, and online smears since starting work for the BBC's Persian service. Born and raised in Iran. When she aspired to work for the UN, she chose journalism, believing it would be 'a good gateway into humanitarian work'.
News
The Autumn Budget 2024, 'Fixing the Foundations to Deliver Change' revealed that the Labour government is raising public spending, tax and government borrowing compared to the previous Conservative government.
What does the Government's new Autumn Budget 2024 have in store for the digitisation of the NHS and how is the health tech industry reacting?
New Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has ordered a full and independent investigation into the state of the NHS as part of his new mission
What does the independent review say about the future of the digitisation of the NHS and how is the health tech industry reacting?
What does the independent review, released today, say about the future of healthcare estates, and how is the industry reacting?
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care told Building Better Healthcare that "hospitals with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) are the priority"
A progress update about the seven NHS hospitals confirmed to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and need a full rebuild
Building Better Healthcare has rounded up who has been chosen by the NHS for technology projects in August
Building Better Healthcare has rounded up who has been chosen by the NHS for technology projects in September
Building Better Healthcare has rounded up who has been chosen by the NHS for technology projects in October
The Editor of Building Better Healthcare, Sophie Bullimore, has asked experts what they think about the digital maturity objectives set out in the NHS 2024/25 Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance
MTX Contracts has delivered the first modules for the £49m extension of Frimley Park Hospital as part of linking a new build to the existing hospital
New research has shown over 2,000 hospital buildings across England were built before the NHS was established in 1948, Building Better Healthcare reached out to the Trusts with the most outdated buildings in its estate
A progress update about the seven NHS hospitals confirmed to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and need a full rebuild
Two pharmacies located in tourist hotspots on the west coast of Scotland are up for sale, broker Christie & Co has announced.
The £700m University Hospital Monklands is one of the major projects put on hold due to the Scottish Government's two-year freeze on NHS builds
A look at how all 14 NHS Scotland regional health boards have been affected by the Scottish Government's decision to pause NHS builds for two years
UK-based construction expert GRAHAM has told Building Better Healthcare about its new state-of-the-art mental health facility that will phase out traditional shared dormitory mental health wards
The average UK pay rates for locum pharmacists rose by 19% to almost £39 per hour in the twelve months ending March 31 compared to the previous year, according to a detailed rates analysis by Locate a Locum.
Pharmacy leaders have reacted to the news that Boots is set to axe 300 branches, warning that they form part of a wider pattern of pharmacy closures.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended an immunisation programme to protect infants and older adults against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The competition watchdog has said that it is considering the proposed divestment of seven pharmacy stores as part of its investigation into Well parent company Bestway's merger with Lexon UK.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DH) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have included semaglutide on the list of medications that wholesalers are prevented from exporting or hoarding.
A Sheffield community pharmacist has won a place on a shortlist for an awards ceremony celebrating "outstanding" health and care workers .
The merger between Well Pharmacy's parent company Bestway and Lexon UK has raised competition concerns in several areas around England, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced.
An online pharmacy has received a six-figure cash injection from HSBC UK to expand its offering with a new "state of the art" warehouse in London, the bank has announced.
The government will launch a £40-million two-year obesity pilot that could see community pharmacies dispense semaglutide drug Wegovy, it has said.
A "cybercrime gang" thought to be based in Russia is behind a global data hack that has compromised Boots staff members' personal data, it has been reported.
Boots has recorded post-tax profits of £15 million for 2022, after falling more than £100m into the red in 2021, according to its latest financial documents.
Dr Bruce Warner yesterday stepped down as deputy Chief Pharmaceutical Officer (CPhO) at NHS England after nine years in the post, CPhO David Webb has announced.
The number of pharmacy buyer registrations "rocketed by a colossal 202%" in the first quarter of 2023, specialist broker Hutchings has revealed.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has issued advice to its members following claims that some Lloydspharmacy branches are being sold in a two-part share sale process.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has issued advice to its members following claims that some Lloydspharmacy branches are being sold in a two-part share sale process.
The government will "consider" the permanent removal of the requirement for a contractor-chosen clinical audit, the pharmacy negotiator has reminded contractors.
Organisations from across the sector have teamed up on a week-long wellbeing campaign for trainees facing assessment pressures, the pharmacists' charity has announced.
The manufacturer of a drug containing oxybutynin is "considering its next step" following a decision by the medicines watchdog against reclassifying the product to make it available without a prescription.
A PhD student from the University of Huddersfield has won a "prestigious" award for her research on how community pharmacies can contribute to preventing suicide, the university has announced.
The medicines watchdog will not reclassify oxybutynin Aquiette 2.5mg tablets to make them available without a prescription, it has announced.
Davidsons Chemists is due to acquire five Lloydspharmacy branches next month, it has told C+D.
NHS England (NHSE) yesterday announced a £645 million investment that could see a national Pharmacy First service launched in winter 2023. See how the sector reacted.
