PHOENIX UK and the British Heart Foundation has joined hands for a charity partnership to continue the ongoing commitment of improving heart health across the UK.
The PHOENIX team have set the donation goal of £20,000 by June 2023 and are set to take on a range of exciting challenges over the course of the next year, such as
a Tough Mudder and the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, all in a bid to raise funds for the heart health charity.
Nigel Swift, Managing Director of Rowlands, PHOENIX UK's largest community pharmacy member organisation, commented: "We are thrilled to be partnering with The British
Heart Foundation. Its lifesaving research perfectly aligns with our mission across PHOENIX UK - to enable more people to live happy and healthy lives - and so we
look forward to raising vital funds and supporting the excellent work of the charity."
Hayley Gough, Community Relationship Manager at The British Heart Foundation, added, "It's fantastic to see the team at PHOENIX UK commit to raising so much money
for The British Heart Foundation. We can't wait to see all that they achieve and are so grateful for their fundraising efforts."
Pharmacy technicians will soon be recognised as fully regulated healthcare professionals in North Ireland.
Work has begun to bring pharmacy technicians under statutory regulation by the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland, health minister Robin Swann has announced.
The public consultation was launched in March 2022 on a proposal to introduce statutory regulation of the Pharmacy Technician workforce in Northern Ireland.
The minister said: "This will be a key enabler to enhancing the contribution that pharmacy technicians can make to the delivery of healthcare across all settings.
It will allow the regulator to strengthen its role in protecting patients and promoting high standards, thereby enhancing the public's confidence and trust in
pharmacy practice."
He added: "While there are many practical issues to be worked through with stakeholders, and legislative change required, I have now instructed my Department's
officials to develop a detailed project plan to bring about the statutory regulation of pharmacy technicians by the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland".
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has appointed Neville Carter as its new chief education and membership officer.
Neville joins RPS from the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) where he is currently director of engagement, leading a team of over 60 and responsible for creating a
combined directorate accountable for education, membership, philanthropy, and business development.
He has, in particular, led on the development of a digital education strategy and launched professional development training programmes for members.
Prior to joining the RSM, Neville worked as director of product and sales at the British Medical Association with responsibility for membership growth, supporting
corporate transformation and developing and managing member benefits and relationships with third-party providers to support revenue growth. He also has senior
manager experience at the RAC and at British Airways.
Commenting on the appointment, Paul Bennett, RPS CEO, said: "I'm delighted that Neville will be joining our Executive team. He brings a wealth of relevant experience
and this, in combination with a strong existing education and membership team at RPS and a clear ambition to strengthen the relevant functions further, will enable
the organisation to deliver a dynamic offering for our members.
Boots is planning to invest more than £3.5 million to accelerate its capacity to offer prescribing services in its stores across England.
The company is inviting 500 of its pharmacists to apply for a bursary which will cover the cost of pharmacist independent prescriber (PIP) courses starting this
September.
The value of the bursary is up to £7,000 per pharmacist, and it will enable time off work for those who need it to complete the training.
The move by Boots will support its current pharmacists to gain this qualification via courses accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). From 2026,
all qualified pharmacists will be able to prescribe as part of new curricula for pharmacy degrees.
Under current GPhC guidelines and with an independent prescribing qualification, pharmacists can prescribe autonomously for any condition within their clinical
competence.
Marc Donovan, the chief pharmacist at Boots, said the ambition of the company was "to have a pharmacist prescriber available at every store".
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Wales has welcomed proposals from the Welsh government to increase access to PrEP via community pharmacies for people at
risk of HIV.
The new HIV Action Plan for Wales consultation proposes a shared care model between primary care and specialist sexual health services to improve access to PrEP.
Commenting on the proposal, chair of RPS in Wales Cheryl Way said: "Increasing access to the medicines has been a long-standing issue of concern for us at RPS and
we're therefore delighted to see the proposals outlined by the Welsh government to develop a model which will enable PrEP to be provided by community pharmacies
across Wales.
"PrEP are highly effective medicines, that reduce the chances of getting HIV, as proven by the Welsh Government's three year PrEPARED study which found no new
diagnoses of HIV among over 1,200 people taking PrEP in Wales. This is clear evidence that PrEP should be made as easily accessible as possible to those who need it.
