Boots is planning to invest more than £3.5 million to accelerate its capacity to offer prescribing services in its stores across England.
The company is inviting 500 of its pharmacists to apply for a bursary which will cover the cost of pharmacist independent prescriber (PIP) courses starting this
September.
The value of the bursary is up to £7,000 per pharmacist, and it will enable time off work for those who need it to complete the training.
The move by Boots will support its current pharmacists to gain this qualification via courses accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). From 2026,
all qualified pharmacists will be able to prescribe as part of new curricula for pharmacy degrees.
Under current GPhC guidelines and with an independent prescribing qualification, pharmacists can prescribe autonomously for any condition within their clinical
competence.
Marc Donovan, the chief pharmacist at Boots, said the ambition of the company was "to have a pharmacist prescriber available at every store".
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has called on pharmacy employers and pharmacists organisations to make donations towards the Pharmacist Support charity in the new year.
The association has urged them to donate £1 per pharmacist employee or member to the charity group to increase its funding from 2022 onwards.
Pharmacist Support, an independent charity, provides a variety of support services to pharmacists and their families, former pharmacists and pharmacy students in Great Britain.
It provides support through twelve sessions of fully funded counselling topharmacists, students, or trainees.
Since 2018, the association has donated more than £150,000 to the charity, in turn supporting its members who additionally seek assistance from Pharmacist Support.
A new report based on research from pharmacists across England by Sanofi, has called for the introduction of a 'national self-care strategy' to relieve the
burden currently faced by health services.
The new report, titled 'Driving a self-care revolution in the UK', explores the views of pharmacists, patients and doctors on self-care and the support needed to
deliver it more effectively. While self-care policy measures are estimated to increase monetary savings for healthcare systems and national economies by 16%, this
report highlights the right tools and resources are not yet in place to enable pharmacists to play a greater role in delivering self-care advice and medicines to
patients.
"As many as 77% of pharmacists said they would support the creation of a National Self-Care Strategy to provide national leadership on improving understanding of
self-care and encourage its use among both patients and clinicians," the report said.
According to the report, currently, 33% of pharmacists working for independent or small pharmacy chains do not have the resources to support patients with self-care,
alongside their other roles. "To tackle this, close to half (45%) of pharmacists believe greater emphasis by primary care practitioners on the benefits of self-care
would leave pharmacists in a better place to support patients. Similarly, 42% believe that training and recruiting more pharmacists would improve their capacity to
deliver self-care advice."
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has raised concerns over the rising risks related to online pharmacy services.
It revealed over 30 per cent of its open Fitness to Practise (FtP) cases were related to online pharmacy, which is disproportionate to the sector of the market that
online services occupy.
The regulator has advised pharmacists and pharmacy owners providing online services that they should "not work with online providers who try to circumvent the
regulatory oversight put in place within the UK to ensure patient safety".
In the past five months, the Council has imposed seven interim orders on the registration of pharmacists who have worked for or with online prescribing services -
after identifying serious concerns with their practice.
It said: "These pharmacists were working as pharmacist independent prescribers for online services or were dispensing medicines prescribed online. Some of these
pharmacists were the Responsible Pharmacist (RP) or the Superintendent Pharmacist (SP)."
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.
Health Education England (HEE) has developed funded training offers for community pharmacists, including locums aiming to become independent prescribers.
Almost 3000 independent prescribing training places will be available to pharmacists from March 2023.
This training enables pharmacists to support patients from diagnosis to prescribing, and to provide advice and follow-up - while also helping them to feel confident
and prepared for the new challenges of their role.
Courses will be available between April 2023 and March 2024, with several universities offering multiple dates for cohort intakes. Start dates will depend on the
university provider.
Training will enable the provision of new models of care: supporting patients from diagnosis to prescribing, providing advice and follow-up, and preparing pharmacists
to provide clinical care, as pharmacy services become more widespread within emerging clinical pathways.
Healthcare reform emerged as a cornerstone of the Labour Party's manifesto leading up to the recent general election. A standout pledge was the establishment
of a Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service, aimed at granting pharmacists independent prescribing rights where clinically suitable. This initiative is seen as a
positive step in addressing critical challenges within the National Health Service (NHS).
