Join us for the prestigious Pharmacy Business Awards, the most anticipated event in the pharmacy industry. Celebrating the excellence of community pharmacy,
this glittering ceremony is a must-attend for pharmacy professionals. Taking place on October 4th, 2023 in central London, the 23rd edition promises to be a
memorable occasion.
Esteemed guests include heads of pharmacy organizations, CEOs of renowned manufacturers and wholesalers, esteemed health officials, and even government ministers.
It's a gathering of the pharmacy industry's elite, showcasing the outstanding services they provide to the nation.
To participate in this prestigious event, simply fill out the official online entry form, selecting up to three award categories from the drop-down boxes. Ensure
you submit your entry by July 7th, 2023, as only submitted entries will proceed to the judging stage. Don't miss this opportunity to shine a spotlight on your
exceptional contributions to community pharmacy.
Save the date: July 7th, 2023, is the deadline for nominations. Secure your place at the Pharmacy Business Awards and be part of an unforgettable evening
celebrating the very best in community pharmacy.
The Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) has expressed its keenness to work with the NHS nationally and at the ICB level to discuss how the pharmacist
workforce can most effectively be part of the multidisciplinary team, after the publication of Long-awaited NHS England workforce plan.
Welcoming its publication Alison Jones, PDA Director of Policy said: "It gives greater clarity around the future direction and strategy for professional development,
training, and opportunities for those currently working in the health service or considering their future career. There is a strong emphasis on further development
of the clinical role of pharmacists to support better patient care.
"However, this is a plan that will take years, indeed decades to come to fruition and its success will need to be underpinned by significant funding for its entire
life course.
Workplace pressures, reductions in support staff, and a lack of protected learning time are matters of immediate concern for many PDA members, issues which are
regularly highlighted through activities, such as the safer pharmacies survey.
Two more independent community pharmacists have been appointed to the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership.
NPA board member Reena Barai and Sheelin McKeagney from Lurgan in Northern Ireland will join 25 other commission members, including Ash Soni who was the only
practising community pharmacist on the initial list published in June.
Welcoming the announcement, the National Pharmacy Association chief executive, Mark Lyonette, said: "To their great credit, the co-chairs of the commission and the
UK's chief pharmaceutical officers have listened to our request for more community pharmacy presence on the commission. They have acted swiftly to achieve a better
balance in its membership and we thank them for responding to our representations.
"Around 70 per cent of pharmacists practice in the community. With more voices from community pharmacy within the leadership commission, there is a greater sense
that the profession as a whole will be able to own the final recommendations when they are ultimately made."
The public awareness campaign for community pharmacy, 'Ask Your Pharmacist Week' this year will be on 31 October - 7 November, the National Pharmacy
Association (NPA) has announced.
Every year AYP Week is held across the UK, with an aim to raise awareness of pharmacy services and to prompt conversations with key stakeholders at a local
level about community pharmacy's role and benefits.
Activities in previous years have ranged from public exhibitions and window posters to social media campaigns, projects with patient groups and visits to pharmacies
from local dignitaries and politicians.
NPA Head of Communications, Stephen Fishwick, said, "AYP Week is an important fixture in the pharmacy calendar, as it creates a space for focused public awareness
activities to help customers, patients and stakeholders understand more fully the community pharmacy offer.
We want people to be more aware of long-standing and new NHS services plus the skills and expertise on offer in pharmacies across the UK. AYP also aims to cultivate
a richer dialogue with key stakeholders, which in England now includes leaders in Integrated Care Systems."
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.
Pharmacy bodies have urged the Health Select Committee to hold the government to account on pharmacy funding and workforce challenges.
In a show of unity, leaders from the sector came together to write a joint letter to the chair of the committee and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt and bring to
his attention how financial pressures worsened by nearly a decade of a real-term decrease in funding have made the sector virtually untenable.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC)'s recently published 'Pharmacy Pressures Survey' confirms how this has had an impact on pharmacy contractors,
their teams as well as patients.
The survey found that 91 per cent of pharmacies are experiencing staff shortages. At the same time, demand for community pharmacists has risen - nine in ten pharmacy
teams reported a significant increase in phone calls from patients about prescriptions, and 86 per cent reported a rise in requests for healthcare advice.
The letter to Jeremy Hunt is signed on behalf of the four chief executives of the PSNC, the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp), the Company
Chemists' Association (CCA) and the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has commissioned Professor David Taylor of University College London to investigate the implications of all-time high
inflation rates on community pharmacies in the UK.
Professor Taylor's will assess rates of inflation affecting community pharmacy across the UK, using public data sources whilst examining inflated costs in the
context of the current five year contractual framework in England (2019-2024).
He would review the EY (Ernst & Young) report into pharmacy funding, to identify whether current inflationary pressures could change any of the findings and
consider the policy implications and impacts of inflationary pressures, including pharmacy's ability to prepare for a more clinically focused future and maintain
current core services.