Community pharmacy teams are urged to share their views relating to the new NHS Booking and Referral Standard (BaRS).
"This will ensure that the tool supports the needs of pharmacy team members and their patients," said the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC).
BaRS is an interoperability standard for healthcare IT systems which should enable booking and referral information to be sent to or from care providers, such as
community pharmacies, quickly, safely and in a format useful to clinicians.
"The intentions are that the BaRS IT standard will eventually be available in all care settings. The way the standard could be used in pharmacies is currently being
considered, including the potential for use for referrals from NHS 111 to community pharmacy."
The BaRS team are conducting interviews (usually lasting 30-45 minutes) to hear more the current experiences and the future preferences regarding sending and
receiving referral messages.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have added five more medicines that cannot
be hoarded or exported from the UK market.
The government has taken the following action to address the "critical shortage" of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs.
In a crucial development on October 9, this strategic move aims to enable wholesalers to fulfil their legal obligation to supply these essential medicines to
patients across the UK.
The updated list of drugs incorporated "all" available strengths and pharmaceutical formulations, ensuring comprehensive coverage for patients' medical needs.
A new report published today (June 29) by the think tank Policy Exchange highlights key role for community pharmacy in management of primary-secondary care
interface.
The report called Medical Evolution has received cross-party support. It says an equivalent of 15 million GP appointments per year are spent dealing with issues
managing care between GP practices and hospitals.
Research from the think tank also finds 150,000 people could be on 'hidden' waiting lists (where a patient has been referred by a GP for further treatment, but
not included on official hospital waiting lists).
On the eve of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, the report calls for the development of 'interface specialists' - which could be undertaken by doctors, nurses or
community pharmacists to enable them to work more routinely across settings and to strategically plan interface working.
Community pharmacy representatives and MPs from across all political parties discussed the impact of winter pressures on pharmacies in England during a
parliamentary drop-in event held on Tuesday (5 December).
As many as 34 MPs attended the event, including Bradford South MP Judith Cummins, who hosted the event.
Members of the Community Pharmacy England (CPE) Policy Team and LPC leaders briefed the politicians about the current winter pressures that all NHS community
pharmacies are grappling with, and asked them to help get more support.
CPE Chief Executive Janet Morrison said: "Community pharmacies play an active role to support their patients throughout the winter period, but the sector needs
fair and proper funding to enable its vital services to be delivered in the long term. This event came at a key moment for the sector as we work towards
implementing the Pharmacy First service and negotiations begin for the 2024/25 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF).
Dr Michael Gamlen, the inventor of Gamlen instruments presents a tablet press machine to the students at the School of Pharmacy on 16 October.
The equipment not only solves the challenge of producing lab-scale tablets under precise conditions but also offers valuable insights into material
compaction properties.
It is also known as a powder compaction analyser which has been given on loan to the University of Sunderland for five years.
Dr Gamlen talks about the machine and how pharmacy students will benefit, saying: "It allows you to make tablets under tightly controlled conditions and enables
you to make accurate comparisons between different materials and processes.
"The students will be able to easily see the impact of the tablet compaction conditions on tablet properties. This is very important to understand when developing
new tablet formulations and manufacturing products."
Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has backed pharmacists to play a greater clinical role in the health and well-being of the nation, describing them
as "valuable and trusted" members of the community.
Pharmacists have faced a difficult year with 222 community pharmacies closing in just the first six months.
Boots alone will be closing 300 branches over the next 12 months.
Sunak, however, insisted that his government knows the "hard work of pharmacy teams", and that he wants to "enable them to do more to support the NHS."
Speaking at the annual Sigma Conference in London on Sunday (5 November), the prime minister reiterated that community pharmacy is in line for a much-needed
boost in funding.
"Earlier this year, the government announced plans for further investment of up to £645 million over the next few years to support the Pharmacy First service
for patients," Sunak said in a letter read out at the conference by Lord Dolar Popat.
"This means that community pharmacies will be able to assess patients and provide some options to protect them without a GP appointment."
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.
Community pharmacy contractors eligible under the revised Pharmacy Access Scheme (PhAS) will receive their first of the new monthly payments with the January reconciliation payment due on April 1, 2022.
