Group items tagged

A new report commissioned by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has revealed harsh financial realities faced by community pharmacies in England. The report by Professor David Taylor of University College London warned that 1000s of community pharmacy closure might take place by 2024 in England if the sector was not supported with additional funds. At the launch of the report titled 'Protecting UK Public Interests in NHS Community Pharmacy', Prof Taylor said: "There will be several 1,000s of closures over the next few years unless we take appropriate action, which doesn't mean to pour money all over it, but it is to fund appropriately when necessary. "At the moment, if we got a partial collapse in the pharmacy network it would disrupt medicine supply and increase health inequalities… For me, it's missing out on the future development of better and more accessible care, which would be the tragedy of reducing, harming and damaging the pharmacy network unnecessarily."

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has published new reports on racism and other inequalities in pharmacy, following a series of virtual equality roundtables. This council organised its second equality roundtable on 18 September 2023, focussing on the topic of 'Language Barriers and Health Inequalities', and a follow-up roundtable on 'Racism in Pharmacy: Accountability Counts' on 10 October 2023. A wide range of pharmacy-related organisations, patient groups, equality groups, providers of translation services and software, individual pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and wider teams from different sectors and settings attended the events. GPhC chair, Gisela Abbam thanked speakers and attendees for listening and contributing to the important discussions around racism and language barriers, which she said are "not purely a pharmacy problem, nor a health problem", but a "much broader" system problem. "It is important we acknowledge that, and do what we can to tackle racism and barriers wherever we find them," she added.

Pharmacists from BAME backgrounds still face higher levels of discrimination, harassment, bullying, and career obstacles compared to their white counterparts, the Pharmacy Workforce Race Equality Standard (PWRES) report has revealed. Published by NHSE England, this report underscores the persistent presence of inequality, emphasising the crucial need for all stakeholders in the pharmacy sector to prioritise addressing these issues. The PWRES report indicates that pharmacy team members of Black ethnic backgrounds are less likely to perceive equal opportunities for career advancement or promotion within their trust. Additionally, female pharmacy team members from BAME backgrounds report higher incidents of personal discrimination in the workplace. The report also highlights an overrepresentation of pharmacy technicians from BAME backgrounds in lower-paid roles. "It is shocking and unacceptable to see that across all indicators the BME staff experience is worse than their white counterparts," said Tase Oputu, Chair of RPS in England.

"Only around half of ICSs have a Chief Pharmacist," indicating a significant gap in leadership that hampers the pharmacy sector's ability to influence critical healthcare decision, a report on medicine optimisation by the Public Policy Projects (PPP) highlights. In PPP's latest report, a notable concern highlighted is the inadequate representation of pharmacy leadership within Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) despite the role of pharmacy being "central in the delivery of system priorities, with pivotal roles in improving population health and tackling inequalities". In recent years, the role of pharmacy within the NHS has evolved significantly with recent developments including Pharmacy First Services and legislative amendments that allows pharmacy technicians under PGDs to administer and supply medicines.

A recently published report on medicines optimisation highlights the urgent need for transformative changes across all pharmacies to unlock their full potential in delivering integrated care. The report by Public Policy Projects (PPP) is first of the four in the series that emphasises the significant benefits that medicines optimisation can bring to integrated care systems (ICSs). This includes reducing health inequalities and improving population health. Pointing to the "untapped opportunity" that medicines optimisation presents for ICSs facing financial challenges, the report underscores the vital role of pharmacies in enhancing patient outcomes. The launch of the Pharmacy First services has already demonstrated the essential contribution of pharmacies to the health and care system. With "medicines being the second highest cost to the NHS," the report recommends ways "to achieve better value for money while improving patient outcomes".

A call to action has been issued by the Company Chemists' Association (CCA) in its submission to the Darzi Review, highlighting the critical need for recognition and revitalization of the community pharmacy sector. The CCA warns that chronic underfunding and a flawed Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) have resulted in a reduction of over 1,200 pharmacies since 2015. This reduction, coupled with increasing workforce pressures, is exacerbating health inequalities, particularly in deprived communities. The CCA's submission stresses that the government must address these longstanding funding issues to fully unlock the potential of community pharmacies in addressing the nation's health challenges. The report argues that while initiatives like Pharmacy First have been positive, they only scratch the surface of the sector's capabilities.

NHS England and NHS Improvement published on May 26 the findings of the Fuller 'stocktake' - setting out how primary care can work with partners across health and care to best meet the needs of their local communities. Dr Claire Fuller's report lays emphasis on the essential role of primary care and the potential of integrated neighbourhood teams in reducing the burden of ill health and tackling health inequities. It commends community pharmacy for keeping "its doors open to the public throughout" the pandemic whilst being "among the most recognisable of a multitude of dedicated staff delivering care around the clock in every neighbourhood in the country". The report highlights "recruitment and retention challenges across the wider primary care workforce" including in community pharmacy. Stressing the importance of community pharmacy teams in urgent care and prevention, including early diagnosis of cancers, the report points out that pharmacists could play "a more active role in signposting eligible people to screening and supporting early diagnosis, building on a number of successful pilots such as those from the Accelerate, Coordinate, Evaluate (ACE) programme".

The NHS Confederation and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has published a report that demonstrated the importance of the collaboration between industry and the NHS to improve patient outcomes across the UK. Analysis from the report has shown a significant variation in access to innovative medicines for patients across the UK and showed that uptake of new treatments in these areas continues to be below the average of similar countries in Europe. The report, 'Transforming Lives, Improving Health Outcomes', has highlighted four initiatives where effective partnerships between the NHS, patient organisations and industry have helped to tackle unwarranted variation in the uptake of innovative medicines. Transforming Lives, Improving Health Outcomes also called for a systemwide secondary prevention strategy covering all parts of the health system creating a barrier to wider and consistent uptake of innovative medicine. It also noted that newly created Integrated Care Systems have the potential to improve preventative treatment. The report data also showed a 51% variation of uptake of three types of medicines related to diabetes between NHS Trusts in England.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published the NIHR's annual report and accounts for 2023/24, highlighting a 4.2 per cent increase in total domestic research spending from the previous year. This increase has allowed the NIHR to improve investments in research funding, infrastructure, and training and career development initiatives. Additionally, the report showcases various research projects that are having a significant impact on people's lives now and in the future. Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Advisor at DHSC and Chief Executive of the NIHR, expressed gratitude to all who have contributed to NIHR research over the past year. She stated: "This annual report spotlights where NIHR research has made a tangible difference to people's health outcomes and has contributed to tackling health inequalities. "Through our partnership working, in 2024/25 and beyond, we will continue to ensure that research will be playing its part in driving the Government's Health and Growth Mission to build a health and care system fit for the future."

There's a "clear lack of awareness and understanding" of women's reproductive health conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis and heavy menstrual bleeding among primary healthcare practitioners, despite their widespread prevalence in the UK, according to a new report by the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC). This is causing considerable delays in diagnosis and treatment, leaving women and girls to "suck it up" and endure pain and discomfort, it stated. The report identifies pervasive stigma associated with gynaecological and urogynaecological health, a lack of education and 'medical misogyny' as factors contributing to poor awareness of these conditions. Labour MP Sarah Owen, chair of the Committee, said: "Our inquiry has shown misogyny in medicine is leaving women in pain and their conditions undiagnosed." "Women are finding their symptoms dismissed, are waiting years for life changing treatment and in too many cases are being put through trauma-inducing procedures. All the while, their conditions worsen and become more complicated to treat."