Pharmacy Business will be hosting their annual awards event in the pharmacy calendar with a glittering ceremony to celebrate the very best of community pharmacy.
The 23rd edition of the Pharmacy Business Awards will be on Wednesday 4 October 2023 in central London.
The awards attract the biggest names in pharmacy, with heads of pharmacy organisations, CEOs of leading manufacturers and wholesalers, health officials and
government ministers in attendance.
We look forward to bringing together the shining lights of community pharmacy, who show the nation the unique services they continue to provide.
REASONS TO ATTEND
Understand what the ambitions of the NHS and PSNC are for the future of community pharmacy
Understand why its important to develop a wider range of health services
Learn how others are achieving this and what the benefits can be
Learn what the benefits of embracing technological innovations are
Hear what others are doing and what the benefits are to their business
Network with and learn from your peers in community pharmacy
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Pharmacy owners
Pharmacy managers
Other pharmacy stakeholders
Exciting news! Pharmacy Business Awards 2023 are just around the corner!
England's chief pharmaceutical officer (CPhO) David Webb has promised his "wholehearted support" for the community pharmacy sector at the board meeting of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) on 28 June in St Albans.
After hearing the CPhO at the meeting, NPA chair, Andrew Lane, later declared: "David is someone we can do business with."
Webb thus listed his priorities as head of profession: integration of independent prescribing as part of pharmacy practice by 2026; promotion of inclusive pharmacy
practice for all pharmacy professionals; assurance of post-registration practice; developing the role of pharmacy technicians; support for Integrated Care Systems
and Primary Care Network pharmacy teams (including community pharmacy); medicines optimisation; and strengthening of professional leadership for community pharmacy.
He also reported that NHS England had recently increased its team of regional pharmacy integration leads from seven to 14, creating seven new senior posts.
Webb told NPA board members: "I want sincerely to thank community pharmacy teams for everything they are doing and to say that you have my wholehearted support. I believe in the importance of community pharmacy and will listen and engage as I've already demonstrated.
Join us for the prestigious Pharmacy Business Awards 2023, celebrating excellence in community pharmacy. Attend the glittering ceremony in London
and witness industry leaders, officials, and ministers. Submit your entry now and showcase the unique services of community pharmacy.
Nomination deadline: July 7th, 2023.
The Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) has urged the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) to collate the data on actively enrolled on an
approved course or qualification for Pharmacy Technicians of commencement of training.
In a letter from Nicola Stockmann, Vice President APTUK to the GPhC to encourage the collection of data for Pre-Registration Training Pharmacy Technicians,
Stockmann said: "We value the GPHC data for Pharmacy Technician registrants to track the growth and diversity of the Pharmacy Technician profession.
With ongoing inclusive pharmacy practice priorities, APTUK has an organisational pledge to continue this work of all themes through actions. The demographics
of the Pharmacy Technician workforce continue to have a majority of white British registrants and identifying as female; the high-level data collated which is
currently available on the GPHC website does not capture those who are actively enrolled on an approved course or qualification for Pharmacy Technicians."
Jonathan Burton will receive the 2022 RPS Charter Award for his outstanding work for the Society and the wider profession in promoting the interests of pharmacy.
The award will be presented by the President at a future meeting of Fellows and Members to take place at the Society's Edinburgh office on 22nd March 2023.
Jonathan's main role is as a practising, patient-facing pharmacist within the community in NHS Forth Valley where he uses his advanced practice skills and independent
prescribing qualification to assess and treat acute ENT, dermatology, and respiratory conditions.
He was one of the first community pharmacist prescribers in Scotland and has always been at the forefront of innovation and service development.
Jonathan has demonstrated outstanding commitment and passion for the pharmacy profession throughout his career. He has excelled as a pharmacist in the Right Medicine
Pharmacy group, on local and national committees, in advocacy for the pharmacy profession and as a local and national leader who is highly regarded as an exceptional
role model for the profession.
On World Pharmacists' Day, the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society NI (PSNI) thanked pharmacists working in every sector of pharmacy in Northern Ireland (NI)
for their continued service to the public.