Pharmacy leaders have cautiously welcomed plans to expand the provision of community pharmacy services in England as part of a £645 million investment into the sector, but have stressed that detail remains scant.
The pharmacy regulator has suspended a superintendent pharmacist for nine months for failures to supply high-risk medicines safely from an online pharmacy.
A new "independent evaluation" will "focus" on the government's progress on commitments made to pharmacy services, the Health and Social Care Committee (HSCC) announced last week.
The government has extended 11 serious shortage protocols (SSPs) for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and penicillin, the pharmacy negotiator has announced.
Day Lewis is pausing its rollout of the pharmacy contraception service "until progress is made with funding", according to a letter shared on social media.
Lloydspharmacy saw a "significant" decrease in its prescription item numbers over a recent 18-month period, while Boots and Well Pharmacy maintained item levels, PharmData has revealed.
The government has rejected a parliamentary committee's recommendation for a workforce plan specifically for the pharmacy sector, it has revealed.
Football legend Paul 'Gazza' Gascoigne was "barred from all the chemists" in Newcastle after an alcohol addiction led him to excessively purchase Calpol, the former footballer has revealed.
Superdrug will open a total of 25 new bricks-and-mortar stores this year as part of a major "investment strategy", it has revealed.
Pharmacies are spending 11 hours per week sourcing medicines, more than double the time spent last year, the pharmacy negotiator has revealed.
The Washerwoman is a nine-minute short film, following the main character, Laura, as she walks through the park to get home. In the dark, eerie, setting of the park, Laura stops to help a homeless woman, but the homeless woman is not what she seems. The woman seems to know Laura and grabs her before shouting something at her in Gaelic.
Council estate residents have welcomed redevelopment plans as a solution to the mice infestation that they say is threatening the health and safety of their children. Residents of the Tustin Estate, on the Old Kent Road in Southwark, have welcomed Southwark council's plan to bulldoze the 55-year-old estate as part of a redevelopment scheme.
A huge fire caused an explosion that could be heard for miles across South-east London yesterday afternoon. A van was demolished by the blaze in Randlesdown Road, Bellingham just after 5pm. A car and two flats were also damaged by the blaze, the cause of which is being investigated.
People living in Lee Road, Lewisham, say that they have to put up with queuing traffic in their street all day, and that journey times to the nearest hospital have increased since the Lewisham and Lee Green LTN was introduced.
A fundraising campaign to restore and protect a much-loved patch of wildlife will be launched this month. Sydenham Hill Wood, a 10-hectare nature reserve on the northern slopes of the Norwood Ridge in Southwark, is launching a fundraising campaign to restore the main footpaths.
A Good Samaritan was fined almost £600 for unknowingly driving through two Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) while on his way to donating life-saving convalescent plasma during the height of the pandemic. Daniel Thurley, 49, of Daniels Road in Nunhead, was on his way to the Donor Centre at the Centrale Shopping Centre in Croydon in January last year.
A cyclist is using art to raise awareness of road safety after an accident caused a life-changing head injury. Multimedia artist Xavier Hilts White, 56, of Vanburgh Park, Blackheath, survived a severe head injury after he was hit by a car while cycling in Peckham Rye in 1985 when he was 18 years old.
Hundreds of people from different backgrounds across London gathered at a cathedral for an annual event marking Ramadan and a unified community in commemoration of the London Bridge terrorist attacks on June 3, 2017. Crowds gathered at Southwark Cathedral for the Southwark Grand Iftar, a meal after sunset during the month of Ramadan, on Thursday, April 21.
A woman gave birth in a hospital car park after "pottering around for a couple of hours" at home after her contractions started. Brenda Arruda, 22, from Eltham said because she had an eight-hour labour with her son, Isaac, she believed she had plenty of time before she needed to make her way to Lewisham Hospital in Lewisham High Street.
A new memorial garden will be built at a hospital thanks to a £15,000 charity donation. The money, from Croydon Crematorium, will fund the Crocus Garden of Remembrance at Croydon University Hospital, a new mortuary memorial garden which will support families affected by the loss of a child.
People living with cancer on low incomes received grants to ease financial pressure caused by their diagnosis, Covid-19, and the increase in living costs. Charity Macmillan has found that high energy bills are one of the main expenses people living with cancer are facing this year.
A dance school is celebrating its new headquarters by hosting a full day of free events and open auditions for young budding dancers to attend the academy on a bursary. The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) has announced it is opening a new headquarters in York Road, Battersea.
To celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee a programme of events has been organised by an arts centre, ranging from classical to alternative performances and an exclusive screening, writes Lina Kurdi. The Southbank Centre announced events across five days to celebrate the jubilee, starting from Wednesday, June 1 until Thursday, June 5.
