In its response to NHS England's consultation on 'the future of vaccination services', the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has suggested
that a wider range of NHS vaccinations being available from community pharmacies could support the achievement of increased vaccination levels.
PSNC said: "Any additional services that contractors could provide can only be considered with additional remuneration above the current global sum in the community
pharmacy contractual framework to ensure that the services are adequately resourced."
Alastair Buxton, director of NHS Services at PSNC, said: "We've always known, and the evidence supports this, that community pharmacies are one of the most popular
and accessible places for people to receive a range of vaccinations.
"The NHS was slow to take advantage of this at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, so we welcome this consultation from them to bring together a wide range of views
on the topic.
"In the longer-term, if the right funding and support is in place, many pharmacies could help deliver a much wider range of NHS vaccination programmes - giving the
public the convenience and service that they want, and taking pressure off our general practice colleagues. It makes perfect sense, and we look forward to the NHS
response to this consultation."
Pharmacy bodies and MPs discussed on support needed to unlock the "full potential" of community pharmacy at the All Pharmacy Party Group (APPG)'s general
meeting held in Westminster on Tuesday (01 November).
The attendees of the meeting were Janet Morrison OBE, Chief Executive of Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee; Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive of The
Company Chemists' Association; Thorrun Govind, Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society; Sanjeev Panesar, National Pharmacy Association Board Member, and Pharmacist
Superintendent and Owner of the Pan Pharmacy Group; and Sandeep Dhami, Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies member and superintendent at MW Phillips Chemist
At the session, 18 parliamentarians were briefed on the myriad of ways pharmacies contribute to the health of the nation.
The panel of experts also highlighted that pharmacists are 'running out of fuel' with the growing challenges such as flat funding, workforce shortages and the
cost-of-living crisis impacting pharmacies' ability to deliver vital services.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has welcomed the government's defeat in the House of Lords on the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill.
It believes that the proposed Bill, if enacted, would allow the government to dictate minimum levels of service during times of industrial action, enabling
employers to name specific employees that they require in work.
Those employees could then face losing their jobs if they failed to turn up to work on that day. Trade unions could also be fined if they did not force those named
individuals to go to work.
PDA director, Paul Day said, "This Bill should be of real concern to pharmacists and other health professionals. The idea of their employer being able to effectively
conscript them to work or face the sack does not feel like a positive employment relations environment."
The House of Lords has voted for key amendments to the Bill to prevent unions from being required to force workers to comply. This also prevents workers from being
forced to work or face the sack and allows for greater consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny on the proposals which the Westminster government is trying to
implement.
The House of Commons will now be required to vote on the amendments over the next few weeks. Whilst the House of Lords amendments are likely to be defeated, it
shows the degree of opposition there is to this Bill.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC)'s 2022 Pharmacy Advice Audit revealed that more than 1.2 million consultations a week - or 65 million
a year - are now being carried out by community pharmacy teams in England.
This is an increase from 2021, when the audit results suggested that in total pharmacies were providing 58 million consultations per year.
PSNC has published the findings of the audit of over 4,000 community pharmacies carried out earlier this year. During the audit, 82,872 informal patient consultations
were recorded, with the average pharmacy completing 19 consultations per day.
This suggests that more than 1.2 million informal consultations are taking place in community pharmacies in England every week.
The audit helped to quantify the number of informal referrals being made to pharmacies by GPs and NHS 111, with 7,774 informal patient referrals into pharmacy
coming from these routes; grossed up to a national level that means 117,000 cases per week.
These are all referrals that could and should have been made by the NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS).
LloydsPharmacy has offered three per cent increase in base pay backdated to 1 April for its store pharmacists, the union of Pharmacists' Defence Association
(PDAU) who represented them has announced.
"We are pleased to announce that following a consultation of its members, the PDAU has informed the company that agreement can be reached on the company's latest
offer, made in July 2022," said the PDAU.
The offer made by the company also includes introduction of an overtime rate of 1.5 times basic pay for each hour worked after contracted hours. This will run for
a trial period and be reviewed as part of the next pay round.
"All pharmacists will receive an initial £1,000 payment under the proposed LTIP scheme, paid in April 2024. This will be to all in the bargaining unit and will not
be dependent on meeting any criteria such as targets," said PDAU.
An alliance of companies has pledged to ensure equitable access to vaccines and treatments for pandemics, as the friction around intellectual property rights
for Covid-19 interventions between the pharmaceutical industry and developing nations endures.
