The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has launched a consultation on whether people agree or disagree that its hearings should continue to be held remotely when it is fair and practical to do so.
The 12-week consultation - which ends on February 8 - seeks views on a proposed permanent change to the GPhC's procedural rules which will allow it to conduct
hearings and meetings by teleconference or videolink.
The pharmacy regulator is seeking changes to enable it to continue to hold some hearings remotely in the future following positive feedback from those taking part
in hearings during the Covid-19 pandemic which the GPhC held remotely by videolink.
"In cases where the GPhC investigates a concern about a pharmacist or pharmacy technician and decides there is evidence to show that their fitness to practise may
be impaired, the case may need to be referred for a hearing before a committee," GPhC said in a statement today (November 16).
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is to host a reception at St James's Palace in early May to celebrate exemplary work of community pharmacist during
the Coronavirus pandemic.
Up to 200 community pharmacists have been invited by Prince Charles to the event organised to "celebrate community pharmacists", which commences at 5:30pm on
Wednesday, May 4 at the London residence of the Prince of Wales.
The invitation comes in less than six months after Prince Charles praised community pharmacists for their efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic in a video message sent to the National Pharmacy Association (NPA)'s centenary dinner at Apothecaries' Hall in central London in November last year.
He said throughout the pandemic pharmacy teams' "commitment to patient care has never wavered, despite the many enormous pressures you have faced.
"During this pandemic period, we have learned, as never before, that pharmacies are one of those vital places where science and society meet. Crucially, they are about people and places, not just pills."
The European Commission said on Wednesday it would allocate 1.23 billion euros ($1.3 billion) to mental health initiatives across the 27-member European Union
and make mental health a pillar of health policy.
"Today marks a new beginning for a comprehensive, prevention-oriented and multi-stakeholder approach to mental health at EU level," Stella Kyriakides, EU Commissioner
for health and food safety, said in a statement.
"We need to break down stigma and discrimination so that those in need can reach out and receive the support they need. It is OK not to be OK, and it is our duty to
ensure that everyone asking for help has access to it."
The Commission said mental health problems already impacted around 84 million people before the COVID-19 pandemic with an economic cost of about 600 billion euro a
year, or 4% of the bloc's GDP.
The situation has deteriorated since the pandemic with the war in Ukraine, climate change anxiety and the rising cost of living due to soaring inflation.
At a press conference, Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas called it a "silent epidemic" and said the topic was the last piece in the European Health Union
"puzzle".
Pharmacists on the temporary register will be automatically removed on April 1, unless they have applied to rejoin the permanent register, the General
Pharmaceutical Council has said.
The government asked the GPhC and other pertinent health professional regulators to close temporary registers by March 31, 2024.
According to the GPhC, this decision is based on the anticipation that the emergency conditions justifying the establishment of these temporary registers will
cease after the approaching winter.
The temporary register was established after the Health and Social Care Secretary asked the Council to utilise its emergency powers to swiftly register pharmacy
professionals for their essential role in the national COVID-19 response.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who had previously opted to withdraw from the GPhC register or failed to renew their registration are now eligible for
immediate re-registration, the regulator added.
The Pharmaceutical Society NI (PSNI)'s Council has decided to freeze the annual registration fee for the current financial year 2023/24.
The annual registration fee is considered each year by the PSNI's council. At its meeting in November 2022, Council members in recognition of the effects of the
Covid-19 pandemic, the personal and professional impact of the cost of living crisis on pharmacists, and the overall cost of regulation agreed to maintain
registration fees at their current level for the next financial year.
Pharmaceutical Society NI's Chief Executive Michaela McAleer said: "I am pleased with Council's decision to continue the freeze on registration fees for the 7th
successive year. We are acutely aware of the pressures facing the pharmacy profession and hope this can provide some reassurance to the profession as we deal with
these financially difficult times.
Sobha Sharma Kandel wants community pharmacy teams up and down the country to be super responsive to emerging needs of their patients - by always being
pro-active rather than reactive.
