Group items tagged

I believe as we start running we need to get the fundamentals of our running action right then we can build on that.

I believe as we start running we need to get the fundamentals of our running action right then we can build on that.

In response to Thursday (5 January)'s announcement on the proposal of new 'anti-strike' legislation, the Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) has said that it will work with other trade unions to defend the fundamental right for workers in the sector to strike. The association believes that "industrial action should always be a last resort, especially for health professionals such as pharmacists, however having the option to strike is a fundamental right for working people in a fair and free, civilised society." "The right to strike is a fundamental right through which employees can act collectively to secure and protect pay and conditions." It added: "The Trade Union Congress (TUC) are coordinating the challenge to these proposals." The TUC said in a statement: "The Prime Minister should concentrate on fixing our public services, not attacking public sector staff. The proposed legislation would make it harder for disputes to be resolved."

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has developed two new resources- Keeping patients safe being open and honest and Pharmacy team toolkit - learning from incidents, to help pharmacists and pharmacy technicians fulfil the duty of candour - the professional responsibility to be open and honest with patients if/when something goes wrong. The new resources bring together relevant existing policy, standards, and previous statements on the professional obligations of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, with respect to candour. It also emphasises that the duty of candour is not an add on - it's a fundamental part of pharmacy professional practice. The responsibility to be open and honest applies even in difficult or challenging times and it's essential that professionals do the right thing for patients, their families and carers. Saying sorry meaningfully when things go wrong is vital for everyone involved. Given the link with issues around liability and indemnity, the National Pharmacy Association and the Pharmacists' Defence Association - as leading providers of professional indemnity - have also contributed to the new resources and highlighted the importance of openness and transparency in this context.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has published a new strategy pledging to deliver equality, improve diversity and foster inclusion in all aspects of its work. The strategy was updated after a public consultation held between April and July. It's key themes are: To make regulatory decisions that are demonstrably fair, lawful, and free from discrimination and bias. To use our standards to proactively help tackle discrimination and to make sure everyone can access person-centred care, fostering equality of health outcomes.To lead by example and demonstrate best practice within our organisation, holding ourselves to the same high standards we expect of others. GPhC chair Nigel Clarke said having a strategy is vital as the pandemic has exposed "the scope and scale of inequities in society, in healthcare outcomes and in pharmacy." "Inequality and exclusion are bad for people's health. Therefore, this strategy is fundamental to our core purpose as a regulator and our vision for safe and effective pharmacy care at the heart of healthier communities."

Throughout the past decade, digital transformation has been at the forefront of the agenda for the NHS which has been accelerated by the abundance of digitally enabled ways of working during the pandemic. While the last year has unquestionably heralded the spring shoots of transformation, there is so much to be done to build upon this and accelerate further. For example, do both pharmacists and patients comprehend the value of digital to drive change at a fundamental level? The issue is not simply ensuring that the temporary fixes inspired by the pandemic successfully transition to standard practice, but also rapidly building on that foundation to enable the greatest value from digitisation within pharmacy. Covid-19 has increased the need for digitally enabled and empowered ways of operating. From the backlog in outpatient appointments to postponed screening programmes and, crucially, the potential exodus of overworked and stressed pharmacists, the efficient, effective and intelligent care enabled by the right digital technologies is now critical.

Politicians, researchers and pharmacy leaders called on the government to make community pharmacy a fundamental part of clinical services at an event at the House of Commons on Wednesday (13). At the launch of a research publication carried out by the University of Bath in conjunction with Sigma Pharmaceuticals, community pharmacy was described as an "essential pillar of health care provision" in the UK. The aim of this research was to provide evidence to support a strategy for the future developments of community pharmacy to ensure the sector continues to meet the needs of the public in the NHS. Researchers analysed 25 health and community pharmacy related policies published by the department of health, the NHS, the pharmacy profession, and spoke to stakeholders from a wide range of backgrounds, including patients, pharmacists, NHS commissioners and GPS.