At the heart of the plan is a commitment to set aside part of the production of vaccines and treatments upfront for vulnerable populations in low-income countries
when the next pandemic arises, given how fragmented access to Covid tools has left many populations unprotected.
In order to do better next time - and without knowing which companies will develop the first drugs and vaccines for the next pandemic - having the industry
collectively make this commitment is potentially transformative, said Thomas Cueni, head of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers &
Associations (IFPMA).
The pledge, called the Berlin Declaration, was made on July 19 by members of the global pharmaceutical industry group that include many of the companies involved
in developing Covid interventions, such as AstraZeneca, GSK, Moderna, Pfizer and Merck.
The declaration is not legally binding.
However, if a company that signed on reneges on its vow, it would face grave consequences in the court of public opinion, said Cueni.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has published an update on the work it is doing as part of the Transforming Pharmacy Representation
(TAPR) Programme to take forward the mandate from contractors to deliver the Review Steering Group (RSG) recommendations.
The update is primarily aimed at LPCs - with whom PSNC has been working closely on some of the TAPR work over the summer.
The TAPR Programme is being undertaken in support of PSNC's work to address the severe challenges facing the community pharmacy sector at present.
Alongside ongoing negotiations with Government and the NHS, two of the TAPR workstreams - focusing on Vision and Strategy, and on Influencing and Negotiation - are
essential to supporting CPCF negotiations.
"The workstreams are looking at the future of community pharmacy and how best to persuade policymakers to implement a shared vision, with their objective being to put
the sector in a stronger position going into future CPCF negotiations," said PSNC.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a medicine supply notification for Temazepam 10mg and 20mg tablets.
"Temazepam 10mg and 20mg tablets are in limited supply until w/c 5th December 2022. Alternative benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics remain available
and will be able to support increased demand," said DHSC.
Temazepam 10mg/5ml oral solution remains available but cannot support an uplift in demand. DHSC suggested: "Where the above options are not suitable, unlicensed
supplies of temazepam 10mg tablets may be sourced, lead times vary."
The department confirmed that Target Healthcare, a specialist importers, have confirmed they can source unlicensed Temazepam 10mg tablets.
"If there is currently no listing on dm+d for the imported product for prescribers to select using their prescribing systems an EPS prescription for unlicensed
Temazepam 10mg tablets cannot be issued."
It has been reported that several Austrians have been taken to the hospital after injecting fake Ozempic, as confirmed by health regulator.
Austria's Federal Office for Safety in Health Care (BASG) confirmed that the patients have suffered hypoglycaemia and seizures.
It is believed that the injections contained insulin instead of the weight loss drug, semaglutide.
The health regulator has urged doctors and patients to verify their medication stocks.
The American healthcare company, CVS Health, has decided to remove the cold and cough pills containing phenylephrine from the drug stores.
The following decision comes after the health regulator, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determines the decongestant is ineffective towards flu if
taken orally.
However, when ingested in pill or tablet form, this ingredient fails to reach its destination from the stomach to the nasal passages.
CVS Health spokesperson told USA Today, "We are removing a small number of oral decongestant products that contain phenylephrine as the only active ingredient
from CVS Pharmacy stores but will continue offering many other oral cough and cold products to meet consumer needs."
They almost run more than 9,000 stores in the US whereas their rival, Walgreens has not yet taken the step to remove over-the-counter medications from their shelves.
The British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) has warned that England's 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) may need to allocate an extra £37 million
from their budgets annually for the next five years due to the spiralling tax rates.
The government's Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access (VPAS) rebate rate increased more than five-fold in the past two years, the BGMA said
in its white paper released on Monday (October 30).
The report, conducted by consultancy firm Conclusio in consultation with local NHS leaders, examined the potential effects of the VPAS on ICB budgets.
BGMA said that due to the elevated VPAS rate, each ICB in England will experience significant increases in expenses for branded generics and biosimilars
annually - a consequence of reduced competition.
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 Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) Union has reached a deal for its members working at Boots, covering 6,000 pharmacists employed by the British retailer and pharmacy chain.
As per the agreement, union members working at the multiple will receive a 2 per cent pay rise effective from November 1, 2021, the two entities said in a joint statement.
The settlement, reached under the guidance of Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), covers provisionally registered pharmacists, pharmacists and pharmacist store managers in the bargaining unit for which the PDAU is recognised.
