EMIS Pinnacle, the leading Pharmacy First IT supplier, has begun implementing the GP Connect Update Record feature to all community pharmacies in England that
use PharmOutcomes.
Starting June 28, this new feature was made available for use with the Hypertension case-finding service and the Pharmacy contraception service, as announced by
the Community Pharmacy England (CPE).
The GP Connect Update Record will enable community pharmacies to securely share "structured" information with GP practices regarding consultations conducted under
the Pharmacy First programme, which includes minor illness and clinical pathways, along with Hypertension Case Finding and Pharmacy Contraception services
Live testing is underway with EMIS Pinnacle for Pharmacy First minor illness and clinical pathways.
There are plans to expand the system in the future to include updates for urgent supply of medicines under the Pharmacy First service.
EMIS Pinnacle is the third CPCF IT system supplier to offer this functionality, following Cegedim's Pharmacy Services system and Positive Solutions' HXConsult
system.
A group of 21 community pharmacies in the Midlands and Yorkshire will have a new name - Pickfords Pharmacy.
The group has been created by combining three independent pharmacy businesses which traded as Mr Pickford's, McGills Pharmacy and D&R Sharp.
All pharmacies in the new group will be rebranded over the coming months, with a series of launch events planned by local teams.
Speaking after the unveiling of the first branch to receive new signage in Hexthorpe Doncaster, Mimi Lau, Pickfords Pharmacy's chief operating officer, said:
"This is a turning point for the group, with all our pharmacies operating under one name with a consistent, contemporary brand.
"Initial reaction has been fantastic and very soon the name Pickfords Pharmacy will be widely recognised for the great service we deliver to customers and patients
every day."
Speaking of the consolidation, Nick Yarrow, the newly appointed group chief executive officer, commented: "Since the enlarged group came together last year, we have
been striving to ensure that the best elements of each business have been retained for the benefit of our customers and team members.
"This is part of our journey to be more than just a pharmacy - we want to be a trusted source of healthcare services at the heart of each one of the communities we
serve".
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.
Balmedie Pharmacy based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland has been purchased by local expanding multiple operator JMF Healthcare.
Balmedie Pharmacy is a well-performing community pharmacy that dispenses an average of 5,255 items per month. It lies completely unopposed in the large Aberdeenshire
village of Balmedie, which is circa eight miles north of Aberdeen City Centre.
The pharmacy has been owned by Brian Arris since 2004 and was recently brought to market to allow him to pursue other pharmacy business opportunities.
Following a confidential sales process with Christie & Co, JMF Healthcare to benefit from new housing developments in this area of Aberdeenshire such as 300 new
homes planned in Balmedie, approved plans for up to 500 new homes in Trump Menie Estate, and 284 new homes planned in Blackdog Village.
Brian Arris, previous owner of Balmedie Pharmacy, comments, "I'm sad to see the business go as the excellent staff have helped grow the pharmacy from scratch since
2004 and we've all put our hearts and souls into providing good pharmaceutical care for the village and surrounding area. I'm confident everyone is left in safe
hands with John at the helm now."
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has raised concerns over the NHS ad campaign highlighting how community pharmacies can support patients
with non-health advice amidst the growing pressure on pharmacies.
It believes the campaign will only 'worsen' the pressure on pharmacies.
"It is always deeply concerning to see campaigns directing people to pharmacies without any regard for the pressures they are under: it is irresponsible and extremely
unhelpful," said PSNC Chief Executive Janet Morrison.
She called the campaign 'particularly irritating' just weeks after the committee rejected a series of proposals from NHS England and DHSC on relief measures to ease
pressure on pharmacies as being totally inadequate.
"NHS England Board Members have noted the pressure on pharmacies - so why are their teams so often acting to make these pressures worse? We need to see a radical
change in how NHS England treats pharmacies and we're continuing to press for that via our influencing and campaigning work," she added.
The NHS launched the new campaign on Monday (27 February) to highlight how high-street pharmacies can support patients with non-urgent health advice for minor
conditions including coughs, aches and colds.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has launched a partnership with the charity Marie Curie to develop professional standards in end of life care for community pharmacy.
