NEWS
£3.3M FOR NORTHERN IRELAND GENOMICS MEDICINE CENTRE
It is estimated that one in 17 people are born with or develop a rare disease during their lifetime. At least 80% of rare diseases have an identified genetic component, with 50% of new cases of rare diseases being identified in children.
Just last month Health Minister Simon Hamilton has announced £3.3million investment to create a Northern Ireland Genomics Medicine Centre (NIGMC) that will provide rare disease patients with a much earlier and more accurate diagnosis. This investment will lessen the uncertainty and anxiety associated with not having a diagnosis for patients and their families, enabling the faster provision of appropriate treatment and care when a diagnosis is made.
The ongoing treatment and care of cancer patients, taking part in this programme, will be informed by information about their own genome. Improved treatment for future patients with cancer is also expected to increase as a result of this initiative.
Minister Hamilton said, “The creation of the NIGMC is one of the first actions in the Northern Ireland Rare Diseases Implementation Plan that I have launched with an additional commitment of £70,000 investment to progress other key actions in the Plan.
“The Plan embodies my commitment to implement the UK Rare Diseases Strategy in Northern Ireland. The Plan also provides the opportunity to work with the Republic of Ireland to realise the mutual benefits of cross-border collaboration on rare diseases.” “
Dr Nathan Richardson, head of molecular and cellular medicine at the Medical Research Council, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to establish a strong partnership between Northern Ireland and England in genomic medicine. These joint investments will help establish a centre of excellence in genomic medicine in Northern Ireland and will support the UK-wide ambitions to reap the benefits for patients from whole genome sequencing research and linkage to NHS data.”
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pharmacyinfocus.co.uk
The Government has, for some time, been increasingly concerned about the ability to support our aging population via the “pay as you go” state pension scheme. They committed to addressing this problem via the Pensions Act 2008 and 2011.
One of the key outcomes of the above legislation was the introduction of Auto Enrolment pension schemes which places a compulsory responsibility on all employers to operate a pension scheme for their staff.
The team from M&D Financial recently held an information evening in the Glenavon Hotel Cookstown, organised by the Ulster Chemists Association to update pharmacy attendees on the current processes.
Brian Horner, M&D Financial Management
The highlights of the scheme are as follows: • Employees are automatically enrolled unless they Opt out;
• The Opt out election expires after 12 months and has to be renewed;
• Employees must pay at least 5% of their salary although this is phased in.
• Employers must pay 3% of the employee’s salary, this is also phased in.
• Employers have a statutory responsibility to ensure the pensions are operated in accordance with the legislation.
• There are 3 categories of employees; those who are automatically eligible, those who are not automatically eligible but can Opt in and those who
are not automatically eligible that can Opt in but no employer contribution is required.
The penalties for non-compliance can be significant; from fixed penalties of £400 to daily penalties of £50 to £10,000 (dependant on the number of employees affected).
Also “Prohibited Recruitment Conduct” penalties range from £1,000 to £5,000 which target those employers who recruit on the basis of whether employees will Opt in or out of the scheme. In the more serious cases the Pensions Regulator can take criminal proceedings against the company directors.
Auto enrolment has now been in place for a number of years but to date has only affected businesses with large numbers of employees. However more and more businesses are getting closer to their compulsory registration date (known as the staging date).
A lot of the more traditional pension providers have decided not to offer the Auto Enrolment compatible pension schemes which has dramatically reduced the number of providers.
Given the reduced pool of providers and the sheer number of businesses approaching their Staging Date, there is a likelihood of a bottleneck arising. Some of the current providers have already been experiencing problems which has had knock on effects on the Employers in terms of them fulfilling their statutory responsibilities.
Auto Enrolment on agenda
Adele Graham and Leisha Mulroe, O’Neills Pharmacy, Coalisland with UCA Secretary Adrienne Clugston
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