The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Assembly has announced the re-appointment of Professor Claire Anderson as President for a further term of two years on
Tuesday (11 July).
As president, Anderson will oversee delivery and implementation of the constitutional governance review; continue to extend the profile and influence of pharmacy
as a profession by building and strengthening relationships with all the other pharmacy leadership bodies and organisations.
She aims to ensure that RPS is invited to the table whenever medicines and public health are discussed by continuing to invest in strategic relationships beyond
pharmacy
Claire was first elected as President in 2021. In her address to the Assembly, Claire said: "This is a time of unprecedented change and I have decided to stand as
President for a second term to offer much needed continuity.
"I am passionate about our profession and committed to making the RPS and our members even more successful. I will also continue to be a dedicated ambassador and
advocate for the profession nationally and internationally."
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has re-joined the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) after reflecting its commitment to international
collaboration and the advancement of the pharmacy profession.
RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "Members told us they wanted to see us re-join FIP to further our commitment to international partnerships which
support education and advocacy to develop and progress the pharmacy profession.".
"We fully recognise the importance of international collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and best practice with our peers across the world.
"FIP are refocusing their membership offer and we're delighted to work with them on opportunities for professional development and increased visibility and
recognition for the pharmacy profession."
Paul Bennett, RPS CEO said: "Now that we have re-joined, our teams across RPS look forward to reinvigorating the close collaboration we have previously enjoyed
with our colleagues both within FIP itself, and across the breadth of FIP Member organisations to further our vision and mission".
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is set to cease all its remaining financial investments in fossil fuels latest by the end of 2022.
The decision taken today (November 17) at the RPS Assemble, is part of the organisation's "continued drive to become an environmentally responsible organisation."
Calling it a significant move, RPS president Claire Anderson said: "RPS will divest from fossil fuels as soon as possible.
"RPS will instruct its investment managers immediately to ensure that we will be completely disinvested by the end of 2022 and hopefully sooner."
Environment and human wellbeing have always been a core consideration of RPS investment, however it was not enough to offset the negative impacts of climate change, the organisation said.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has launched a new position paper on 'How pharmacy can do more to tackle health inequalities'.
The RPS paper aims to help pharmacists and pharmacy teams to take action against health inequalities. It is designed to provide a reference source for pharmacy
teams to use over time to continually improve services.
RPS said: "Like all health services, these pharmacy services do not always reach everyone. Often it is people who are suffering the greatest inequalities that find
it most difficult to access the services that are currently available. This can be for a large number of reasons including poverty, education, being part of a group
vulnerable to exclusion, language and power."
Therefore, the RPS paper focuses not on "what" services pharmacy provides but "how" they are provided, with an aim of making them more accessible for people who are
currently struggling.
Claire Anderson, President of Royal Pharmaceutical Society said: "It's fantastic that pharmacy teams in every sector of pharmacy across Great Britain are providing
care that can improve health inequalities, with many patients able to access pharmacy services very easily. Brilliant examples of this shine through in the paper.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has opened a survey which asks its members how they would want to take part in and learn about decisions made by the RPS.
The RPS said the survey was a core part of the independent review of member participation and communications led by communications consultancy Luther Pendragon.
It said: "We will be asking our members to join focus groups to give their opinions on how participation can be developed and strengthened, and how RPS communications
about decisions it has taken on behalf of the profession through its governance boards can be improved. We will also be asking our elected members and key external
stakeholders for their views over the coming weeks."
The Luther team will then build a series of recommendations for RPS and develop a corporate communications strategy which will include action plans to enable greater
participation.
RPS president Claire Anderson said: "We want to hear from as many of you as possible through our survey to inform how the organisation works with and engages with you,
our members.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has called its member to to express their views and fill out the Department of Health and Social Care's hub and
spoke survey on the proposed model of dispensing.
The Society has urged its members to fill out the survey before May 20.