Available for pharmacy teams across the UK, the standards will provide a free, evidence-based framework to help community pharmacies self-assess and continuously improve their end of life and bereavement care for patients and carers.
They will enable community pharmacy teams to work together to develop their own practice.
RPS is setting up a professional standard steering group which will have community pharmacy experts, experts within the field of palliative and end of life care,
lay members, and healthcare professionals who interact with community pharmacy.
Elen Jones, director lead for palliative care work at RPS, said: "RPS has a long-term commitment, striving to ensure that people living with life-limiting conditions
who are approaching the end of life have timely access to medicines and clinical support from a skilled pharmacy team.
"The development of these standards, in partnership with Marie Curie, is a crucial step to support community pharmacy teams to undertake simple quality improvement
measures and build upon the care they already provide to this group of patients and carers."
Kent based N.B. Pharmacy has been sold to first-time buyers, Venkat and Preeti Adama, from Essex for an undisclosed price.
N.B. Pharmacy is a standard hours community pharmacy that dispenses an average of 6,393 items per month.
The business has been owned by Nirmal Bajaria for 39 years and was recently brought to market to allow him to pursue a well-earned retirement. Following a
confidential sales process with Christie & Co, it has been purchased by first-time buyers, Venkat and Preeti Adama, from Essex.
Nirmal Bajaria, former owner of N.B. Pharmacy, comments, "Having run the pharmacy for around 39 years, it was a difficult decision to put the business up for sale.
I was very pleased with the high number of viewers and feel delighted that a young family bought my pharmacy."
The Health and Social Care Committee (HSCC) has announced the appointment of six specialists to scrutinise the government's progress made on its commitments
to pharmacy services in England on Wednesday (26 April).
"They will work alongside the core members of the Expert Panel to produce a report evaluating Government progress across nine of the Government's own commitments
across the four areas. A CQC-style rating from "inadequate" to "outstanding" will be awarded against each specific pledge with a final overall rating given," said
DHSC.
Professor Dame Jane Dacre, Chair of the Expert Panel, said: "The role of pharmacy in delivering care whether in hospital, the community or primary care has never
been more important.
"The Government has made a number of commitments aimed at improving pharmacy services and we'll be looking at the progress to achieve these targets.
"In the process of our evaluation we'll be hearing from stakeholders from across the industry, including the pharmacy workforce and NHS and independent providers
of pharmacy services. We'll be considering pledges covering frontline services as well as the education and training of the workforce."
National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chief executive, Mark Lyonette, is one of six panel members with specialist expertise in pharmacy. They will work alongside five
standing members who are all renowned healthcare policy experts and professionals. Professor Dame Jane Dacre will chair.
In response to concerns raised by pharmacy owners, the government has decided to adjust the August threshold for the Pharmacy First service from 20 to 15
clinical pathways.
The ability of pharmacy owners to achieve the thresholds for the monthly Pharmacy First payments has been a topic of great concern.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has been actively discussing this issue over the last few weeks with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England.
Ministers have now decided to adjust the August threshold for the Pharmacy First service to 15, CPE announced today (July 31).
Commenting on this decision, Janet Morrison, CEO of Community Pharmacy England said: "We are pleased that Ministers have listened to our concerns and acted quickly
to make an adjustment so soon after coming into office."
Nuffield Trust and The King's Fund are seeking feedback from community pharmacy on their proposals for the future of community pharmacy and they are seeking
feedback from community pharmacy stakeholders.
The online survey is the latest opportunity for pharmacy owners, LPCs and others in the sector to engage with the project to develop a Vision for Community Pharmacy.
Nuffield Trust and The King's Fund want to hear their views on their proposals, ahead of the publication of the final report later this year. The vision is
critically important, as it will be used to develop the future strategy for the sector and lay the groundwork for the next Community Pharmacy Contractual
Framework (CPCF) negotiations.