"We know that every patient benefits from our proactive approaches - listening, asking questions, providing information and making clinical interventions when
appropriate.
"At a time when general practice is overstretched, community pharmacy must be relied upon as the frontline of the NHS when it comes to providing diagnosis,
treatment and continuous care in our communities to promote health and wellbeing of our patients."
Sobha believes Covid-19 has helped shift public perception of community pharmacies from being a place where one goes to collect a prescription to a hub where one
can access a range of healthcare advice and services.
"We are way more than just a shop where you can collect your medicines," she said, giving examples of how her interventions have helped reduce medication errors,
prevent harm and subsequently reduce cost of care.
She once saved a baby from getting overdosed with omeprazole when they had issues with gastroesophageal reflux. On another occasion, she managed a lady's high blood
pressure by finding equivalent medications to a combination dose prescribed by her doctor in another country.
Eighty-five per cent of adults responding to a survey commissioned by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) have agreed that community pharmacies are
underfunded and that the sector needs more investment to be able to do the work it does.
The survey of 1,000+ adults in England was carried out online between August 26 and 30 by an agency called Research Without Barriers (RWB) on behalf of the NPA.
Pharmacies in England are now paid less for providing NHS services than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic, after years of real terms cuts.
Seventy-four per cent respondents think it's unfair that community pharmacies in England have had no increase in funding for eight years, despite rising business
costs.
When asked whether it's fair or unfair that pharmacies in England are now paid less for providing NHS services than they were before the pandemic, 81 per cent of
people replied that it's unfair.
Over the last few years, we've seen the aftermath of Covid-19, with the demand for consumer health products being unprecedented and unpredictable, placing
pressure on supply chains and labour market. In turn, the industry has experienced acute shortages across the healthcare sector, placing huge pressure on
pharmacists, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
Europe has an estimated shortage of around 50,000 public-sector doctors[1], which is set to increase in the coming years. While this shortage stems from several
complex problems, there is a hidden force that could play a key part in helping to alleviate this burden. That force is the potential of self-care.
Encouragingly, last month the UK government recognised the unique role that self-care can play through the introduction of its Delivery plan for recovering access
to primary care. Through this, it has pledged to empower patients to manage their own health through several commitments, including improving accessibility to
online tools and reclassifying medicines to make formerly prescribed options available over the counter.
The chief pharmaceutical officer (CPhO) for Wales and chief pharmacists at Boots and the Ministry of Defence are among a total of 1,134 people who received
an award in the Queen's Birthday Honours list to mark her Platinum Jubilee.
All three pharmacists were appointed officers of the Order of the British Empire or OBE.
Andrew Evans, CPhO for Wales, was honoured "for services to the Covid-19 Response", Marc Donovan, chief pharmacist at Boots UK, "for services to pharmacy" and Sumeet
Kaur Matharu, chief pharmacist at the Ministry of Defence, "for services to Armed Forces Healthcare".
Giving his reaction to Pharmacy Business, Donovan said: I'm honoured to accept this recognition on behalf of the many dedicated and hard-working pharmacists and
pharmacy teams that I have had the privilege to work alongside over the years.
Pharmacies are the lifeblood of community healthcare, being a vital pathway to care and support in every borough of the UK. There are 11,600 pharmacies across
the country, amongst which yours stands proudly. Pharmacies obviously have a duty of care to their patients and customers, and rigorous safety practices surrounding
the safe storage and dispensation of medicine - but that duty of care also extends to fellow staff.
This is to say that health and safety is a paramount concern for any pharmacy or pharmacist, and that great care should always be taken to uphold the highest
possible standards with regard to health and safety. With this in mind, what follows is a refresher on some of the key hazards that could give way to workplace
injury in your pharmacy - and how to mitigate the risk of injury.