RPS president Claire Anderson said: "It is vital that RPS members have their say on issue that impact you in your roles. Currently only single legal entities
can make use of this model of dispensing.
"Our survey, which opened today, seeks your views and comments and will help to inform the RPS submission to this consultation."
The consultation on the proposals to enable all community pharmacies to access hub and spoke dispensing published by the Department of Health and Social Care
(DHSC) will run for three months and will close on June 8, 2022.
The voter turnout in England for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's English Pharmacy Board election dropped to 7.9 per cent this year.
Out of a total of 19,512 eligible individuals, only 1,534 decided to vote.
The RPS English Board received ten nominations for five vacancies this year; therefore an election was conducted. One nomination was received for the three
vacancies on the Welsh Pharmacy Board. Three nominations were received for the three vacancies on the Scottish Pharmacy Board. Therefore, no election was
conducted in pharmacy boards in Wales or Scotland.
RPS president Claire Anderson said: "It's disappointing that the voter turnout in England has dropped to 7.9 from 11.8 per cent in 2021. We have now appointed
an independent review of how RPS members, elected members and stakeholders can feel more engaged and empowered to influence RPS decisions, and eagerly await
its recommendations."
The Society appointed communications agency Luther Pendragon to lead a review into how it can develop and strengthen member participation.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), supported by the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK),
have launched the first e-learning module in a series for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to develop their skills and knowledge in research.
A total of nine e-learning modules will be released by the end of 2022 to improve research awareness, knowledge and skills for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
with little or no experience of research or research opportunities.
The aim is to improve the capacity of pharmacy professionals to provide the evidence base to improve the practice of pharmacy and the health of the public.
RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "Many pharmacy professionals are rather daunted by getting involved in research. Indeed, we have heard from
pharmacists undertaking our post-registration credentialing assessments that the Research domain can present a real challenge.
NHS England has commissioned the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) to develop guidance that helps community and hospital pharmacy teams across Britain to
reduce the impact of pharmacy services, pharmaceutical care and medicines on the environment.
The RPS said the Greener Pharmacy Guidance will enable pharmacies to self-assess their impact against the standards, benchmark and improve through evidence-based
activities and actions.
"I'm delighted our strong commitment to helping pharmacy reduce its environmental impact can now be taken to the next level through developing guidance and
accreditation for pharmacy teams," RPS president Professor Claire Anderson said.
"Medicines account for 25 per cent of carbon emissions within the NHS and this initiative underscores our commitment to promoting sustainable healthcare and
supporting the NHS's goal of achieving 'net zero' emissions by 2040."
Peter Morgan, medicines assistant director at NHS England, commented: "Pharmacy staff are involved in the purchasing and dispensing of almost every medicine used
in the NHS and the new Greener Pharmacy Guidance and Self-accreditation scheme will provide support for pharmacy professionals by outlining clear actions to deliver
more environmentally sustainable pharmacy practices."
The RPS said the guidance and digital self-assessment toolkit will integrate with carbon calculator tools to help pharmacy teams to measure their carbon footprint,
action plan to reduce use of carbon and improve sustainability.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has urged the government to amend medicines legislation to allow pharmacists to make minor amendments to a prescription
without any protocol being needed.
RPS wants to see a change in the law that makes the whole process of supply of medicines easier and quicker, enabling pharmacists to use their knowledge and expertise
in medicines to better support patients.
"At present a prescription can only be changed by a prescriber, which causes unnecessary workload for GPs and delays for patients," said RPS.
RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "We want to see all pharmacists across the UK able to supply a different quantity, strength or formulation of a medicine
(for example changing capsules to tablets) when required, to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and the need for an SSP to be developed, signed and authorised by a
Minister. In effect it would mean that pharmacists can help patients straight away - it would future proof the problem to some degree.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has announced the results of the 2024 elections for its three national Pharmacy Boards.
For the English Pharmacy Board, the newly elected members include Claire Anderson, Martin Astbury, Steve Churton, Ciara Duffy, Sue Ladds, Mike Maguire, Tase Oputu
and Ankish Patel.
