The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has expressed disappointment as the government continued to refuse to "a much-needed broader funding uplift" for the community pharmacies in England.
This follows conclusion of the first Annual Review of the progress of the five-year Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) deal by PSNC, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England & NHS Improvement (NHSE&I).
"We remain deeply frustrated by government's refusal to agree a much-needed broader funding uplift for the sector, but we are determined to continue to look for
better ways forward for the sector throughout 2022 and beyond," said Bharat Patel, PSNC vice-chair, negotiating team member and an independent contractor.
Patel noted that despite some important wins such as recognition of key challenges faced by pharmacies, the commitment to consider these as part of our Year 4
negotiations, and agreement to take forward work on service fee and other regulatory changes, the PSNC is disappointed that the review did not lead to "immediate and tangible outcomes and improvements for contractors."
The negotiator had put forward data and analysis showing the capacity and cost constraints faced by pharmacies.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's (RPS) second roundtable on workforce wellbeing resulted in a series of collaborative actions to address pharmacy
professionals' mental health and wellbeing challenges.
The roundtable brought together key stakeholders from the pharmacy sector, including organisations like the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Community
Pharmacy England (CPE), the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), and the profession's independent charity Pharmacist Support (PS).
A report detailing the outcomes of the meeting was published on Friday, highlighting the key areas of discussion and the agreed-upon actions by the participants.
During the roundtable, participants discussed the importance of understanding the workforce demographics, both nationally and locally, and using data to address
wellbeing issues effectively.
They also emphasised the need for using supportive standards set by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) quality
statement to support and empower pharmacists' wellbeing positively.
Leaders from across the pharmacy sector and trade bodies dwelled on the challenges faced by the pharmacists at the Sigma Conference held on Sunday (2 October).
"If the cost of carrying out regulation is higher than the benefits, it's time for all the bodies to sit together and talk on what can be adjusted accordingly,"
said Salim Jetha, Chairman, Avicenna.
Jetha highlighted the challenges faced by the independent pharmacy and also raised the concern about the 'level playing field' for pharmacists compared to GPs. He
said: "GPs get paid for energy cost, premises cost, the staffing cost. We don't get paid for that. So don't be misled by saying we are being exactly the same. Yes,
on paper we are, but in reality we are not. I think also the rules of engagement are different."
He called for better collaboration with GPs, and urged PSNC and other trade bodies to ensure a level playing field.
Janet Morrison, CEO, Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee(PSNC), warned that the pressure in the sector is building up to a 'breaking point'.
Global consumer healthcare company Haleon has launched a new centre of excellence for a global leader in consumer health which will bring together world leading
academics in human behaviour and frontline healthcare professionals including community pharmacists.
Unveiled at the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Congress in 'sunny' Seville, Spain on September 20, the Centre will operate as a community of healthcare
professionals and specialists in behavioural science, health psychology and the social sciences to solve some of the most pressing everyday health challenges.
Named the Centre for Human Sciences (CHS) the initiative will be the first major programme for healthcare professionals since the Haleon's launch on July 18 as an
independent, global leader in consumer health.
The Centre's mission is to support practising health professionals - pharmacists, pharmacy assistants and dental professionals - in serving their patients and
communities. Combining science with deep human understanding, CHS will bring expertise in physiology together with human sciences to deliver real world-solutions
and tangible interventions, resulting in measurable improvements in health outcomes through sustained behavioural change.
The Centre is facilitated by Robert Horne, professor of Behavioural Medicine at UCL School of Pharmacy, who started his career as a practising pharmacist but later
chose to become a behavioural scientist when he saw an opportunity to address issues around psycho-social factors that acted as a hindrance in pharmacy practice.
Speaking to me in an exclusive three-way conversation alongside Tess Player, the global head of healthcare professional & health influencer marketing at Haleon, on
the sidelines of the FIP Congress 2022, Prof Horne expanded on what the Centre was all about and how it would work.
"We've got some good ideas, but it's not a pre-filled prescription that we're going to deliver at scale from the start. What Haleon is t
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) is seeking views from all community pharmacy owners about the pressures faced this autumn season.
A survey has been launched as the "November Pre-Committee Opinion Poll" until 6 November to seek views from independents and non-Company Chemists' Association (CCA)
members.
The results of the poll will be sent to the head offices of CCA multiples next week for discussion at the November Committee Meeting.
CPE confirmed: "The results of these polls and the outcomes of the meeting will be reported back to the sector afterwards.
They said that the survey "will be used to feed into our ongoing work to press for an uplift to core funding by enhancing our evidence base of what pharmacy owners
are experiencing."
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.
American healthcare technology company Omnicell has appointed Edward Platt as the new Senior Commercial Director of its UK community pharmacy division.
Along with this new role, Edward, who joined Omnicell in 2015, will continue his current leadership remit for Omnicell's UK & Ireland hospital division.
