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The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is supporting pharmacists in England whose employment has been impacted by the creation of new NHS structures. As a result of the 2022 Health and Care Act, Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) were established in England, and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) were closed on 1 July 2022. Each of the ICSs includes two key parts: an Integrated Care Board (ICB) and an Integrated Care Partnership (ICP). The association said: "The previous structures in England, established by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, originally had over 200 clinical commissioning groups. This number had reduced over recent years via mergers." "However, this latest shift to just 42 commissioning entities means a significant change to significantly larger geographies and populations covered by each ICS. Although each ICS and its activity can be subdivided into 'places', and within places into 'neighbourhoods', it is at the ICS level that the employer is formed." "Whereas CCGs previously employed many local health professionals, including pharmacists, the new arrangements mean that ICBs are now that employer. The PDA is supporting members who have contacted its Service Centre about the impact of these changes."

The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has undertaken an additional survey of pharmacists employed in the NHS, before deciding to hold their first-ever ballot for industrial action. The PDA has more than 7,000 NHS-employed pharmacists in membership and the union is actively considering balloting those members regarding strike action. The association said: "The experience of some other unions has shown that the government's restrictive rules, designed to make it difficult for working people to lawfully take industrial action, means trade unions should test members' strength of feeling before balloting." "Trade unions are not only forced to rely upon postal ballots, but for lawful industrial action to be taken, the result must also meet three tests- at least 50% of eligible voters must vote; at least 40% of eligible voters must vote 'yes' and a majority of votes must be for 'yes'." The association is asking members in England, Northern Ireland and, Wales to show if their collective wish, insignificant enough strength, is for strike action. PDA has emailed the survey to all its members in the NHS in the three nations and will close on Tuesday 3 January.

The Pharmacist's Defence Association (PDA) has raised concerns over the adoption of Digital Clinical Excellence (DiCE) guidelines for online prescribing of GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight management in adults. This follows a clash with expert recommendations commissioned by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) as the PDA "believes the final guidance conflicts with the expert opinion underpins the GPhC's prosecution strategy towards pharmacist prescribers under investigation." In a recent statement, the PDA highlighted the discrepancy between DiCE's guidance and the expert report employed by the GPhC to prosecute pharmacist prescribers using a questionnaire-based consultation model. This conflict has prompted the PDA to withhold its endorsement of the DiCE guidance as it differs from an expert report commissioned by the GPhC. The PDA's reservations stem from the inherent risks associated with questionnaire-based prescribing.

The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has advised its member to check their understanding of what activities can legitimately take place when no RP is signed in at the pharmacy or the absence provisions are used. The advisory to its member was followed after noticing a considerable talk on social media about compliance with the Responsible Pharmacist (RP) regulations which also included unauthorised activity occurring when no RP is signed in. "There have been comments made that some pharmacists and pharmacy team members may fear repercussions from challenging or whistle-blowing about such behaviour," PDA said. "To assist members with the interpretation of the RP regulations, the PDA has made available a legal briefing note about the RP regulations produced by a specialist pharmacy regulation law firm." It further added: "Non-compliance with the regulations by pharmacy teams should be reported to the pharmacy superintendent."

The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has begun conciliation with 86 pharmacy companies to safeguard the interests of former LloydsPharmacy pharmacists. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), a government agency, serves as a mediator between companies and employees to resolve disputes. If the ongoing mediation prove unsuccessful, individual employees retain the option to file claims in the employment tribunal, the PDA has said. The ongoing dispute centres around employers potentially failing to conduct the required consultation under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations (TUPE) with employees and their representatives during employee transfers, the PDA said. The TUPE legislation, known for its complexity and technical nature, applies when a section of the company, like a pharmacy sold as an asset using standard disposal, undergoes a transfer. According to NHS England's recent pharmaceutical list, LloydsPharmacy has either sold or shuttered 461 branches since September 2022. According to NHSE data, as of June 30, the pharmacy chain operates approximately 512 pharmacies in England. This positions it as the third-largest chain after Boots UK and Well Pharmacy.