Biological Hazards
Biological hazards are ever-present, and prescient in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. Though the COVID-19 virus was eventually shown not to be
particularly resilient on surfaces, good practice was still to regularly disinfect surfaces and handles where possible - something which should still be a part of
regular routine in your pharmacy. Likewise, face masks are a solid way to reduce the risk of infection or contamination, particularly where the handing over of
biological samples is concerned.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned that there has been a continued increase in cases of whooping cough (pertussis) across England since
the start of this year.
According to new data published by the agency on Thursday (7 March), 553 new cases of whooping cough were confirmed in January alone, compared with 858 cases
for the whole of last year (2023).
The country is witnessing a surge in whooping cough cases after a prolonged period of low case numbers, attributed to restrictions and reduced social interaction
during the COVID-19 pandemic. England recorded the highest number of whooping cough cases in 2016, recording 5,949 cases.
As the ongoing rise coincides with a steady decline in the vaccination rates among pregnant women and children, UKHSA has strongly encouraged mums-to-be to get
the maternal pertussis vaccine so that their young baby is protected against this serious disease.
Well Pharmacy, one of the UK's leading independent pharmacy chains, has been offering flu vaccinations for free.
The chain says it is concerned as the winter flu season is now in full force, with hospital admissions reaching a peak and flu stats higher than they have been in
recent years.
Recent data shared by NHS England showed that there was an increase in flu cases by nearly 70 per cent leaving many in hospital each week.
Well Pharmacy is worried about those who have yet to have the flu jab and has been urging people to get one for free.
It recognises that only children aged 2-11, people over 50, and those with certain medical conditions are eligible for free NHS jabs, leaving millions who would
normally have to pay for a flu vaccination which usually costs £15.
Research recently undertaken by the chain shows that a quarter of people (25 per cent) think that after so many Covid-19 jabs in the last few years, 'vaccine fatigue'
has led to a perceived lack of motivation in others to get their jabs.
In its response to NHS England's consultation on 'the future of vaccination services', the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has suggested
that a wider range of NHS vaccinations being available from community pharmacies could support the achievement of increased vaccination levels.
PSNC said: "Any additional services that contractors could provide can only be considered with additional remuneration above the current global sum in the community
pharmacy contractual framework to ensure that the services are adequately resourced."
Alastair Buxton, director of NHS Services at PSNC, said: "We've always known, and the evidence supports this, that community pharmacies are one of the most popular
and accessible places for people to receive a range of vaccinations.
"The NHS was slow to take advantage of this at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, so we welcome this consultation from them to bring together a wide range of views
on the topic.
"In the longer-term, if the right funding and support is in place, many pharmacies could help deliver a much wider range of NHS vaccination programmes - giving the
public the convenience and service that they want, and taking pressure off our general practice colleagues. It makes perfect sense, and we look forward to the NHS
response to this consultation."
Community pharmacies are well placed to play a role in preventing deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) said Director of NHS Services.
The recent analysis by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) revealed that nearly 100,000 more people with cardiovascular disease than expected have died since the
start of the pandemic in England.
Latest figures show that the number of people waiting for time-sensitive cardiac care was at a record high of nearly 390,000 at the end of April in England.
Average ambulance response times for heart attacks and strokes have consistently been above 30 minutes since the beginning of 2022, and in December 2022 they even
breached 90 minutes. The target is 18 minutes, though the Government has set a new average target of 30 minutes over 2023/24.
Director of NHS Services, Alastair Buxton, said: "It is concerning to hear that there have been tens of thousands of preventable deaths from cardiovascular
disease (CVD) since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We share BHF's desire to see more action on preventing the causes of CVD and, subject to appropriate
funding being in place, community pharmacy teams are well placed to play a role in this.
Boris Johnson has picked Steve Barclay as the new health secretary following the resignation of Sajid Javid, who stepped down on July 5 after saying he had
lost faith in prime minister's leadership.
