The Health Education England (HEE) has secured funding to further support growth of the pharmacy technician workforce in 2022/23.
This support is through expansion of pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician (PTPT) training capacity in community pharmacy or as part of a cross-sector
integrated apprenticeship programme.
HEE will be holding two 90-minute webinars on Monday 27 2022. There will be a morning webinar (10-11.30am) and an evening webinar (7-8.30pm) for attendees to
choose from.
Topics like- available funding; eligibility for funding; PTPT training programme requirements for employers; how to apply for this funding; and the support
available from HEE for successful funding of applicants to develop their PTPT training programmes, will be covered during the webinars.
HEE is also hosting another webinar to provide an update on the Independent Prescribing (IP) for pharmacists training offer that they are developing for Autumn 2022.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has proposed a 7.5 per cent increase in all fees for pharmacies, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and foundation
trainees, including those for registration and renewal from April 2024.
According to the GPhC's proposal the pharmacist renewal fee would increase by £19 from £257 to £276; the pharmacy technician renewal fee would increase by £9 from
£121 to £130 and the pharmacy premises renewal fee would increase by £27 from £365 to £392
Any changes would be effective from April 2024, which means fees will remain at current levels for this financial year, giving registrants and applicants time to
prepare for any increase in subsequent years.
Fees have been frozen for the last two years (2022 and 2023) to help reduce pressure on both pharmacy professionals and pharmacy owners.
Chief Executive, Duncan Rudkin, said: "In the last few years, we have been able to avoid raising many of these fees by improving our efficiency and by using our
financial reserves to cover any gap between our income and our outgoings. While we are continuing to look for ways to make savings, we now have to consider
increasing fees.
A pharmacy group operating in London and the surrounding areas has said it's cliched a financial deal worth £4.25 million with a major global bank to bolster
its mergers and acquisitions activity.
Osbon Pharmacy Group said on Monday (19 June) that it would use the multi-million-pound funding package from HSBC UK to also invest in bringing accessible and
comprehensive medical services closer to the doorstep of Londoners and people of South East England.
The family-run business said the new money will open new position which will include opportunities for pharmacists, pharmacy assistants, pharmacy technicians,
dispensers, accounts clerks and delivery drivers, taking the company's total headcount to 185.
The group, which currently has 26 pharmacies across London and South East England, was established in 2005.
The company offers a range of medicine and prescription services as well as offering customary help and advice. It switched to banking with HSBC UK last year as
part of a £6.9M refinance package, which saw the business acquire nine pharmacies and takes the total funding provided by HSBC UK to date to £11.1m.
The government's formal consultation on pharmacy supervision, which closes today (29 February), leaves important questions unanswered, the National
Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) proposals are to:
enable pharmacists to authorise pharmacy technicians to carry out, or supervise others carrying out, the preparation, assembly, dispensing, sale and supply of
medicines
enable pharmacists to authorise any member of the pharmacy team to hand out checked and bagged prescriptions in the absence of a pharmacist
allow pharmacy technicians to take primary responsibility for the preparation, assembly and dispensing of medicinal products in hospital aseptic facilities
In its formal response to the consultation, the NPA acknowledged that modernisation of the regulations is long overdue, including enabling non-pharmacist members
of the pharmacy team to hand out checked and bagged prescriptions.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPHC), Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), Company Chemists Association (CCA), Association of Pharmacy
Technicians UK (APTUK), National Pharmacy Association (NPA), Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists, Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA), and Independent
Pharmacies Association (IPA) have released a joint statement in response to the far-right riots across the UK.
They emphasised their united stance, declaring zero tolerance for racism towards colleagues or the public in any form.
The joint statement reads: "We are shocked and saddened by the violent public disorder events in recent days.
"We acknowledge how all sectors of the pharmacy profession may be impacted and recognise the challenges that this level of overt aggression can have on
people's ability or willingness to live their daily lives.
"The pharmacy workforce deserves peace and safety, not fear and harm. We stand united in having a zero tolerance of racism towards our colleagues or the
public in whatever form it takes."
Meanwhile, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has expressed concerns that protests and violent disorder in various towns and cities across England may impact
the ability of community pharmacies to operate.
New amendments to the Human Medicines Regulations will soon allow registered pharmacy technicians to supply and administer medicines under Patient Group
Directions (PGDs).
Laid before Parliament at the end of May, the legislative changes will come into effect from June 26, 2024, the Community Pharmacy England (CPE) announced today.
The introduction of this new legislation follows an announcement made by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) earlier this year.
The regulatory adjustments provide the legal framework for pharmacy technicians to engage in the supply and administration of medicines under PGDs in the course
of their professional practice. However, there will be no immediate change in the provision of community pharmacy services, the CPE noted
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), supported by the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK),
have launched the first e-learning module in a series for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to develop their skills and knowledge in research.
A total of nine e-learning modules will be released by the end of 2022 to improve research awareness, knowledge and skills for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
with little or no experience of research or research opportunities.
The aim is to improve the capacity of pharmacy professionals to provide the evidence base to improve the practice of pharmacy and the health of the public.
RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "Many pharmacy professionals are rather daunted by getting involved in research. Indeed, we have heard from
pharmacists undertaking our post-registration credentialing assessments that the Research domain can present a real challenge.
The UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership set up by the Chief Pharmaceutical Officers of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales has published
its recommendations for the 'future of pharmacy professional leadership in the UK' on Monday (6 February).
The Commission is co-chaired by Nigel Clarke, Former Chair of the General Pharmaceutical Council, and Professor Dame Jane Dacre, Professor of Medical Education at
University College London Medical School.
The Commission proposes that closer collaboration between professional leadership bodies and specialist professional groups as part of a Pharmacy Leadership Council
will enable and support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to meet the opportunities and challenges ahead.
The Council will be set up in 2023 to lead the implementation of the report's vision and recommendations over five years.
Commission Co-Chairs, Professor Dame Jane Dacre and Nigel Clarke: "The Commission has set out a collaborative approach to transform pharmacy professional leadership
and deliver sustained benefits for patients and the public and pharmacy professionals in the UK.
Tough times for community pharmacies in England are far from over as the industry continues to grapple with major gaps in the workforce.
Even though the latest figures released by the Health Education England (HEE) Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey 2021 showed doubling of pharmacist vacancy rate in England to 8 per cent between 2017 and 2021, it flagged the contractors' difficulty level in filling up these positions.
The survey report showcased changes in the size and make-up of the community pharmacy workforce since the last survey conducted in 2017.
It revealed that 56 per cent of pharmacy contractors reported high difficulty level in recruiting pharmacists, up from 21 per cent in the earlier survey.
Moreover, a greater proportion - 60 per cent of contractors found filling up the pharmacy technician role 'fairly' or 'very' difficult.
Other roles in the sector considered difficult to fill included accuracy checkers and trained dispensing assistants, both at 58 per cent.
In a significant move to address health disparities and enhance clinical research, community pharmacies across several regions are set to become central
players in the Genes and Health study.
Led by Queen Mary University of London and funded by the Wellcome Trust, this national initiative aims to improve health outcomes within British-Bangladeshi
and British-Pakistani communities.
Professor Mahendra Patel, Director of the Centre for Research Equity at the University of Oxford, highlighted the importance of this approach.
"By engaging the broader pharmacy workforce, including technicians, we aim to establish a research-ready infrastructure within community pharmacies," Patel
told Pharmacy Business.
He shared that the initiative marks a transformative step in integrating pharmacies into the clinical research landscape.
The Thames Valley and South Midlands Clinical Research Network (CRN) is managing a pioneering pilot program for this study, which will initially focus on
pharmacies in Banbury, Oxford City, Reading, Slough, High Wycombe, and Aylesbury.
Pharmacy Supervision Practice Group, an organisations from across the community pharmacy sector, who have come together to look into the future "supervision" in
community pharmacy, have published their final report.
Over the course of nine collaborative and positive workshop-style discussions the Supervision Practice Group aimed to provide recommendations to reframe legislation,
regulation and professional standards and guidance to achieve a new vision for community pharmacy.
The group have produced a report which makes several recommendations on the subjects of:
* the legislation relating to "supervision";
* the temporary absence of the RP from the pharmacy;
* delegation;
* the preparation and assembly of medicines when the RP is not signed in.
The group have provided recommendations on which the Department of and Social Care and the regulators can draft specifically worded revisions to legislation and
regulatory standards. These specific legislative and regulatory changes that are proposed by government and regulators will be subject to a full consultation process.
harmacists in the town of Barnoldswick in Lancashire are reportedly suffering from various problems including a lack of medicines and the movement or loss
of pharmacy staff.
Problems, including delays with supply of insulin, were reported at a recent Pendle Council West Craven meeting.
And this week the head of one pharmacy chain, Whitworth, highlighted a range of issues faced by his teams including supply chains, costs, loss of staff and NHS
reimbursement for contractors.
In Barnoldswick, queues have formed inside and outside pharmacies as people attempt to get prescriptions. Some said they had to wait for days to get what they
needed, had made repeat-visits to pharmacies and were unsure when medicines might arrive.
They also said the number of pharmacies in the area have fallen over the years.
Two town centre pharmacies, Whitworth and Well, are located opposite each other, close to a doctors' surgery. Standing in one queue outside Whitworth was Marilyn
King.
She said: "I have been waiting seven days to get my prescription for blood pressure and some other medicines. This week, I've come back time after time. But the
staff say sorry, they have not got it in because nobody has delivered it.
"I came here on Saturday, when there was a queue. But the pharmacist was not here. I came again on Tuesday and then Wednesday. Then finally, just when I reached
the front of the queue, they asked me to come back in an hour…
More than 300 fully-funded training places will be open to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in adult critical care units in England this year.
NHS England has awarded a contract to the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) to deliver 200 funded continuing professional development places for
pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from April 2024.
Another school of pharmacy, the name of which has not been announced yet, will deliver 100 funded places on a pharmacist adult critical care pathway.
