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Best Supporting LPC (or equivalent body) 
 
Avon Local Pharmaceutical Committee 

Avon LPC, led by its chief officer Richard Brown, beat off some tough competition to win the Best LPC Award. 

The LPC has caught the attention of commissioners time and again, leading to successful pilots of a number of national and local services. The LPC has been busy this year negotiating additional services for its pharmacies including the national pilot for the GP referral Community Pharmacist Consultation Service and CCG-wide roll-out of a suite of patient group directives. 

The LPC has supported contractors in meeting their contractual obligations, with over 99 per cent of pharmacies in its area meeting the gateway for pharmacy quality scheme points, allowing pharmacies in Avon to have a share of approximately £1.34 million. 

The LPC has also forged strong relationships with NHS England and Improvement, CCGs, local authorities, acute trusts and academic health science networks, and that has led to the commissioning of new services and the continuation of existing public health and local enhanced services. 
The Covid pandemic has brought new challenges. Richard describes 2020 as “a rollercoaster ride” but is proud of what his contractors have achieved. “They have been immensely busy looking after the patients they serve in their local communities and they have also been a key part of primary care,” he said. 

“We've finally got that recognition across the whole system of the important role community pharmacy plays. My hope for my contractors is it will continue to materialise in some of the central policies from NHSE, meaning that pharmacies are recognised in the future for the really important work they deliver.” 

The LPC has worked closely with teams dealing with palliative care, and vulnerable groups such as those on opioid substation therapy, to ensure they are supported during Covid-19. It is currently working with acute trusts to support discharged patients, using PharmOutcomes to provide summary information which allows pharmacies to follow them up. Three acute trusts discharge over 300 patients a month through the service and, by working with the transfer of care around medicines pilot, about 96 per cent of patients are being followed up.  
Richard also revealed pharmacies in Avon are getting involved in the Covid vaccine roll-out, and hopes all of his contractors are called upon at some point. 

“We have a small number of sites. Longer term, my hope is that community pharmacy starts to play a bigger role in the overall Covid vaccination delivery plan. To do that, we'll need the central NHS England team to support us to deliver a smaller number of vaccinations from a much larger number of pharmacies,” he said. 

“If each of our pharmacies could deliver 100 Covid vaccinations a week, it would present NHS England with a huge opportunity just across Avon. It would be the same across all other LPCs - that's well over a million vaccinations community pharmacy could be delivering each week.” 
However, he admitted funding problems has created uncertainty for many of his contractors. 

“I still have contractors in Avon who are uncertain if they are going to have to pay back their part of the £370 million that was loaned. I have contractors who are uncertain how they'll close their books at the end of the financial year,” he said. 

“I have contractors who are uncertain if they'll continue to be viable. They have delivered everything they've been asked to deliver and it's only reasonable that they get that certainty.” 
 
This Award was sponsored by Sigma Pharmaceuticals. 
 
 
HIGHLY COMMENDED 
 
Community Pharmacy West Yorkshire

The pandemic has brought the best out in Community Pharmacy West Yorkshire which has supported its contractors during an immensely difficult time. 

It created a Covid-19 email address that is monitored seven days a week to provide timely responses contractors’ inquiries. Telephone queries are answered and the CPWY website is updated as new Covid-related information becomes available, and it has held weekly webinars to keep contractors up-to-date. 

CPWY has worked with local volunteers, and council and fire services to develop medicine delivery services. It collaborated with NHS England and Improvement to ensure pharmacy teams were able to access local Covid testing sites and supplies of PPE, and secured funding to retain supervised consumption services despite reduced activity. 

CPWY has also helped establish transfer of care around medicines processes across all hospital and both mental health trusts in West Yorkshire, and has community pharmacy primary care network leads in place for all 52 PCNs in West Yorkshire. The leads are supported by on-going leadership training and a communication tool to facilitate collaboration across pharmacies within the same PCN. 

Good communication with contractors is crucial and it developed what it describes as “an engagement community” known as CPWY Connect that allows pharmacy teams to talk to the CPWY team and other pharmacy teams about issues affecting community pharmacy. 

CPWY also supports a learning academy that provides pharmacy teams with regular training events on clinical elements of pharmacy practice. It has worked with commissioners and other stakeholders to transform public health needs and commissioners’ challenges into new, profitable services that improve patient outcomes.