Numark Chairman Harry McQuillan praised Labour's recognition of pharmacists' role in patient care through expanded prescribing rights.
"Let's be honest, pharmacists are an underutilised resource within the healthcare system. We possess extensive training and expertise, yet our full potential
hasn't always been acknowledged.
"By harnessing pharmacists expanded prescribing rights, Labour is acknowledging our significant role in patient care. This initiative aims to recognise our skills
and enhance patient care, ensuring quicker access to necessary treatments," he said.
However, he pointed out that the concept requires further exploration, as the rights to prescribe are already granted through the recent change to undergraduate
training that incorporates prescribing.
HubRx has appointed Dr Sarah Passmore as superintendent pharmacist ahead of launching what the company called "the UK's first state-of-the-art automated pharmacy
hub".
Dr Passmore brings more than 20 years of pharmacy experience - having held key regulatory roles with Rowlands Pharmacy over a 11-year tenure, which also saw her
involved in a number of pharmacy automation projects.
Commenting on her appointment, Dr Passmore said: "As a pharmacist, who has spent more than 10 years working within community pharmacy, I'm excited by what a hub and
spoke model for prescription dispensing can bring.
"Pharmacists are highly trained in delivering clinical services to patients - and like me - it's often a part of their job that they thoroughly enjoy. The option of
using hub and spoke to support dispensing prescriptions will give community pharmacists the gift of more time that can be spent helping patients.
"I'm excited to join HubRx and for it to become the first state-of-the-art automated pharmacy hub designed for independent community pharmacists to launch in the UK."
Two more independent community pharmacists have been appointed to the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership.
NPA board member Reena Barai and Sheelin McKeagney from Lurgan in Northern Ireland will join 25 other commission members, including Ash Soni who was the only
practising community pharmacist on the initial list published in June.
Welcoming the announcement, the National Pharmacy Association chief executive, Mark Lyonette, said: "To their great credit, the co-chairs of the commission and the
UK's chief pharmaceutical officers have listened to our request for more community pharmacy presence on the commission. They have acted swiftly to achieve a better
balance in its membership and we thank them for responding to our representations.
"Around 70 per cent of pharmacists practice in the community. With more voices from community pharmacy within the leadership commission, there is a greater sense
that the profession as a whole will be able to own the final recommendations when they are ultimately made."
Within the last few weeks, at least six pharmacists have been subjected to interim order applications - either suspended or had significant restrictions
placed upon their registration pending a full 'Fitness to Practise' hearing into serious allegations being made about their prescribing practices, the Pharmacists'
Defence Association (PDA) has found.
It said that there has been a "dramatic increase in action being taken by the pharmacy regulator (GPhC) against pharmacist prescribers associated with certain types
of online prescribing services".
It has warned pharmacist prescribers who work for online pharmacies about the specific risks associated with remote prescribing using a questionnaire-based model,
typically with no direct prescriber/patient interaction.
Common features that underpin the allegations include the following: Overreliance on a patient questionnaire to inform clinical decision making; No patient/prescriber
interaction; Prescribing high risk medicines without adequate safeguards; Inadequate systems and processes leading to inappropriate prescribing; Very high volumes
of prescriptions being authorised in short periods of time; and Prescribers/patient relationship established via an unregulated online portal.
Tesco, one of the leading pharmacy chains in the UK, has been allegedly accused of forcing some locum pharmacists to accept lower rates or it will cancel
their booking. The issue has been brought to the notice of the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) by some of its locum pharmacists members.
"Some locum pharmacists who had existing confirmed bookings at Tesco stores have reported to the PDA that the company has contacted them to say that if they do not
agree to accept lower rates than have already agreed, the company will cancel their booking," said PDA.
"The reported messages follow a communication from Tesco setting self-imposed so-called "wage rates" for locums. This is confusing as locums are self-employed and
therefore should be able to negotiate rates with their clients just as any other independent supplier can do. Using terminology such as "wage rates" is more
indicative of an employer-employee relationship and could undermine the status of the locum market in community pharmacy. Employees are also entitled to various
extra benefits and have greater employment rights."
