In a unified effort to improve women's healthcare, four leading organisations-the Company Chemists' Association (CCA), the National Pharmacy Association (NPA),
the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH)-are calling for the commissioning of a National Emergency
Hormonal Contraception (EHC) service in England.
They are proposing that this service be provided free of charge through community pharmacies to women of all ages across the country.
They emphasised that such a service would "not only transform access to care for all women, but directly tackle health inequalities and vastly improve health
outcomes."
Thorrun Govind, a former chair of the English Pharmacy Board of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, has joined Brabners' regulatory & professional conduct team.
With nearly a decade of experience as a GPhC-registered pharmacist, Govind will provide guidance on regulatory and professional conduct issues.
Govind's expertise extends to healthcare advisory and disputes involving NHS Trusts and social care organisations.
She has been recognised as the 'Young Pharmacist of the Year' by Pharmacy Business Magazine and is a frequent commentator on public health and healthcare law
for major television networks.
Her appointment underscores Brabners' commitment to offering top-tier legal services to the healthcare industry.
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 support NHS, clear the backlog created by the Covid-19 pandemic and help community pharmacies support more people, the Welsh government has announced an allocation of further £12.5 million funding.
Of the total amount, £10mn will be distributed across the 22 local authorities to buy equipment to help people to live independently in their own homes post hospital stay.
The remainder, £2.5mn, will be used to support community pharmacists and patients to improve access to treatment and advice for a range of common ailments.
The move is aimed at alleviating waiting times and reducing winter pressures on the NHS.
Commenting on the announcement, Elen Jones, Royal Pharmaceutical Society director for Wales said: "We are delighted that the Welsh government continue to recognise the value of pharmacists in patient care and we welcome this additional investment and support for Community Pharmacy teams across Wales.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has cautioned that measures to protect people against Covid-19 must be stepped up in the wake of discovery of the new variant, B.1.1.529.
It has urged members of the public to practice 'hands, face, space and ventilation' protection measures which have become less used in the last few months.
RPS director of pharmacy Robbie Turner said that though it was too early to conclude about the transmissibility or resistance of the new variant to current vaccines, quick action should be taken to protect the public.
"Each one of us must take the necessary precautions of wearing a mask in higher risk situations, maintaining social distancing wherever possible, ensuring there's appropriate ventilation indoors when meeting others and washing our hands regularly."
Encouraging people to take Covid vaccine, he said, it "is still our best defence against this virus".
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has been on the lookout for innovative ideas and suggestions that could transform the future of pharmacy practice in England over the next decade.
The society's new project with the King's Fund to transform the future of pharmacy practice in England is at a consultation phase, seeking views and opinions of
pharmacy teams from all areas of practice including primary, secondary, social and community care to ensure that the system gets the best out of pharmacy and the
public receives seamless, joined-up care.
"We want to build a vision that sets out the role of and value of pharmacists and pharmacy teams working across systems, providing patient care and NHS services,"
said RPS in a statement.
"Transforming the future of pharmacy practice recognises the urgent need to build on new ways of working established across health and care systems during the
pandemic to meet the increasingly complex health needs of people and improve patient outcomes."
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Director for Scotland, Clare Morrison will be joining NHS Scotland in January.
Morrison has been appointed Director of Community Engagement at Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
Paul Bennett, RPS CEO said: "Many people, particularly in Scotland, will know of Clare's passion for quality improvement and patient involvement in the co-design
of services. This was demonstrated through her previous work on the development of Near Me, NHS Scotland's video consulting service, and its co-design with the
public, patients, clinicians and NHS staff which gained international recognition from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
"Therefore, this is an exciting opportunity for Clare to join Healthcare Improvement Scotland to take on a strategic leadership role in supporting effective community
engagement across health and social care in Scotland. It also enables Clare to make even greater use of her training as an NHS Scotland Scottish Quality & Safety
Fellow and we wish her every success in her new role.
The country as a whole is facing uncertain and challenging times, and for our profession emerging from the second year of the pandemic, the pressures and
stresses don't look to be easing up. It is undeniable that the wellbeing of those in our pharmacy family has suffered and many face emotional and psychological
challenges in addition to immense workplace pressure.
What do we know about the state of wellbeing within the profession? As the profession's independent charity, it is crucial that Pharmacist Support keeps abreast of
the changing needs of the profession to enable us to meet the needs of those we are here to help. To do this, each year we collaborate with the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society (RPS) to carry out an annual Workforce Wellbeing Survey.
The last survey carried out was in the latter part of 2021 but nothing has changed since. And the results provided stark reading. Of the 1,014 responses received,
many reported living with 'poor' or 'very poor' mental health and wellbeing.
The survey results highlight a continued clear need for mental health and wellbeing support. Within the survey, it was identified that there is a very clear need for
independent assistance, with many saying they feel unable to talk to their employers about their mental health issues. The need for our charity has never been clearer.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is seeking views of pharmacists to help shape the future of pharmacy practice in England over the next decade.
The RPS's project with The King's Fund, transforming pharmacy practice, aims to develop a vision for the role of pharmacists and pharmacy teams working across
systems, providing patient care and NHS services. It's due to be published at the end of the year.
