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The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in collaboration with Health Education England's Centre for Advancing Practice and the Centre for Pharmacy Post Graduate Education (CPPE) will provide a pharmacy-specific professional development pathway for advanced pharmacist practice. Successful completion of the pathway, assured through the RPS Core Advanced Pharmacist Curriculum assessment, will result in pharmacists being recognised by RPS as an advanced pharmacist, along with the awarding of HEE's Centre for Advancing Practice's 'Advanced' digital badge, demonstrating the quality assurance of their advanced practice preparation to patients, families, carers, and other healthcare professionals. The first participants in a fully funded, supported e-portfolio pathway to recognise advanced pharmacist practice in England will get underway in March 2023 This new programme is an important step in creating a clear postgraduate career structure for pharmacists in England. The innovative approach provides funding from HEE's Centre for Advancing Practice in 2023-24 for 300 pharmacists in England who are near to, or already practicing at, an advanced level, to enable them to receive supervision and support in building their RPS Core Advanced e-Portfolio from CPPE's pharmacy education supervisors.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United Kingdom, affecting nearly 50,000 men yearly. Combined with the challenges faced across healthcare during COVID-19, new figures show that prostate cancer accounts for a third of cancers not treated due to the pandemic, with 14,000 'missing patients' believed to have not undergone treatment since April 2020. It is more urgent than ever that men are encouraged to get checked, as any set-backs in diagnosis can reduce the pathways available, in turn affecting health outcomes. Community pharmacy teams play a crucial role in signposting the help available for men who may be concerned about their health. Therefore, it is vital that pharmacy teams have access to the information they need to correctly direct men to seek prostate cancer guidance. By maximising the trusted relationship between patients and their pharmacists, more can be done to identify the warning signs, helping men to get an earlier diagnosis.

In its effort to address workforce challenges, Health Education and Improvement Wales has outlined initiatives aimed at facilitating the return of pharmacy professionals with refugee status to active practice within Wales. This possibility has been stated in HEIW's Strategic Pharmacy Workforce Plan, which commits to investigating the practicality and significance of establishing a registration pathway for pharmacy professionals displaced due to refugee status. According to HEIW, it is currently investigating the viability and importance of revitalising 'return to practice' packages, formulating pharmacy apprenticeships, initiating international recruitment initiatives, and establishing a registration pathway in Wales for displaced pharmacists and pharmacy technicians holding refugee status. "In the past two years, we have arrived at a point where maintaining the desired access to the volume and quality of pharmacy services for our population has proven unattainable," said HEIW. "In Wales, instances of diminished pharmacy services are evident in both hospital and community settings. The trend of abrupt, temporary closures in community pharmacies continues."

More than 300 fully-funded training places will be open to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in adult critical care units in England this year. NHS England has awarded a contract to the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) to deliver 200 funded continuing professional development places for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from April 2024. Another school of pharmacy, the name of which has not been announced yet, will deliver 100 funded places on a pharmacist adult critical care pathway. There are already 15 funded places on an adult critical care training pathway for pharmacy technicians provided by the University of Bradford. Reacting to evidence indicating workforce concerns in critical care, NHS England invited bids from training providers for delivering the training in November 2023.

Abortion can occur by itself or it can be induced. Induced abortion is done, when a woman does not want a baby. She becomes pregnant against her will and wants to conclude her pregnancy. A woman might have many reasons for an abortion. Maybe she is not financially strong enough to support her child...

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are set to receive up to £15.9 million over the next four years which will help them thrive in multidisciplinary healthcare teams and enable expansion of frontline staff in primary and community care. The funding, which is part of the Pharmacy Integration Programme allocation, will improve registered pharmacy professionals' skills, through a range of training and development opportunities. The programme is a part of education reform for pharmacy professionals and will allow them to identify career pathways. Health Education England and NHS England will work in partnership to develop "a formal portfolio recognition process to identify the existing skills, training and experience gained by pharmacists working in primary care, allowing them to work more flexibly and better support GP services", HEE said in a statement today (November 8).

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.

