Latest news with #YourBBCNews
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What does the UK-EU deal mean for holidays and jobs? Your questions answered
Many of you have been submitting questions to Your Voice, Your BBC News about the deal signed this week between the UK and European Union. Your questions have touched on a range of issues, including jobs, food and travel. Our experts have been digging into the detail to figure out what the deal means for you and your family. Anna Maria, a dental student studying in Bulgaria, asked about mutual recognition of professional qualifications, which was a Labour Party manifesto pledge. Our political reporter Becky Morton has looked into the details of the deal. In its manifesto last year, Labour said it would seek to "secure a mutual recognition agreement for professional qualifications, external to help open up markets for UK service exporters". That would mean professionals such as doctors, lawyers and accountants who qualified in one country could practice in another with minimal extra bureaucracy - a system already in place across the EU. Monday's deal promises to set up "dedicated dialogues" on the recognition of professional qualifications, but a full agreement could take much longer to negotiate. Such an agreement would make it easier for British companies to move staff between the UK and EU and undertake short-term work in Europe. However, there may be less incentive for the EU to agree a deal, given the current situation makes it harder for UK firms to compete for business in Europe. Malcolm in Bristol wanted more clarity on what the agreement will mean for passport queues for UK citizens visiting the EU. Our transport correspondent Simon Browning explains. While some EU ports and airports already allow UK citizens to use modern e-gates, many do not and queues have become familiar to holidaymakers. The new agreement provides more clarity on e-gates and sets out that in the future, UK citizens will be able to use them - but the EU Commission says that will not come into force in time for this summer. However, the UK government has indicated it is hopeful there could be changes in time for the summer, so the timeline still appears to be up for debate. The EU says there will be no change before a new EU border security scheme comes into force in October, which will see biometric data including fingerprints collected from passengers coming from non-EU countries such as the UK. It will mean manned desks where people will have to queue in order to enter some EU countries could still be a feature of travel beyond this year, even if e-gate usage becomes more widely available. In short, that will mean long queues at some destinations could continue during this holiday season and perhaps beyond. Any decision about UK citizens using e-gates will not be a blanket one across the bloc. Instead, it will be up to individual countries to decide how they manage queues at their borders. We have received a lot of questions about pet passports. Our political correspondent Jack Fenwick has looked into when the scheme will be up and running. In short, we just do not know yet whether there will be any change in time for this summer. The agreement between the UK and EU commits to introducing a new passport system which would make it easier for people to travel with their pets and end the need to acquire repeat vet certificates. Many British holidaymakers will be keen for these rules to be introduced in time for their trip this year. However, so-called pet passports come under a part of the deal known as the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement - and while the UK and EU have agreed to work together in this area, the full scope of it has not been fully fleshed out yet. Chris in Bristol asked whether UK farmers would have to accept EU regulations on food standards. Our business correspondent Simon Jack has assessed the impact. The new agreement removes the need for time consuming and costly veterinary checks and forms - but in return, the UK will have to align with EU food standards. As those regulations change, the UK will have to change too. The government insists it will have a say in how those rules develop and it may be able to negotiate exceptions - but they will not have a vote. The National Farmers Union has broadly welcomed the new deal because it provides easier and quicker access to a big market for perishable products, in which the speed that goods can be moved is important. Andy in Eastbourne asked whether this deal would allow for the free and unrestricted movement of musicians and bands on tour in Europe. Our political reporter Becky Morton answered. Since Brexit, British musicians have faced extra costs and red tape when touring Europe. The industry has been urging the government to find a solution and Labour's general election manifesto pledged to "help our touring artists" as part of negotiations with the EU. But the deal agreed on Monday only recognises the "value" of touring artists and promises to continue efforts "to support travel and cultural exchange". The UK says it will explore "how best to improve arrangements for touring across the European continent". Tom Kiehl, chief executive of UK Music, which represents the industry, welcomed this as "an important first step" but said the sector was seeking "more concrete commitments". Brian in Nottingham asked about any knock-on effect the agreement may have on the UK's ability to negotiate trade deals with other nations. Political correspondent Jack Fenwick looked into it for him. If the UK was to re-join the customs union or single market, there would be knock-on effects for other trade agreements, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership - but this relatively limited agreement does not go nearly that far. However, the UK will now effectively be a rule-taker when it comes to EU standards on food and farming exports - but the government is fairly comfortable with that for two reasons. Firstly, ministers do not want to lower food standards anyway, which