Pharmacy IG requirements clarified

As new provider types come onto the Information Governance scene, it can be difficult as a Provider to know exactly what information you need to provide and which standards you need to comply with.

Following a number of queries, the Information Governance Policy team have issued an information notice to clarify the position regarding the status of IG Toolkit scores for community pharmacies.

For IG Toolkit version 7 (2009-2010) community pharmacies were required to carry out a baseline assessment against the requirements. This was to provide a baseline for improvements to be made where necessary. By 31 March 2011 community pharmacies will be expected to attain level 2 against the version 8 requirements.

Do you need support with your Information Governance Assessment completion? Give us a call.

Student riot case to be heard in Kingston

Following the recent student riots over increased annual fees, a number of defendants will be facing charges for their actions at a local protest. Each of their individual cases will be heard at Kingston Crown Court.

The court, which is renowned for dealing with high-profile terror cases, will hear cases for about 150 defendants who are linked to the protests. It is thought Kingston was selected for the size of its court rooms, not for security reasons.

E-Books sales fly!

Christmas 2010 certainly helped the rising trend in e-book sales this year! A barrage of digital technologies for the new media consumer was vying for Santa's attention, including the Amazon Kindle, Apple IPad, Barnes and Noble Nook amd the Entourage eDGe. It is estimated that £3-5 million e-readers were activated the week after Christmas.

It is anticipated that 2011 will see a further increase in e-book sales. Particularly with Google's long-awaited e-books platform all ready and waiting, which generated close to 1300 news stories overnight!

The Book World takes a financial hit

We all know that the recession is affecting most areas of the economy, and the publishing industry is unfortunately no different.

Spending on books fell by more than £56million in the UK in 2010. In addition, Christmas sales figures show a demonstrable decline when compared with those in 2009. Three key reasons have been stated for this Christmas decline:

- Bad weather
- Closure of Borders
- An uncertain economic climate

Kindle allows book loaning

One of the stated drawbacks of Electronic Book Readers such as Kindles is that they remove the ability to be able to lend books to your friends and family, and to be able to share books amongst your reading and social circles.

However, Kindle have stated that they have now removed this drawback from their product! Amazon are now allowing purchasers of its e-books to transfer each virtual volume to one friend for up to two weeks. This therefore allows readers to share their books with at least one of their friends. Not quite the same as passing your favourite paperback around your closest friends...but still, a step in the right direction perhaps!

Are you a book fan? Get weekly book reviews on our Forum!

Ethnic Writing Award

Commonword, Puffin Books and Rogers, Coleridge & White Literary Agency have announced the Commonword Children's Diversity Writing Prize, which will be awarded annually from 2012.

The award will be presented to a writer who can demonstrate ethnic diversity. This can be demonstrated through either their own ethnic diversity or within their writing.

The award will be a £500 cash prize, access to professional mentoring, and £100 worth of Puffin Books.

Fancy writing a book? We can help...

Test your proofreading skills

Borrowed from Writers' Forum, the extract below contains 20 errors. Can you find them?

'The first thing the groundkeeper saw when he went to tend to the small cemetery behind St. Sebastians was the body that someone had forgotton to bury.
She was lying on top of a grave her head pressed close to the headstone, her arms crossed over her stomach. she was almost as white as the seven faded granite markers that surrounded her. The groundskeeper takes a deep breath, dropped her trowel, and crossed himself. He inched toward the body and leaned over, casting a shadow.
Somewere overhead a gull screamed, and as the womans eyes flew open, the groundskeeper turned and ran threw the iron gate into the dizzying streets of los Angeles.
The woman looked into the sky. She did not know where she was, but it was quiet; and since her head was pounding, she was grateful She tried to remember how she had gotten their in the first place.
Sitting up, she touched the gravestone and squinted as the letters dipped and blurred before eyes. She pulled herself to her feet and, balanced against the stone for support. The she leaned over and wretched, clutching her stomach and blinding back tears at the pain shooting through her temples.
"A church" she said aloud, jumping at the pitch of her own voice. This is a church."
She walked to the gate and stared as the cars and buses going by.
She had taken three steps away from the church before she realized she did not know where she was supposed to go. "Think," she commanded herself. She put a hand to her forehead and feels the slip of her own blood.'

Words - what we do best!