Matthew Prior has been elected for a period of one year to fill the casual vacancy on the Board.
Seven candidates have been elected unopposed to the RPS Scottish Pharmacy Board. They include: Jonathan Burton, Lucy Dixon, Laura Fulton, Catriona Sinclair, Amina
Slimani-Fersia, Richard Strang and Audrey Thompson. Only seven nominations were received for the eight substantive vacancies on the board.
Helen Davies has been elected to the RPS Welsh Pharmacy Board to represent the Primary Care sector. Meanwhile, Rafia Jamil and Geraldine McCaffrey have been
elected unopposed to fill the two vacancies in the Hospital sector.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has called for urgent action to ensure wellbeing of pharmacists after the publication of its annual workforce survey.
The survey, conducted in partnership with the charity Pharmacist Support, revealed that 89 per cent of respondents were at high risk of burnout, showing ongoing high levels of workplace stress.
It stated that 57 per cent of respondents reported often being unable to take a rest break or were not offered a break at all.
Around 68 per cent noted weakening of their mental health and wellbeing due to work or study, and 33 per cent considered leaving the profession, indicating high
percent levels of disaffection.
Besides seeking urgent action to allow proper rest breaks for pharmacists, RPS has sought "governments, the NHS and employers to urgently address the workforce issues that are impacting pharmacists' wellbeing."
It said prioritising essential work, effective workforce planning and better access to information is needed.
Commenting on the survey report, RPS president Professor Claire Anderson said: "Our survey demonstrates the continued pressure on pharmacists and trainees across the workforce".
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has stated that the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership lacks the essential transparency, efficiency, and
diligence needed for success, urging a shift in its approach.
The Commission's operational approach hinders its ability to meet the expectations of both the profession and the public, while prioritising government interests
over their needs and preferences, RPS Chief Executive Paul Bennett (R) and President Claire Anderson have jointly said.
In a blog post on September 7, the RPS leaders asserted that the Commission lacks transparency and is progressing slowly in implementing proposals that were published
seven months ago. "Most pharmacy leaders are growing frustrated and increasingly impatient with the Commission's perceived lack of "meaningful progress" in enhancing
leadership within the field," the pair noted.
In June 2022, the four UK Chief Pharmaceutical Officers (CPhOs) formed an independent Commission with leadership expertise drawn from various domains, both within
and outside of pharmacy, to assess the future of professional leadership. The Pharmacy Minister Neil O'Brien recently revealed that the Commission's costs, funded
by the offices of the CPhOs, amounted to £87,745.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), professional membership body for pharmacists and pharmacy, has published its manifesto for the general election,
highlighting key issues facing the next government after the election on July 4.
Local candidates are urged to recognise and support the vital role pharmacists play in supporting people's health.
The RPS teams are gearing up to influence government policy in various crucial areas. Their key asks include:
Ensuring Secure Patient Access to Medicines
Supporting a Better-Connected NHS
Enhancing Accessible Prescribing in Local Communities
Maximizing Health Improvement through Locally Accessible Pharmacy Teams
Supporting the Workforce to Deliver Patient Care
Unlocking the Potential of New Advances in Medicines
Supporting the UK's Global Position in Science and Research
Acknowledging the efforts of pharmacists and their teams, Professor Claire Anderson, President of the RPS, noted that they are "working incredibly hard to
maintain patient access to care amid workforce challenges, medicines shortages and financial pressures."
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has welcomed the Health Secretary Sajid Javid's plan to appoint Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) tsar to tackle the medicine shortages.
On Sunday (April 24) Sajid Javid told the Mail that he planned to tackle the problem (shortage of HRT medicine) by appointing a new HRT tsar with the role modelled on that of Kate Bingham, who successfully led the government's Covid vaccine taskforce.
"The difficulties in accessing HRT medicine have unfairly impacted women's mental health," said RPS President, Professor Claire Anderson.