we saw during recent trade negotiations with the US. Secondly, the level of trade the UK has with the EU massively outstrips other agreements signed in recent years. This UK-EU deal is expected to eventually boost the economy by around £9bn a year, largely from food, farming and energy trading. Compare that with the much broader agreement signed with India this year, which will bring economic benefits of around £5bn a year. Neil Heard asked whether people who owned properties in the EU before Brexit would be able to spend more time there? Political analyst Peter Barnes checked it out. There was nothing in the new agreement that would change the rules in this respect. If a UK citizen travels to the Schengen area, which covers most of the EU and some other European countries, you do not need a visa but you can only stay for 90 days in any 180 day period. The rule applies even if the 90 days is made up of multiple trips, and also if you stay in more than one Schengen area country. It is the total number of days that counts. Ireland and Cyprus are not in the Schengen area and UK citizens have the right to live and work in Ireland - but for people with holiday homes in France and other EU countries, the rules are not changing. The Schengen agreement abolished many of Europe's internal borders, allowing freedom of movement between the countries which are signed up to it. A reader in Scotland asked about the impact on the local fishing industry. Scotland editor James Cook spelled out what it means for the whole of the UK. To understand what has gone on, we need to go back to when the UK was a member of the EU. Back then, fishing quotas were governed by the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) under which EU boats could catch fish in UK waters and vice versa. This was very unpopular with many UK fishermen who complained, accurately, that under the CFP they caught far fewer fish in EU waters than EU fishermen caught in UK waters. After Brexit, the UK and the EU agreed that EU vessels could still fish in UK waters until 30 June 2026, but that 25% of the EU's quota in UK waters (by value of fish landings) would gradually be transferred to the UK. From 1 July 2026, EU-UK deals for fishing access were going to be negotiated annually. But this new deal maintains the current position in terms of EU access to UK waters for 12 years, a move criticised by the Scottish Fishermen's Federation as a "total capitulation" by the UK government. Downing Street stressed that the EU quota in UK waters has not increased, and says the deal provides certainty - as well as streamlining the process for selling UK fish and shellfish in the EU. Five unanswered questions in UK-EU deal The new UK-EU deal at a glance Who are the winners and losers from the UK-EU agreement?
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'I'll make £12.24 an hour - I live payday to payday'
On Wednesday the chancellor will give an update on her plans for the economy. The government has promised to boost growth, which should mean higher pay, more jobs, and more spending on services such as the NHS, education and transport. Rachel Reeves will share the latest official outlook, which is expected to say the UK economy will grow 1% this year, rather than the previously forecast 2%. And she will have to explain how she intends to tackle the big challenges facing her when she delivers her Spring Statement. Those challenges are also being felt on the ground, in people's everyday lives. People have contacted the BBC through our Your Voice, Your BBC News to tell us how they are feeling about the months ahead and what plans they have to tackle the hurdles they face. "I'm working paycheque to paycheque," says Dylan Caulkin. "If I have a tyre that pops, I rely on credit." The teaching assistant, who lives with his parents near Truro, Cornwall, is about to start a new job as a support worker for people with learning difficulties. At £12.24 an hour, his pay will be only just above the level the minimum wage is rising to in April. But it is more than he is getting in his current role. "I'm very excited," he says. The opportunity for doing overtime, too, means the change will have a "massive impact" on his finances. He pays his parents £160 a month rent and contributes to food costs, which are higher for him as he is on a gluten-free diet. His car - a necessity, he says - costs about £500 a month to run. And he has a small amount of credit card debt he is currently trying to clear. He sometimes has £100 left over at the end of the month for spending on himself. "I'm very lucky to have family around me," he says. "I wouldn't be able to survive without them." He would like to see the government provide more help for young people like him. "In the near-future I'm looking to move in with my partner but it is just so expensive." How much will the minimum wage rise by? What happens next with interest rates is what matters most to Ellie Richardson and Billy Taylor. They found their dream home for £350,000 last year, but the sale has been delayed and now won't be completed before stamp duty rises at the end of this month, costing them an extra £2,500. "You have to roll with the punches," says Ellie, who works in sports PR. But they hope mortgage rates aren't also about to go up. She and Billy, a builder, have been shuttling between his parents' and her parents' houses in Essex for the past three years. "We've worked really hard to save as much as we can for this house," she says. "We're pretty set on it." They have a joint income of around £80,000 and they have a mortgage offer that would see them pay around £1,200 a month. But if the house purchase is delayed too long, they may end up having to apply for a new mortgage. "The silver lining is, if we do complete later in the year, then hopefully mortgage rates could be lower," she says. When will interest rates go down again? What is stamp duty and how is it changing? Elspeth Edwards is worried about the tightening of eligibility criteria for the welfare benefits she receives. "If the