The theme of this year's International Pharmaceutical Federation's World Pharmacists' Day, (25 September 2022) was 'Pharmacy united in action for a healthier world'.
In acknowledgement of the day, Dr. Jim Livingstone, president of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society NI said: "The theme of this year's World Pharmacists' Day,
'Pharmacy united in action for a healthier world' highlights pharmacy's positive impact on health around the world and seeks to further strengthen solidarity amongst
the profession.
"In Northern Ireland, pharmacy played a prominent role in primary health care throughout the pandemic and remains the public's most trusted and accessible frontline
health care profession.
"As pharmacy continues to develop additional services for the public and encompasses broader roles for pharmacists than ever before, it is essential, no matter what
pharmacy sector pharmacists practise in, that the Pharmaceutical Society NI's Code (Professional standards of conduct, ethics and performance for pharmacists in
Northern Ireland) remains at the core of pharmacists' practice. It is through this adherence to the Code, that pharmacy remains a united profession, providing
positive health outcomes for patients and maintaining public trust.
The pharmacy inquiry will explore issues impacting different types of pharmacy, with a particular focus on community, primary care and hospital pharmacy
services.
It will also consider current challenges around funding, workforce and the digital infrastructure.
Planned developments within the profession will enable future pharmacists to be independent prescribers from day one of registration, giving them a greater role
within primary care teams.
Health and Social Care Committee Chair Steve Brine MP said: "It is clear that pharmacy has a central role to play in the future of the NHS. With a greater focus on
personalised and patient-centred healthcare, we will be asking what more must be done to make sure that the profession is in the best shape to meet demand.
"Better use of the pharmacy workforce would reduce pressures on general practice and hospitals. However, this will not happen without a planned workforce with the
funding, supervision and training to support it.
"At the end of the inquiry, the committee will be making recommendations to the government on what action needs to be taken to ensure the potential of pharmacy is
realised.
The General Pharmaceutical Council is appointing a new Chief Pharmacy Officer to strengthen the professional voice within the senior leadership team. This
introduction is aimed at fostering a culture of enterprise leadership, inclusion and collaboration within the organisation, GPhC said in a statement.
According to GPhC, the Chief Pharmacy Officer will serve as the authoritative representative of the pharmacy regulator in public, within the pharmacy professions,
and increasingly in multi-disciplinary teams and collaborative regulatory work. "They will act as the executive lead on pharmacy inspection and regulatory insight,
providing professional leadership within the GPhC and collaborating closely with pharmacist and pharmacy technician colleagues across the organisation."
The Chief Pharmacy Officer, reporting to the Chief Executive and Registrar, will hold the highest professional position within the GPhC executive, providing pharmacy
leadership across the organisation, GPhC said.
Three pharmacy bodies have called on the government to allow pharmacy students access to the NHS learning support fund (LSF) currently available to students
from other healthcare professions.
Calling it "unjust", the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), British Pharmaceutical Students' Association (BPSA), and Pharmacy Schools Council (PSC) have
voiced their disappointment over continual exclusion of pharmacy students on clinical placements and asked that pharmacy students are given equal access to the LSF.
The Department of Health and Social Care recently announced a 50 percent increase in travel and accommodation allowances for students in nursing, midwifery,
allied health professions, medical, and dental courses. However, this initiative notably excluded pharmacy students.
Today I'm proud to share with you the statement we submitted to the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership in which we set out what professional
leadership means to RPS.
I recognise we haven't always been clear in communicating our ideas to members and our external stakeholders. Through the Commission, and our own Independent
Review of member participation and communications, we are determined to remedy this.
We're committed to lead pharmacy in the best interest of patients and the professions. This means that sometimes we will need to take difficult decisions. We will
do the right thing for the long term, ultimately driving what's best for patient care.
There are some key changes we believe are necessary to fulfil the profession's ambitions.
To achieve a more unified approach to pharmacy leadership, we believe both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians should be represented by RPS within professional
faculties that capitalise on the strengths of each discipline whilst retaining distinct professional voices.
Many of our members work with pharmacy technicians every day and know just how essential they are to their role and to patient care. We feel the same at RPS and it
makes perfect sense to evolve into an organisation where both professions can advance their scope of practice, working in alignment as part of the wider
multi-professional team.