Barclay - who had served as chief of staff of the prime minister since February 2022 - was previously a junior health minister in 2018, responsible for NHS workforce
and finance, before serving as Brexit secretary, chief secretary to the Treasury, and chancellor of the duchy.
He is the fourth health secretary after Jeremy Hunt, Matt Hancock and Sajid Javid in the past five years.
In a statement on his appointment, Barclay said it was "an honour" to be take up the position, adding: "Our NHS and social care staff have showed us time and again -
throughout the pandemic and beyond - what it means to work with compassion and dedication to transform lives.
"This government is investing more than ever before in our NHS and care services to beat the Covid-19 backlogs, recruit 50,000 more nurses, reform social care and
ensure patients across the country can access the care they need."
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United Kingdom, affecting nearly 50,000 men yearly. Combined with the challenges faced across
healthcare during COVID-19, new figures show that prostate cancer accounts for a third of cancers not treated due to the pandemic, with 14,000 'missing patients'
believed to have not undergone treatment since April 2020. It is more urgent than ever that men are encouraged to get checked, as any set-backs in diagnosis can
reduce the pathways available, in turn affecting health outcomes.
Community pharmacy teams play a crucial role in signposting the help available for men who may be concerned about their health. Therefore, it is vital that pharmacy
teams have access to the information they need to correctly direct men to seek prostate cancer guidance. By maximising the trusted relationship between patients and their pharmacists, more can be done to identify the warning signs, helping men to get an earlier diagnosis.
The pharmacy regulator can hold hearings and meetings either remotely or in-person in future as the Council of the GPhC has agreed to a change in its rules.
The rules are expected to come into force on 1 October 2022. Until the rules and new policy and guidance come into force, the GPhC will continue to only hold
remote hearings with the consent of the person concerned and/or their legal representative.
Following positive feedback from those taking part in remote hearings, the GPhC consulted on a proposed permanent change to its rules so it could continue to hold
hearings remotely in the future, when it is fair and appropriate to do so.
The proposal to continue remote hearings, including fitness to practise hearings, received wide support with 78 per cent of respondents agreeing.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and restrictions we had to hold many meetings and hearings remotely by videolink. As such we were granted - along with other regulators - a temporary provision to enable us to do this and carry out our statutory role," Duncan Rudkin, chief executive of the GPHC, said.
Two dozen parliamentarians from across the political spectrum have called on the prime minister to act as a wave of pharmacy closures in recent years has
threatened to spiral out of control.
A letter to the prime minister signed by 24 MPs and peers has warned that worse could be yet to come after "spiralling business costs" and "year after year of real
terms funding cuts" have led to hundreds of pharmacy closures.
New data from the PSNC shows that over 639 local pharmacies have been lost in England since 2016.
"This is the equivalent to just short of one pharmacy closure per constituency", the cross-party group warned.
The letter comes as MPs came together at a parliamentary summit to call for pharmacies to be embraced as a "game-changer" for tackling healthcare backlogs and taking
pressure off other areas of the NHS. A 'Future of Pharmacy' event was attended by 53 parliamentarians on July 5 in the Palace of Westminster.
At the event parliamentarians heard directly from frontline pharmacists and representatives of pharmacy bodies where a map of constituency-specific pharmacy numbers
was also unveiled, with details of the number of pharmacy closures in MPs' local area.
The UK government has awarded a £1.7 million contract to Ensilicated Technologies Ltd (EnsiliTech), a University of Bath spinout company dedicated to
making vaccines safer, to develop the world's first thermally stable mRNA vaccine.
mRNA vaccines have a huge potential to prevent infectious diseases and a range of previously unpreventable conditions, but currently, these vaccines require
ultracold storage, needing to be kept at -70 or even -80 °C.
The company's ensilication technology allows vaccines and other biological materials to be transported and stored without the use of refrigeration.
Dr Asel Sartbaeva, co-founder and CEO at EnsiliTech, believes that the technology could save tens of thousands of lives every year.
She commented: "We're so proud to have won this important government grant."