support gets taken away I'll have to rely on my parents for everything," she says. The student from Worcester has a combination of health conditions including PoTS, which causes her heart rate to increase very quickly when she stands up and can lead to loss of balance and consciousness. "I faint multiple times a day, I'm in immense pain constantly. I dislocate my fingers, elbows, shoulders and knees a lot. "Most students work part-time," she says. "I've been deemed unfit to work." Elspeth receives a total of about £1,200 a month through a student maintenance loan and incapacity and disability benefits. She is dropping out of her current course - nursing - because she can't manage the hospital shifts. She wants to start a new course, in astrophysics, in the autumn. But she says her parents can't support her financially, so if her benefits are cut, she will have to abandon that ambition. "I've got more outgoings than the average student," she says. Currently, she has nothing left at the end of the month, after spending around £800 on rent and another good chunk on her cardiac support dog, Podge. His food costs £90 a month, there are vet's bills, and recently he needed a new harness that helps him to communicate to her, including when she is about to faint. It cost £1,200. "Currently all my money goes on him," she says. What are the Pip and universal credit changes? Under-22s to be excluded from incapacity benefits Businessman Lincoln Smith reckons consumer confidence is the lowest it has been for 15 years. He owns and runs Custom Heat, a plumbing firm based in Rugby. The rising cost of living has meant his customers have cut back on annual boiler services and other things. On top of that, taxes for businesses go up in April. "That makes you shrink your ambitions, makes you think, 'Let's not replace people who are leaving.'" The company is not taking on apprentices this year, and has even got rid of the office cleaner. Lincoln himself is taking a 20% pay cut to help balance the books for the forthcoming financial year. He'll be earning £125,000, while his wife, who also works for the business, earns £45,000. "It sounds like a lot," he admits, but the cut will still mean lifestyle changes. "When you are earning any salary, you set your outgoings based on it." With a mortgage of £3,000 a month they are already at "breakeven point", he says. "We haven't booked a holiday this year. We are definitely not going away," he says. But if that is not enough he will look at moving house to reduce the mortgage. It's a bit upsetting, he says, because it's the only house his sons, aged seven and four, have known. "I know it's 'first world problems'," he says. "You've just got to do what you've got to do." How much do employers pay in National Insurance? Radhika Gupta thinks whatever Rachel Reeves does on Wednesday she shouldn't cut spending on health or education. The student from Derry in Northern Ireland is in the third year of a five-year medical degree at Queen's University in Belfast. "One thing that worries me is how many doctors want to leave," she says. "The consensus is it is not worth practising medicine in the UK because of how little you are paid. And you are left with a lot of student debt. "I don't think the government really understands the challenges." Despite what she sees as underfunded services and staff burnout she wants to work in England after she graduates. But more needs to be done to fund and improve medical training, she says. The other thing she would like to see more money spent on is transport, which is one of her biggest expenses at around £75 a month, partly because unreliable public transport sometimes means she takes a cab to the hospital. Her parents and maintenance loan give her about £800 a month, which she supplements with tutoring and casual work in hospitality. Her rent is £600. There are extra costs like her scrubs - she needs several sets - at £35 a set. "Things are quite tight," she says. How do student loans work? "There doesn't seem to be anything good on the horizon," says Malcolm Hindley, a retired window cleaner from Liverpool. A widower, he lives with his daughter, who "does everything round the house" and cares for him and her disabled daughter. He owns his own house, but finds it hard to get by on his £200-a-week state pension, plus attendance allowance of around £80 a week. He needs a car to get to the shops and medical appointments, and has just been in a car accident that has left him with a neck brace, on top of existing mobility issues. He will be listening out on Wednesday for further details around cuts to benefits for the long-term sick and disabled. Losing the winter fuel payment was hard, he says, because he feels the cold more as he gets older. Now he is worried what else might go. "The way this government's working, it just seems to be hitting the poorer more. What else are they going to take off us?" He doesn't have much left at the end of the month, but what he does have goes on ice creams and sweets for the grandchildren. "When you see their faces it's brilliant," he says. How much is the winter fuel payment and who can still get it? What will be in the chancellor's Spring Statement? How fast is the UK's economy growing? 'I had to sell my house to become a doctor'
BBC News
25-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'I'll make £12.24 an hour in my new job - I live payday to payday'