"From 15 August to 30 September we are asking people to respond to our consultation on six key themes," the RPS said.
"We'll also be holding face-to-face and virtual events in September to hear your views."
The King's Fund has completed a literature review which has helped inform the initial six themes which will be the focus of the consultation, all of which can be
downloaded and read before responding.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and Pharmacist Support hosted a roundtable on the impact of pharmacy workforce wellbeing on patient safety on Wednesday
(17 May).
It also released its annual Workforce Wellbeing Survey which showed continued pressures on pharmacy teams.
The discussion explored the actions needed to support staff so they can continue providing safe and effective patient care and included representatives from the NHS,
professional bodies, employers, trade unions, education and regulators.
A report of the roundtable will be published in the summer.
Amandeep Doll, RPS Head of Professional Belonging, said: "We know that pharmacy teams go above and beyond for their patients, but are also under enormous pressure.
"Now more than ever, we need to strive to make the pharmacy profession more inclusive and ensure that everyone's wellbeing is supported.
"It is vital that we do all we can to encourage people into pharmacy and to support them so they can enhance their skills, develop their careers, and continue to
deliver high-quality patient care.
"This discussion was a welcome step and showed that making a difference for staff wellbeing requires a concerted effort from stakeholders across the whole of pharmacy.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has appointed Dr Anthony Cox from the University of Birmingham as the new chair of its Education and Standards Committee.
Anthony is Head of the School of Pharmacy and a Reader in Clinical Pharmacy and Drug Safety. He has previously been a member of the English Pharmacy Board and is a
Fellow of the RPS.
The Education and Standards Committee provides expert advice and makes recommendations to the RPS Education and Professional Development directorate, reporting
directly to the RPS Assembly.
Dr Anthony Cox said: "I'm looking forward to working with the committee during this vitally important time for the education of the profession at all levels, and
delighted to support the RPS in continuing to develop and deliver its important role in defining and assuring post-registration standards of pharmacy practice."
The Taskforce report recognises the important role of community pharmacy and pharmacy teams, and in particular, the fact that they often have most contact with
individuals who are receiving medication assisted treatment, commented the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) on the publication of the Scottish Drug Deaths
Taskforce's final report.
The final report published on Thursday (June 21) follows four years of work developing and implementing a programme of actions to tackle the rising number of drug
deaths in Scotland.
RPS, as pharmacy's professional leadership body in Scotland and the rest of Great Britain, has positively engaged with the Taskforce as it carried out its work.
Last year, RPS published 'Pharmacy's role in reducing harm and preventing drugs deaths (Scotland)' which contained 14 key recommendations. Many of the recommended actions within the Taskforce's report align with RPS policy.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has said that multi-buy deals on paracetamol violate the existing voluntary sales guidelines.
The professional body is urging the government to pass legislation that prohibits retailers from making such offers on medicines for pain relief.
They have also sent letters to MP Maria Caulfield who is the Minister for Mental Health and Women's Health.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is requesting to take action on the legislation at the earliest.
The concern raised is that multi-buy offers such as 'buy one get one free' can encourage people to buy and store excess packs, which may lead to accidental
or impulsive overdose.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has secured a contract with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to deliver a suite of e-learning modules to help pharmacy professionals "become more research active".
The new online resources - due to be launched next summer - are aimed at pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who may not have followed an academic career path or have had little or no experience of research delivery. The e-learning package will allow them to gain new skills so they feel more confident to engage with research and research opportunities.
Nine modules are being developed covering how to transform ideas into a research project, find and evaluate evidence and choose the appropriate research methods
whilst learning how to apply for research funding and deal with governance issues and publication.
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) has welcomed the appointment of Michael Matheson MSP as Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care in
Scotland.
Commenting on the announcement Laura Wilson, Director of RPS Scotland, said: "I would like to congratulate Michael Matheson on being appointed to this position.
NHS recovery is vitally important, and pharmacy has a huge amount to offer this agenda.
"Our current priorities include enabling pharmacists to take leadership of prescribing in all care settings, tackling health inequalities and advocating for change,
implementing shared patient records between healthcare professionals to provide high-quality, person centred and safe patient care, improving pharmacists' wellbeing
and tackling the climate emergency by encouraging sustainable and green prescribing across Scotland.
Following the publication of a new study by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) that estimates the economic impact and prevelance of hazardous NSAID
prescribing in England, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has underscored the pressing need for enhanced safety measures in medication management.
The study, led by RPS Fellow Rachel Elliott, reveals significant health and financial costs associated with the high-risk prescribing of oral non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) among vulnerable populations.
James Davies, Director for England at the RPS, emphasised the critical findings of the research.
"Improving the safety of NSAID prescribing requires a multi-pronged approach, that educates and supports prescribers on the risk, as well as uses the skills
of pharmacists in the primary care team to help identify higher risk patients and prescribing scenarios," Davies remarked.
The study highlights that NSAIDs, while effective in managing pain and inflammation, are associated with serious adverse events, including gastrointestinal
bleeding, renal dysfunction, and cardiovascular issues.