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 Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has become a member of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).
On Thursday (22 September), the FIP council voted to welcome the PDA as a full member of the global federation of organisations that brings together and advances
pharmacy.
Mark Koziol, PDA chairman, said: "Being admitted to FIP with such a decisive level of support from its Council means that the PDA can ensure that UK pharmacists
can enjoy a clear and powerful voice representing their collective professional interests at global level, which of late they could not.
"Bringing one of the largest pharmacy membership organisations in the world to FIP also gives the PDA significant influence in being able to inform the policies of
the World Health Organisation. This means that the PDA can do even more for members by helping to make pharmacy practice more professionally fulfilling for them."
"The PDA constantly seeks ways to provide even better support for members; membership of FIP will give the PDA much more influence and will result in better outcomes
for pharmacists," the association said.
To support humanitarian crises in other parts of the world, the PDA approached FIP, as a global pharmacy leadership organisation.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has urged its member - employed pharmacists and locum pharmacists to share their view on UK Commission on Pharmacy
Professional Leadership report.
The four government Chief Pharmacists have published their commission's proposal for how pharmacy leadership may develop in the UK.
The association 'strongly' believes that just as it was the members of the profession that established their previous pharmacist professional leadership bodies, so
it is for pharmacists to determine if they agree with these proposals and to decide what arrangements they want in future.
"As an organisation that has exclusively in its membership the employed and locum pharmacists in the UK, the PDA wants to ensure that it can reflect the views of
frontline pharmacists in any future discussions and decisions that could impact upon their careers.
Pharmacists are encouraged to read the report, to consider its content and then ensure they respond to the forthcoming communication from the PDA."
The commission report says that existing leadership bodies have "relatively low levels of membership" but does not provide details. It has also stated that it has
received submissions to its consultation from many pharmacy organisations.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has called on pharmacy employers and pharmacists organisations to make donations towards the Pharmacist Support charity in the new year.
The association has urged them to donate £1 per pharmacist employee or member to the charity group to increase its funding from 2022 onwards.
Pharmacist Support, an independent charity, provides a variety of support services to pharmacists and their families, former pharmacists and pharmacy students in Great Britain.
It provides support through twelve sessions of fully funded counselling topharmacists, students, or trainees.
Since 2018, the association has donated more than £150,000 to the charity, in turn supporting its members who additionally seek assistance from Pharmacist Support.
Boots UK has agreed to grant a five per cent pay increase to its pharmacists following a collaborative agreement with the Pharmacists' Defence
Association (PDA). This raise acknowledges the unique market conditions faced by pharmacists in the community pharmacy sector, Boots UK and PDA said in a
joint statement on Oct. 9.
According to the statement, the pay increase applies to all pharmacists within the PDA Union's bargaining unit, except for those who joined or received a pay
raise after August 2023. Moreover, trainee pharmacists or those not meeting performance standards are not eligible for the raise.
Additionally, pharmacists and store managers will receive a pro-rata, one-time non-consolidated payment of £750 in August 2024. This payment serves as recognition
for their dedication to establishing and providing new core and advanced NHS services, particularly in light of the substantial changes anticipated in the upcoming
year, the joint statement said.
The services include new medicines, hypertension, contraception, and common conditions services in England, the clinical community pharmacy service in Wales, and
the Pharmacy First services in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association's anti-racist pharmacy toolkit was launched at the 2022 Clinical Pharmacy Congress.
The event also included a demonstration of how members could use the toolkit to work together to address inequality and discrimination in their workplace.
Elsy Gomez Campos, president of the PDA BAME Pharmacists' Network, gave an overview of issues raised by network members as well as broader professional issues
including over-representation of BAME pharmacists in fitness to practice complaints, under-representation of BAME pharmacists in leadership roles, limited access
to post-graduate education, and bullying and discrimination in the workplace.
She concluded her opening statement by reminding members of what an exemplary pharmacy profession should look like which is about "being treated fairly and being
offered the same opportunities to those that do not look like us."
Manuella Asso, organising assistant and PDA BAME Pharmacists' Network coordinator, explained that the toolkit for was representatives, members, and other pharmacists
to assess their workplaces and to help them take collective action to create an anti-racist workplace culture and environment.
Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) members working for Boots have raised concerns over possible reduction in their pay following the multiple's proposed changes to some pharmacies' opening hours.
Member pharmacists have expressed concerns as "despite verbal assurances that the company aim to minimise pharmacist job losses, they are being told that proposed changes will reduce their income if they remain with the company," PDA has stated.
PDA added that several pharmacists have been told that the proposed reduction to their hours will be more than 10 per cent, which could result in reduction in pay every month.
Salary cuts could render future employment unsuitable and might force pharmacists to leave the company with redundancy, the association said.
The BAME Pharmacists Network of the Pharmacists' Defence Association has elected three women pharmacists as it's new officials.