On Wednesday the chancellor will give an update on her plans for the government has promised to boost growth, which should mean higher pay, more jobs, and more spending on services such as the NHS, education and Reeves will share the latest official outlook, which is expected to say the UK economy will grow 1% this year, rather than the previously forecast 2%. And she will have to explain how she intends to tackle the big challenges facing her when she delivers her Spring challenges are also being felt on the ground, in people's everyday have contacted the BBC through our Your Voice, Your BBC News to tell us how they are feeling about the months ahead and what plans they have to tackle the hurdles they face. 'I'm changing jobs to keep afloat' "I'm working paycheque to paycheque," says Dylan Caulkin. "If I have a tyre that pops, I rely on credit." The teaching assistant, who lives with his parents near Truro, Cornwall, is about to start a new job as a support worker for people with learning £12.24 an hour, his pay will be only just above the level the minimum wage is rising to in April. But it is more than he is getting in his current role."I'm very excited," he says. The opportunity for doing overtime, too, means the change will have a "massive impact" on his pays his parents £160 a month rent and contributes to food costs, which are higher for him as he is on a gluten-free diet. His car - a necessity, he says - costs about £500 a month to run. And he has a small amount of credit card debt he is currently trying to sometimes has £100 left over at the end of the month for spending on himself."I'm very lucky to have family around me," he says. "I wouldn't be able to survive without them."He would like to see the government provide more help for young people like him."In the near-future I'm looking to move in with my partner but it is just so expensive."How much will the minimum wage rise by? 'We earn £80,000 and are buying our dream home' What happens next with interest rates is what matters most to Ellie Richardson and Billy found their dream home for £350,000 last year, but the sale has been delayed and now won't be completed before stamp duty rises at the end of this month, costing them an extra £2,500. "You have to roll with the punches," says Ellie, who works in sports PR. But they hope mortgage rates aren't also about to go and Billy, a builder, have been shuttling between his parents' and her parents' houses in Essex for the past three years."We've worked really hard to save as much as we can for this house," she says. "We're pretty set on it."They have a joint income of around £80,000 and they have a mortgage offer that would see them pay around £1,200 a if the house purchase is delayed too long, they may end up having to apply for a new mortgage."The silver lining is, if we do complete later in the year, then hopefully mortgage rates could be lower," she will interest rates go down again?What is stamp duty and how is it changing? 'I'm studying but am too unwell for a part-time job' Elspeth Edwards is worried about the tightening of eligibility criteria for the welfare benefits she receives."If the support gets taken away I'll have to rely on my parents for everything," she says. The student from Worcester has a combination of health conditions including PoTS, which causes her heart rate to increase very quickly when she stands up and can lead to loss of balance and consciousness."I faint multiple times a day, I'm in immense pain constantly. I dislocate my fingers, elbows, shoulders and knees a lot."Most students work part-time," she says. "I've been deemed unfit to work."Elspeth receives a total of about £1,200 a month through a student maintenance loan and incapacity and disability is dropping out of her current course - nursing - because she can't manage the hospital shifts. She wants to start a new course, in astrophysics, in the she says her parents can't support her financially, so if her benefits are cut, she will have to abandon that ambition."I've got more outgoings than the average student," she she has nothing left at the end of the month, after spending around £800 on rent and another good chunk on her cardiac support dog, food costs £90 a month, there are vet's bills, and recently he needed a new harness that helps him to communicate to her, including when she is about to faint. It cost £1,200."Currently all my money goes on him," she are the Pip and universal credit changes?Under-22s to be excluded from incapacity benefits 'I'm giving myself a 20% pay cut' Businessman Lincoln Smith reckons consumer confidence is the lowest it has been for 15 owns and runs Custom Heat, a plumbing firm based in Rugby. The rising cost of living has meant his customers have cut back on annual boiler services and other things. On top of that, taxes for businesses go up in April. "That makes you shrink your ambitions, makes you think, 'Let's not replace people who are leaving.'"The company is not taking on apprentices this year, and has even got rid of the office cleaner. Lincoln himself is taking a 20% pay cut to help balance the books for the forthcoming financial be earning £125,000, while his wife, who also works for the business, earns £45,000. "It sounds like a lot," he admits, but the cut will still mean lifestyle changes. "When you are earning any salary, you set your outgoings based on it."With a mortgage of £3,000 a month they are already at "breakeven point", he says."We haven't booked a holiday this year. We are definitely not going away," he says. But if that is not enough he will look at moving house to reduce the a bit upsetting, he says, because it's the only house his sons, aged seven and four, have known."I know it's 'first world problems'," he says. "You've just got to do what you've got to do."How much do employers pay in National Insurance? 'I get £800 a month as a student - it's tight' Radhika Gupta thinks whatever Rachel Reeves does on Wednesday she shouldn't cut spending on health or student from Derry in Northern Ireland is in the third year of a five-year medical degree at Queen's University in Belfast. "One thing that worries me is how many doctors want to leave," she says."The consensus is it is not worth practising medicine in the UK because of how little you are paid. And you are left with a lot of student debt. "I don't think the government really understands the challenges."Despite what she sees as underfunded services and staff burnout she wants to work in England after she more needs to be done to fund and improve medical training, she other thing she would like to see more money spent on is transport, which is one of her biggest expenses at around £75 a month, partly because unreliable public transport sometimes means she takes a cab to the parents and maintenance loan give her about £800 a month, which she supplements with tutoring and casual work in hospitality. Her rent is £600. There are extra costs like her scrubs - she needs several sets - at £35 a set."Things are quite tight," she do student loans work? 