Majority of the pharmacies are facing aggression from patients due to the medicine supply chain issue, a PSNC survey has revealed.
The Pharmacy Pressures Survey by the trade body has seen nearly 83 per cent of pharmacies reporting a significant increase in medicine supply issues in the past year,
leading to extra work and additional stress for staff.
The survey of over 5,000 pharmacy premises and 1,000 pharmacy team members in England took place in early 2022.
Two-thirds of respondents said that medicines supply chain issues are a daily occurrence, with 97 per cent reporting that this led to frustration from patients.
"The results of PSNC's Pressures Survey make distressing reading for anybody in the sector - they tell a story of teams under immense pressures, and of businesses at crisis point," said Janet Morrison, PSNC chief executive.
A pair of pharmacist brothers, who also own a popular restaurant in Kent, have started an innovative initiative 'Jabs with Kebabs' to encourage their community in England to come forward and take their Covid-19 vaccines.
Rav and Raj Chopra, who own V's Punjabi Grill, an Indian restaurant in Gravesend, established the walk-in vaccine site after their father, Jagtar Chopra, became unwell with Covid-19 last year.
The duo is among thousands to volunteer for the National Health Service (NHS) vaccine programme.
Talking to the PA news agency, Raj said he was inspired by the experience of his father, who got infected with the virus and has fully recovered since then.
"From a personal point of view, it was very debilitating to see Dad like that," said Raj Chopra. "It got everyone's emotions in play.
The parent company of Boots, Britain's largest pharmacy-led health and beauty chain, is reportedly considering putting its UK pharmacies up for sale next
year for an estimated £10 billion.
Walgreen Boots Alliance (WBA), the US health group that owns a stake in Boots UK since 2012, is lining up Goldman Sachs to explore a potential sale next year, as reported by Sky News.
When contacted by Pharmacy Business, WBA said that it would not comment on "market speculation", noting that "Boots is an important part of the Group."
The company, however, acknowledged that "it is accurate that WBA announced a renewed set of priorities and strategic direction for the Group in October, which includes a more pointed focus on North America and on healthcare."
The strength of any organisation lies in its people. This being a common norm in the world of business, several of them are taking healthy initiatives and opening discussions around gender diversity and equality.
Panelists during a session on Empowering Women In the Workplace held during the Pharmacy Business Diversity Conference on Thursday (December 9), agreed that having gender diversity in business, not just benefits women, but the whole organisation.
"It drives engagement, diversity of thinking and ultimately performance," said Ifti Khan, pharmacy superintendent at Well Pharmacy, in the session moderated by the
conference chair and BBC presenter Clive Myrie.
To substantiate his point, he cited a recent report by McKinsey & Company, as per which companies in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity are 36 per cent more profitable than those in the fourth quartile.
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.
A roundtable organised by National Pharmacists Association (NPA) discussed how an enhanced role of community pharmacies could help people with obesity.
Seven action points were recommended by the delegates at the virtual event which took place on March 31, in collaboration with Novo Nordisk.
It was chaired by Professor Maggie Rae, president of the Faculty of Public Health and featured representatives from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Royal Society for Public Health, Patients Association, UK Health Security Agency, Diabetes UK and NHS England.
The roundtable also heard testimony from a parent of a young adult living with obesity and a presentation of the personal experience of someone living with the condition by Sarah Le Brocq, director of campaign group, All About Obesity.
A Orthodontic treatment should be carried out by qualified professionals round this time five years ago there was a surge in the reporting of people
performing DIY orthodontics on themselves in their own homes.
Mainstream media reported that video tutorials had emerged online with instructions on using small elastic bands to adjust teeth positions.
What followed were some horrendous pictures of irreparable damage to people's teeth and gums.
The trend escalated to a point where in 2017, the American Dental Association revealed that 13 per cent of patients had tried some kind of DIY teeth straightening
appliance that had backfired.
Now, we are seeing the situation further evolve, with private companies offering DIY orthodontic treatment under the term 'direct-to-consumer' orthodontics.
The Oral Health Foundation is becoming increasingly concerned with the rise of the DIY orthodontic market and the potential harmful consequences it could have for
millions of consumers.