The survey is asking for thoughts on key aspects of the vision and its recommendations. The vision has been developed by Nuffield Trust and The King's Fund
following an extensive programme of research, interviews and 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 vision project team are looking forward to hearing views from across the sector on their proposals and what will need to happen to make them a reality.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has raised its concerns over rising cost of rent for its members.
The association highlighted that pharmacy spending is shrinking, and therefore, the NHS Property Services must ensure viability of health centre pharmacies.
In May, the NPA wrote to NHS Property Services to voice its concerns over the rising cost of rent after some of its members reported demands for a three-fold increase in rent.
Many pharmacies operate in premises of which NHS Property Services is the landlord.
In a letter last month to chief executive Martin Steele, NPA said: "The past years have seen far fewer patients in health centres and therefore using the on-site pharmacy - whilst the situation will change somewhat as we move out of the pandemic we expect a permanent impact on workload as practices handle more of their interactions virtually.
"The NPA encourages NHS Property Services to review lease agreements involving community pharmacies and consider favourable changes to terms that are in line with
current financial realities affecting the sector. This could avoid the loss of a pharmacy service to communities and the resulting loss of rental income to NHS Property Services."
The Community Pharmacy England Committee has adopted a new approach to engagement with sector by inviting all pharmacy owners to share their views on
pharmacy's finances, pressures and capacity ahead of its meeting in July.
It has sought views of pharmacists via short poll by Sunday (2 July) and will have a discussion on the poll results at the meeting before reporting back to the
sector afterwards.
The key focus for July Committee Meeting will be to make most of £645m for the community pharmacy sector, and also on the ongoing work to make the wider case for
more investment in the sector.
This new way of working follows association's rebrand on 30th May which signalled the start of its new approach to engagement to help them to build stronger
relationships with pharmacy owners.
The association hopes this new approach will help them better engage with members and listen to pharmacy's views better.
Preet Kaur Gill, Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health, has paid a recent visit to a community pharmacy in Staffordshire to personally experience
the services it provides to patients, while staying updated on the latest sector developments.
Her visit to Eason's Pharmacy in Tamworth on September 22nd marked her first since assuming new responsibilities for pharmacy policy matters within Labour's health
team. Gill was also joined by a member of the National Pharmacy Association staff.
The Minister received a comprehensive briefing on Eason's Pharmacy from its third-generation owner, Kieran Eason (R). He outlined the NHS services, which include
the New Medicines Service and blood pressure monitoring, and showcased two consultation rooms and an operational dispensary.
"It's great that Preet came to learn firsthand about the challenges we face and the substantial potential of community pharmacies nationwide," Eason said. "As an
independent prescriber, I have the expertise to provide even more convenient care, but the current funding levels severely limit our contribution."
The voter turnout for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) England this year has dropped to 7.3 per cent.
Out of a total 18,333 eligible voter only 1,336 voter elected Danny Bartlett to the vacancy on the English Pharmacy Board.
This year, four nominations were received for one substantive place on the English Pharmacy Board.
One nomination was received for a single vacancy on the Welsh Pharmacy Board. Richard Evans has been elected unopposed to the vacancy on the Welsh Pharmacy Board.
There were no vacancies this year on the Scottish Pharmacy Board. Therefore, no election was required for the Welsh Pharmacy Board nor the Scottish Pharmacy Board.
Sarwat (Sorbi) Khattak has been elected for a period of one year to fill the casual vacancy.
A pharmacy in Derby is to reopen a year after its closure sparked more than 600 worried residents to sign a petition demanding it stayed open.
An old LloydsPharmacy store on Main Drive in Chaddesden is to be the new home for Vision Pharmacy which currently has a branch at nearby Nottingham Road.
Vision Pharmacy, which has been based in Chaddesden for nine years, is to move to Main Drive from the beginning of December.
It means that Chaddesden will once again have a pharmacy right next to The Park Medical Practice - one of the main GP surgeries in the area - making it ideal for patients as they will simply have to just visit next door to collect prescriptions and medicines.
Huge banner signs can be seen on both the existing Vision Pharmacy store and its new Main Drive premises saying the move will take place from December 1.
