RPS Scotland has named Fiona McIntyre as its new Policy and Practice Lead. With a background in hospital pharmacy, McIntyre will be responsible for policy
development and professional support at RPS Scotland, and is set to assume her new role in early October.
McIntyre will assume a leadership role for specific projects across Great Britain, collaborating with the Policy and Practice Leads in England and Wales, RPS
Scotland said in a statement. Her responsibilities include representing pharmacists in working groups and meetings, engaging with pharmacists and pharmacy
organisations, and supporting the RPS Director for Scotland.
"During my career in NHS Scotland, I have advocated for pharmacy teams whenever possible," said McIntyre. "I am passionate about the profession's role in the
safe and effective use of medicines, and I'm privileged to join the RPS. I look forward to promoting pharmacy in Scotland and helping our profession reach its
full potential."
"I'm pleased that Fiona will be joining the RPS Scotland team as our policy lead," said Laura Wilson, Director for RPS Scotland. "Fiona's experience will be
invaluable to the role, and the whole team looks forward to her starting with us in October."
A policy brief, developed by researchers from the University of Bath and University of Strathclyde with funding from Sigma Pharmaceuticals, has recommended
the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS to increase community pharmacy funding to avoid damaging closures and diminution of quality.
The report launched on Wednesday (12 June) at an event in the House of Commons, attended by Members of Parliament, senior policymakers and the pharmacy industry,
analysed community pharmacy policies and spoke to stakeholders to explore their opinions of the future of community pharmacy.
It was found that patients value their community pharmacies, but staff feel demotivated, insecure and undervalued.
Stakeholders and policies suggested that in the future, medicines should be supplied by automated 'hub and spoke' dispensing, enabling community pharmacy staff to
provide services that relieve pressure on GP surgeries, such as long-term conditions management, urgent care and public health.
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According to a nationwide poll by the PEW Research Center, nearly two-thirds of Americans are ready for a cease-fire on the traditional War on Drugs. Read New Horizon Recovery blog to know more about current drug policy changes.
According to a nationwide poll by the PEW Research Center, nearly two-thirds of Americans are ready for a cease-fire on the traditional War on Drugs. Read New Horizon Recovery blog to know more about current drug policy changes.
The Home Affairs Committee has called upon the government to revise its current drug policy, moving away from the exclusive 'abstinence only' approach towards
a more practical strategy that highlights harm reduction. The HAC's recommendations also include the introduction of a national naloxone programme in England, with
community pharmacies playing a central role in facilitating access.
The committee published its comprehensive report on August 31, with key recommendations, including the 'urgent' reclassification of psychedelic drugs for therapeutic
research; a pilot safe consumption facility program (long resisted by the Westminster Government despite Scottish lobbying); and enhanced provision and research on
cannabis-based medicinal products (CBPMs).
The report urged the establishment of a national naloxone programme in England, aligning with devolved nations. It also highlighted the role of community pharmacists
and peer initiatives for effective distribution and administration. Furthermore, the report emphasises enhanced naloxone distribution for prison leavers. Naloxone is
a medication capable of rapidly reversing heroin or methadone overdoses, potentially saving lives.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has appointed Laura Wilson as Director for Scotland commencing 23rd January 2023.
Laura, is currently Policy and Practice Lead for RPS in Scotland. She is accountable for bringing national RPS policy to life for members in Scotland, while
contributing to the GB wide professional leadership agenda.
She will work closely with the Scottish Pharmacy Board, senior NHS officials and other key stakeholders across the breadth of the pharmacy profession and beyond
to ensure pharmacy is on the forefront of healthcare in Scotland.
She joins the existing team of RPS Country Directors, which includes Elen Jones, Director for Wales and James Davies, Director for England and will report directly
to the Chief Executive.
Laura Wilson said: "I am delighted to be appointed Director for Scotland having worked as part of the RPS Scotland team as the policy and practice lead. It will
be an honour to continue the fantastic work started by former Director Clare Morrison to bring Pharmacy 2030, our vision for pharmacy in Scotland in the future,
to life and supporting pharmacy teams to deliver person centred care.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has published a guidance for community pharmacies to help them in the implementation of the new
Prescription Prepayment Certificate (PPC) for hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
The new policy will rollout from 1 April 2023, patients who are not already exempt from NHS prescription charges will be able to purchase an annual HRT PPC for the
cost of two single prescription charges
Major concern raised by PSNC is that the NHS systems have not kept pace with policy, as the certificate is launching without the IT in place to support it.
