Pharmacists, councillors and NHS leaders came together at Portsmouth's first Community Pharmacy Summit to address some of the challenges facing community
pharmacy locally.
They explored ways to reduce the huge pressures on pharmacy, tackle abuse towards staff, enable pharmacists to undertake training to treat more illnesses, and to
protect the current and future workforce.
Portsmouth City Council, which hosted the Summit on Wednesday 15 November, also invited representatives from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, University
of Portsmouth, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board and businesses to discuss new opportunities to work together.
Held at Portsmouth Guildhall, the event was chaired by Cllr Matthew Winnington, Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing, Health and Care, and Cllr Gerald
Vernon-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Transport.
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.
NHS England and NHS Improvement published on May 26 the findings of the Fuller 'stocktake' - setting out how primary care can work with partners across health
and care to best meet the needs of their local communities.
Dr Claire Fuller's report lays emphasis on the essential role of primary care and the potential of integrated neighbourhood teams in reducing the burden of ill health and tackling health inequities.
It commends community pharmacy for keeping "its doors open to the public throughout" the pandemic whilst being "among the most recognisable of a multitude of dedicated staff delivering care around the clock in every neighbourhood in the country". The report highlights "recruitment and retention challenges across the wider primary care workforce" including in community pharmacy.
Stressing the importance of community pharmacy teams in urgent care and prevention, including early diagnosis of cancers, the report points out that pharmacists could play "a more active role in signposting eligible people to screening and supporting early diagnosis, building on a number of successful pilots such as those from the Accelerate, Coordinate, Evaluate (ACE) programme".
The Health Education England (HEE) has secured funding to further support growth of the pharmacy technician workforce in 2022/23.
This support is through expansion of pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician (PTPT) training capacity in community pharmacy or as part of a cross-sector
integrated apprenticeship programme.
HEE will be holding two 90-minute webinars on Monday 27 2022. There will be a morning webinar (10-11.30am) and an evening webinar (7-8.30pm) for attendees to
choose from.
Topics like- available funding; eligibility for funding; PTPT training programme requirements for employers; how to apply for this funding; and the support
available from HEE for successful funding of applicants to develop their PTPT training programmes, will be covered during the webinars.
HEE is also hosting another webinar to provide an update on the Independent Prescribing (IP) for pharmacists training offer that they are developing for Autumn 2022.
A new NHS-funded training course on clinical examination skills has been announced by Health Education England (HEE) for 10,000 community pharmacists.
The training will be provided by CliniSkills and be coordinated by HEE with the Pharmacy Integration Programme at NHS England.
With pre-registration now open to all community pharmacists, the programme will be available from 17th April 2023 and will until March 2024.
It will be delivered online, with optional face-to-face attendance for pharmacists who would find this beneficial.
Pharmacists will be required to complete a module on history taking and identification of serious conditions and can then choose from four optional modules,
which cover the following themes: dermatology; cardiology; paediatrics; and ear, nose and throat.
The training is designed to be complementary to the independent prescribing training and can be completed prior to or after an independent prescribing training
course. It is open to all community pharmacists including those that work part time and locums.
Titan PMR has been accredited by the NHS to provide electronic prescription services (EPS) to dispensing doctors.
Over 1,000 of these doctors, who provide a vital service to almost 10 million people in rural communities, can now offer their patients the same level of benefits
and efficiencies that electronic prescriptions and Titan PMR have brought to pharmacies around the UK.
These features will also increase efficiency for dispensing doctors, who will reduce dispensing errors and improve organisation, increasing their capacity while
enjoying the ability to integrate with other technologies.
After a full year of testing, including six months of compliance testing at a practice in Cumbria, the new accreditation for Titan also has potential to help the
NHS fulfil its target of all prescriptions being issued electronically.
Currently written paper prescriptions from dispensing doctors account for around seven per cent of the total prescriptions in England - around 6.5 million each month.
"Until now dispensing doctor surgeries have basically been in the digital dark ages when it comes to dispensing medicines," said Tariq Muhammad, a tech entrepreneur
and CEO of Bristol-based Invatech Health, which developed Titan PMR.