There are already 15 funded places on an adult critical care training pathway for pharmacy technicians provided by the University of Bradford.
Reacting to evidence indicating workforce concerns in critical care, NHS England invited bids from training providers for delivering the training in November 2023.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are set to receive up to £15.9 million over the next four years which will help them thrive in multidisciplinary healthcare teams and enable expansion of frontline staff in primary and community care.
The funding, which is part of the Pharmacy Integration Programme allocation, will improve registered pharmacy professionals' skills, through a range of training
and development opportunities.
The programme is a part of education reform for pharmacy professionals and will allow them to identify career pathways.
Health Education England and NHS England will work in partnership to develop "a formal portfolio recognition process to identify the existing skills, training and experience gained by pharmacists working in primary care, allowing them to work more flexibly and better support GP services", HEE said in a statement today (November 8).
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has strongly condemned recent acts of racism, violence, and disorder caused by far-right, anti-immigrant protestors
across the UK.
Roz Gittins, chief pharmacy officer at GPhC, expressed deep concern for the safety of pharmacy teams, particularly those from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
He said: "We strongly condemn the racism, violence and disorder caused by a small minority of the population that has taken place over recent days."
"We understand that pharmacy teams serving our communities may feel especially vulnerable at this time."
"Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, as well as those who trained abroad, make an enormous contribution to our
pharmacy and health services and they should never have to feel fear when going to work.
NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I), in association with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK),
has published its first inclusive pharmacy practice (IPP) bulletin, with an overarching ambition "to make community pharmacy a more inclusive environment for all
pharmacy professionals".
The IPP programme will take practical steps to improve the awareness and understanding at all levels of different cultural beliefs and attitudes, according to the
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC).
As a member of the IPP Improving Practice and Engagement Group, PSNC has contributed to this issue of the Bulletin, which focuses on how pharmacy professionals can
help to reduce health inequalities via the detection and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
The IPP programme, of which the Bulletin forms a part, aims to engage with local communities to help improve their health and reduce inequalities in care -
particularly among those from ethnically diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds.
Our Totton branch has an incredibly high volume of original pack dispensing, roughly 45,000 items. As we became busier and busier in the dispensary we were
finding that our pharmacists, dispensers and other technicians simply didn't have capacity to deliver the services that we needed them to.
We all know there is a real emphasis right now on pharmacies doing more services and we knew we had to change the way we operate to survive. So we decided it was
time to look into a sound automation solution for our medication dispensing process, one that would allow us to free up the time of the pharmacists and the rest of
the team so they could better support patients.
After a lot of research we invested in Centred Solutions FLOWRx Hub and InStore solutions which were installed late last year. It provides us with the whole package
and has automated our entire dispensing process from picking to packing and labeling to checking.
Our situation was quite unique as we bought the system initially for our existing high-volume pharmacy in Totton so the hub and the spoke are actually on the same
site. People wouldn't usually look at a hub and spoke solution for that kind of set up but it has allowed us to significantly free up time in store for more services.
What it has also done is allow us to look at other opportunities to grow and expand. The pharmacy landscape is changing and there are lots of opportunities coming up.
We have found that having your technology and the right infrastructure in place to support your existing footprint before you expand is the ideal way to grow in a
safe and controlled way.
We never thought that five years ago we would buy another pharmacy, yet we have already bought one and are now in the process of buying two more. I'm not worried
about the increase in volume this expansion will bring because I know our technology is going to be able to support it.
The pharmacies we are buying are struggling but having our solution already in place m
"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.
The NHS plans to train hundreds of pharmacy staff, expanding their ability to provide advanced clinical services and assume wider roles in dispensing medicines.
With a targeted launch in September, up to 840 pharmacy technicians can join in the training programme. The online modules will cover consultation skills,
therapeutics, clinical decision-making, assessment skills, and service improvement.
"Community pharmacies are pivotal in local communities, and this novel training scheme empowers them to extend their service offerings to a wider patient base,"
said Health Minister Neil O'Brien. "Through our investment in the workforce, we're bolstering the implementation of the Pharmacy First initiative with £645 million,
ensuring patients have access to expert assistance for various common ailments, including urinary tract infections and earaches."
NHS said the training will offer flexibility to align with the working schedules and prior experience of community pharmacy technicians. It will combine independent
online e-course study, educational supervision, and clinical skills training. Facilitated workshops will concentrate on enhancing clinical assessment skills and
applying knowledge and skills through case studies, practice activities, and group discussions.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has published a consultation to review the 'Professional standards for the reporting, learning, sharing, taking action
and review of incidents error reporting' in collaboration with Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK and Pharmacy Forum of Northern Ireland.
The consultation is open from 21 April 2023 until 2 June 2023 and are due to be published in early 2024.
All three professional leadership bodies are calling for contributions from anyone using the standards to ensure they are clear, current, relevant and fit for
purpose.
"The review affects all pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, trainees and members of the pharmacy team working in all sectors across the UK," RPS said.
"The standards may also be of interest to the public, people who use pharmacy and healthcare services, healthcare and professionals working with pharmacy teams.