In its effort to address workforce challenges, Health Education and Improvement Wales has outlined initiatives aimed at facilitating the return of pharmacy
professionals with refugee status to active practice within Wales.
This possibility has been stated in HEIW's Strategic Pharmacy Workforce Plan, which commits to investigating the practicality and significance of establishing a
registration pathway for pharmacy professionals displaced due to refugee status.
According to HEIW, it is currently investigating the viability and importance of revitalising 'return to practice' packages, formulating pharmacy apprenticeships,
initiating international recruitment initiatives, and establishing a registration pathway in Wales for displaced pharmacists and pharmacy technicians holding refugee
status.
"In the past two years, we have arrived at a point where maintaining the desired access to the volume and quality of pharmacy services for our population has proven
unattainable," said HEIW. "In Wales, instances of diminished pharmacy services are evident in both hospital and community settings. The trend of abrupt, temporary
closures in community pharmacies continues."
Pharmacy chain Superdrug has introduced what it asserts to be the most affordable private flu vaccinations offered on the UK high street. The vaccinations
will be priced at £8.79 for 17.2 million members of its Ghada , and £16.99 for non-members. The 2023-24 vaccination service is set to become available across 150 of
its stores starting from early September.
Superdrug has taken this step in response to a change in NHS England's inclusion criteria, which has rendered the 12 million individuals aged 50-65 ineligible for
the NHS flu vaccination service, the company said. The company is anticipating heightened demand for private flu vaccinations due to the postponed commencement of
the NHS service and alterations in eligibility for free flu jabs.
"Our waiting list for private flu vaccination services has already exceeded last year's figures, indicating a heightened demand this year," said Ghada Beal,
Superdrug's Healthcare Director. "Providing this service at a more accessible price-point is significant, given the eligibility changes that will impact millions.
Our private flu vaccination services provide a convenient means for individuals to safeguard themselves against flu and its potential complications."
In May, the government's annual flu vaccination programme letter indicated that individuals aged 50 to 64 won't receive free flu vaccinations in the 2023/24
season. Moreover, the NHS plans to delay flu vaccine distribution to October, with the goal of enhancing protection for those aged 65 and older and other eligible
groups during the winter months.
The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp) has called upon all pharmacy organisations to unite and collectively represent the sector. While
underlining the need for the sector to adopt a straightforward manifesto that can be presented to the public, politicians, and decision-makers, the association
also advocated for a revitalisation of the 'Save Our Pharmacies' campaign, injecting it with renewed energy and a stronger sense of purpose.
AIMp pointed out that a lack of cohesion is one of the factors contributing to the sector's struggle in gaining attention. "The current trajectory of community
pharmacy is unsustainable," said Dr. Leyla Hannbeck, Chief Executive of AIMp. "To tackle the significant challenges ahead, we must work together cohesively. The
most effective approach is to actively engage with Parliament, leveraging politicians from across the political spectrum to advocate for our cause."
Meanwhile, the association urged various pharmacy bodies to unite in support of the Pharmacy All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) to enhance its effectiveness
and broaden its influence, rather than working independently.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) is calling on NHS England and its member to pause and reflect before further implementing the pharmacy contraception
service.
NPA board met on Tuesday (25 April) to discuss the Pharmacy Contraception Service and the board decided that - with the community pharmacy sector at breaking
point - it cannot support the immediate roll out of this service.
The association believes that with no new funding for the service, and all existing funds in effect already allocated to other pharmacy activity, any payments
to the sector for delivery of the oral contraception service will ultimately be clawed back by NHS England.
Tweeting after the meeting yesterday, the NPA said: "We can't tell pharmacy owners what they can and can't do. But we can tell them the facts; fact number one is
that with no new funding currently available everyone will be a loser from the implementation of this service on the current terms."
NPA Vice-Chair Jay Badenhorst added: "We cannot be expected to take on more and more services without the increase in funding necessary to deliver them effectively.
Meanwhile, taking on additional work when current workload already exceeds capacity risks impacting negatively on the overall quality of care people experience in
pharmacies. We still believe this could, in future, be a great new pharmacy service, but not without the extra funding necessary to deliver it safely and
effectively. We want to offer women this extra support, but if it's worth doing it's worth doing properly."