'I get £280 a week. I'm worried about benefit cuts for the long-term sick' "There doesn't seem to be anything good on the horizon," says Malcolm Hindley, a retired window cleaner from Liverpool. A widower, he lives with his daughter, who "does everything round the house" and cares for him and her disabled owns his own house, but finds it hard to get by on his £200-a-week state pension, plus attendance allowance of around £80 a needs a car to get to the shops and medical appointments, and has just been in a car accident that has left him with a neck brace, on top of existing mobility will be listening out on Wednesday for further details around cuts to benefits for the long-term sick and the winter fuel payment was hard, he says, because he feels the cold more as he gets older. Now he is worried what else might go."The way this government's working, it just seems to be hitting the poorer more. What else are they going to take off us?"He doesn't have much left at the end of the month, but what he does have goes on ice creams and sweets for the grandchildren."When you see their faces it's brilliant," he much is the winter fuel payment and who can still get it?
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Cancer patients 'may starve' without vital drug
Cancer patients and others with debilitating conditions have highlighted shortages of a vital drug they say have had a "devastating" impact on their lives. Creon, a pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (Pert), helps digestion, but has been hard to obtain for the last year and shortages are predicted to last until 2026. It is thought more than 61,000 patients in the UK need it, including those with pancreatic cancer, cystic fibrosis and chronic pancreatitis. Some patients said through Your Voice, Your BBC News that they have had to cover long distances to find a pharmacist with supplies. The Department of Health and Social care says it is working closely with the NHS, manufacturers and others in the supply chain to try to resolve the issues. Without the drug, patients lose weight and strength, which means their ability to cope with treatment such as chemotherapy is reduced. Diana Gibbs, who is 74, and her husband Mick, 78, live in Tonbridge, Kent. Mick had a major operation to treat pancreatic cancer in 2023. Diana wrote to BBC News explaining that it is impossible for Mick to digest food without creon. She says he was prescribed a high dose to enable him to regain weight after losing four stone in hospital, but it became increasingly difficult to get hold of the medicine. "We started to have trouble getting them in the higher dosage, involving me traipsing round pharmacies to find one who could get them. Pharmacies cannot get hold of that dosage. He now has to take a lower dose doubling up on the number of tablets taken, one box now lasts less than a week. "Pharmacies cannot get hold of lower dosage either and there is no alternative medication. I was worried that my husband would starve to death without them." Diana says for now they can get supplies of the drug but there is no guarantee week-to-week, and that is still a big worry. Bryony Thomas, who is from Stroud in Gloucestershire, needs creon after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Her cancer is now in remission, but she is still reliant on the drug for her digestive system to work correctly. She says there was no availability to get the medication within her county, and she had to get her mother-in-law to make a two-hour journey to a pharmacy in Crewe. At one stage, she says she obtained the drug from another patient, who had a surplus, against regulations via Instagram. She describes her situation as "constantly stressful". Leading pancreatic clinicians and charities including Pancreatic Cancer UK have written to the prime minister saying the absence of Pert can have a "devastating impact on people's lives", with doctors and pharmacists "inundated with requests for help from desparate patients". The letter says that without the drug, people experience "horrendous bowel symptoms, poor diabetes control, malnutrition, and reduced absorption of other medications, all of which can have a massive impact on their health and quality of life". There are other forms of Pert, but the charities and medical experts say while other countries have many brands available, in the UK creon "holds a very high market share". They say that with creon running short, switching by patients has depleted stocks of the alternatives. They are calling for a national process for importing Pert. The Cystic Fibrosis Trust says the shortages have caused "significant worry and stress for those affected". The charity has told patients that a "shortage of raw ingredients is straining the manufacturing process and disrupting global supply chains". Production of creon is said to rely heavily on pancreatic enzymes sourced from pigs. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society meanwhile is calling on the government to adopt a national strategy to manage medicine shortages. There have been wider problems with drug shortages. The National Pharmacy Association, representing community chemists in the UK, sought views on the issue. Of the 500 which responded, all said they were unable to dispense a prescription at least once a day because of supply problems, and a large majority said patients came in at least once a day to get medicines they had failed to get elsewhere. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We know how frustrating and distressing medicine supply issues can be for patients, and the pharmacists and clinicians caring for them. "We've issued guidance to healthcare professionals and encourage anyone concerned to consult their clinician."
