The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has welcomed the new research guidance published by NHS England for the integrated care systems.
The guidance is said to reflect the benefits of delivering research, for patients, staff and healthcare system performance, including the economic benefits for the
NHS.
Jennifer Harris, ABPI's Director of Research Policy, said: "This guidance is clear on what good research practice looks like and it's great to see it out and
available for the NHS to use.
"A research-active NHS delivers huge value to patients, staff and the system itself. We hope that putting this guidance into action will help Integrated Care Systems
realise the huge benefits that research can offer, and help make the UK once again a destination of choice for developing the medical breakthroughs people need."
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced on Monday (November 22) that it would integrate NHS Digital, NHSX and Health Education England into NHS England and Improvement (NHSE&I) as part of major workforce planning and technology reforms.
The merger is part of the government's long-term strategy for the recruitment, training and retention of healthcare staff coupled with a digital transformation of
working practices.
The overhaul is based on recommendations made by NHS Digital chair Laura Wade-Gery who led a government-commissioned review to improve patient care, centralise the NHS workforce and accelerate digital delivery.
Commenting on her recommendations, Wade-Gery, said: "In the rest of our lives, digital has really changed how we live and we must now make this true in healthcare.
The goal of my review is to equip the national centre with the right capability to support Integrated Care Systems to deliver better citizen health. We need to have
the culture, operating model, skills, capabilities and processes to put data, digital and technology at the heart of how we transform health services."
Lack of staffing and increased demand from patients is mounting unsustainable pressure on the NHS, putting patient safety and care at risk, a new poll of NHS
leaders by the NHS Confederation revealed.
NHS leaders in England warned that the service has reached a "tipping point" with nearly 88 per cent saying "the demands on their organisation are unsustainable."
The survey, published ahead of the monthly performance figures for the NHS England, covered leaders across hospitals, ambulance services, mental health providers, community services, primary care and integrated care systems.
It highlighted primary care, urgent and emergency care as greatest areas of concern, with record levels of demand on A&E departments and increasing bed occupancy
rates.
The NHS Confederation and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has published a report that demonstrated the importance of the
collaboration between industry and the NHS to improve patient outcomes across the UK.
Analysis from the report has shown a significant variation in access to innovative medicines for patients across the UK and showed that uptake of new treatments
in these areas continues to be below the average of similar countries in Europe.
The report, 'Transforming Lives, Improving Health Outcomes', has highlighted four initiatives where effective partnerships between the NHS, patient organisations
and industry have helped to tackle unwarranted variation in the uptake of innovative medicines.
Transforming Lives, Improving Health Outcomes also called for a systemwide secondary prevention strategy covering all parts of the health system creating a barrier
to wider and consistent uptake of innovative medicine. It also noted that newly created Integrated Care Systems have the potential to improve preventative treatment.
The report data also showed a 51% variation of uptake of three types of medicines related to diabetes between NHS Trusts in England.
Keith Ridge, who retired from the role of England's chief pharmaceutical officer this month, has written to the NHS regional directors regarding a package to empower community pharmacies to implement clinical services in their integrated care systems.
Though details about this letter are not available, Malcolm Harrison, chief executive officer of the Company Chemists' Association, welcomed the move saying: "It is a positive step towards the greater integration of community pharmacy care into the NHS.
"It is vital for the NHS that patients can benefit from the clinical care services set out in the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework."
Harrison, however, highlighted that while pharmacies are being pushed to do more, the efforts to introduce new clinical services should be supported with "sustainable funding and material actions to increase workforce numbers in the sector."
"We are concerned that without the funding and people in place, the desired volume of necessary services cannot be delivered, no matter how well coordinated."
Now is the best time for community pharmacy to integrate its model of NHS representation and support to ensure better outcomes for contractors, said James Wood, director of Contractor & LPC Support, Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC).
It is important for the sector to adapt to the new landscape and address challenges such as workforce, digital data, integration of pharmacy services, and medicines optimisation, he said during the first session of the sixth annual Pharmacy Business Conference held online on Tuesday, September 21.
Under the new system, every part of England will be covered by integrated care systems (ICSs) from April 2022. ICSs have been created to bring about big changes in how health and care services in England are planned, paid for and delivered. They are a key part of the direction of travel for the NHS as outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan.
In a delightful announcement, the University of Brighton has honoured NHS England's Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, David Webb with its prestigious Doctor
of Science honorary degree
Webb's award is a highlight of the university's graduation ceremony which celebrated the graduation of over 3,400 undergraduate and postgraduate students from 92
countries at the Brighton Centre this week.
The accolade recognises Webb's transformative work in the pharmacy services within the NHS, highlighting the profound impact his contributions have had on delivery
of healthcare across the UK.
Under Webb's leadership, significant advancements have been made in integrating pharmacy into NHS care pathways, improving patient outcomes, and enhancing the role
of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in the healthcare system.