Following the network's second set of elections since its launch in April 2020, Sima Hassan has been elected as president, Wai Chan Lau her deputy and Osariemen
Egharevba-Buckman as honorary secretary.
A community pharmacist for over 18 years and an academic, Ms Hassan will take over from outgoing president Elsy Gomez Campos who saw through the work of the network
during a very difficult period in the midst of a global pandemic.
Ms Hassan has been a prominent member of the BAME pharmacist community. She recognises and appreciates the complexities of issues that BAME pharmacists face and the
scope for work that needs to done for wider recognition.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) says the pharmacy regulator should maintain a two-year post qualification eligibility criteria, in addition to
the qualitative measures being introduced which would be in the best interest of patient safety, before a pharmacist is allowed to commence an IP course.
The association was responding to an announcement by the GPhC's move to scrap the two year requirement for Independent Prescribing (IP) course.
"The PDA accepts that the qualitative approach could mean greater individual consideration of potential IP course candidates and the two-year measure could have
sometimes been a blunt tool. However, the PDA is already seeing cases of patient harm and allegations around fitness to practice arising from IP," the association
said.
The association also said that it supports individual pharmacists with near misses, as well as actual incidents, giving the organisation possibly the most
comprehensive understanding of risk.
Frontline pharmacists also recognise these issues and in a survey of over 1,000 pharmacists undertaken by the PDA in late 2021, of those who had 2+ years'
experience of practice and who were already independent prescribers, 90 per cent said the qualifying period should be two years or more.
Pharmacists delivering to the Scottish prison service have been notified by their employer LloydsPharmacy that they may be transferred to another employer or
even be at risk of redundancy.
The Pharmacists Defence Association said: "It is supporting pharmacists employed by LloydsPharmacy who have been advised that the company has not retendered for the
contract to provide pharmacy services to the Scottish prison service.
As a result of LloydsPharmacy exiting the contract, those pharmacists may transfer to whichever employer takes over the service, or if their function does not
transfer to a new employer they will be at risk of redundancy."
The PDA Union will be representing these individuals to ensure they understand and can exercise their rights at work to either continue their current role under a
new employer, transfer to a suitable alternative role, or leave with the appropriate redundancy compensation.
PDA members impacted by this change can contact the PDA Service Centre for advice.
Trainee pharmacists at Boots in England and Northern Ireland will get a pay increase from 1st August.
The new pay rates agreed between the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) Union and Boots was announced on Tuesday (4 July).
The joint statement released by Boots and PDA Union said: "Following discussions, we are pleased to announce that there will be a pay increase for Trainee
Pharmacists, in England and Northern Ireland, commencing in role this summer."
Trainee Pharmacists working in Boots Pharmacies in Wales are employed directly by the NHS and are therefore outside the scope of the pay negotiations between
Boots and the PDA Union.
Funding for each Boots Trainee Pharmacist in Scotland is at a higher level and Boots continues to pass on the fully funded amount as salary to those team members
The Pharmacist' Defence Association (PDA) has welcomed the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI)'s
plan to ensure a more robust, fair and positive experience for trainees, provisionally registered and potential pharmacists who will be sitting the November 2022
assessment.
"Many candidates at the latest (June 2022) assessment experienced significant delays, technical issues, inadequate invigilation, and disturbances in test centres
around the UK as the newly appointed company BTL ran the high-stakes pharmacist examinations for the first time. The next online exam is due in November 2022 and the
PDA welcome proposed improvements to be introduced before that sitting," said the association.
For some, provisional registration was the accepted response from the GPhC, but for others, such as potential pharmacists who did not want the provisional role,
those unable to find a suitable provisional post, or some that did not meet the criteria for provisional registration, they found themselves in financial
difficulties through no fault of their own, having reasonably expected to have joined the register in the Summer.
The Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) has expressed its interest to support pharmacists impacted with the latest announcement of the closure of Tesco
pharmacies.
"Tesco have followed ASDA and LloydsPharmacy (at Sainsbury's) to announce cost cutting changes to their stores, impacting hundreds of jobs," the association said.
The PDA's interests in the announcement relate to the planned closure of eight in-store Tesco pharmacies and the impact of those closures upon pharmacists, however
the union is of course concerned for all those impacted.
The PDA Union will support individual PDA members impacted by the decision so that they are aware of, and can exercise, their rights at work in relation to this
situation.
Paul Day, PDA Union Director said, "In addition to the immediate impact on pharmacists employed at the stores marked for closure, this is the third instance in just
twelve days of reductions in the overall access to a pharmacy for NHS patients. We expect those who represent communities to be concerned about the loss of a key
part of their local NHS service."
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has announced that it will support its member impacted by the decision to close 300 more Boots pharmacies.
After the announcement of closure of 300 Boots pharmacies over the next year, the association believes this is approximately one out of every eight current
Boots pharmacy locations.