We will develop and implement post-registration curricula and credentialing for all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working with patients and the public. To
do this we will require formal delegation of authority by the GPhC.
At last Friday's Clinical Congress Conference, the NHSE Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England at NHS England, David Webb, announced the upcoming launch
of the Pharmacy Stakeholder Forum- an initiative led by NHS England aimed to improve pharmacy professional leadership and foster collaboration within the sector.
Webb highlighted the forum's significance as a platform for driving transformative change in pharmacy leadership.
"The aim is to deliver collaboration to develop a stronger and more united voice for pharmacy professionals," Webb emphasised.
Highlighting the need to drive transformative change in pharmacy leadership, he underscored that "the overarching goal is to address key challenges facing the
pharmacy profession and chart a course for future development and innovation."
Scheduled to commence in June, the Pharmacy Stakeholder Forum will provide a space for diverse organisations and networks with a vested interest in pharmacy
professional leadership to converge.
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.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPHC), Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), Company Chemists Association (CCA), Association of Pharmacy
Technicians UK (APTUK), National Pharmacy Association (NPA), Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists, Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA), and Independent
Pharmacies Association (IPA) have released a joint statement in response to the far-right riots across the UK.
They emphasised their united stance, declaring zero tolerance for racism towards colleagues or the public in any form.
The joint statement reads: "We are shocked and saddened by the violent public disorder events in recent days.
"We acknowledge how all sectors of the pharmacy profession may be impacted and recognise the challenges that this level of overt aggression can have on
people's ability or willingness to live their daily lives.
"The pharmacy workforce deserves peace and safety, not fear and harm. We stand united in having a zero tolerance of racism towards our colleagues or the
public in whatever form it takes."
Meanwhile, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has expressed concerns that protests and violent disorder in various towns and cities across England may impact
the ability of community pharmacies to operate.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is bolstering its leadership team with the appointment of Jay Badenhorst as the Director of Pharmacy, a newly
created position aimed at fortifying its commitment to advancing pharmacy practice.
This move comes amidst a period of significant change and challenge for frontline pharmacists, prompting the independent trade union to enhance its influence
in the evolving healthcare landscape.
Mr. Badenhorst, who previously served Whitworth Chemists as the Managing Director and also has leveraged his extensive knowledge of the pharmacy practice and
organisational leadership as the Vice Chair of the National Pharmacy Association, reasons his "commitment to being at the forefront of positive change within
the pharmacy profession."
Mr. Badenhorst expressed his enthusiasm stating: "I am delighted to be joining an organisation that has so much vision, ambition and drive at a time when
pharmacists have so many opportunities to develop their roles for the benefit of patients."
According to Mark Koziol, Chair of PDA, the new position is a reflection of the union's commitment to pharmacy and described the new Director of Pharmacy
as "a senior level, proven and award-winning pharmacy leader."
Pharmacy leaders have called for reassurance that the workforce plan, expected by April 2023, will cover the entirety of the pharmacy workforce across the
health service, including in community pharmacies.
A joint letter has been signed by representatives from 14 pharmacy organisations which highlights that with continued pressures on services, it is more important
than ever to support the pharmacy workforce so that the staff needed to deliver patient care now and into the future can be recruited, trained and retained.
Mark Koziol, Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) Chairman said: "Our pharmacist members practise across the entire health system and have the potential to do far
more to help patients and improve public health, but they can only do so safely if they are in appropriately staffed workplaces. This is a workforce issue, so it is
important that the Government works with representatives of the pharmacist workforce, and of their employers, to get a suitably agreed plan in place."
Thorrun Govind, English Pharmacy Board Chair, Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), said: "It will be crucial to use the skills of all our health professions to support
the NHS recovery, reduce health inequalities, manage the growing cost of long-term conditions, and deliver best value from medicines.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has appointed James Davies as Director of England.
Davies will be joining RPS in January 2023 to drive professional leadership for the pharmacy profession in England, working with and for RPS members.
He'll lead on national policy development, professional advocacy and member engagement across England, in partnership with the English Pharmacy Board.