NPA chief executive Mark Lyonette said: "Inflationary pressures are eating into the limited funds provided by the NHS for pharmacy services. We believe the real
level of inflation for pharmacy businesses could be higher than the CPI inflation rate, which itself is at a 40 year high. Staff and locum costs in the sector as
well as medicines costs have risen dramatically.
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).
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has developed two new resources- Keeping patients safe being open and honest and Pharmacy team toolkit - learning
from incidents, to help pharmacists and pharmacy technicians fulfil the duty of candour - the professional responsibility to be open and honest with patients if/when
something goes wrong.
The new resources bring together relevant existing policy, standards, and previous statements on the professional obligations of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians,
with respect to candour.
It also emphasises that the duty of candour is not an add on - it's a fundamental part of pharmacy professional practice.
The responsibility to be open and honest applies even in difficult or challenging times and it's essential that professionals do the right thing for patients, their
families and carers. Saying sorry meaningfully when things go wrong is vital for everyone involved.
Given the link with issues around liability and indemnity, the National Pharmacy Association and the Pharmacists' Defence Association - as leading providers of
professional indemnity - have also contributed to the new resources and highlighted the importance of openness and transparency in this context.
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."
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and National Pharmacy Association (NPA) have both urged the new health secretary Steve Barclay to back the 'pharmacy first'
approach in England as mentioned by his predecessor on numerous occasions.
"Sajid Javid recognised the vital role of community pharmacy and the potential of a 'Pharmacy First' to support patient access to care. I would urge the new Health
Secretary to see this through to completion," said chair of RPS in England Thorrun Govind.
Thorrun hopes the new health secretary will engage with pharmacy leaders about how we can make the most of our health and care workforce to support the NHS recovery,
including reducing health inequalities, managing the growing cost of long-term conditions, and utilising the enhanced skills of Pharmacist Independent Prescribers.
Commenting on the new appointment, she said: "This is a crucial time for the future of health and care - with continued pressures on teams, changes to NHS structures
and organisations, and the need for long-term investment in the workforce.
"With a 'refresh' of the NHS Long-Term Plan and the Government's workforce plan expected later this year, these must support a more ambitious approach to advancing
the clinical role of pharmacists across the NHS to better meet changing patient demand, backed by investment in pharmacy education and training.
The drug, alpelisib, which is the 100th cancer drug that has being fast-tracked to patients under the NHS Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) will be used in combination
with the hormone therapy, fulvestrant, to target the gene that causes fast-growing tumours.
Up to 3,000 people a year with a certain type of secondary breast cancer will benefit from the treatment.
The approach has contributed to people in England having access to nearly one third more cancer drugs compared to the European average.
The drug which is manufactured by pharmaceutical company Novartis, is part of a growing number of precision treatments that target a tumour based on mutations in
its DNA and that the NHS is rolling out.
John Stewart, NHS National Director for Specialised Commissioning said, "In just over five years, more than 80,000 people have benefitted from earlier access to a
range of cancer drugs, with people in England having access to nearly one third more cancer drugs compared to the European average, and this latest innovative new
treatment will help up to 3,000 more to live a better quality of life.
After the government announced to award pay rise to pubic sector workers, pharmacy trade bodies have expressed their disappointment at the neglect shown
towards funding crisis in community pharmacy.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chair, Andrew Lane, said: "Our sector can't help but feel utterly neglected after seven years of crushing real terms cuts
to pharmacy funding, amounting to half a billion pounds, and no hint of any relief to come.
"This week's public sector pay awards, which include a large number of our health service colleagues, highlight that there's an unresolved funding crisis in
community pharmacy which needs urgent attention."
"Four months into this financial year, there is as yet no clarity even on current arrangements."
"After stepping up to tackle Covid and keep the wheels on the NHS, the sector deserves better than to be neglected in this way," Andrew opines.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has called the future prime minister to deliver on the commitments made by the previous health secretaries to reform
primary care through a 'pharmacy first' approach and fairly fund community pharmacies to avoid closures.
In an open letter, the NPA has urged Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, the two leadership contenders of the Conservative Party and prime ministerial candidates, to think
radically about the role of England's 11,000 pharmacies, which are on the frontline of healthcare across the country.
NPA also highlighted how pharmacies could help clear the NHS backlog, free up millions more GP appointments, dramatically improve access to primary health care and
do more to prevent ill health and support people with long term medical conditions.
"Because of our unparalleled presence in deprived areas, we also have great potential to level up access to healthcare and address health inequalities. We set these
ideas out in How We Can Help, which is an improvement plan already welcomed by many of your colleagues."
Almost nine in ten community pharmacists in England say they have patients who sometimes go without prescription medicines because they cannot afford the
prescription charge levied by the government.