Digital transformation is sweeping across the healthcare landscape. Fuelled by ambitious government policy, exciting innovation and huge injections of funding, it's hard for anyone in the sector not to catch a dose of digitisation fever. But digitisation is not a universal tonic, and it certainly isn't always a 'good thing'. In fact, there's a real danger to digitising healthcare. Such a fundamental change to the very nature of care delivery is an inevitably high-risk process: sometimes things or people get forgotten, vital processes stall, or new systems fail to replicate the strengths of those they replace. Take, for instance, the digitisation of pharmacies. Over recent years, the public's use of online-only pharmacies have boomed: in March it was reported that the number of items dispensed from distance-selling pharmacies in England, UK quadrupled between 2016 and 2021. These online providers offer an attractively convenient way for patients to receive their medicines; replacing a trip to a high street pharmacy with a package delivered straight to their door. On the surface, this digital solution seems perfect not only for young patients with busy schedules, but also for older patients or for those with restricted mobility who may struggle with in-person collection.

Community pharmacy bodies have said that the current crippling financial pressures and severe staff shortages will limit the sector from fully supporting the new health secretary's ambition to improve patient care in England. Thérèse Coffey announced her plans on Thursday (September 22) which would be looking to reduce the country's reliance on general practice by expanding the range of services available from community pharmacies and allowing pharmacists more "prescribing powers". "Pharmacists will be able to manage and supply more medicines, without a prescription from a GP. We will look to go further on enabling pharmacists with more prescribing powers and making more simple diagnostic tests available in community pharmacy," she said in her foreword to Our Plan for Patients. However, the National Pharmacy Association has lamented that the plan stops short of promising any fresh funding for community pharmacies to deliver patient care and develop clinical services. NPA vice-chair, Nick Kaye, said: "The life is being choked out of independent pharmacy businesses by the continuation of a fundamentally under-resourced contract in England.

Professional translators recreate texts, not simply matching word-for-word, but understanding the underlying meaning, purpose, and interpretation of the original language, and reproduce it using appropriate terminology and structure to ensure there is no potential for misunderstanding. An experienced technical translator addresses conventions to ensure the meaning of the information is preserved, using medical expertise and quality review processes to adapt documentation to meet the needs of patients, medical practitioners, and peers. Attention to detail is fundamental to medical translations and a non-technical translation is an unacceptably high risk for any organisation involved in publishing or circulating medical information of any kind. WHAT IS MEDICAL TRANSLATION? Medical translation is a technical process where capable translators reproduce content or documentation used anywhere in the medical industry, including psychiatry, systematic reviews, tuition and training, patient communications for pharmaceutical translation services. Important clinical trial translations can include labelling, prescriptions, medical devices and patient records, with millions of medicines and treatments used globally and written in multiple languages. Qualified medical translators must have exceptional linguistic skills but also a thorough understanding of medical sciences in all the native languages concerned. However, the complexity of translating one label or one document into several languages can mean that organisations may assume a simple translation is sufficient - when it is anything but!

AmerisourceBergen, a leading pharmaceutical solutions organisation announced its intent to change its name to 'Cencora' to better reflect its bold vision and purpose-driven approach to creating healthier futures. Steven H. Collis, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of AmerisourceBergen said: "Over time, we have established ourselves as a trusted industry partner that prioritizes innovation, advocates for patient access and advances strategic partnerships across the global pharmaceutical supply chain. To further bolster our position, we must continue to adapt and evolve within our dynamic industry as we pursue the goal of enhancing health outcomes. Building a unified brand is fundamental to our identity as a global healthcare company. We believe our new name better reflects who we are today and our impact across pharmaceutical care." AmerisourceBergen intends to begin operating as Cencora in the second half of calendar year 2023. The change to Cencora is aligned with the organisation's growth strategy and continued emphasis on innovation. AmerisourceBergen has focused on supporting pharmaceutical advancement and access for patients, manufacturers, and providers across the global healthcare supply chain.