Several medium-sized pharmacy chains and multiples in Scotland are increasing in size by purchasing numerous LloydsPharmacy sites that were closed last month. The Pharmacists Defence Association (PDA) Regional Committees met to dwell on the issues faced by the community pharmacists across the UK. The PDA's Scottish regional committee highlighted the impact of Lloyds Pharmacy's closure in their third committee meeting of 2023. It said: "Davidsons who have purchased various businesses in Tayside. Rowlands has purchased 30 branches across central Scotland and the PDA has been in touch with members affected. These members will be supported to ensure that they are properly subject to a TUPE transfer (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) as they should be when a business changes ownership." Most discussion amongst the Scottish Regional Committee members was around community pharmacy. Reports suggest that negotiations between the Scottish government and the pharmacy owners' body, Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) have broken down. As the independent voice of the frontline employed and locum pharmacists that deliver the contract, the PDA wants to see an agreement found for the benefit of patients, taxpayers, and health professionals.

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 welcomed the Westminster government's move to backtracked from their plan to remove a large number of rights and standards and is having to overhaul the Retained EU Law Bill. This had included a number of employment rights, including TUPE transfers and the Working Time Directive, which had been established in the UK from EU law. The Bill's 'sunset clause' was originally going to automatically repeal any EU law not enshrined in UK law by the end of 2023. Critics of the Bill were concerned that this gave the government powers to reform or remove laws without normal Parliamentary scrutiny. "This would have abolished many improvements to workers' rights which were enacted through the EU legislature," said PDA.

The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has reacted to the chief pharmaceutical officer (CPhO) for Wales's offer for community pharmacy contractors, offering a funding uplift for community pharmacy on the condition of an increase in pay for some staff by at least the amount currently being imposed upon NHS employees. The PDA has expressed a mixed reaction to the intervention being attempted by the Welsh government. "It is unusual for a government to be so closely involved in the pay of their suppliers' employees and those at some community pharmacy employers have a contractual right to a pay review at times of year that may not synchronize with the government's financial cycle, so this initiative may have different impacts at different employers," said the association. "In addition, the PDA negotiates pay at the largest two community pharmacy employers and works alongside other trade unions that organise other pharmacy workers. This government intervention must not disrupt or attempt to bypass those processes."

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 (PDA) has called for a mandatory training for those who wish to sign fit notes. The union said it will be seeking urgent clarification around the rollout of guidance and timescales of when this will be available to PDA members working in primary care and hospitals, who will be at the forefront of the implementation. "As with any activity, regulated health professionals will be expected to ensure they have received adequate training and guidance before taking on new elements of practice and to ensure they are acting within the limits of their professional competency," said the association. It also highlighted that completing a fit note may have an impact on the income received by the patient and therefore the consequences of supplying the document could mean a direct financial consequence for them, such as eligibility for sick pay or insurance claims, as well as a health outcome. The PDA expects the mandatory training to cover any factors which will need to be considered in this regard so that pharmacists understand any limitations on when, how, and for who they might complete the fit notes.

In a bid to amplify the role of pharmacists in clinical services and vaccination programs, the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has embarked on a groundbreaking collaboration with Aston University. This initiative, funded by Innovate UK Business Connect, aims to explore the feasibility and impact of integrating additional healthcare interventions within community pharmacies. "The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) research project represents an exciting opportunity to advance the role of pharmacists in patient care," remarked Alison Jones, Director of Policy at PDA. "This project will be an important part of that evolution, supporting individual pharmacists to have more opportunities to practice and so develop more fulfilling careers." Led by the PDA and Aston University, the project will commence imminently, focusing on the Priory Community Pharmacy in Dudley.

Extending its support for the Prescription Charges Coalition (PCC), the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is asking pharmacists in England to share their experiences of patients denying prescriptions due to financial issues. PDA members who have practiced in the country within the last 12 months are asked to complete the Prescription Charges Coalition survey by Sunday 28 January. The PCC is an alliance of more than 50 organisations campaigning to abolish unfair prescription charges for people with long-term conditions in England. All members of the coalition, including PDA and Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), understand that if patients do not receive their prescribed medicines due to the cost, their health may deteriorate, and this can increase costs for the National Health Service (NHS).