PSNC has been clear that this is totally unacceptable, including raising this with Ministers directly and warning them that introducing the PPC without this
infrastructure risks causing confusion for some patients and adding to the burden for pharmacy teams.
"Government recognises the challenges but is determined to move forwards with the policy, said the committee. "DHSC has recognised the impact this will have on
pharmacies and we are still pressing for appropriate financial compensation. We have also sought guidance for GPs, and now published our own guidance to try to
make the launch go as smoothly as it can for pharmacy teams."
The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) has issued a new policy statement which encourages a "life-course" approach to vaccination by pharmacists.
In the statement, published on September 27, FIP backed expansion of vaccine schedules and strategies so that patients of all age groups could be vaccinated
throughout their entire lifespan, from infancy to old age.
A life-course approach in public health and healthcare focuses on an individual's health and well-being, including vaccination, administered throughout their
entire lifespan, from infancy to old age.
FIP urged governments and policymakers to eliminate regulatory barriers, enabling pharmacists to prescribe and administer all relevant vaccines throughout the
life-course. Additionally, FIP recommended that policymakers develop remuneration models for pharmacies to deliver sustainable life-course vaccination services
within the private and public sectors.
New data released on Friday (July 1) shows how public support has continued to grow despite a lack of progress on the policy front, 15 years since a smokefree
legislation in Britain prohibited smoking inside public spaces such as offices, shops and pubs.
This was demonstrated by a new report 'Fifteen Smokefree Years' summarising results from the annual survey carried out since 2007 by YouGov for the public health
charity Action on Smoking and Health.
Around three quarters (74 per cent) of those who participated in survey supported the government's Smokefree 2030 ambition.
The report said: "The public are way ahead of the government, and right behind recommendations made to the Health and Social Care Secretary for the forthcoming
Tobacco Control Plan by Javed Khan's independent review."
Three quarters (76 per cent) support making tobacco manufacturers pay a levy to fund tobacco control and smoking cessation, 83 per cent support requiring retailers
to be licensed to sell tobacco, 70 per cent support increased investment in public education campaigns, 67 per cent support warnings on cigarettes, and 62 per cent
support making seating areas outside restaurants, pubs and cafes smokefree.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has appointed communications agency to lead a review into how it can develop and strengthen member participation.
"We've appointed communications consultancy Luther Pendragon to carry out an independent review of the participation of members and of our communications
concerning decisions we take on behalf of the profession through our Governance boards," the Society said in a statement on Tuesday (May 10).
It added that review would examine how RPS members, elected members and stakeholders can feel engaged, informed and empowered to influence decisions about RPS policy and understand why decisions around organisational policy have been taken on their behalf by elected representatives.
It will also ensure RPS decision-making processes are open and transparent with an emphasis on evidence-based decision making, and recommend ways elected members are enabled to be publicly accountable for decisions taken by the organisation at Board and Assembly level.
The Scottish government has appointed Christina McKelvie MSP as the new Minister for Drugs and Alcohol policy, following the resignation of Elena
Whitham MSP due to health reasons.
In a letter to the First Minister, Whitham said she was receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress, which had "greatly" affected her wellbeing.
Commenting on the news, Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Scotland thanked Whitham for supporting them, particularly for her "efforts to bring in a new
national service to provide emergency access to supplies of naloxone."
RPS Scotland has continuously advocated for the accessibility of naloxone through all community pharmacies (for supply to people who use drugs, family, healthcare
professionals and carers), and to make it available in all clinical settings for use in emergencies.
It was also the top recommendation of their policy on Pharmacy's role in reducing harm and preventing drug deaths.
Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, delivered a compelling speech at the NHS ConfedExpo 2024, emphasising the critical need for
investment in community-based care and the revitalisation of primary care services.
In his address, Taylor also criticised the current health policy as "not fit for purpose," calling for radical changes to shift the NHS from a reactive to a
proactive health model.
Addressing delegates at the Manchester event, Taylor highlighted the importance of shifting resources towards prevention and community services.
Underscoring a strategic pivot from reactive to proactive health models, he said:
"We must see action to fulfil the long-held vision of a health service that invests better upstream in prevention, in primary and in community-based care."