Davies said: "It's a privilege to take up this position within the RPS, the professional home of pharmacy. I have been a member of the RPS throughout my pharmacy
career, and that has helped me to continually drive excellence in pharmacy practice. I'm excited about delivering the current RPS strategy to ensure that pharmacy
is, and continues to be, at the forefront of healthcare. I'm eager to work as part of the team and with the Board, leading and developing opportunities for the
profession that improve the lives of patients and the public.
Professional leadership bodies from around the world discussed workforce shortages in community pharmacy and other challenges affecting the sector at a global
meeting held in Paris last month.
Delegated from Denmark, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, US and the UK updated the conference on how the profession was progressing in practice,
technology and workforce development in their respective countries.
The UK was represented at World Pharmacy Council meeting by National Pharmacy Association chair Andrew Lane and chief executive at the Pharmaceutical Services
Negotiating Committee Janet Morrison.
Lane said: "It's very useful to be part of a global network of pharmacy bodies who are all going through similar challenges as we are in the UK. Sharing intelligence
on other pharmacy systems around the world helps us to prepare the right strategy for engaging with the NHS at home.
"Hearing some of the strides in services and digital technology in the profession gives us hope for the future of the sector. It's clear however that key challenges
such as workforce shortages are starting to have an effect in other parts of the world too."
Women accounted for 62 per cent of GPhC registrants in 2019, according to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Despite representing the majority of pharmacists
in the UK, only 2 per cent of women are pharmacy business owners compared with 13 per cent of men. Also, the majority of senior pharmacy leadership positions are
held by men, with research showing that only 36 per cent of senior pharmacy leaders are women.
Sobha Sharma Kandel, superintendent pharmacist and co-owner of Neem Tree Pharmacy, Abbey Wood, London, quoted these statistics while shedding light on the
representation of female leaders in the field of pharmacy.
So, what is stopping women from reaching leadership positions in the profession? According to Sobha, the barriers hindering female pharmacists from attaining
leadership positions include:
Gender Bias and Stereotypes
Lack of Representation and Role Models
Glass Ceiling and Double Standards
Work-Life Balance Challenges
Imposter Syndrome
Unequal Access to Opportunities
Negotiation and Advocacy Challenges
"There also continue to be gender and ethnicity pay gaps affecting women in pharmacy," said Sobha, who has been advocating for women in pharmacy by being a part
of the Female Pharmacy Leaders Network.
There is still a long way to go to achieve gender equality in pharmacy in both academia and profession, Royal Pharmaceutical Society president Claire Anderson
said while addressing a webinar on 'Driving equality for women in pharmacy' today (November 19).
Sharing her personal experience, Anderson, who earlier worked as an academic, said: "I was the first ever female professor in the School of Pharmacy at Nottingham
when I was appointed as professor in 2003, and at that point, only 11 per cent of professors in my university were female."
She acknowledged that the situation has changed since then, but "there's still a very long way to go to achieve gender equity in most of academia, and in pharmacy,
in particular."
She added that the profession has ensured safe spaces for women but noted that is not enough, as gender equity is vital to achieve healthier and safer societies.
"And although our work on equality, diversity and inclusion is progressing very well, I think we're still not there. It's a journey and there's much to be achieved."
Simon Harris bought an average-sized store from a national chain and turned it into a profitable business in just over a year - a great example of how to
start up a pharmacy and become successful. His formula was quite simple - recognise the available opportunities, take some calculated risks and reap the rewards.
Simon went into pharmacy because he felt it was a profession that would allow him to "help people" and have a direct impact on their lives. "I also thought it was
a profession which would allow me to have my own business one day."
Since qualifying as a pharmacist from Bath University in the late 90s, Simon did his pre-reg at a large Boots store in Broadmead, where we had some "great experience"
as a pharmacist manager.
He decided to take a year out and went around the world with his "now wife" and ended up working as a pharmacist for a pharmacy group Down Under which had a contract
with the sports industry, i.e. Australian Open and the Australian Football League.
"It was quite an experience because at the time I knew nothing about Aussie football but I ended up being their pharmacist after a short conversion course."