"Our main concerns are that the use of what they call an asynchronous supply, where the prescriber neither sees nor talks to the patient at the time they issue the prescription, does lay itself open to perhaps people getting hold of medication that they shouldn't," the Head of Policy, PDA said. The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) engages in a critical conversation on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, shedding light on the online prescribing of weight loss drugs and advocating for safer practices. The PDA's spokesperson, Head of Policy Alima Batchelor, emphasised the importance of adhering to professional guidelines to ensure patient safety and mitigate regulatory concerns. During the feature, the PDA highlighted the complexities and risks associated with online supply chains, stressing the necessity for direct clinical consultations and pharmacist involvement in medication management. ""There are guidelines and advice about verification within the DiCE guidance, but it doesn't go quite far enough for us. We are concerned when patients decline to allow the online prescriber to advise their GP of what they're taking," Batchelor highlighted.

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."

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 Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has raised concerns over "certain elements" of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI)'s consultation on pharmacy staffing levels. PSNI recently consulted on its draft guidance for pharmacy staffing levels which sets out to explain what pharmacy owners and superintendents must do to ensure that each pharmacy has enough skilled and qualified staff. This includes having an appropriate skill mix, to provide safe and effective pharmacy services which comply with the standards. PDA said that the role of the 'responsible pharmacist' has not been "fully acknowledged" and that more clarification is needed. The association has made a few recommendations to PSNI that includes: the guidance must explicitly recognise the statutory role of the responsible pharmacist and their authority in securing the safe operations within the pharmacy. "The guidance should specify that pharmacy owners and superintendents must ensure that they do not set incentives or targets which may compromise the professional judgement of staff." It also recommended that unregistered staff (including unregistered managers) are accountable firstly to the responsible pharmacist for any activity involving the clinical care of patients (for example unregistered managers must not interfere in diary bookings for vaccinations).

The Pharmaceutical Defence Association (PDA) has urged health ministers of the UK to take a strict and necessary action against the unnecessary closures of pharmacy. Concerned over the rising number of pharmacy closures, PDA has written an open letter to health secretary Steve Barclay; Robin Swann, health minister for Northern Ireland; Eluned Morgan, minister of health and social services for Wales; and Humza Yousaf, the Scottish health secretary. In its letter, PDA said: "The minister of health must now ensure the regulation of poor business behaviours and be prepared to take over rogue pharmacies, however large their corporate owner may be. If patients' access to NHS services is to be protected from the consequences of avoidable full or part-day pharmacy closures." The association believes it is only a matter of time before serious harm to patients' health will be caused by the decisions of mainly large chains of pharmacies to close some of their branches for all or part of a day, instead of engaging an available pharmacist to cover their agreed opening hours. "While a small number of unforeseen closures have always occurred from time to time in pharmacies for genuine reasons, the indiscriminate scale at which closures have now become commonplace seems to have evolved over the last 20 months."

The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has welcomed the government's defeat in the House of Lords on the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill. It believes that the proposed Bill, if enacted, would allow the government to dictate minimum levels of service during times of industrial action, enabling employers to name specific employees that they require in work. Those employees could then face losing their jobs if they failed to turn up to work on that day. Trade unions could also be fined if they did not force those named individuals to go to work. PDA director, Paul Day said, "This Bill should be of real concern to pharmacists and other health professionals. The idea of their employer being able to effectively conscript them to work or face the sack does not feel like a positive employment relations environment." The House of Lords has voted for key amendments to the Bill to prevent unions from being required to force workers to comply. This also prevents workers from being forced to work or face the sack and allows for greater consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny on the proposals which the Westminster government is trying to implement. The House of Commons will now be required to vote on the amendments over the next few weeks. Whilst the House of Lords amendments are likely to be defeated, it shows the degree of opposition there is to this Bill.

To help stop the pharmacists pay delay in Northern Ireland, the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) will present a motion on fairer pay to the ICTU Biennial Delegate Conference, taking place from 5 to 7 July. The PDA motion states, "…there are other employers within the health system, that echo Agenda for Change terms, despite the fact they are essentially private businesses contracted to the NHS, not actually public bodies. While echoing the pay structure has some advantages, these employers also seek to unnecessarily delay pay increases on the basis that the NHS changes are so delayed. The Universities in Ulster Schools of Pharmacy are ranked as some of the highest in the UK. They are gifting our population with high calibre graduates destined to provide excellent patient care. These pharmacists want to stay in a job that helps patients. They want to deliver the care that they have spent years of time and often thousands of pounds to render themselves confident and capable."