The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has welcomed the new research guidance published by NHS England for the integrated care systems.
The guidance is said to reflect the benefits of delivering research, for patients, staff and healthcare system performance, including the economic benefits for the
NHS.
Jennifer Harris, ABPI's Director of Research Policy, said: "This guidance is clear on what good research practice looks like and it's great to see it out and
available for the NHS to use.
"A research-active NHS delivers huge value to patients, staff and the system itself. We hope that putting this guidance into action will help Integrated Care Systems
realise the huge benefits that research can offer, and help make the UK once again a destination of choice for developing the medical breakthroughs people need."
David Webb, the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, acknowledged that the "pressure in the system is high", but urged everyone to "keep our eye on the
design" of the NHS plan, adding that the "the objective is to bring the different parts of primary care together" in the patient interest.
Speaking during the opening keynote session at the the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) conference held on Thursday (13 October), he added that the NHS plan
intends to bring different parts of primary care together to help patients.
He said the new integrated care boards (ICBs) are a key strategic framework as they provide the "potential to form partnerships to deliver integrated services across
larger populations".
"ICBs will want to work with Local Pharmaceutical Committees to plan for the local population and the new community pharmacy clinical leads in ICBs, who have been
funded by NHS England, are there to advise."
He explained that once an ICB takes over the commissioning of pharmaceutical services (which they are all due to do by April 2023), it could use its funds to
commission a local enhanced service as an add on to an advanced service. For instance, a CVD risk assessment could be added to the blood pressure check service.
Community Pharmacies are set to significantly upgrade their digital security as the mandatory rollout of NHSmail Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) begins
this month (August 1, 2024).
In an announcement by the Community Pharmacy England (CPE), pharmacies are urged to make the updates following a period of optional MFA implementations that began
in late 2023.
According to the new requirements, the mandatory update is crucial for protecting patient privacy and the integrity of their health records.
By adding an extra layer of security beyond the standard email address and password, MFA helps safeguard against unauthorised access.
This is especially vital in light of increasing cyber threats targeting healthcare systems.
Cyberattacks, including ransomware, can compromise patient records and disrupt care delivery, making robust security measures essential.
The introduction of MFA aims to curb these risks.
According to cybersecurity research, MFA can prevent up to 80 per cent data breaches and block over 99.9 per cent of compromised accounts.