The journey on building inclusive teams and increasing ethnic diversity and representation at all levels is never ending, said Sanjay Bhandari, chair at Kick It Out. "I think you can set the direction but it's quite difficult to set the destination with these things," Bhandari, who is part of the government-sponsored Parker review into the ethnic diversity of UK boards said during a panel discussion on Inclusive Leadership held as part of the Pharmacy Business Diversity Conference on Thursday (December 9). He said the aim of the review was to fix a destination like a milestone, it's not the ultimate destination. Bhandari highlighted that "most organisations have not even started and so a good way of getting started was by the end of 2021 to have at least one British born director of colour on your board for the FTSE 100 (companies)." The idea of the review is to "focus on that pathway and filling the hole inthedoughnut," Bhandari said.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)'s diagnostic advisory committee has recommended the use of HM-JACKarc or OC-Sensor quantitative faecal immunochemical tests (FIT) in a draft guidance release for consultation on Wednesday (5 July). Under existing NICE guidance, FIT was already offered to some people presenting to primary care with symptoms suggestive of colorectal cancer, while others were immediately referred on the suspected cancer pathway. The new draft guidance will now see everyone receive a FIT. A sample is sent in the post to a laboratory where the amount of blood in the faeces is measured. The results are usually available within a week and people with 10 or more micrograms of haemoglobin in their faeces should then be referred for further investigation. Further assessment using colonoscopy, or CT colonography, is required to diagnose cancer. The tests cost between £4 and £5 per sample, and can correctly identify about 9 out of 10 people with colorectal cancer. The committee agreed it is important that GPs can refer people for colonoscopy without a positive FIT result if they think it is necessary and where symptoms persist. The institute believes that the recommendation of the tests should reduce the number of unnecessary colonoscopies, thus freeing up appointments for more non-urgent referrals. This should lead to 50% fewer referrals for urgent colonoscopies being made by GPs in primary care settings each year.

Those of us who work in community pharmacy know there is a workforce crisis created in large measure by PCNs actively recruiting pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from our sector. It is welcome, if long overdue, that this has now been officially acknowledged in a report commissioned by the English Health Secretary. PCN hiring 'exacerbates pharmacist shortage' says DH-commissioned report, which states such recruitment has "on occasion exacerbated the problem of a general shortage of pharmacists" which has compounded "the problem of community pharmacy closures." We have been telling the government this for years only to be told "problem? What problem?"- but now that Steve Barclay has his own official report sitting on his desk, he and NHSE cannot continue in denial mode. The facts are there for all to see. Time to act. No more dithering, delay or indifference. You asked if there was a problem and you have been told there is. In the absence of a holistic workforce strategy and cross-sector career pathways, PCNs poaching from community pharmacy is a zero sum game adding nothing to improving patient care.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is refreshing its Professional Standards for Homecare Services and will be shared for consultation in August to allow comment and input on the updated content. The final version is expected to be completed in the autumn. The standards were originally published in 2013 and are a framework to support teams providing and commissioning homecare services. Homecare medicines services deliver medication, and any necessary associated care, direct to the patient's home with their consent. The standards help patients experience a consistent quality of homecare services, irrespective of provider, will protect them from avoidable incidents and help them get the best outcomes from their medicines. Jennifer Allen, The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer's Clinical Fellow leading the refresh at RPS said: "It has been 10 years since the first set of Homecare Standards were published, so it is important that they are reviewed and brought up to date to reflect current service design, medicine pathways and delivery models to ensure patients receive safe and effective medication supply and associated care."

The lessons from Covid crisis applied in the future through collaboration can create a better integration between GP practices, hospitals and community pharmacies, Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) has proposed. Stating that a more integrated healthcare system could enable pharmacists to provide effective and more efficient care to patients, the PDA proposed a model where at least two pharmacists would be working in each community pharmacy, empowered, and enabled with two-way referral pathways, having more clinical input and full access to patient records. "Such an environment could not only help to improve communications between health professionals and increase access to services for patients, but would support the NHS to operate more effectively."

Businesses have a responsibility for the safety of their employees, as well as visitors that are on their premises. If an injury occurs on their property, a company can be held responsible. There are various issues and rules that may apply, so it is important to know the facts regarding such situations. Here are 4 impacts legalities to consider for your business when dealing with such incidents. STATUS OF ENVIRONMENT AND RESPONSIBILITY OF PREMISES When you are looking into injury cases that occur and involve the premises or property of a business, one of the most important aspects to consider is the status of the property itself. All property that has access to the public owned by an individual or business must be maintained in a manner that is safe for people to reasonably move around. This is often associated with sidewalks and pathways, as well as corridors, hallways, and various rooms in businesses. You must ensure that areas where people may be around are safe such as ensuring no water or substance is present on floors that would cause falls or slips, and otherwise having the signage to indicate the need for caution. This is not limited to people, but can also apply to vehicles and equipment, ensuring oil stains and spills do not endanger the operators and employees in the area. Businesses should recognize any risks that are present and also be mindful to address environmental concerns in the immediate area as they are made aware of them. If a business fails to address such potential dangers, they are indeed potentially liable for any injuries and health concerns that come as a result of willful ignorance of the situation.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) is aiming to reach an agreement with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE) on negotiation with regards to expanded services and payment model in the pharmacy sector. Chief Executive Janet Morrison, said: "We are working at pace in negotiations with DHSC and NHSE. The process remains on track with the Government's original timescale - i.e. aiming for agreement in July, with cross-government clearance later in July, and implementation from July through to September." CPE is involved in working groups on service expansion of Hypertension Case-Finding and the Pharmacy Contraception Scheme and service design for the Common Conditions Service; and are in in-depth negotiations on Payment models. These discussions critically look at the balance between funding core capacity and activity payments, how the funding streams will be distributed and how CPE will measure delivery and impact. NHSE has been leading on the development of the PGD pathways for each of the 7 conditions, with external medical, pharmacy and other experts feeding into the process - pharmacy owners from the Community Pharmacy England Committee have also been involved but the discussions are clinically led to ensure they comply with NICE principles and concur with Antimicrobial Stewardship policy.

Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Scotland has submitted its evidence to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee's inquiry into 'Healthcare in remote and rural areas.' The Committee had sought views on what policies and actions would be most effective in addressing the issues people face when accessing healthcare in these areas. During the evidence session today (19 December), Laura Wilson, Director for RPS Scotland, highlighted the challenges faced by pharmacists and pharmacy in remote and rural areas, as well as provided some of the solutions for ensuring a sustainable pharmacy workforce. At present, people living in remote and rural areas of Scotland are required to travel to Glasgow or Aberdeen to undertake pharmacy training. Laura underscored the need to develop alternative education and training pathways, such as "grow your own" models, to support remote and rural areas to develop and retain local pharmacists.

Royal Pharmaceutical Society in England and the Royal College of General Practitioners have published recommendations for the roll-out and success of the GP Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (GP CPCS). These recommendations follow a workshop with stakeholders from pharmacy, general practice and representative bodies, examining ways to maximise the potential of the service and meet growing demand on the health service. The workshop report made five recommendations: The NHS England and Improvement should provide additional investment in local system support and resources to drive the CPCS implementation and uptake between general practice and community pharmacy. National representative bodies should work with NHS E&I to develop national and local engagement and streamline communication plans for CPCS referral pathway. Focus on expanding the role of community pharmacists in the management of minor illness. Evaluation of CPCS service and its impacts on general practice workload, patient outcomes and health inequalities.

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.

The Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) has been running as a national advanced service since October 2019 to relieve pressure on the National Health Service which aims to help with on the day demand in relation to minor illness and medicines. The NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service CPCS (NHS CPCS) aims to meet the objectives of the NHS Long Term Plan to use community pharmacists' skills to advise patients, and to build relationships with GP surgeries, primary care teams and wider NHS providers and to assist with urgent care system repeat prescription requests. Referrals from the GP referral pathway and urgent care systems and urgent treatment centres are digitally routed to community pharmacies so that patients can receive same-day appointments and have their queries resolved. The numbers Based on the estimated annual number of minor ailment GP appointments, the service was expected to save the NHS up to £640 million per year . Three years later, the nation has weathered the Covid 19 pandemic, which had widespread effects and put further strain on already overstretched NHS staff. The pandemic impact has resulted in higher numbers of GP appointments than initially anticipated. Nevertheless, this may offer an opportunity to proactively engage pharmacy teams in patient contact help ease strain across the wider NHS.

Pharmacies are the lifeblood of community healthcare, being a vital pathway to care and support in every borough of the UK. There are 11,600 pharmacies across the country, amongst which yours stands proudly. Pharmacies obviously have a duty of care to their patients and customers, and rigorous safety practices surrounding the safe storage and dispensation of medicine - but that duty of care also extends to fellow staff. This is to say that health and safety is a paramount concern for any pharmacy or pharmacist, and that great care should always be taken to uphold the highest possible standards with regard to health and safety. With this in mind, what follows is a refresher on some of the key hazards that could give way to workplace injury in your pharmacy - and how to mitigate the risk of injury. Biological Hazards Biological hazards are ever-present, and prescient in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. Though the COVID-19 virus was eventually shown not to be particularly resilient on surfaces, good practice was still to regularly disinfect surfaces and handles where possible - something which should still be a part of regular routine in your pharmacy. Likewise, face masks are a solid way to reduce the risk of infection or contamination, particularly where the handing over of biological samples is concerned.

The NHS England last week released a survey report on the involvement of pharmacy professionals in research, and proposed the implementation of a clinical academic training pathway for pharmacy professionals by 2030. Recommendations were made to support the embedding of research at all stages of a pharmacy professional's career. The report presented the findings of two surveys that NHS England launched in May 2022, one for individual pharmacy professionals and one for organisations, calling for evidence on clinical academic careers in pharmacy. The survey found that only a minority of the pharmacy workforce take up clinical research training opportunities. "Just under a quarter of individual respondents had applied for the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) or other research project grants, and just under half of the organisational survey respondents had supported individuals to apply for such a grant," it said.