A group of artists has collaborated to transform poetry into a multidisciplinary performance featuring music and dance with poetry to create an immersive experience. Seder, part of the Purcell Sessions performance series at the Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, South Bank, combines jazz drumming, contemporary dance, breaking, krump, and poetry to put a modern twist on Adam Kammerling's poetry collection of the same name.
A theatre company which showcased deaf and disabled talent is putting on its first chamber opera today and tomorrow at the Southbank Centre. Graeae theatre company, which is based in Kingsland Road, Hoxton, announced the world premiere of composer Errollyn Wallen's The Paradis Files.
An original interview with Vanessa Nakate and Tim Reutemann about their Green Schools Project, bringing solar energy to schools in Uganda
In conversation with CleanTech News, Chris McWhinney, CEO of Millennium Reign Energy, LLC, (MRE) discusses MRE’s plan to build the first transcontinental hydrogen highway in the U.S.A.
Tor Valenza AKA Solar Fred, Founder of Unthink Solar, shared the importance of marketing for the solar industry, challenges the solar industry is currently facing in the US, and more. Based on an original email interview
An original interview with Dr Bayo Akomolafe about the need for diverse voices in the fight against climate change
An original interview with Julia Hamm, CEO of Smart Electric Power Alliance. Hamm, discusses the transition to renewable energy in the USA utility industry
A Croydon mum who battled 20 years of chronic pain after her arm was damaged in a car crash is fundraising for a high-tech replacement. Nicola Wilding was just 22 years old when her tyre suddenly burst while driving on the A23 from Brighton.
By removing more CO2 from the atmosphere than it emits, Bhutan is the only carbon negative country on Earth, annually absorbing
Neoen, one of the world’s leading and fastest-growing independent producers of renewable energy, announced the commissioning of its 81 MW Hedet Wind Farm in Närpes, Finland.
A new Global Coalition of green NGOs and technology companies, Climate TRACE, will combine artificial intelligence (Al) and data from satellites to monitor global greenhouse gas emissions in real-time
Norwegian energy company Equinor and UK renewable energy company SSE Renewables announced Port of Tyne as the location for their joint venture, Dogger Bank, which is set to be the world’s largest offshore wind farm
A report by Thrive Renewables shows that ‘Shovel-ready’ renewable energy projects could boost the UK economy by £28.9 billion.
Highview Power, the global leader in long duration energy storage solutions, has partnered with Carlton Power, a UK independent power station developer, to build and operate the first commercial CRYOBattery facility in Trafford Energy Park, just outside of Manchester, UK
ITM Power, the clean fuel and energy storage company, is doing their part in supporting COVID-19 efforts by keeping their clean hydrogen refuelling stations open
Spinning Reserve is a social business with a mission to alleviate unemployment in the Energy sector caused by COVID-19 cuts.
In the wake of COVID-19 the European Investment Bank approves €700m to aid EU agriculture and bioeconomy industries.
The Scottish Government launched a £62 million Energy Transition Fund to support renewable energy businesses in Aberdeen, Scotland, in wake of COVID-19 and oil and gas price drops.
Nova innovation is a world-leading tidal energy company based in Edinburgh, Scotland (UK). Staying true to its reputation, Nova Innovation is set to revolutionise the tidal energy industry with its latest project.
SINN Power Produces World’s First Renewable Energy Floating Platform
NKT, the Danish cable company, recently started powering its cable-laying vessel, NKT Victoria, and all its cable manufacturing factories with renewable electricity, reducing its CO2 emissions by 66% compared to last year.
Sindicatum Renewable Energy based in Singapore, took major green steps in 2018 and signed a $60 million green bond deal with GuarantoCo Ltd.
Repsol, Spanish fuel company, announced two industrial decarbonisation projects focused on green hydrogen and biogas
Mitie becomes the first Facilities Management company to commit to all of the Climate Group’s initiatives
Enel Green Power India and Norfund has signed a long-term agreement to finance, build and operate, new renewable energy projects in India
Equinor, the Norwegian green energy giant, is developing the world’s first at scale plant to produce hydrogen from natural gas in combination with carbon capture and storage in the Humber region, UK
Orsted, the Danish renewable energy company, has joined forces with Copenhagen Airports, A.P. Moller – Maersk, DSV Panalpina, DFDS, SAS, COWI and BCG to transition Denmark’s transport sector to renewable energy.
GE Renewable Energy, the American multinational company, announced it has been selected by Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) to supply six Francis turbines and generators for Stage 1 of the new Dasu hydropower plant in Pakistan.
The leading European sustainable energy company, Eneco, is the latest to sign onto the world’s first offshore green hydrogen pilot project, PosHYdon, led by Neptune Energy
The carbon neutral renewable energy company, Siemens Gamesa, have signed up to the EU Green Recovery Alliance, which encourages a sustainable approach to economic recovery post COVID-19.
Orsted the Danish multinational renewable energy company, has signed a corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) with the leading Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).