Capitalising on strong demand for its obesity therapies, Novo Nordisk's growing appetite for deals has fuelled a bet on a U.S. gene-editing company called
Life Edit Therapeutics.
The Danish drugmaker's collaboration with Durham, North Carolina-based Life Edit Therapeutics - owned by ElevateBio, a cell and gene therapy company in Waltham - is
focused on up to seven programs for rare genetic disorders as well as cardiometabolic diseases.
At the heart of the tie-up is Life Edit's technology, called base editing, which is designed to make precise changes to the human genome by tweaking one base - or
letter - into a different one without affecting other letters.
Single-letter mistakes, called point mutations, can give rise to genetic diseases.
Shares in GSK, Sanofi and Haleon fell sharply on Thursday (August 11) amid growing investor concerns about US litigation focused on a heartburn drug that
contained a probable carcinogen, while Johnson and Johnson has decided to end sales of talcum powder after cancer claims.
GSK shares were down 6.8 per cent, Sanofi's were down 6.9 per cent and Haleon's down per cent.
GSK and Sanofi at various points sold the drug - originally branded as Zantac - which US regulators ordered off the market in 2020. Haleon, spun out as an independent
listed company last month, comprises consumer health assets once partly owned by GSK.
The prospect of impending litigation is not new. Among other disclosures, recently-listed Haleon had highlighted the risk of such lawsuits in its prospectus.
The topic has arrived in investor consciousness in recent days it seems, but has been rumbling on in the background for a few years, Deutsche Bank analysts wrote in a
note.
The Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) provide an opportunity to break the silo mentality in the health and care sector, National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chair
Andrew Lane told MPs.
While giving evidence to the Health and Social Care Select Committee on 6 December about the effectiveness of ICSs, Lane also poured cold water on newspaper reports
that community pharmacists will be drafted in to break the NHS strike, as he reiterated the call for a "properly costed and funded environment."
"We've been in different silos historically and ICSs are an opportunity to pull all systems together for the benefit of patients," he told committee members.
Lane pointed to dementia-trained pharmacy delivery drivers and the Discharge Medicines Service as instances where the influence of community pharmacy already
stretches beyond primary care into hospitals and social care.
"We've seen pharmacists prescribe and get UTIs off doctors' desks, so we are starting to release capacity [in the system] and we're on that clinical journey.
We welcome that, but it has to be with the right level of funding," he added.
Leaders from across the pharmacy sector and trade bodies dwelled on the challenges faced by the pharmacists at the Sigma Conference held on Sunday (2 October).
"If the cost of carrying out regulation is higher than the benefits, it's time for all the bodies to sit together and talk on what can be adjusted accordingly,"
said Salim Jetha, Chairman, Avicenna.
Jetha highlighted the challenges faced by the independent pharmacy and also raised the concern about the 'level playing field' for pharmacists compared to GPs. He
said: "GPs get paid for energy cost, premises cost, the staffing cost. We don't get paid for that. So don't be misled by saying we are being exactly the same. Yes,
on paper we are, but in reality we are not. I think also the rules of engagement are different."
He called for better collaboration with GPs, and urged PSNC and other trade bodies to ensure a level playing field.
Janet Morrison, CEO, Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee(PSNC), warned that the pressure in the sector is building up to a 'breaking point'.
The pharmacy bodies have expressed a deep concern over Lloyds Pharmacy's announcement on plans to close all pharmacy branches located in Sainsbury's before
the end of 2023.
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) Chief Executive Janet Morrison said: "This significant shrinkage by the second largest pharmacy chain is an
extremely worrying development and one of the clearest signals yet of just how much all community pharmacies are struggling to make ends meet. We know that many
are at breaking point."
She added: "We understand that LloydsPharmacy will be in touch directly with affected staff and patients at this difficult time. As these pharmacies close, other
pharmacies locally will be braced for even more pressures as they try to cope with increased demand."
"The announcement by LloydsPharmacy will be of concern to staff, patients, the public and the community pharmacy sector alike," Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive
of the Company Chemists' Association (CCA).