Sixty-eight per cent of pharmacists in a National Pharmacy Association (NPA) survey, conducted via email in June 2022, said this has become more frequent in the
past year - suggesting that the rising cost of living could be leading more people to miss out on vital medicines.
While prescription charge does not apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in England an NHS patients needs to pay £9.35 per item. For patients who need
multiples medicines the cost could be exponential and virtually unaffordable amid rising inflation and higher cost of living.
The survey found that 89 per cent of pharmacies in England have patients who sometimes go without prescription medicines due to cost.
For most pharmacists (74 per cent) this happens one to five times a week. Fifteen per cent said they see such patients from six to 20 times a week.
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.
It is important to revisit our financial situation early in the tax year and the various ways in which we could save some tax, extract cash from the business and reduce tax liabilities. We list below some of the tax planning opportunities available in the current tax year (05 April 2023 for individuals and 31 March 2023 for corporates).
Salaries
As a director of a limited company, you are entitled to be paid a salary for your work and so are members of your family who work for the company. Paying at least
a small salary can be very beneficial, particularly when the recipient does not already have the 35 qualifying years needed for entitlement to the full single-tier
state pension, which is payable to those who reach state pension age on or after 06 April 2016.
To preserve entitlement to state pension, and to ensure the year counts as a qualifying year, it is advisable to pay a salary at least equal to the lower earnings
limit for National Insurance Contributions (NIC) which is set at £578 per month for 2022/2023 i.e., £9,100 per annum.
Salaries may be beneficial where funds are needed in a recession for example, and the company does not have sufficient reserves to pay dividends.
Dividends
The annual tax-free dividend allowance for 2022/2023 is £2,000. Although referred to as an "allowance", it is actually a zero-rate band and therefore uses up your
basic or higher rate band as appropriate. Dividends are treated as the top slice of income and for 2022/2023, dividend income is taxed at 8.75% to the extent it
falls within the basic rate band, 33.75% if it falls within the higher rate band and 39.35% to the extent it falls within the additional rate band.
Community pharmacists are readily accessible healthcare providers and medicine experts in the community setting and their counsel is often sought by patients
and consumers on a number of subjects including the use of dietary supplements. Their role in the sale of and advice regarding natural health and drug alternatives
has never been more relevant.
The recent National Health Service (NHS) Interim People Plan calls for the NHS to put all staff front and centre of the way it operates and identifies pharmacists
as a critical part of multidisciplinary teams, providing care across a wide range of increasingly complex patient needs.
Despite existing demand to counsel patients on a vast range of medicines, more and more consumers are looking to their pharmacist to support and enhance their
knowledge regarding the relevance of a growing range of supplementary nutrients now available.
Nutritional supplementation is increasingly becoming the consumer's first choice for 'drug free' treatment or natural prevention that provides a true sense of
taking control, which the prescription process often denies them.
Historically the immense benefits provided by the NHS have instilled a general abdication of our personal health control, leaving us to rely on the health service
to treat and cure as necessary.
As our NHS has become visibly over-stretched we begin to realise what the rest of the world has known for centuries - good health is based primarily upon nutritional
robustness. It may be stating the obvious but there is an excellent source of incremental revenue for the pharmacist who is willing to provide space to and advice
for nutritional supplements.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned of multi-million financial hit for community pharmacies, while the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating
Committee (PSNC) has renewed its calls for urgent financial support amid a looming energy bill crisis.
NPA board member, Olivier Picard, this week shared a screenshot of his estimated electricity bill on WhatsApp groups. Upon expiration of his current arrangements,
in October, his electricity bill could rise from its current £1,821 for one pharmacy to an estimated £6,914 - a near fourfold increase.
Piccard said: "This is an eye-watering rise in costs for my own pharmacies and adds to the intense financial pressure we're already under. My standing charges will
multiply by 10 and the overall cost to each pharmacy amounts to about £5,000."
His comments come just ahead of an NPA-commissioned report into pharmacy inflation which will provide an analysis of inflationary costs pressing on the community
pharmacy sector, from utilities and workforce to medicines purchasing.
Eighty-five per cent of adults responding to a survey commissioned by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) have agreed that community pharmacies are
underfunded and that the sector needs more investment to be able to do the work it does.
The survey of 1,000+ adults in England was carried out online between August 26 and 30 by an agency called Research Without Barriers (RWB) on behalf of the NPA.
Pharmacies in England are now paid less for providing NHS services than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic, after years of real terms cuts.
Seventy-four per cent respondents think it's unfair that community pharmacies in England have had no increase in funding for eight years, despite rising business
costs.
When asked whether it's fair or unfair that pharmacies in England are now paid less for providing NHS services than they were before the pandemic, 81 per cent of
people replied that it's unfair.