Community pharmacy could play an important role in proactive detection of heart valve disease (HVD), which remains under-recognised and under-detected in
England, suggested a new report published by Wilmington Healthcare.
Pharmacy bodies, including Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and Community Pharmacy England (CPE), have also endorsed the
report, which encourages Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to consider the innovative approach of detecting HVD with the help of community pharmacists.
Despite HVD detection being a priority listed in the NHS Long Term Plan, a large number of people with HVD remained undiagnosed and untreated in the country due
to lack of awareness of the disease prevalence.
In June 2022, a pilot study was launched in Farnborough Primary Care Network (PCN), Hampshire, to evaluate the feasibility of using e-stethoscopes
(digital auscultation) to detect this heart condition by a community pharmacist.
NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB)'s decision to withdraw gluten free prescriptions for people with coeliac disease across Leeds and Calderdale
has disappointed Coeliac UK.
In a statement released on Thursday, the charity, which provides support and advice to those living with the disease, has raised "grave concerns" about the decision,
warning that it will have a detrimental impact on the coeliac community.
The policy is currently implemented across the ICB's other places including Bradford district and Craven, Kirklees and Wakefield district, preventing coeliac
patients from accessing gluten free bread and flour mix on prescription.
NHS West Yorkshire ICB wants to align its gluten free prescribing guidelines across its five places.
But the charity is worried that the additional cost of gluten free staple products will poses a real challenge to maintaining the gluten-free diet, which is the
only treatment for the condition.
In a bid to amplify the role of pharmacists in clinical services and vaccination programs, the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has embarked on a
groundbreaking collaboration with Aston University.
This initiative, funded by Innovate UK Business Connect, aims to explore the feasibility and impact of integrating additional healthcare interventions within
community pharmacies.
"The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) research project represents an exciting opportunity to advance the role of pharmacists in patient care," remarked
Alison Jones, Director of Policy at PDA.
"This project will be an important part of that evolution, supporting individual pharmacists to have more opportunities to practice and so develop more fulfilling
careers."
Led by the PDA and Aston University, the project will commence imminently, focusing on the Priory Community Pharmacy in Dudley.
In the pharmaceutical industry, maintaining strict hygiene standards is paramount to ensure the safety and efficacy of products. One of the critical
components in achieving this goal is the utilization of sanitary clamps. These clamps play a vital role in securing various connections within pharmaceutical
equipment, preventing contamination, and upholding sterile conditions. In this article, we delve into the reasons why sanitary clamps are indispensable for
maintaining hygiene in pharmaceutical settings.
Contamination Prevention
Sanitary clamps serve as a crucial barrier against contamination in pharmaceutical environments. With stringent regulations governing pharmaceutical manufacturing,
any compromise in hygiene can result in significant consequences, including product recalls and compromised patient safety. Sanitary clamps are designed to create
secure and airtight connections between pipes, hoses, and other components, effectively sealing off potential entry points for contaminants such as bacteria,
viruses, and particulate matter. By minimizing the risk of contamination, these clamps help pharmaceutical companies uphold the integrity of their products and
adhere to regulatory standards.
Moreover, the design of sanitary clamps ensures ease of cleaning and sterilization, further reducing the risk of cross-contamination between batches. Unlike
traditional fastening methods that may harbor bacteria or residue, sanitary clamps feature smooth surfaces and minimal crevices, making them easier to sanitize.
This not only enhances hygiene but also promotes efficiency in the cleaning process, allowing pharmaceutical manufacturers to maintain high levels of cleanliness
without compromising production timelines. Overall, by preventing contamination and facilitating thorough cleaning, sanitary clamps play a crucial role in
safeguarding the quality and safety of pharmaceutical products.
Responding to a new National Audit Office (NAO) report that indicated that NHS England's Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP) needs improvements, the Royal
College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has expressed concerns that the plan may not adequately address the needs of GPs.
Published in June 2023, the workforce plan estimated that the NHS's health workforce will need to grow from 1.4m full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in 2021-22 to
between 2.3m and 2.4m FTE workers in 2036-37, an increase of 65 per cent to 72 per cent.
However, the NAO report highlighted that the workforce modelling has significant weaknesses, including a complex design; manual adjustments; optimistic future
assumptions and limited public communication of their uncertainty; and modelling outputs that could not be fully replicated.