"I look forward to working with this new champion for HRT and the Government on how we can better support women's health, building on the positive move to reduce
prescription charges for HRT for women."
Anderson also stressed that "the Government should now go further and end unfair prescription charges for patients in England altogether."
To help transform care for patients, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is calling on the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) to remove the two-year post qualification wait for pharmacists before they are allowed to start their independent prescriber training.
RPS proposes that entry to training should be based on whether pharmacists can evidence the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience to undertake the training, and not the length of time a pharmacist has been on the register.
RPS president Claire Anderson said: "We've campaigned strongly for better use of pharmacist independent prescribers, who are becoming essential to multi professional teams in all health care settings.
"We want to ensure pharmacy remains an attractive career and has parity with the other professions. Pharmacist prescribing is now moving from being a skill only associated with advanced specialist levels of practice to a more generalist scope, providing a workforce that's more flexible with a shared set of capabilities.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has published a new professional guidance for prescribing practice on Monday (June 6) which it says will be "for the
benefit of all independent prescribers across the UK".
Based on collaboration with multi-professional stakeholders, the document is a guidance tool for prescribers wanting to expand their prescribing scope of practice.
Commissioned by the Welsh government, the document was developed through an expert group with representatives from many healthcare professions, including from Higher Education institutions, professional bodies, regulatory bodies, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NHS Education for Scotland, Health Education
and Improvement Wales, and representatives from hospital, community and GP practice.
RPS president Claire Anderson said: "It's fantastic to see the growth in prescribing, both across the profession and more widely, to improve patient care.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) announced three new awards - the Daniel Thomas Award, the OPERA Award and the Barnett Award - at its annual
conference on Friday.
RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said each award recognises "exceptional contributions to the pharmacy field."
The Daniel Thomas Award recognises pharmacists or pharmaceutical scientists who died while actively practising in the profession.
It is named after Daniel Thomas, a pharmacist who died during the First World War in 1917 while serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps.
The Outstanding Pharmacy Early-Career Researcher Award or OPERA Award recognises the achievements of early-career researchers within the pharmacy field.
Cutting the red tape that blocks pharmacists to alter the HRT prescription could 'quickly fix' the problem of women unable to access their HRT medicines, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) told Daily Mail.
RPS has suggested that allowing pharmacists to prescribe alternative HRT treatment amid nationwide shortage of HRT medicine could help the women who are struggling
to access these medicines.
Thorrun Govind, chair of the English Pharmacy Board, told MailOnline 'changes in prescription rules need to be changed urgently.'
She added, 'For the pharmacists on the ground, they need the ability to get rid of this bureaucracy. When you think about it - who's best able to offer an alternative - that tends to be the pharmacist.'
MailOnline quoted Professor Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, as said, 'We welcome the Health Secretary meeting with key suppliers and manufacturers to find solutions to the current shortages. But cutting the red tape holding pharmacists back could provide a 'quick fix' that would allow 'women to access their HRT medicines more speedily'.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has called for a 'firm commitment' to prosecuting those making profits through the sale of DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol).
It has also urged the social media companies to 'remove content promoting or selling DNP to further reduce harm'.
Legislation to regulate DNP will come into effect on 1 October 2023. On Monday (23 January) it was announced that DNP will be included in the 1972 Poisons Act.
President of RPS Professor Claire Anderson said: "DNP is unfit for human consumption and its main use is in the manufacture of explosives and pesticides. It is
sold by unscrupulous dealers to vulnerable individuals wanting to lose weight but has a dangerous effect on the metabolism and has led to 32 deaths since 2007 in
those taking it as a 'diet drug'.
"Including DNP in the Poisons Act is a positive move as it will restrict its availability, but what's really needed is an outright ban to reduce the risk to the
public. Australia has already classified DNP as a substance of such a danger to health as to warrant prohibition of sale and we'd like the UK to follow suit.