Essential Pharma, an international speciality pharma group, has procured an establishment and manufacturing licences in Switzerland and Malta. Following a successful inspection by Swissmedic, the company has been granted an establishment licence in Switzerland, which will allow the company to significantly enhance its supply chain efficiency for a wide range of important medicinal products. It will apply to transactions for both finished and unfinished pharmaceuticals, allowing importing, exporting, wholesaling and trading abroad. Essential Pharma has also received a manufacturing and importation authorisation (MIA) in Malta, following a successful Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspection by the Malta Medicines Authority. The MIA will allow the company to import medicinal products into the European Union where manufacturing has taken place in a third country. This will allow greater flexibility in how the business manages the flow of medicines across its territories. These approvals strengthen the company's geographical expansion, improve its operational efficiencies, and enhance its offering as a global business partner. They will also provide new strategic opportunities for the company and will play a fundamental role in driving value creation through functional improvements to scale and productivity.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United Kingdom. However, Macmillan revealed that prostate cancer diagnoses were down 29 per cent between 2019 and 2020, meaning men weren't seeing their GPs to begin to get diagnosed. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to spot any symptoms and get checked, as an early diagnosis can help not only increase survival rates, but also offer a more varied choice of treatment options. As community pharmacy teams play a fundamental role in educating men who may be concerned about their health it vital to maximise trusted relationship with patients, and it is crucial that pharmacists have access to the correct resources to direct men to seek prostate cancer guidance. Prostate cancer often affects men who are over the age of 50. Those who are at a higher risk of prostate cancer also include those of African-Caribbean family descent, if there has been a family history of the cancer, and poor weight and diet. However, studies have found that community pharmacists play an important role in delivering programmes to improve levels of physical activity and diet of men with prostate cancer.

Chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee Janet Morrison has said government ministers are looking at the future of community pharmacy in England in a "bigger way" and have a vision to go "beyond the Scotland model". "I think they believe they're going beyond the Scotland model," she said, in her closing keynote at the 7th Annual Pharmacy Business Conference held in London on Sunday (May 14). Giving her views on the latest government funding - worth £645 million - for community pharmacy, the head of pharmacy negotiator, added: "Their thinking is for the future in a bigger and a more forward-thinking way." She added it was for the first time that community pharmacy has been seen "as part of primary care in a really fundamental way that gives us hope for the future". Morrison said the new funding uplift was effectively "for five quarters of activity," arguing that the common condition service won't start before December or early in the New Year due to the time it would take to get the IT systems up and running to support the rollout.

Technological innovation has touched our lives in immeasurable ways, from city infrastructure to personal entertainment and beyond. Even our health and conditions have been improved by the right tech innovations; contact lenses were one such innovation, having been safely pioneered as recently as the 19th century. But there are more recent developments which could change the lives of contact lens users forever; what are they? Smart Touch Contact Lenses While Smart Touch lenses are a relatively simple innovation, it is often the simple innovations that have the most fundamental impact on contact lens users. Smart Touch lenses are a new type of contact lens produced with a breathable material to promote eye health throughout the day. The key innovation lies in the packaging; Smart Touch contact lenses are provided in a bespoke blister packaging solution that delivers the lenses face-up. This ensures that the user never needs to touch the inner surface of the lens, keeping it hygienic and allowing for quick, unobtrusive application. These contact lenses provide innovative solutions for lens-wearers, and represent the power of slight technological improvements to existing products.

Many of us know that oral health plays a hugely important role in our general health and wellbeing. We're continuing to see a rise of cosmetic dentistry such as veneers and teeth whitening[1] but fundamentally, it shouldn't be forgotten that oral health encompasses so much more than aesthetics. Our diets, the oral hygiene products we are using, and our brushing techniques are all elements that impact our oral health. It's been hard to miss in the news that there is a dental crisis in the UK, with 'dental deserts' leaving some areas with over 3,000 patients for every NHS dentist[2]. With oral health being of such importance to our overall health[3], it's only reiterated to us at Haleon that we must continue to promote access to dental care and understanding of better dental health. As I've mentioned in previous articles for Pharmacy Business, an understanding of preventative, self-care is hugely beneficial, not just to improve health inclusivity but to help reduce these current burdens on both healthcare and dentistry professionals. We know that at Haleon, we, and the consumer healthcare industry as a whole, have a responsibility to empower people to equip themselves with the tools and information to participate in their own and loved ones' health - and dental health is such an important part of that.

