The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the charity Marie Curie have developed a consultation on 'professional standards for palliative and end of life care
for community pharmacy'.
The consultation will be open for four weeks for community pharmacists, organisations with a role in community pharmacy or palliative/end of life care, or patients
or carers with first-hand experience of palliative and end of life care to share their views until 1st December 2022.
Through this consultation, Society aims to that ensure the standards are clear, relevant, current, and fit for purpose from the perspective of the community pharmacy
team, the wider health team and patients/carers.
"The final standards will be published in 2023 and will help community pharmacies across the UK to self-assess and continuously improve their palliative, end of
life and bereavement care," said RPS.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has launched a partnership with the charity Marie Curie to develop professional standards in end of life care for community pharmacy.
Available for pharmacy teams across the UK, the standards will provide a free, evidence-based framework to help community pharmacies self-assess and continuously improve their end of life and bereavement care for patients and carers.
They will enable community pharmacy teams to work together to develop their own practice.
RPS is setting up a professional standard steering group which will have community pharmacy experts, experts within the field of palliative and end of life care,
lay members, and healthcare professionals who interact with community pharmacy.
Elen Jones, director lead for palliative care work at RPS, said: "RPS has a long-term commitment, striving to ensure that people living with life-limiting conditions
who are approaching the end of life have timely access to medicines and clinical support from a skilled pharmacy team.
"The development of these standards, in partnership with Marie Curie, is a crucial step to support community pharmacy teams to undertake simple quality improvement
measures and build upon the care they already provide to this group of patients and carers."
Leading pharmacy group Weldricks has strengthened its commitment to providing the highest quality of care to the communities it serves by implementing the
RPS Daffodil Quality Improvement Standards for Community Pharmacy.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) on Monday (20 November) announced that Weldricks will soon be rolling out the Daffodil Standards across half its stores in
South Yorkshire.
Developed in partnership with UK charity Marie Curie, the RPS Daffodil Standards serve as a framework for improving the quality of palliative and end-of-life care
provided by community pharmacy teams.
Amy Marlin, Superintendent Pharmacist of Weldricks, commented that the implementation of the RPS Daffodil Standards is "another step forward in our journey to
provide the highest quality of care to the communities we serve."
RPS Scotland has partnered with charity organisation Marie Curie for an exhibition at the Scottish Parliament this week to highlight Daffodil Standards and
the crucial contribution of community pharmacies to palliative and end-of-life care. The exhibition is being sponsored by Jeremy Balfour MSP.
Community pharmacies offer vital assistance by providing guidance on medication adjustments and side effects, RPS Scotland said in a statement. They are easily
accessible without the need for an appointment, providing essential support and reassurance to families in times of need.
The Daffodil Standards, which is jointly developed by RPS and Marie Curie, drive continuous improvement in end-of-life and bereavement support within community
pharmacies, benefiting terminally ill patients, their families, and caregivers. These standards align with the RCGP/Marie Curie guidelines for general practice
introduced in 2019.
Since its May launch, over 450 pharmacies throughout Great Britain, including more than 30 in Scotland, have implemented these principles, the statement said.
A three-year contract has been signed between NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and Pharmaceutical Press, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's (RPS) knowledge business, to continue the supply of trusted medicines information though MedicinesComplete, to healthcare professionals in Scotland.
The renewed investment from NES demonstrates unequivocal confidence in the publisher and highlights Pharmaceutical Press' ongoing commitment to provide practical and evidence-based guidance, supporting those who prescribe, dispense, and administer medicines. Essential resources include Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference, Palliative Care formulary, Stockley's Drug Interactions and Critical Illness.
Relied on by healthcare professionals globally for use in everyday practice, clear and concise guidance through MedicinesComplete supports confident decision-making
at the point of care.