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The Department of Health (DoH) in Northern Ireland has published a new Strategic Plan for Community Pharmacy, highlighting the vision and key priorities for the sector over the next 10 years. Co-developed by the DoH and Community Pharmacy Northern Ireland (CPNI), the representative body for community pharmacy owners, the plan aims to fully realise the potential of community pharmacy services to support better health outcomes from medicines and prevent illness. The vision outlined in the plan sees community pharmacies offering more clinical services, leveraging the skills of their teams to provide the public with safe, convenient, and faster access to care. According to DOH, the vision will be realised through four major reform programmes focusing on services, legislation, workforce, and digital enablers, alongside six strategic priorities. Together, these initiatives are anticipated to transform the role of community pharmacy within the Health and Social Care (HSC). Health Minister Robin Swann has extended his support to the new Community Pharmacy Strategic Plan, which builds on the previously agreed 3-year community pharmacy commissioning plan.

In a significant move to address health disparities and enhance clinical research, community pharmacies across several regions are set to become central players in the Genes and Health study. Led by Queen Mary University of London and funded by the Wellcome Trust, this national initiative aims to improve health outcomes within British-Bangladeshi and British-Pakistani communities. Professor Mahendra Patel, Director of the Centre for Research Equity at the University of Oxford, highlighted the importance of this approach. "By engaging the broader pharmacy workforce, including technicians, we aim to establish a research-ready infrastructure within community pharmacies," Patel told Pharmacy Business. He shared that the initiative marks a transformative step in integrating pharmacies into the clinical research landscape. The Thames Valley and South Midlands Clinical Research Network (CRN) is managing a pioneering pilot program for this study, which will initially focus on pharmacies in Banbury, Oxford City, Reading, Slough, High Wycombe, and Aylesbury.

Pharmacies serve as vital hubs for health information and community support, making cancer awareness campaigns particularly impactful within these settings. By utilising professionally designed cancer awareness poster templates, pharmacies can effectively educate customers, encouraging proactive health measures and fostering an informed community. These visually engaging materials are incredibly useful. They serve to inform and are instrumental in reinforcing the pharmacy's role as a trusted healthcare provider. This approach aligns with public health initiatives, ensuring that crucial information reaches a wide audience. The Importance of Cancer Awareness Campaigns in Pharmacies Pharmacies are strategically positioned to serve as cancer prevention and education centres. As accessible healthcare destinations, they provide a unique opportunity to reach individuals who may not regularly visit other healthcare facilities. By disseminating information on the importance of early detection and screening, pharmacies can significantly influence local health outcomes. For instance, posters that highlight the importance of regular mammograms for women over 40 can encourage patients to make appointments, directly impacting breast cancer survival rates.

A recently published report on medicines optimisation highlights the urgent need for transformative changes across all pharmacies to unlock their full potential in delivering integrated care. The report by Public Policy Projects (PPP) is first of the four in the series that emphasises the significant benefits that medicines optimisation can bring to integrated care systems (ICSs). This includes reducing health inequalities and improving population health. Pointing to the "untapped opportunity" that medicines optimisation presents for ICSs facing financial challenges, the report underscores the vital role of pharmacies in enhancing patient outcomes. The launch of the Pharmacy First services has already demonstrated the essential contribution of pharmacies to the health and care system. With "medicines being the second highest cost to the NHS," the report recommends ways "to achieve better value for money while improving patient outcomes".