Details of the revised version of the PhAS that commenced from January 1, was published in August 2021, with contractors receiving letters from the NHS Business
Services Authority (NHSBSA) indicating their eligibility in the Autumn, PSNC said in an update.
Payments under the scheme are dependent on registration on NHSBSA's Manage Your Service (MYS) portal to provide the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service(CPCS).
Meanwhile, the review application window is now open for contractors, which would enable the NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) to correct inaccuracies related to a pharmacy's distance criteria/calculation.
As an unprecedented demand for Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test kits continues through the Pharmacy Collect service, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is planning to distribute 10.5 million tests per week via Alliance Healthcare this month.
By the end of this week (January 8), the UKHSA aims to distribute more than 8 million tests to Alliance Healthcare - sole distributor to pharmacies.
The announcement comes after many in the pharmacy sector voiced concerns over shortage of test kits. Earlier this week, it emerged that Alliance Healthcare closed for four days shortly after receiving around 2.5 million tests on Christmas Eve.
Meanwhile, the UKHSA indicated that Alliance Healthcare has been delivering 86 per cent of its orders within 24 hours of the pharmacy order, nearly half of that on the same day.
Besides, a plan to switch on a Parcel Force delivery contingency is being finalised by UKHSA, which would enable supply of a further 3.5 million test kits.
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 new deal struck by the NHS will enable provision of a life-saving treatment for babies and young children who suffer with a rare and fatal genetic disease, metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD).
The revolutionary gene therapy treatment, known by its brand name Libmeldy, is used to treat MLD, which causes severe damage to the child's nervous system and organs,
leading to a life expectancy of just five to eight years.
Having a reported list price of more than £2.8 million, it is the most expensive drug in the world, but can now be offered to young patients on the NHS in England after the health service negotiated a significant confidential discount.
the drug works by removing the patient's stem cells and replacing the faulty gene that causes MLD before then re-injecting the treated cells into the patient.
The most common form of MLD usually develops in babies younger than 30 months and can cause loss of sight, speech and hearing, as well as difficulty moving, brain impairment, seizures, and eventually death.
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.
While responding to the consultation on hub and spoke dispensing, trade unions for pharmacists have emphasised that the patient safety and care must be the priority in hub and spoke dispensing.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has welcomed the opportunity provided by a change in legislation to enable community pharmacies to make use of hub and spoke
dispensing but reaffirmed that patient care must be at the heart of future changes.
With regards to patient safety, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) considers that only Model 1 is appropriate, with manageable risks related
to patient safety, and is a model that has the potential to allow the whole sector to benefit fairly.
In its response to the consultation on Hub and Spoke dispensing, PSNC highlighted that Model 2 in the consultation, a hub direct to patient supply of dispensed medicines, raises patient safety issues and it cannot be supported.
RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "In all models, patients need to continue to have access to a pharmacist at the time of supply of medicines so they
have the opportunity to discuss, ask questions or raise concerns, and receive appropriate information with counselling and advice.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has appointed communications agency to lead a review into how it can develop and strengthen member participation.
"We've appointed communications consultancy Luther Pendragon to carry out an independent review of the participation of members and of our communications
concerning decisions we take on behalf of the profession through our Governance boards," the Society said in a statement on Tuesday (May 10).
It added that review would examine how RPS members, elected members and stakeholders can feel engaged, informed and empowered to influence decisions about RPS policy and understand why decisions around organisational policy have been taken on their behalf by elected representatives.
It will also ensure RPS decision-making processes are open and transparent with an emphasis on evidence-based decision making, and recommend ways elected members are enabled to be publicly accountable for decisions taken by the organisation at Board and Assembly level.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has called its member to to express their views and fill out the Department of Health and Social Care's hub and
spoke survey on the proposed model of dispensing.
The Society has urged its members to fill out the survey before May 20.
RPS president Claire Anderson said: "It is vital that RPS members have their say on issue that impact you in your roles. Currently only single legal entities
can make use of this model of dispensing.
"Our survey, which opened today, seeks your views and comments and will help to inform the RPS submission to this consultation."
The consultation on the proposals to enable all community pharmacies to access hub and spoke dispensing published by the Department of Health and Social Care
(DHSC) will run for three months and will close on June 8, 2022.