To improve the modelling, the report recommended exploring the uncertainty of these assumptions and considering potential outcomes if they do not materialize as
expected. Additionally, it suggested including full integration of the different parts of the modelling pipeline to minimise manual adjustments.
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 14th Community Pharmacy Conference by Sigma Pharmaceuticals has been timely, prime minister Rishi Sunak said, noting that it coincided with the launch
of Pharmacy First, a new initiative that enables patients to receive treatments for seven common conditions directly from a pharmacist without the need for a GP
appointment or prescription.
"We are all grateful for the tremendous contributions that pharmacists make to our NHS. The fantastic work you do is critical to the success of Pharmacy First and
many other initiatives," Sunak said in a written message.
The conference was organised from 25-29 February at Sun City in Johannesburg, South Africa, under the theme 'community pharmacy in an integrated NHS'.
In a recorded video address to the Sigma Conference, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said community pharmacies are 'critical' to the Labour party's mission to
make the NHS 'fit for the future'.
"You should be playing a much more significant role. Labour's reform agenda will get pharmacists working to the top of their licence. We want community pharmacists
to play a greater role in healthcare, with more focus on their expertise in prescribing and medicines management," he said.
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.
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.
Swiss generic drugmaker Sandoz said on Thursday that it would pay $265 million (£209m) to settle a pricing antitrust case in the US.
Under the agreement, Sandoz is resolving all damages claims without admitting to any wrongdoing in the case brought in the US state of Pennsylvania.
"Under the terms of the agreement, Sandoz US will pay $265 million in exchange for a full release of all claims asserted against it in the direct purchaser
class action by the settlement class members," the company said in a statement, adding that the payment would be incorporated into 2023 results.
Sandoz became an independent company in October 2023, following the spinoff from Novartis.
"As a new public company, this settlement underscores the Sandoz commitment to integrity and sound governance, and is an encouraging step toward putting
allegations of legacy conduct behind us", it said in its statement.
All 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) in England have signed memorandums of understanding for the NHS Independent Prescribing Pathfinder programme, the
first nationally-funded prescribing service in the country.
Anne Joshua, interim deputy director of pharmacy commissioning at NHS England, made the revelation during the 'Chief pharmaceutical officer bi-monthly
webinar' held on 7 March 2024, as reported by The Pharmaceutical Journal.
In the initial phase of the programme, 210 community pharmacies across all ICBs will trial independent prescribing, ahead of establishing a commissioning
framework for the service.
Giving an update on the pathfinder programme, Joshua confirmed that 164 of these potential pathfinder sites had registered for the programme as of 29 February 2024.
Additionally, she announced the clinical models to be followed by the participating pharmacies and presented a graph showing an overview of the services they will
provide.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in England has published a review of its 10-year Vision for Pharmacy Professional Practice that was launched in
December 2022 in collaboration with The King's Fund.
The 'one year on' vision report highlighted key milestones achieved in the first 12 months since its publication as well as opportunities for further progress.
It identified the publication of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which recognises the significant role that pharmacists play in healthcare and commits to growing
and expanding the pharmacy workforce, as one of the positive policy developments made since the launch of the vision.
The development of a Vision for Community Pharmacy by Community Pharmacy England, the Nuffield Trust and The King's Fund; work on digital integration to enable
community pharmacists to update a clinical record; the launch of Pharmacy First scheme; and the publication of the public consultation of pharmacy supervision
were other key milestones mentioned in the report.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has announced the names of five new members who will be joining its governing Council over the next two years.
The new council members are:
Professor Dianne Ford, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Northumbria University.
Gareth Powell, a chartered accountant and a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Port of Milford Haven, the UK's largest energy port.
Adeyemi (Ade) Williams MBE, Superintendent Pharmacist and Director of the M J Williams Pharmacy and lead Pharmacist at the Bedminster Pharmacy, Bristol.
Tim Jaggard, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Dr Raliat Onatade, Chief Pharmacist and Director of Medicines and Pharmacy for North-East London Integrated Care System.
Professor Ford, Powell and Williams will begin their terms on 1 April 2024, replacing Jo Kember, Mark Hammond and Arun Midha.
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