Webb expressed his honour stating, "I am delighted to receive the honorary award of Doctor of Science from the University of Brighton in recognition of both my
contribution to pharmacy in the NHS"
The Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA), in collaboration with the Association of Optometrists (AOP), the British Dental Association (BDA) and the
NHS Confederation has written to health secretary Wes Streeting, urging him to ensure sustainable investment in primary care to strengthen the NHS and better
serve patients.
In their letter, the group congratulated Streeting on his recent appointment as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and requested a meeting to provide
their joint constructive input towards improving health outcomes.
They expressed concern that recent administrations have failed to follow through on promises to properly integrate and fund primary care, leading to deteriorating
health outcomes.
"Our collective experience is that our National Health Service (NHS), and health outcomes generally, have suffered at the hands of recent administrations that have
talked much about the importance of properly integrating and funding primary care but not followed through with action," they wrote.
The associations emphasised the need to transition the NHS to a Neighbourhood Health Service, where more care is delivered within local communities to identify
problems earlier.
As we transition in England through yet another NHS organisational change, I ask myself what does this mean for community pharmacy? I would like to think that
this change will bring about opportunity and a chance for community pharmacy to showcase and continue the excellent work that was carried out during the height of
the pandemic and is still ongoing today.
I hope that it allows community pharmacy to be regarded as part of the NHS rather than sitting on the side lines. This change has to lead to better funding for
community pharmacy, without sufficient funding we will see more pharmacies close.
We are hearing a lot about winter pressures but this year it feels like all year round pressure. What I have seen, whilst the NHS is under such pressure, is North
East London (NEL) CCG transitioning to an integrated care board (ICB) almost seamlessly.
I have seen people transitioning into new roles, whilst working hard to ensure that all plates are still spinning, which at the moment is no mean feat. I spent a
day out recently visiting pharmacies with the chief medical officer of NHS NEL, Dr Paul Gilluley.
The visits were positive, we felt listened to and understood. The feedback was great, it was recognised that community pharmacy is often the informal front door to
the NHS and that we have so much to offer in terms of ill health prevention.
Community pharmacy can offer a total solution as long as we have the tools to do so, which can save so much time and money. An example is the GP CPCS service, which
has launched well across NEL.
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.
Dr Amanda Doyle has been appointed as NHS England as director of primary and community care.
Prior to her new role, Amanda had joined NHS England and NHS Improvement as North West Regional Director on 2 August 2021 and previously she was the Chief
Clinical Officer for West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Blackpool CCG and Fylde and Wyre CCG.
Amanda was also the Integrated Care System Lead for Lancashire and South Cumbria, leading a large health and care transformation programme across the patch.
She has been a GP for more than 20 years, practising in a large practice in a deprived area of Blackpool, which, in addition to primary medical services, provides a range of urgent care services for patients across the Fylde Coast.
Amanda was the Co-Chair of NHS Clinical Commissioners from 2013 to 2018.
She was Senior Responsible Officer for the primary care component of the Long Term Plan and was involved in the leadership of the health inequalities, prevention and personalisation elements.
The hybrid professional and leadership session underscores the Sigma Conference's significance in offering hope and inspiration to its delegates. This
pioneering venture unfolds following meticulous planning, months of deliberation, and the collaboration of experts from various health disciplines across the UK.
This session, rich in diversity and expertise, aims to elevate the role of community pharmacy in the ever-evolving landscape of the NHS.
It comprises three key components and delves into multi-professional collaboration, insights from NHS Chief Professional Officers from the four devolved nations
complimented by the Royal College of Nursing Directorate Wales, and the evolving landscape of Pharmacy Professional Leadership.
Multi-Professional Collaboration: Breaking Boundaries
The crux of this ground-breaking session lies in appreciating and fostering greater multi-professional collaboration to set the stage for a thought-provoking
session on how community pharmacy can be recognised as an important cog in the wheel of an integrated NHS. This convergence creates a dynamic platform for community
pharmacy to form wider partnerships and explore opportunities, particularly with the recently launched NHS Pharmacy First Service.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) made a recent announcement that the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (i.AI) and NHS England (NHSE) have
joined forces in a groundbreaking move by signing a Collaboration Charter on AI.
This pivotal partnership aims to equip the NHS workforce with the tools and resources to leverage AI technology for enhancing patient care, improving staff
experience, and driving operational efficiency.
The Charter, endorsed by Minister Burghart, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, and Lord Markham, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the DHSC,
signifies an important step towards integrating AI into the fabric of the NHS.
Under this collaboration, the i.AI team, comprising elite technical experts within the government, will identify opportunities where AI technology can be deployed
responsibly to support the NHS.
This initiative is expected to streamline processes, optimize resource allocation, and ultimately enhance patient outcomes.
Community pharmacy contractors are likely to receive more referrals from NHS 111 for the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) following a review of the NHS Pathway algorithms, NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) announced on Friday (January 14).
The review, conducted by an expert group of Integrated Urgent Care clinicians and pharmacists, led to inclusion of more minor illness symptoms for referral to the CPCS from NHS 111.