BBC News
28-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Fears cancer patients 'may starve' without vital drug
Cancer patients and others with debilitating conditions have highlighted shortages of a vital drug they say have had a "devastating" impact on their a pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (Pert), helps digestion, but has been hard to obtain for the last year and shortages are predicted to last until 2026. It is thought more than 61,000 patients in the UK need it, including those with pancreatic cancer, cystic fibrosis and chronic patients said through Your Voice, Your BBC News that they have had to cover long distances to find a pharmacist with supplies. The Department of Health and Social care says it is working closely with the NHS, manufacturers and others in the supply chain to try to resolve the the drug, patients lose weight and strength, which means their ability to cope with treatment such as chemotherapy is Gibbs, who is 74, and her husband Mick, 78, live in Tonbridge, had a major operation to treat pancreatic cancer in 2023. Diana wrote to BBC News explaining that it is impossible for Mick to digest food without creon. She says he was prescribed a high dose to enable him to regain weight after losing four stone in hospital, but it became increasingly difficult to get hold of the medicine."We started to have trouble getting them in the higher dosage, involving me traipsing round pharmacies to find one who could get them. Pharmacies cannot get hold of that dosage. He now has to take a lower dose doubling up on the number of tablets taken, one box now lasts less than a week."Pharmacies cannot get hold of lower dosage either and there is no alternative medication. I was worried that my husband would starve to death without them."Diana says for now they can get supplies of the drug but there is no guarantee week-to-week, and that is still a big worry. Bryony Thomas, who is from Stroud in Gloucestershire, needs creon after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Her cancer is now in remission, but she is still reliant on the drug for her digestive system to work correctly. She says there was no availability to get the medication within her county, and she had to get her mother-in-law to make a two-hour journey to a pharmacy in Crewe. At one stage, she says she obtained the drug from another patient, who had a surplus, against regulations via Instagram. She describes her situation as "constantly stressful".Leading pancreatic clinicians and charities including Pancreatic Cancer UK have written to the prime minister saying the absence of Pert can have a "devastating impact on people's lives", with doctors and pharmacists "inundated with requests for help from desparate patients". The letter says that without the drug, people experience "horrendous bowel symptoms, poor diabetes control, malnutrition, and reduced absorption of other medications, all of which can have a massive impact on their health and quality of life".There are other forms of Pert, but the charities and medical experts say while other countries have many brands available, in the UK creon "holds a very high market share". They say that with creon running short, switching by patients has depleted stocks of the alternatives. They are calling for a national process for importing Pert. Worry and stress The Cystic Fibrosis Trust says the shortages have caused "significant worry and stress for those affected". The charity has told patients that a "shortage of raw ingredients is straining the manufacturing process and disrupting global supply chains". Production of creon is said to rely heavily on pancreatic enzymes sourced from pigs. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society meanwhile is calling on the government to adopt a national strategy to manage medicine shortages. There have been wider problems with drug shortages. The National Pharmacy Association, representing community chemists in the UK, sought views on the the 500 which responded, all said they were unable to dispense a prescription at least once a day because of supply problems, and a large majority said patients came in at least once a day to get medicines they had failed to get elsewhere. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We know how frustrating and distressing medicine supply issues can be for patients, and the pharmacists and clinicians caring for them."We've issued guidance to healthcare professionals and encourage anyone concerned to consult their clinician."