When I was asked by fellow independent contractors to join the Review Steering Group (RSG) back in late 2020, I said yes, because I wanted, fundamentally, to look for some ways to improve both LPCs and PSNC. Through my experiences with Greater Manchester LPC I had seen the sorts of changes that LPCs could make and the positive impact that those had on local engagement and in allowing us to do more to support contractors: I wanted to help share what we had learned with the rest of the country. I was pretty sure that the national negotiator could make some positive changes as well. It took longer than I had hoped. And it was a lot harder than I had imagined - not least because of the extent of some of the divisions within our sector - but after 15 months of hard work, I'm pleased with where we have got to, and I believe the 37 changes being proposed will help all contractors. Consensus is not a sexy word. It is not something that fires up our imaginations or that we put on our list of key work objectives for the year. It is also not something that might come naturally to us as independent contractors. But consensus is something that matters. It is the thing that allows us, as a vibrant and diverse group of businesses, to see beyond our differences and to fight together for outcomes that benefit every single one of us. Consensus is also the thing that the RSG has been relentlessly focused on throughout its work, and it's at the heart of what will give our LPCs and PSNC a stronger voice for community pharmacy in the future.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has removed a pharmacist from its register who black-marketed 'zolpidem' along with another pharmacist between 2015 and 2016. Dean Zainool Dookhan, a pharmacist first registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain on 18 October 2004 and whose registration was later transferred to the General Pharmaceutical Council under registration number 2059808, was jailed last year for exporting 20,000 packets of zolpidem to the Caribbean. While hearing the case on 24-25 May, GPhC's Fitness to Practise Committee stated that "removal of the Registrant's name from the register is the appropriate and proportionate response to his convictions." "The public interest includes protecting the public, maintaining public confidence in the profession, and maintaining proper standards of behaviour. The Committee is entitled to give greater weight to the public interest than the Registrant's own interest in remaining on the register." "The Committee recognises the sanction has a punitive effect in that the Registrant's ability to practise and earn an income as a pharmacist and 28 his professional reputation will be curtailed; it will be five years before he can seek restoration to the register. However, that is the price he must pay for failing to comply with the fundamental tenets of his profession."

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is doubling down on its efforts to combat online pharmacy frauds, emphasising innovation, eradication of legacy systems, and cybersecurity in its updated technology roadmap. The online sale of medicines and medical devices is a "growing phenomenon offering convenience, anonymity, and lower prices " for the public. However the lack of robust cyber monitoring also "poses significant risks", as many online pharmacies are "unregulated, illegal, or fraudulent." According to the MHRA's recent report highlighting the impact of artificial intelligence on the regulation of medical products, the strategic themes of "fundamental to the successful deployment of AI" are essential for protecting consumers from fraudulent medical products.

A full CPE Committee Meeting was organised in London on April 17 and 18, 2024, to discuss crucial sectoral issues. Key topics discussed during the two-day meeting included intolerable pressures on pharmacy owners, the ongoing Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) negotiations, implementation of the Pharmacy First service, and governance changes. Committee Members reviewed the progress of CPCF negotiations with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England. These critical negotiations are being led by the Negotiating Team (NT), which includes independent pharmacy owners and representatives of CCA and non-CCA multiples. The CPE has been advocating for an uplift to the core global sum, margin write-offs, an agreed mechanism for regular funding increases linked to activity and inflation, annual uplifts to service fees, more fundamental reform of the margin delivery framework and an economic review of the medicines supply chain. The Committee also discussed the results of the 2024 Pharmacy Pressures Survey, which was conducted during March and April.