There will be improved benefits for those at the beginning of their careers as "all pharmacists qualifying in 2021 will be paid at least £38k gross FTE, including those who would otherwise be ineligible due to the 1st August cut-off."
England is set to reopen temporary field hospitals to contain a possible overspill of inpatients due to a surge in coronavirus cases, the national health service said Thursday.
Fuelled by the highly contagious Omicron variant, daily cases have ballooned, standing at more than 183,000 on Wednesday.
NHS England said it would start building the structures in the grounds of eight hospitals in cities including London, Bristol and Leeds from this week, with each
designed to house around 100 extra patients.
"Given the high level of Covid-19 infections and increasing hospital admissions, the NHS is now on a war footing," National medical director Stephen Powis said.
The extra beds are designed for patients who are recovering from illnesses, including those who no longer have Covid, to free up space and staff to treat large numbers of virus cases.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has reiterated its call for all pharmacists working at Boots to join the PDA Union to support the collective voice of the profession within the company.
It said this would enable PDA to send direct communications to pharmacists working at Boots and keep them up to date with key matters impacting their work life.
Currently, the association uses the company communication channels to cascade key information to the non-member pharmacists, however, it fears such measures can be
disrupted by management.
Besides, having more member pharmacists at Boots would strengthen their "negotiating power", PDA said.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association has helped its members to secure around £196,000 last year from employers who treated pharmacists badly or breached their
rights in some way.
The association strives to help members to resolve workplace disputes quickly, locally, and amicably, however some cases need escalation into the legal system, it said.
It helps pharmacists to understand and exercise their rights in case unfair treatment occurs to them.
Though no employee expects to be treated badly, this is the reality for some pharmacists, the PDA stated.
Too many unreasonable demands placed on pharmacists by employers affect their health and wellbeing at work, a stress and wellbeing survey conducted by The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) Union revealed.
The survey, conducted during Autumn 2021, covered views of over 2,000 pharmacists employed by big multiples - Lloyds, Boots, and Well.
This survey used questions developed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which enabled the union to understand more about stress and wellbeing in three of the
largest community pharmacy multiples.
Analysing the survey, the PDA said that some pharmacists working for each of the three employers highlighted "unachievable targets, unrealistic time pressures, and
most worrying of all reported numerous instances of bullying and harassment."
An overwhelming majority of the respondents reflected personal sacrifices made by the pharmacists to ensure patient services are not impacted by the poor conditions
and environments in some pharmacies.
Alitam Group, the 100-plus pharmacy store consolidation, has appointed Bharti Patel, the former group executive director of Avicenna to its executive board.
Patel, who was part of the leadership team at Avicenna until late 2021, brings with her a wealth of experience covering pharmaceuticals, multiple retail and independent pharmacy, homecare and NHS primary and secondary care.
In her early career, she worked at Lloyds Pharmacy, where she rose from a prescription medicines buyer to director of procurement over a period of eight years.
She is known in the industry for her strong leadership, commercial acumen and ability to create opportunities for innovation and strategic partnerships.
Alitam founder and CEO Feisal Nahaboo said in a statement that Patel's appointment will further strengthen the group's ability to deliver its transformative multi-billion-pound 'Pharmacy of the Future' concept.
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid and Madelaine McTernan, head of the HRT supply taskforce, continue to take urgent action to resolve the shortage of HRT medicines by meeting the drug manufacturers and representatives from community pharmacies on Thursday (May 5).
In the meeting, manufacturers outlined the steps they're taking to boost supply, and pharmacists shared their experiences on the frontline, as well as sharing their
thoughts on wider solutions including improved communications.
Aspen Pharmacare, Besins-Healthcare, Gedeon Richter, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Orion, Pfizer, Theramex, Viatris, and representatives from community pharmacies were
part of the meeting.
As the government confirmed its intention to work with industry to do what is necessary to fix the HRT supply issue, Javis said he wanted to understand the issues
facing suppliers and what can be done to address them.
"We will leave no stone unturned in our national mission to boost supply of HRT. Along with appointing Madelaine McTernan as head of the HRT supply taskforce to implement lessons learned from the pandemic, and ensuring prescriptions are issued in shorter cycles for now, we are working collectively with the sector to urgently resolve this issue," he commented.
The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp) said the meeting discussed 'why we got into this position' and the way forward.
