The UK is facing a severe shortage of a painkiller taken by millions of people, with pharmacists supporting “distressed patients” due to the lack of supplies

The UK is experiencing a severe shortage of a painkiller used by millions across the country. Pharmacists report they are supporting ‘distressed patients’ due to the shortage of co-codamol, which is expected to continue into the summer.

Over 1.25 million doses of co-codamol are prescribed each month in the UK, with the shortage primarily affecting 30mg/500mg tablets, though other strengths are also impacted, according to industry experts.

The National Pharmacy Association has been informed that supplies will not return to normal until June 2026. NHS providers throughout the UK have acknowledged the shortage.

NHS Grampian, for instance, has confirmed there is a UK-wide shortage of co‐codamol 30/500 tablets. It advised patients: “Supplies will be limited from early February 2026 until the summer. Other types of co-codamol 30/500 (capsules, soluble tablets, different strengths) cannot fully meet demand so we cannot simply switch you to another type of co-codamol.

“You may not receive your usual supply of co‐codamol 30/500. Your prescriber or pharmacist may discuss alternative options, such as: Paracetamol on its own or a plan to slowly reduce the amount of co-co-codamol you take replacing doses of co-codamol with paracetamol instead.”

The Department of Health (DoH) confirmed that co-codamol has been “added to the list of medicines which cannot be hoarded or exported from the UK”. Olivier Picard, Chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “Pharmacies are telling us they have struggled to order in supplies of some strengths of co-codamol, with a number reporting that supply disruption will last at least until June.

“This is a distressing shortage and pharmacists are trying their best to help patients manage severe pain. In some instances, alternatives are being prescribed. Where pharmacies have supplies, they will doing all they can to manage them to ensure patients get the medication they need.”

He added: “We face ever growing issues with medicine supplies which are compounded by the NHS not funding the full cost pharmacies have to pay to get the medicines patients need. The government must urgently act to address a growing list of medicine shortages impacting patients and pharmacists alike, who end up at the sharp end of an increasingly difficult medicine supply system.

“One thing they could easily to is allow pharmacists to make simple, safe substitutions to prescriptions where an item is out of stock, and save patients having to return to their GP without medication.”

The Department of Health and Social Care issued a notice this month warning that some of the tablets will be in short supply between February and July 2026. The NHS states that prescribers are being advised not to begin new patients on the drug, reports the Mirror.

Existing patients should also be switched to other alternatives such as paracetamol 500mg tablets, which will remain available during this period.

Many people approaching retirement may not be aware they need to have made National Insurance contributions for a specific number of years to receive the full New State Pension of £230.25 each week

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The Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) has revealed that the State Pension currently delivers a regular income to 13 million elderly people nationwide, with over one million pensioners in Scotland amongst them. This benefit is accessible to individuals who have reached the UK Government’s qualifying retirement age, presently set at 66 for both men and women. They also have to have accumulated a minimum of 10 years of National Insurance (NI) contributions.

The retirement age is scheduled to increase to 67 from April. People nearing retirement may be unaware that securing the full New State Pension payment of £230.25 weekly requires approximately 35 years of NI contributions. This figure represents an average, as certain individuals who were ‘contracted out’ will require additional NI contributions to qualify for the complete sum.

While workplace and private pensions will supplement the State Pension during retirement, a significant number of people may depend on this contributory benefit as their sole retirement income. This makes it essential to understand the years of NI contributions needed to secure the maximum payment.

The State Pension age is also scheduled to rise from 67 to 68 during the mid-2040s. If you’re concerned about how many years you need to work – whether retirement is decades away or just around the corner – our useful guide below should help clarify how National Insurance contributions impact the State Pension you’ll receive, reports the Daily Record.

How to qualify for any New State Pension payment

To qualify for any State Pension, you’ll require a minimum of 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record, though these needn’t be consecutive. This means that for at least 10 years, one or more of the following circumstances applied:

• you were employed and paid National Insurance contributions
• you were receiving National Insurance credits, for instance if you were out of work, unwell, a parent or a carer
• you were making voluntary National Insurance contributions

If you’ve resided or been employed overseas, you may still be eligible for some New State Pension. You could also qualify if you’ve paid married women’s or widow’s reduced rate contributions – further details are available on the GOV.UK website.