Over the last few years pharmacy and the role of pharmacy teams has changed dramatically. The introduction of technology and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) within systems that provide healthcare and support to pharmacies holds great promise; for improving access to health, supporting patient outcomes, and optimising operational efficiency. Currently, the potential use of AI could span the whole of the medicines value chain, from AI-driven drug discovery to personalised medicines and automated dispensing systems. However, the rapid advancement of AI technology does raise several ethical concerns. This article will explore these concerns and how they can be addressed. In previous articles, I have discussed what underpins artificially intelligent machines and the importance of data. Datasets are the foundation on which AI algorithms learn and generate conclusions. The first step to understanding the potential ethical implications of AI across the pharmacy sector is to understand the data that is held within these foundational datasets. Patient privacy and data security AI systems in and outside of the pharmacy sector, which support patient care, rely heavily on vast amounts of medical data (patient medical records, PMR data, etc). However, the collection, storage, and use of such sensitive data can possibly bring significant privacy concerns. GDPR compliance is essential within the UK and ethical questions arise around data ownership, patient consent, and the possibility of data and cybersecurity breaches. As frontline healthcare professionals, we need to be able to support our patients when questions are asked about their data. For example, how can patients be sure their data is used only for its intended purposes? Is anonymised data truly safe from de-identification techniques that could expose private information?

At this year's pharmacy show and many recent conferences, I have given presentations on behavioural economics. People's health outcomes are greatly determined by behaviours outside the pharmacy or other health settings. Whether they take their medicines, give up smoking or eat healthily, these choices are made at home in the course of their daily lives. How many minutes of the 168 hours in a week, are your customers in contact with you? For many pharmacists, behavioural economics is a 'new' discipline and often flies in the face of what we learned at university years ago. People had symptoms, often traced back to a disease, which led to a treatment, which the patient took (as instructed) and got better. If only! In the context of healthcare, behavioural economics shows that people do not always make decisions based purely on rational cost-benefit analysis. Instead, our choices are often shaped by factors like cognitive biases, social influence, and environmental cues. Once you've left university and started practicing in the real world, this should not come as a surprise. The fact is people do not always act in their own best interest and people do not always do the "right" thing, even if they know what the right thing is. Intention can be a poor predictor of actual health behaviour change-now termed the intention-behaviour gap. In other words, although patients intend to change and maintain their behaviour, the data suggest that many will not follow through with their intention.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's (RPS) second roundtable on workforce wellbeing resulted in a series of collaborative actions to address pharmacy professionals' mental health and wellbeing challenges. The roundtable brought together key stakeholders from the pharmacy sector, including organisations like the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Community Pharmacy England (CPE), the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), and the profession's independent charity Pharmacist Support (PS). A report detailing the outcomes of the meeting was published on Friday, highlighting the key areas of discussion and the agreed-upon actions by the participants. During the roundtable, participants discussed the importance of understanding the workforce demographics, both nationally and locally, and using data to address wellbeing issues effectively. They also emphasised the need for using supportive standards set by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) quality statement to support and empower pharmacists' wellbeing positively.

The rising focus on the "Social" component of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is prompting UK pharmacies, particularly independent pharmacies, to take a more active role in social responsibility. Beyond just meeting regulatory requirements, pharmacies can strengthen their communities while building trust and supporting business growth by aligning their practices with social initiatives. The importance of social responsibility in ESG Research shows 77% of consumers are motivated to purchase from companies committed to making the world a better place, while 73% of investors state that efforts to improve the environment and society contribute to their investment decisions. As customers, employees and investors increasingly expect businesses to contribute positively to society, the "Social" aspect of ESG is gaining importance. In healthcare, trust, accessibility, and community engagement are essential, giving pharmacies a unique opportunity to lead by prioritising social responsibility. By aligning with community needs and values, pharmacies can positively influence local health outcomes, while strengthening their reputation as trusted healthcare providers.

Rachna Chhatralia, superintendent pharmacist at Day Lewis, has suggested that obesity should be a key focus area of the upcoming 10-year health plan. She advocated for a weight loss service to be commissioned through community pharmacies to address this growing public health issue effectively. "Obesity is a big problem in the UK, and it has progressively worsened as a result of COVID, with people being at home, unable to access gyms, and developing unhealthy eating habits," Rachna told Pharmacy Business. Rachna, the winner of the Pharmacy Business' Aspiring Pharmacy Leader of the Year, emphasised the urgent need to tackle obesity as it can lead to other long-term conditions in the long run and cost the NHS a lot of money. "If you don't try and tackle the obesity rate, you're then looking at treatment for other comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular issues, including heart attack and strokes. It just spirals out of control," she explained.