He will be leading a revamped commercial team, which would be responsible for increasing Omnicell's footprint of automation and consumable solutions delivered into
UK community pharmacies.
As part of the revamp, the company has created dedicated specialist teams to ensure the needs and challenges of community pharmacists (small independents and small
multiple operators) can be fully understood and supported.
Medipharmacy has been bought out by PI-Gen Pharma Limited, an arm of the independent pharmacy group Enimed, for a total of £7.1 million, after the
business entered into administration.
In a report published on Companies House on January 30, administrators at FRP confirmed that the transaction was completed on 18 January, with PI-Gen beating
five other bidders to acquire the insolvent NHS pharmacy chain.
The report added that PI-Gen submitted a cash offer of non-refundable £500k for Medipharmacy's goodwill, £2.1m for its freehold properties, and a further amount
for its fixtures and fittings, motor vehicles and stock.
An FRP spokesperson told The Standard that Medipharmacy, which operated a chain of 25 NHS community pharmacies across London, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, had
faced increasing cashflow challenges in recent months.
According to the administrators' report, Medipharmacy's revenues had grown exponentially from £27.9m in 2022 to £69m in 2023 but didn't deliver corresponding
improvements in profitability.
Jhoots Group, a West Midlands based independent community pharmacy chain, has unveiled plans to expand its digital services after securing a funding worth
£8.23m from HSBC bank.
The new money will allow the groups branches to offer a digital platform for customers to request prescriptions online, enabling the implementation of a hub and
spoke dispensing system to automate prescription deliveries.
The innovation aims to reduce the burden of manual processes on pharmacists, allowing staff to use their time efficiently and support the NHS by offering vaccines
and minor ailment medicine services.
San Jhooty, chief operating officer at Jhoots Group, said: "When faced with the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, primary and community services came
together to support the community and each other.
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 NHS is facing a range of long term challenges which needs to be countered with prevention, enhance personalised care and sustainable performance, health and social care secretary Sajid Javid said on Tuesday (March 8).
In his speech on healthcare reform at the Royal College of Physicians in London, he said: "We face some long-term challenges: how to keep the NHS focused on delivery while futureproofing it for changing demographics and disease; how to meet rising patient expectations and address the injustices of widespread disparities; and how to deal with an unsustainable financial trajectory while backing the brilliant people who work in health and care."
Javid emphasised on three key points for healthcare reform - prevention, personalisation and performance.
He said, prevention is not just about building a 'national hospital service' but a true 'National Health Service'.
Independent charity group, Pharmacist Support has appointed five new trustees to its board - David Downham, Karen Harrowing, Mohammed Hussain, Mala Khiroya, and Alison Scowcroft, for a term of three years.
The new recruits will join the existing Board members Anita Cawley, Catherine Harper, Paul Johnson, Steve Lutener, Esther Sadler-Williams, Mark Sweeney and Sarah Willis.
Harrowing, Downham and Hussain have begun their 3-year term in January 2022, while Scowcroft and Khiroya would join the board in June.
The new appointments are in line with the Charity's plans, announced last year, to enhance its volunteer schemes.
"Since the launch of the charity's new strategy in January 2020, the profession has been faced with many new challenges. We are really proud of the work we have done in the last few years to address some of these challenges," said Pharmacist Support chief executive Danielle Hunt.
With the Labour Party now in power, there is keen interest in the healthcare initiatives they pledged during their election campaign and how these proposals
will shape the future of NHS.
One of the key pledges in their healthcare reform is the introduction of the Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service, which aims to empower pharmacists with
independent prescribing rights where clinically suitable.
While pharmacists appreciated Labour's acknowledgment of their role in patient care through expanded prescribing rights, they foresee some challenges in
implementing the service.
"Budgets will be a key issue," said Pharmacist Thorrun Govind, also a Healthcare Lawyer (Brabners LLP).
However, she noted that, given the success of pharmacist prescribing services in the devolved nations, there is "a road map in place."
Healthcare reform emerged as a cornerstone of the Labour Party's manifesto leading up to the recent general election. A standout pledge was the establishment
of a Community Pharmacist Prescribing Service, aimed at granting pharmacists independent prescribing rights where clinically suitable. This initiative is seen as a
positive step in addressing critical challenges within the National Health Service (NHS).
Numark Chairman Harry McQuillan praised Labour's recognition of pharmacists' role in patient care through expanded prescribing rights.
"Let's be honest, pharmacists are an underutilised resource within the healthcare system. We possess extensive training and expertise, yet our full potential
hasn't always been acknowledged.
"By harnessing pharmacists expanded prescribing rights, Labour is acknowledging our significant role in patient care. This initiative aims to recognise our skills
and enhance patient care, ensuring quicker access to necessary treatments," he said.
However, he pointed out that the concept requires further exploration, as the rights to prescribe are already granted through the recent change to undergraduate
training that incorporates prescribing.