The reviews based on data from 2021, showed it could generate 275,000 additional referral opportunities annually.
With the introduction of changes, three new condition types (scratches and grazes, teething, sinusitis) and general health information requests will be added.
NHS Somerset is aiming to grow its referral rate through GP Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (GP CPCS) to between 4,000 to 6,000 patients a month.
Since June 2021 GPs in Somerset have successfully referred around 1,000 patients a month through the Somerset GP Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (GP CPCS)
Currently, 59 of NHS Somerset's 64 GP practices and all of Somerset's 102 community pharmacists are using the Somerset GP CPCS.
NHS Somerset found that providing the right training for GPs and for reception staff and practice managers was key to a smooth rollout and uptake of the service.
As was making sure the technology worked when making referrals from general practice to community pharmacists.
NHS Somerset is using software called Patient Access Connect, which seamlessly integrates with the EMIS Web GP system used in Somerset, to give practices a quick
and easy way to capture the patient information needed to deliver a referral.
Several pharmacies have joined the inhaler recycling scheme in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, to support NHS England's Greener NHS programme, which aims
to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.
It is part of a collaborative working initiative between the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and AstraZeneca UK Ltd, supported by the Black Country Integrated Care
Board and Wolverhampton City Local Pharmaceutical Committee.
Under this scheme, old and used inhalers are recycled and transformed into new products, such as coat hangers and waste bins.
Simon Evans, group chief strategy officer for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, emphasised the importance of prioritising the reduction of carbon footprint while
maintaining high-quality care, to protect the planet for future generations.
"The Trust has already made significant achievements in several areas including the physical estate, clinical services, waste recycling, catering and
medicines - with this inhaler recycling scheme from pharmacy being the latest string to our bow," he said.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is supporting pharmacists in England whose employment has been impacted by the creation of new NHS structures.
As a result of the 2022 Health and Care Act, Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) were established in England, and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) were closed on 1
July 2022. Each of the ICSs includes two key parts: an Integrated Care Board (ICB) and an Integrated Care Partnership (ICP).
The association said: "The previous structures in England, established by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, originally had over 200 clinical commissioning groups.
This number had reduced over recent years via mergers."
"However, this latest shift to just 42 commissioning entities means a significant change to significantly larger geographies and populations covered by each ICS.
Although each ICS and its activity can be subdivided into 'places', and within places into 'neighbourhoods', it is at the ICS level that the employer is formed."
"Whereas CCGs previously employed many local health professionals, including pharmacists, the new arrangements mean that ICBs are now that employer. The PDA is
supporting members who have contacted its Service Centre about the impact of these changes."
The Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB) has called on the new Labour government to prioritise six key actions within its first 100 days to
harness the benefits of self-care for the public, the NHS, and the wider economy.
Aimed to ease the burden on the NHS, the PAGB hopes that the suggest six key actions would help during the incoming winter illness season.
According to PAGB, the NHS deals with approximately 25 million GP appointments and 5 million A&E visits each year for self-treatable conditions.
By empowering individuals to manage their own health more effectively, the NHS could potentially save up to £1.7 billion annually.
In her letter to Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Michelle Riddalls, CEO of PAGB, urged the government to act promptly.
I have always been passionate about Community Pharmacy and am proud of the way that the sector navigated itself through Covid-19 and is currently navigating itself through all the changes in the NHS landscape.
When I started my role in Sep 2019 as the CEO of Kent LPC, I used to say that community pharmacy has changed more in the last five years than the 15 before that,
however, I now believe community pharmacy has changed more in the last two years than the 20 before.
The year 2019 saw the start of the five-year Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework which set out how community pharmacy would support delivery of the NHS long term plan. What PSNC (or any of us) when negotiating this deal had not envisaged was the Covid-19 pandemic.
Whilst the world turned upside down, we saw high street shops close their doors and immense pressure flood the NHS. Community pharmacy did what they always do, they adapted, teams came together, worked through, and showed resilience in the face of adversity.
In Kent, I saw us integrate into primary are and into the NHS structure very quickly, in the first few weeks after Covid-19. All the usual red tape was removed, we all worked together to implement services to help patients in a matter of weeks when they would have normally taken months.
The Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) has rebranded to be known as Community Pharmacy to present a strengthened and unified identity to the
local NHS, local government and other stakeholders, as the local voice of community pharmacy.
"There are now 58 LPCs in England. The number of LPCs has reduced from 69, with further consolidation expected by April 2024 to a network of 48 local organisations,"
said Community Pharmacy England.
"The changes mean there will be better alignment between LPCs and the 42 NHS Integrated Care Systems in England, who have taken on the responsibility for
commissioning pharmaceutical services delegated by NHS England."
"This marks a significant milestone, as similar to Community Pharmacy England, LPCs have been undergoing changes to respond to the Review Steering Group (RSG)
recommendations on pharmacy representation. The sector voted in favour of the RSG proposals in the summer of 2022, and since then progress has been made on many
of the changes at both local and national level as part of the Transforming Pharmacy Representation (TAPR) Programme."