Bear in mind that a temporary solution is always more expensive than a definite health policy. However, there are situations that require this type of solutions while you search for a new job or a fixed health coverage policy.
While there are different types of policies, term insurance is becoming increasingly popular. It's the cheapest among the available lot of life insurance policies and covers a limited period of your life.
GSK Consumer Healthcare has recently unveiled a three-year programme to support the pharmacy profession with additional practical resources, mental health provisions and proposed policy changes as part of its new report Standing with Pharmacists in the Age of Self-Care.
The new report summarises findings from a roundtable hosted by GSK Consumer Healthcare in collaboration with the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) earlier this year, which convened the pharmacy community, policy experts, and industry leaders to discuss the critical role of pharmacy in the age of self-care following the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We've seen Covid-19 have a significant impact on consumers' understanding of self-care, leading to an increased focus on wellbeing and everyday healthcare. During this time, pharmacies played a vital role in providing care and advice to their patients - particularly with many other health facilities closed. Our research shows that more than half of Europeans are planning to consult their pharmacist more often than before the pandemic. Yet in general, pharmacists remain under-utilised, despite being the most widely distributed health resource in Europe," said Tess Player, global head of expert at GSK Consumer Healthcare.
Community Pharmacy England, Company Chemists Association, and the National Pharmacy Association have all expressed their disappointment at a recent press
statement made by Dr Leyla Hannbeck, Chief Executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies.
The CPE, CCA and NPA refuted AIMp's claim that pharmacy bodies operate independently, emphasising the importance of employing various channels and strategies
to shape public policy.
"It makes sense to use a variety of channels and tactics to influence public policy," NPA, CPE and CCA said in a joint statement issued on Wednesday (August 13).
"Limiting our work to just one Parliamentary channel would be naive and do a disservice to pharmacy owners."
On Aug. 12, AIMp highlighted that a lack of cohesion was one of the contributing factors to the sector's difficulty in gaining wider attention.
Dr. Hannbeck argued that it's counterproductive for each pharmacy organisation to maintain its own manifesto, essentially a lengthy wish-list that is often
unrealistic and unattainable. "This can conveniently allow those in power to easily employ a divide-and-conquer strategy," she said.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has invited pharmacy contractors, LPCs and others in the sector to share their views on an open
consultation on the "future of community pharmacy".
"The consultation - which takes the form of an online survey - is the first opportunity within PSNC's vision project for individuals and organisations to share
their thoughts with Nuffield Trust and The King's Fund," said PSNC.
The survey is happening in addition to an extensive programme of research, interviews and initial meetings of the vision Steering Group, Advisory Panel, and Working
Groups, all of which have contractors, LPCs and other representatives of the sector at their heart.
The online survey, asks five questions on topics such as Future policy goals; Why previous reviews and policies may not have fully achieved their objectives; Design
principles that should underpin the service offer made by community pharmacy; and Blocks and enablers for change.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak appointed Conservative MP for North East Cambridgeshire Steve Barclay as secretary of state for health and social care on 25 October
2022.
He previously held the same role between 5 July and 6 September - after Sajid Javid resigned as health secretary.
As head of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) his responsibilities will include "overall financial control and oversight of NHS delivery and
performance" as well as "oversight of social care policy".
Mr Barclay was succeeded by Thérèse Coffey, who thanked her "great ministerial team" at the DHSC in a Tweet, before taking up her new responsibility as environment
secretary in the new cabinet.
As head of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) his responsibilities will include "overall financial control and oversight of NHS delivery and
performance" as well as "oversight of social care policy".
Mr Barclay was succeeded by Thérèse Coffey, who thanked her "great ministerial team" at the DHSC in a Tweet, before taking up her new responsibility as environment
secretary in the new cabinet.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has created a new NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) to support the successful delivery of health and
social care research in England.
The network, which will start operating from next year, will play a critical and active role in implementing government policies.
It will support in implementing the Life Sciences Vision, the Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery vision, and policy for life sciences research and development.
The new network would be mainly working on growing the amount of commercial clinical research as its key strategic ambition.
Also, NIHR RDN will be responding to the findings of the Lord O'Shaughnessy review, which set out a clear blueprint for how the UK can return to its global
leadership role.