In a bid to bolster professional leadership within the pharmacy sector, the four government Chief Pharmaceutical Officers (CPhOs) have embarked on a
significant initiative, forming the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board (UKPPLAB).
In a recent communication, all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians received confirmation of the board members selected by the CPhOs, alongside a note from the
board's appointed chair, who was chosen collectively by the four CPhOs and reports directly to the CPhO for England.
Over three years, the 21-member Board will implement recommendations from the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership's report aimed to enhance
professional fulfillment among pharmacists while simultaneously augmenting patient safety standards.
This announcement also follows with the appointment of Sir Hugh Taylor as its Independent Chair and the appointment of Independent Expert Members who expressed
his delight over the role's "potential to lead and support collaboration across the professions in the UK".
However, the move has been met with cautious optimism from the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA), urging the new board to uphold transparency and openness
to garner trust among pharmacists.
What will it take to get help from the government before an individual or sector breaks? Pharmacists raised questions after the Pharmaceutical Services
Negotiating Committee (PSNC)'s 2023 Pharmacy Pressures Survey confirmed the ongoing pressures and health issues faced by the pharmacies.
Pharmacists are not all shocked by the PSNC's survey report as they feel the same as what has been reported related to their businesses and health. They hope
the government listens and work with them to find resolutions.
"We are bullied into a corner," said Salim Jetha Chairman, Avicenna.
"Unlike other industries, we can't increase our prices. Most of the daily calls I get from Independents is about financial health of their business and any cost
cutting would be detrimental to patient care. Urgent holistic review is required."
Bristol pharmacist Ade Williams said: "The report is a dire indictment, and I would also warn, likely an underestimate of the extent and detrimental impact of the
ongoings pressures and squeeze on Community pharmacies."
"If the closest interface of the NHS to communities and patients is so distressed, what does that mean for those that need and depend on us? We are notoriously very
stoic, so this is a warning light, which, taken with workforce pressures, market-exit activity, and other reports raising concern about wellbeing and stress, must
beg the question; what will it take to get help before the sector and individuals break?" he questioned.
The survey results don't surprise Kent-based community pharmacist Amish Patel. He said, "I have been feeling exactly what has been reported for far too long. I'm
burnt out and would say beginning to suffer with my own health because of it. Now it's for PSNC to talk to government, and government to listen and work with us to
find resolutions."
Pharmacists with 'relevant experience in a pharmacy setting' can enroll for accredited independent prescribing course, as the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has decided to scrap the requirement of spending at least two years on the register and having previous experience in a specified clinical or therapeutic area before enrolling for the course.
The GPhC Council meeting held on Thursday instead proposed that applicants must have "relevant experience in a pharmacy setting and be able to recognise, understand
and articulate the skills and attributes required by a prescriber." This experience and awareness will act as the basis of their prescribing practice whilst training.
The regulator noted that the majority of stakeholder organisations, including the Chief Pharmaceutical Officers, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the statutory education bodies, were in favour of removing the requirement in a consultation on the topic.
They highlighted that a specific two-year period was not in itself a robust indication of whether an individual was ready to become a prescriber.
They also highlighted that the rapidly developing roles in the profession meant more pharmacists were likely to gain the necessary experience more quickly than in the past. A smaller number of organisations and a larger minority of individuals were opposed, citing that a specific two-year period gave pharmacists the time they needed to develop experience and confidence before being ready to enrol on a course.
The Chief Pharmacist for England and Co-Chairs of professional leadership commission has responded to the questions raised by the Pharmacists Defence Association
(PDA)'s member on the professional leadership survey.
In early September, the PDA wrote to the UK's Chief Pharmaceutical Officers to increase transparency and confidence in the process by asking for clarification of
some of the commission's thinking, assumptions, and scope.