Pharmacists, and other employees, working at pharmacies owned and operated by LloydsPharmacy in Sainsbury's have been told that the group of more than 200 pharmacies
will be closed this year as LloydsPharmacy will be ending their relationship with the supermarket chain.
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has refused to accept the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)'s decision to get rid of
'transitional payments' from February 2023.
The pharmacy negotiator said that 'any reductions in payments at this point will be impossible for community pharmacy contractors to manage financially.'
"We are also continuing to be clear with officials and ministers that CPCF funding needs an urgent uplift to help businesses to cope with soaring costs being driven
by inflation and the workforce crisis. We put a comprehensive business case to the government for this uplift in the last CPCF negotiations."
The latest 'transitional payments decision' by the Department follows the announcement last year that the value of the these payments would be phased down over the
second half of 2022/23 and will be based on the latest monitoring and analysis of funding delivery.
PSNC says it submitted a fully-costed bid for a 'Pharmacy First' service in its last round of negotiations alongside the case for an uplift to core CPCF funding.
Both of these were refused.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a supply notification for Varicella vaccine (live) powder and solvent for suspension/solution for
injection 0.5ml vials (Varivax and Varilrix) until mid-October.
AAH have put quotas in place for GPs to limit the ordering of Varilrix and safeguard supplies during this shortage. To override this quota or obtain stock in any
other primary care setting (including community pharmacy) a prescription will be required.
To obtain stock through the prescription validation system pharmacy will have to contact AAH Quota Management Customer Care team:
Online https://www.aah.co.uk/s/quotarequest or by logging into AAH Pointhttps://www.aah.co.uk/s/signin then choose Additional Services and select Quotas.
The pharmacy should follow the steps and fill in the required information including their email address.
The pharmacy can also call: 0344 561 8899 and select option 3 (quota)
The pharmacy will need to have the prescription details available
The AAH team will review the request and follow the guidance provided below to validate the prescription and approve the order.
Lack of appropriate funding is making survival a massive challenge for community pharmacy, a sector relied upon as a vital support system by both primary and
secondary care in England.
The Telegraph newspaper ran a story on Monday (August 22) which highlighted the dire straits community pharmacy finds itself in. Seasoned pharmacist Ian Strachan
told the paper: "Our four pharmacies were the only point of call that was open (during Covid). We were there every single day, even when the virus was prevalent and
people were dying."
Describing the current situation, he said: "What is happening is we're facing a system that's just not working at all in our favour." Strachan says the issue is that
pharmacists are "just not getting the help we need to be able to do this job properly".
The sector is hugely dependent on funding from the NHS. The government had agreed in 2019 to set £2.6bn as annual funding for the sector. However, according to a
report from EY that amount was already down £200m on the 2016 levels of government funding.
"We've been starved of appropriate funding since 2016," Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies told The Telegraph.
"It looks grim for businesses. The fees pharmacists get are going nowhere, but now, there's higher utility bills, higher staff fees and higher drug costs."
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, health secretary Steve Barclay stated that he has asked his officials within DHSC to look at a "pharmacy first"
approach to alleviate pressures on A&E departments in order to avoid the widely predicted NHS winter crisis.
On the face of it, this a welcome if long overdue recognition that community pharmacy is an essential part of our national healthcare infrastructure alongside our
GP and A&E colleagues. But let's not get carried away - we have had lots of praise from politicians in the past which have not then been backed by firm commitments
for a sustainable future for the network.
Could this be a turning point? I hope so, but I am not confident it will be. I fear this may turn out to be another emergency stop-gap measure which does nothing to
secure the long-term viability of the sector in England.
The role of community pharmacy during the recent Covid pandemic demonstrated clearly how important we are to ensure people have easy access to essential healthcare
support, advice and services. The NHS winter crisis can only be avoided or at least mitigated if the potential of the community pharmacy network to provide more
patient care services is unlocked and that Barclay requires you to end pharmacy funding austerity and start investing.
The Treasury will no doubt say there is no more money, but what then the alternative other than a NHS winter crisis? And, of course, treating people in secondary care
settings is far more costly than community pharmacy based interventions.