The company has insisted that the objective of this exercise is not to make existing pharmacist employees redundant, and they hope to be able to redeploy
individuals into nearby alternative locations. However, PDA believes that it is unlikely that suitable alternative roles will be available for all and
redundancy is a possibility for some.
The PDA Union will provide pharmacists with information, support, and representation as part of the recognition agreement so that members are aware of and
can exercise their rights at work. PDA officials will be in continued dialogue with the company throughout this closure programme.
The Professional Pharmacists Association (PDA) has demanded efforts to secure greater support and recognition for community pharmacists from governmental
bodies.
In its written evidence provided to the Health and Social Care select committee's pharmacy inquiry, the PDA raised concerns about the well-being of pharmacists,
specifically for those who belong to minority ethnic groups and race and are subjected to bullying, harassment, and ill-treatment.
The association highlighted issues in the workplace that impact pharmacists' health and well-being, including chronic understaffing, sub-standard working
environments, an absence of protected training time, and experiences of racism, violence, and abuse.
Parallel to the PDA's advocacy, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is intensifying calls for prioritising workforce wellbeing within the pharmacy domain.
Stressing the pivotal role of workforce retention in addressing current challenges, RPS emphasises the need for robust support mechanisms and equitable access
to mental health services.
Violent and abusive behaviour against pharmacists is impacting on recruitment and retention of staff in the sector, according to the Pharmacists' Defence
Association (PDA).
The trade union for pharmacists told BBC Breakfast TV on Wednesday (May 8) that its members have continuously raised workplace safety concerns due to an alarming
rise in the incidents of abuse and violence against pharmacy staff.
The PDA union has been calling for adequate risk assessments and preventative safety measures to be put in place in pharmacies whist adopting a zero-tolerance
approach to violence and abuse.
With several significant and worrying incidents involving PDA members, including a pharmacist being threatened with a knife recently, further research was
conducted in April 2022 to establish the extent and impact of such behaviour on pharmacists.
Forty-four per cent of the respondents in the survey reported that they or someone that they worked with had experienced physical or violent abuse in the last month.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has emerged as a key player in international humanitarian efforts, delivering millions of pounds worth of medical
aid to disaster-hit regions.
This marks a significant evolution for the PDA, which has embraced a leadership role in global relief initiatives.
The PDA, a member of the Employed Pharmacists of Europe (EPhEU), responded to an urgent appeal from its Ukrainian members following the extensive damage to
Ukraine's healthcare infrastructure during the military invasion.
As the elected Secretary General of EPhEU, PDA Chairman Mark Koziol orchestrated a campaign encouraging public donations through 'Medicines to Ukraine' posters
displayed in pharmacies across Europe.
The campaign successfully raised over £4.5 million, which was used to procure and deliver essential medicines directly to Ukrainian Ministry of Health pharmacists.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has created a form to help locum and other pharmacists to report about breach of NHS contract by community pharmacy.
According to the association, they have been told by increasing number of pharmacists about contractors closing pharmacies, despite a locum readily available to
cover the shift.
The PDA said this is an issue of NHS contractual breach and creates difficulties for patients, and so they have created the form to assist members to report
unnecessary closures to the relevant NHS England & Improvement pharmacy contract team.
A locum pharmacist, who does not wish to be named, has alleged that a community pharmacy declined their offer to cover an extra shift for £5 more per hour,
and decided to close the store, denying the public access to services.
The pharmacist recalled the occasion while writing in the PDA's latest member voice article.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is playing a vital role in helping pharmacists who are dealing with stress at the workplace. It launched its new
awareness factsheet 'It's Time to Address Stress' last week.
The factsheet looks at the causes and symptoms of stress in the workplace and provides advice on ways pharmacists can access support and improve working conditions.
The association said that it recognises the well-being services offered by employers and specialist charities such as the PDA's charity partner Pharmacist Support
play an important part in helping pharmacists who may be experiencing stress.
However, the PDA is also committed to working with members to challenge employers to provide well workplaces and to help them to make real impact changes. This can
be done by addressing the causes of stress and fulfilling their responsibilities to their employees.
It added: "Under the management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are required by law to protect employees from harm. Their legal obligations include identifying hazards and risks and implementing ways to reduce or eliminate them. The PDA's new factsheet highlights the importance of employers recognising the hazards causing stress as the health and safety issues they are."
At the recent 'Locum Matters' online event held on June 25, 2024, members of the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) discussed critical issues facing
locum pharmacists, with a disturbing trend taking center stage: employers pressuring locum pharmacists to accept lower rates under the threat of potential pharmacy
closures.
The event, organised in response to feedback from PDA locum members, addressed a range of significant topics including training for the recent Pharmacy First
Services, respect for professional autonomy, and the need for adequate rest breaks.
However, the issue of rate pressure and pharmacy closures was a focal point.
Several locum pharmacists reported that some employers were leveraging the possibility of pharmacy closures to coerce them into working for lower pay.
This unethical practice has raised alarm within the locum community, highlighting the precarious working conditions many face.