On behalf of all four CPhOs, Chief Pharmacist for England David Webb provided feedback: "The Commission has two independent co-chairs and members have agreed to
abide by the 7 principles for the conduct of public life as recommended by the Nolan Commission which form part of the Terms of Reference. Commission members have
been appointed on behalf of all pharmacy professionals to contribute their expertise in and knowledge of professional leadership and are not appointed to represent
their particular countries, organisations, sectors or roles."
The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMP)'s members are not going to abandon the dosettes boxes, the association has announced. Instead, it
insisted that this service should be properly funded.
The association has emphasised on the importance of the service provided by pharmacists to elderly patients living independently.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of AIMP, said it was vital that patients for whom this service is suitable can continue accessing it and that it is properly
funded.
Blister pack trays or dosettes assist thousands of people across the UK in living independently and remaining in their own homes for longer.
"This is largely attributable to the care and professionalism shown by local pharmacies," said Hannbeck.
"Our members, as independent family-owned pharmacies, are not going to abandon this service for patients."
Sixty-seven per cent of UK independent pharmacists say the pandemic has positively changed how patients view the clinical services offered by community pharmacy.
The research - carried out with an independent panel of more than 100 community pharmacists - revealed that 35 per cent of them had increased their clinical services to fulfil patient demand during the pandemic.
Seventeen per cent said they had expanded their private clinical services such as vaccinations and dermatology, with a further 17 per cent adding sexual health services such as emergency contraception and chlamydia screening in their services offer.
Thirty per cent introduced NHS health checks and emergency supply NHS services during the pandemic.
Leaders from across the pharmacy sector and trade bodies dwelled on the challenges faced by the pharmacists at the Sigma Conference held on Sunday (2 October).
"If the cost of carrying out regulation is higher than the benefits, it's time for all the bodies to sit together and talk on what can be adjusted accordingly,"
said Salim Jetha, Chairman, Avicenna.
Jetha highlighted the challenges faced by the independent pharmacy and also raised the concern about the 'level playing field' for pharmacists compared to GPs. He
said: "GPs get paid for energy cost, premises cost, the staffing cost. We don't get paid for that. So don't be misled by saying we are being exactly the same. Yes,
on paper we are, but in reality we are not. I think also the rules of engagement are different."
He called for better collaboration with GPs, and urged PSNC and other trade bodies to ensure a level playing field.
Janet Morrison, CEO, Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee(PSNC), warned that the pressure in the sector is building up to a 'breaking point'.
Simon Harris bought an average-sized store from a national chain and turned it into a profitable business in just over a year - a great example of how to
start up a pharmacy and become successful. His formula was quite simple - recognise the available opportunities, take some calculated risks and reap the rewards.
Simon went into pharmacy because he felt it was a profession that would allow him to "help people" and have a direct impact on their lives. "I also thought it was
a profession which would allow me to have my own business one day."
Since qualifying as a pharmacist from Bath University in the late 90s, Simon did his pre-reg at a large Boots store in Broadmead, where we had some "great experience"
as a pharmacist manager.
He decided to take a year out and went around the world with his "now wife" and ended up working as a pharmacist for a pharmacy group Down Under which had a contract
with the sports industry, i.e. Australian Open and the Australian Football League.
"It was quite an experience because at the time I knew nothing about Aussie football but I ended up being their pharmacist after a short conversion course."
Independent charity group, Pharmacist Support has appointed five new trustees to its board - David Downham, Karen Harrowing, Mohammed Hussain, Mala Khiroya, and Alison Scowcroft, for a term of three years.
The new recruits will join the existing Board members Anita Cawley, Catherine Harper, Paul Johnson, Steve Lutener, Esther Sadler-Williams, Mark Sweeney and Sarah Willis.
Harrowing, Downham and Hussain have begun their 3-year term in January 2022, while Scowcroft and Khiroya would join the board in June.
The new appointments are in line with the Charity's plans, announced last year, to enhance its volunteer schemes.
"Since the launch of the charity's new strategy in January 2020, the profession has been faced with many new challenges. We are really proud of the work we have done in the last few years to address some of these challenges," said Pharmacist Support chief executive Danielle Hunt.