In five years, paracetamol prescription numbers in Wales have increased by almost 25%, the assembly`s shadow health minister has said.

More than 1.3 million items were provided by those in pharmacist jobs last year, an increase of 268,642 from 2006, figures obtained by the Welsh Conservatives have revealed.

The Tories have questioned whether NHS resources are being effectively used through the free prescription policy, and have claimed that taxpayers` money is being spent on products such as the painkiller and athlete`s foot powder.

A written question from Clwyd West AM Mr Millar to the minister for health and social services prompted the new figures.

He enquired into the number of times Bonjela, paracetamol, Athlete`s Foot powder, cold-sore cream Zovirax and cough suppressant Pholcodine had been prescribed by the Welsh NHS over five years.

In the statistics, paracetamol was prescribed 1.1 million times in 2006 and almost 1.4 million times in 2010.

There was also a 10% increase in the prescription of athlete`s foot powder, aciclovir - the activate ingredient in Zovirax.

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011

People working in pharmacy jobs in Wales are to lead a new diabetes awareness campaign.

The national initiative, organised by Diabetes UK Cymru and Community Pharmacy Wales, will aim to offer advice on how to reduce the risk of developing diabetes.

Wales rugby union star Sam Warburton is supporting the campaign, which will run until June 27.

Those taking part will be assessed through BMI and waist size measurements, along with their family history. Lifestyle advice will be offered to those seen at risk of developing diabetes in the next 10 years, while those most at risk will be referred to their GP or practice nurse for a diabetes test.

Russell Goodway, chief executive of Community Pharmacy Wales, said: "We look forward to working with this government on making community pharmacies central to public health in Wales.

"The local high street pharmacy is the ideal starting point for people to get to know their health, what risks they may be under and how to reduce those risks."

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011

Pharmacists are being urged to expand their role in the battle against type 2 diabetes by encouraging visitors to lead a more healthy lifestyle.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published new guidelines for those with community pharmacy jobs in England which aim to help people most at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Pharmacists are being asked to provide information on local and affordable opportunities that will help people to become more active, as increasing their exercise regime will help them stave off type 2 diabetes.

In order to help pharmacists fulfil that role, NICE wants them to work with local health service commissioners to encourage people to do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity five days a week, with the amount of exercise time recommended rising for those wanting to lose weight or maintain weight loss.

Meanwhile, as part of the strategy to reduce instances of lifestyle-related conditions, health service providers have been asked to work with commissioners to promote ways of maintaining a healthy weight; identify at-risk groups and carry out local needs assessments.

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011

All people over the age of 55 should be offered preventative treatment for heart disease and stroke, according to the authors of a new study.

Researchers from Barts and the London Medical School said the approach would save time and money.

Screening procedures currently used involve examining results from blood and cholesterol tests, before deciding who receives such treatments.

The study involved two screening programmes on a theoretical population of 500,000 people. The results showed that offering all over-55s preventive treatment led to an 84% detection rate.

This was the same level of detection generated from the programme where screening methods that are currently used - that take into account factors like age, sex, if someone smokes or has high blood pressure or cholesterol - were employed.

It was claimed that while the success rates were the same, the age-based method would be more cost-effective.

Professor Sir Nicholas Wald said: `This study shows that age screening for future cardiovascular disease is simpler than current assessments, with a similar screening performance and cost effectiveness. It also avoids the need for blood tests and medical examinations.`

Copyright ⌐ Press Association 2011