How to qualify for full New State Pension payments

It’s important to understand that ‘full’ refers to the maximum New State Pension amount an individual can obtain.

You’ll typically need approximately 35 qualifying years to secure the full New State Pension if you don’t hold a National Insurance record dating before 6 April 2016 – this figure may be higher if you were ‘contracted out’, more information here.

Individuals who have contributed between 10 and 35 years are entitled to a proportion of the new State Pension, though not the full amount unless they purchase additional NI years.

Qualifying years while in employment

When employed, you pay National Insurance and obtain a qualifying year if:

• you’re in employment and earning more than £242 per week from a single employer
• you’re self-employed and making NI contributions

You might not make National Insurance contributions if you’re earning below £242 weekly. However, you may still secure a qualifying year if you earn between £123 and £242 per week from one employer.

Qualifying years when not in employment

You may receive National Insurance credits if you’re unable to work – for instance due to illness or disability, or if you’re a carer or unemployed.

You can obtain National Insurance credits if you:

• claim Child Benefit for a child under 12 (or under 16 prior to 2010)
• receive Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
• are in receipt of Carer’s Allowance

If you’re neither working nor receiving National Insurance credits

You may be able to make voluntary National Insurance contributions if you’re not in any of these categories but wish to boost your State Pension amount. Further information is available on the GOV.UK website.

Even with gaps in your National Insurance (NI) record, you can still be eligible for the full New State Pension. You can request a State Pension statement which will provide an estimate of how much State Pension you might receive.

To verify if there are any gaps in your record, you can apply for a National Insurance statement from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). If your National Insurance record has gaps that could hinder you from receiving the full New State Pension, you may have options to:

• Acquire National Insurance credits.
• Make voluntary National Insurance contributions.

Chris Paul, the “Point God” who was a 12-time All-Star selection and two-time Olympic gold medalist, announced his retirement on Friday in the capper of a 21-season career that will surely merit induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Paul made the announcement on the first day of the NBA’s All-Star weekend at the home of the Los Angeles Clippers in Inglewood, California. Paul spent his final season — an abbreviated one — with the Clippers, who sent him home in December and wound up trading him to Toronto earlier this month.

The Raptors knew Paul would never play in Toronto, and that begged the question about whether the Wake Forest legend would try to finish the season with another team in pursuit of the thing he never got — an NBA title.

The answer came Friday. He’s done. He said last summer that he has hated missing events with his children over the last few years, and now he can devote himself much more to his family and other interests.

“It’s time for me to show up for others and in other ways,” Paul wrote on a social media post, announcing the decision.

He strongly hinted earlier this season that this year was going to be his last. Paul was a four-time All-NBA first team selection, and he ranks second in NBA history with 12,552 assists and 2,728 steals. He was the first player to score at least 20,000 points while recording at least 10,000 assists; LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have both since done that as well.

“It feels really good knowing that I played and treated this game with the utmost respect since the day my dad introduced me to it,” Paul wrote. “It was the very first relationship I ever knew.”

Paul played for New Orleans, Houston, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Golden State, San Antonio and the Clippers during his career, spending the last four years with four different teams.

He also was a past president of the National Basketball Players Association — instrumental in getting the league through the bubble season when the pandemic struck in 2020 — and championed the NBA establishing better ties with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

“From the moment he entered the league, Chris distinguished himself with his savvy playmaking skills, elite competitiveness and intense work ethic,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement, in which he called Paul “one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.”

Paul is 15th all-time in regular-season games played and 36th in points, was a six-time steals champion, five-time assists champion, a nine-time All-Defensive team pick, 11-time All-NBA selection and was part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

He’s one of six players in NBA history to have reached $400 million in career earnings.