A community pharmacy, Barton Pharmacy located in Woolacombe, Devon has been sold to a local pharmacist and its previous employee, Harminder Chaggar,
announced Christie & Co.
The business has been owned by Mr Osman Hamid for the last seven years and was brought to market to allow him to concentrate on his other business interests.
Barton Pharmacy is dispensing an average of 2,440 items per month. It lies completely unopposed in the highly desirable North Devon coastal village of Woolacombe,
in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is an ever-popular holiday destination which boasts 'Beach of the Year 2021' as voted for by The Sunday Times.
Osman Hamid, previous owner of Barton Pharmacy, comments, "Owning this business for the last seven years has been an enjoyable experience, as we have had full
support from the NHS as it has an attached LPS contract and receives an overwhelmingly generous OTC income which is more than the average pharmacy. The business
has huge potential to grow and diversify into other avenues that are yet to be explored, and it is lovely to know that it has been passed onto a new owner operator
that I trust will do well with the business moving forwards."
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has asked community pharmacy owners to share their views on preparations for the new national Pharmacy First service, ahead
of the next full Committee meeting at the end of January.
The advanced service, which is set for launch from 31 January, will allow patients to seek advice and treatment for seven common conditions directly from their
local pharmacy, without the need to contact their GP practice. It is expected to help NHS free up 10m GP appointments a year.
However, CPE chief executive Janet Morrison has previously expressed that the Pharmacy First investment is not the panacea for pharmacy's funding woes.
Pharmacy owners' feedback will be used in the Committee's campaigning and influencing work to press for an uplift to core funding, CPE said.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and BeWell are working together to help provide efficiencies and productivity that address the growing pressures within
community pharmacy.
BeWell's Pharmacy Management Platform provides robust solutions that include Patient Relationship Management, Omnichannel Communications and Engagement, Services
and Bookings Management, access to patient records, NHS Login supported Patient Application, and repeat prescription capabilities for Pharmacy Website and Patient
App that include integrations with Surgery Online Services.
This single interoperable platform is also integrated with pharmacy PMRs, connecting back office and administrative functions with front-of-house digital patient
experiences. In line with the NPA's vision, BeWell has taken a leading role in formulating a unique ecosystem of pharmacy partners uniting marketing agencies,
PGD-based service providers, and delivery method partners - integrating their capabilities within the BeWell platform.
The full-time equivalent community pharmacy workforce saw a 6 per cent decline in a year, while the overall number of pharmacists remains nearly constant,
according to NHS England's Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey 2022.
However, vacancy rates among pharmacists rose 16 percent, suggesting an increased reliance on locum pharmacists who, on average, work fewer hours, the data revealed.
According to NHSE, the mandated survey released (Aug. 3) achieved a 95 per cent completion rate among pharmacy contractors, marking a substantial increase compared
to only 47 per cent in the previous year.
The survey results indicate a shift in working patterns within community pharmacy, with locum pharmacists being utilised more frequently as part of the staffing model.
The survey revealed a 6 per cent decrease in the community pharmacy workforce across all roles combined. The number of full-time equivalent pharmacists working in
community pharmacy decreased by 2,411, from 20,255 in 2021 to 17,844 in 2022, the survey found.
The employed pharmacists decreased by 16 per cent from 12,774 in 2021 to 10,943 in 2022, while locum pharmacists increased by 26 per cent from 4,297 in 2021 to
5,477 in 2022, NHSE said.
Will Quince, MP for Colchester and Health Minister visited Rowlands pharmacy on Friday (20 January) in Nayland Road in his constituency.
The important role played by pharmacies in providing NHS care, support, and advice helping the local community to live healthier lives and manage long-term conditions
were discussed among the pharmacy teams.
Mr Quince said: "Community pharmacy is playing an increasingly important role in ensuring people in Colchester have convenient walk-in access to the healthcare
support and advice they need.
Pharmacies are not simply places to collect prescriptions, they provide a wide range of services and are the third pillar of access to primary care alongside GPs and
A&E. I would urge people to think pharmacy first if they have a minor ailment; need advice on taking their medication; want to stop smoking or want to check their
blood pressure."