The King's Fund has published an in-depth analysis highlighting the priorities that the government's new 10-year health plan should address to combat health inequalities. This plan, currently being developed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, will significantly shape the long-term future of the NHS. The independent think tank emphasises that a core focus of this new plan should be to enable the NHS to better address health inequalities and support people with the worst health outcomes. Sarah Woolnough, CEO of The King's Fund, explained: "Health inequalities are avoidable, unfair, and systematic differences in health between different groups of people, and they reflect broader societal issues such as those related to income, housing, gender, ethnicity or disability." "Supporting the health and care system to do more to tackle these differences has been a strategy priority for the Fund over the past five years." Drawing on its extensive work on health inequalities in the last five years, the charity has outlined seven key priorities that should shape the 10-year health plan:

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has joined the Welsh Royal Colleges Child Health Collaborative (WRCCHC) - a newly established group comprising 20 royal colleges and professional bodies that aims to improve health outcomes for children in Wales. Together they have written to the First Minister of Wales asking how his government will improve child health and support the workforce that care for them. Citing recent reports published by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the Academy of Medical Sciences that highlighted declining health among children, they have warned of the impact of poor child health. The WRCCHC aims to ensure a sharper focus and understanding on the current and necessary support required for babies, children and young people and the workforce they represent. RPS Wales will be represented in the group by Anthony Lewis, Children and Women Lead Pharmacist at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

The University of Oxford's Centre for Research Equity (CfRE) has entered into a historic partnership with the Health and Social Care Research and Development (HSC R&D) Division in Northern Ireland to advance health equity across the region and ensure everyone benefits from healthcare advancements. Unveiled during an event at Parliament Buildings in Stormont Estate on Wednesday, this groundbreaking partnership makes Northern Ireland the first UK region to partner with CfRE. Supported by the Department of Health Northern Ireland and key health and social care agencies, the partnership aims to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities through collaborative research. Northern Ireland's Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, highlighted that this new partnership represents "a significant step forward in efforts to address health inequalities" in the region. "By bringing together leading experts and resources from across sectors, we can work towards conducting research that truly benefits all of our communities," he said.

In preparation for World Pharmacists Day on September 25, Pharmacy Business conducted a social media poll to explore how pharmacists can improve global health outcomes. More than 64 per cent of respondents indicated that pharmacists should prioritize promoting preventive care. Other suggestions included advancing research and development (9 per cent), increasing interdisciplinary collaboration (14 per cent), and addressing health disparities (14 per cent). This year's theme for World Pharmacists Day is "Pharmacists: Meeting Global Health Needs." The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) emphasises that pharmacists are integral members of healthcare systems, playing a crucial role in meeting health needs in various ways daily.

In a unified effort to improve women's healthcare, four leading organisations-the Company Chemists' Association (CCA), the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH)-are calling for the commissioning of a National Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) service in England. They are proposing that this service be provided free of charge through community pharmacies to women of all ages across the country. They emphasised that such a service would "not only transform access to care for all women, but directly tackle health inequalities and vastly improve health outcomes."