“I’ve been playing basketball since I was 4 years old, and there’s nothing other than my family that brings me more joy than the hard work and all that stuff that goes into it,” he said in 2024. “Yeah, that’s why we get to play a child’s game and say it’s my way of life.”

Paul became arguably the most accomplished player in Clippers franchise history while leading the team to six winning seasons from 2011-17, including the Clippers’ first two Pacific Division titles and three playoff series victories. Paul returned to Los Angeles as a free agent last July, rejoining a franchise where he is loved by fans — but it went bad quickly, and Paul’s last game with the Clippers was Dec. 1.

It turned out to be his last NBA game, period.

“While this chapter of being an ‘NBA player’ is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the DNA of my life, spanning three decades,” Paul wrote. “It’s crazy even saying that!! Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that also came with lost of responsibility. I embraced it all.”

Paul is one of seven players to have an NBA career span at least 21 seasons. And he’s already in the Hall of Fame: the 2008 Olympic ‘Redeem Team’ was enshrined as part of the 2025 class. It won’t be long before he goes in on his own as well.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Lloyds Banking Group has announced plans to close an additional 95 branches across the UK

Eight Welsh banks have announced plans to close as a major banking giant prepares to massively shrink its presence on the high street – use our map to check if any branches near you will shut. Lloyds Banking Group has announced plans to close an additional 95 branches across the UK, affecting customers of Lloyds Bank, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland.

The group revealed that 53 Lloyds branches, 31 Halifax sites, and 11 Bank of Scotland locations are set to close under the newly announced scheme. The closures are slated to take place between May 2026 and March 2027.

In Wales, five Lloyds and three Halifax branches are due to close, starting with the loss of Halifax Cwmbran on June 2, followed by the Lloyds in Victoria Park, Cardiff the next day. All except one of the Welsh banks are due to shut by early July.

The exception is the Lloyds in Market Street, Ebbw Vale, which will remain open until March 2027.

Lloyds is currently implementing previously prepared plans to close 49 branches nationwide by October.

This follows the group’s January 2021 announcement that it would close 136 branches by March 2026.

Once all previously announced closures have been carried out, the banking group will be left with a network of 610 branches.

Use this map to see the closures near you:

NatWest also recently announced the closures of 32 branches, but none of those affect Wales.

Since February 2022, when all major banking groups committed to a voluntary agreement to assess the impact of each closure, a total of 2,236 branches have either shut down or announced plans to close.

That’s an average of at least one closure per day, or eight per week. The list includes 139 Welsh banks that have either shut are scheduled to close.

The LINK initiative was established to scrutinise each closure and ensure that vulnerable customers and small businesses were not left behind in the transition to cashless payments and virtual banking.

When closures leave communities without any local bank, banking hubs or free ATMs are set up to fill the gap.

Nick Quin, chief corporate affairs officer at LINK, said: “While more people choose to use contactless and digital payments, there are still millions who rely on and prefer to pay using cash. Alongside ATMs and Post Offices, banking hubs continue to help people and businesses to readily access and deposit cash.

“We recommended a further 15 banking hubs yesterday which will play a part in supporting access to cash across the UK.” Make sure you never miss Wales’ biggest updates by getting our daily newsletter

Gareth Oakley, CEO at Cash Access UK, said: “We’re delighted to see the difference that banking hubs have made for communities across the UK. It’s a clear reminder that while more people are choosing to bank digitally, cash and face-to-face services still remain essential for many.

“We have opened 212 hubs to date and are excited to continue rolling out these services in the communities that need them most.

“Customers can visit the hubs any day of the week for their everyday banking transactions, and if you have a specific or more complex enquiry for your bank, a community banker will be there to help on the day they’re in the hub.”

Welsh banks scheduled to close

• Halifax – Cwmbran
• Lloyds Bank – Cardiff – Victoria Park – Cowbridge Road East
• Halifax – Bridgend
• Halifax – Cardiff – Roath
• Lloyds Bank – Llangefni
• Lloyds Bank – Aberdare
• Lloyds Bank – Swansea – Winch Wen – Carmel Road
• Lloyds Bank – Ebbw vale

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