Regular health screenings are an essential part of maintaining wellness, and one vital test for women is the Pap smear. Known for its role in early detection of cervical cancer, the Pap smear is a simple yet powerful tool that can potentially save lives. In this blog, we will explore the significance of Pap smears, what the procedure involves, and how often you should get tested. The Importance of Regular Local Screenings Staying on top of your health requires vigilance, and regular local screenings play an indispensable role in this effort. Local screenings, like Pap smears, are essential in detecting potential health issues at their earliest stages, making treatments more effective and improving outcomes. By participating in these routine checks, you not only safeguard your health but also contribute to broader public health efforts by identifying and addressing potential outbreaks or health trends within the community. Whether that's HPV and Pap tests in Singapore or a mammogram in the US, local screenings are crucial for maintaining overall wellness. This is especially true for Pap smears, as they play a significant role in detecting and preventing cervical cancer.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published the NIHR's annual report and accounts for 2023/24, highlighting a 4.2 per cent increase in total domestic research spending from the previous year. This increase has allowed the NIHR to improve investments in research funding, infrastructure, and training and career development initiatives. Additionally, the report showcases various research projects that are having a significant impact on people's lives now and in the future. Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Advisor at DHSC and Chief Executive of the NIHR, expressed gratitude to all who have contributed to NIHR research over the past year. She stated: "This annual report spotlights where NIHR research has made a tangible difference to people's health outcomes and has contributed to tackling health inequalities. "Through our partnership working, in 2024/25 and beyond, we will continue to ensure that research will be playing its part in driving the Government's Health and Growth Mission to build a health and care system fit for the future."

The Professional Records Standards Body (PRSB), which develops information standards for health and social care records, has appointed Professor Reecha Sofat as the new Chair. She will assume the role at the end of October 2024, succeeding Professor Maureen Baker CBE, who will step down after seven years as Chair of the PRSB. A Clinical Pharmacologist, Professor Sofat has held many leadership roles across the NHS, academia and scientific societies. Professor Sofat is Breckenridge Chair of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Liverpool. She practices general internal medicine and is also an Associate Director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Data Science Centre (DSC) which is led by Health Data Research UK (HDRUK). With a passion for data science and extensive clinical and research insights, Professor Sofat is focused on embedding research into routine health and social care. She said: "I am passionate about using the rich health data that is already collected across NHS and social care to better understand the causes and consequences of disease and improve health outcomes.

The UK incurs substantial healthcare costs for managing dental caries (tooth decay), with per-person expenses estimated at £18,000, a new study has revealed. This figure is notably higher than those reported in countries such as Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, and Italy. Published in BMC Public Health and commissioned by the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP), the study also found that the economic impact of tooth decay is disproportionately higher in the most deprived groups. Researchers, including Professors Moritz Kebschull and Iain Chapple from the University of Birmingham's School of Dentistry, suggested that targeted preventative measures could help reduce this financial burden dramatically. "Our study highlights the critical need for early and sustained preventive measures to address the economic and health disparities associated with dental caries," said Professor Chapple. "By focusing on the most vulnerable populations, we can achieve substantial cost savings and improve overall oral health outcomes."

"We're thrilled that MedicinesComplete will now be available to all clinicians in Wales through the NHS Wales e-Library," said Karen Baxter, Managing Director of Pharmaceutical Press, announcing a contract with NHS Wales. The collaboration between Pharmaceutical Press, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's knowledge business, and NHS Wales is set to grant healthcare professionals across Wales unlimited access to MedicinesComplete. MedicineComeplete is a vital resource for accurate and trusted medicines information, includes key resources such as the British National Formulary, Stockley's Drug Interactions, and Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference and will be accessible through the NHS Wales e-Library, managed by Digital Health and Care Wales. The collaboration effective starting September 1, 2024, aims to significantly enhance patient safety and improve healthcare outcomes by providing time-pressured clinicians with instant access to essential, evidence-based guidance. According to Baxter the new collaboration "will better enable health professionals across primary and secondary care to make confident decisions about medicines, ensuring patients get the best from their treatment." Moreover, MedicinesComplete has made it easy for health professionals globally to access trusted medicines information since 2004, provided expert guidance on the safe use and administration of drugs and medicines, in one place.

The Galien Foundation recently announced the winners of the 2024 Prix Galien UK Awards, with the University of Oxford receiving accolades for its groundbreaking contributions to public sector innovation through the PRINCIPLE and PANORAMIC Trials. These trials, spearheaded by Oxford's team of experts, have set a new standard for scientific innovation aimed at improving global health outcomes. Led by University of Oxford, the PRINCIPLE and PANORAMIC Trials epitomize a remarkable collaboration aimed at combating the COVID-19 pandemic.