This month's news...

Sound the alarm to #saveourpharmacies

The NPA has called a second day of action in support of the cross-sector #saveourpharmacies campaign, highlighting pharmacy cuts. On September 19, pharmacies across the UK will be ‘sounding the alarm’ about the current financial crisis by ringing bells, wearing black clothes and sealing prescription bags with special campaign stickers.

This second day is intended to demonstrate the increasingly urgent need for government action to maintain patient access to community pharmacies. Day of action During the highly successful One Day to #saveourpharmacies in June, around 6,000 pharmacies dimmed their lights, wore black and took to social media to demonstrate the plight of community pharmacies.

It was the first UK-wide protest of its kind in community pharmacy and attracted support from across the independent sector, from single independents to large groups. Thanks to pharmacies collecting signatures on the day of action and since, the cross sector #saveourpharmacies petition has now topped 250,000 signatures. Paul Rees, chief executive of the NPA, said: “We are absolutely committed to working hand in hand with the new government – and colleagues across the sector – to deliver a better deal for community pharmacies and unleash the power of our network to cut GP and hospital waiting times for millions.

“At the same time, we cannot leave anyone in any doubt about the need to fund pharmacies properly and ease the fi nancial crisis that has seen more than 1,400 close in the past decade. Hence this second day of action, to make it crystal clear that our network needs urgent support if it is to help deliver for patients across the UK.”

Thank you Communications International Group for your vital support with the Save Our Pharmacies campaign. We also want to thank Healthpoint TV and 9 Ways Digital Media.

As at the end of July, the Save Our Pharmacies petition stood at an impressive 295,000 signatures!

The threat of cyber crime to community pharmacy

By Julie Dawson, Business Development Manager at NPA Insurance

The recent ransomware attack on lab services provider Synnovis was a stark reminder of the very real threat of cyber crime to the NHS and primary care providers and the detrimental impact it has on patients.

Whilst pharmacists are aware of the need for adequate professional indemnity, property and general insurance cover to protect their businesses, the urgent need for protection against cyber crime is still neither fully recognised nor understood and consequently not perceived as an insurable risk.

Yet cyber attacks can have a huge and damaging e ect on all areas of a business, from loss of revenue and inability to access online systems to handling customer complaints and running the day-to-day business.

These threats will only become more prevalent as community pharmacy takes on a more diverse role within the provision of primary healthcare and the growth of e-pharmacy. In our experience, policy holders do not fully appreciate the very real threat they face from cyber attacks.

For pharmacy, this might be partly because security linked to NHS sites is perceived to be adequate. All too often, it is not until a business has been compromised that the need for cover is recognised. And then, of course, it’s too late.

We have recently appointed cyber insurance specialist OSR to provide our members with protection from the growing risk of cyber attack. This cover o ers our members a range of benefi ts to protect their businesses, including round-the-clock access to an emergency response team, cover for network interruption losses and cloud, remote or outsourced locations, as well as cover for e-theft losses and liability and compensation costs associated with data breaches.

To find out more about the cyber cover available to our members, contact Julie Dawson on 07946518855 or email j.dawson@npa.co.uk

Ask Your Pharmacist Week 4-11 November

Ask Your Pharmacist Week, held every year across the UK, aims to raise awareness of pharmacy services and prompt conversations at a local level about community pharmacy’s role and benefits.

Activities in previous years have ranged from window displays and social media to pharmacy visits by local dignitaries, presentations to local patient groups and radio phone-ins. The NPA, which organises the campaign, wants people to be more aware of new and long-standing NHS services as well as the skills and expertise available in pharmacies across the UK.

Any NPA member or pharmacy stakeholder wishing to get involved should contact the NPA’s Head of Communications, Stephen Fishwick, at s.fishwick@npa.co.uk.

NPA Scottish Forum September

Join us at the NPA Scottish Forum on September 18 at Inchyra Hotel Falkirk. The event is being held in conjunction with, and is kindly sponsored by, the Scottish Pharmacy Trade Show. NPA chief executive PaulRees, pictured, will deliver a keynote speech.

Error and reporting platform (Scotland)

The NPA Scottish Patient Safety Incident Reporting Service is available to all members of community pharmacy teams in Scotland, using the bespoke reporting form for ‘near-miss’ and ‘error’ patient safety incidents.

The anonymised reports are reviewed for trends at least twice a year, with a summary NPA Scottish Patient Safety Incident Report published to share learning. The most common type of incident reported in the latest Scotland report was ‘wrong drug’, which accounted for 33 per cent of all reported incidents.

Of these, 22 per cent were attributed to ‘look alike sound alike’ errors and 8 per cent were due to changes being made to medicine compliance aids.

New NPA independent prescribing resources

Pharmacists undertaking the independent prescribing qualification, will ‘specialise’ in a specific clinical area and scope of practice, such as minor ailments, hypertension orasthma. On completion of the independent prescribing course, many pharmacist independent prescribers (PIPs) will seek to expand their scope of practice to meet the needs of the local population, to expand services provided or due to a change in roles/sectors.

Therefore, they will look to prescribe within new clinical areas that can di er widely from their original prescribingarea. When expanding into a new scope of practice, there are no mandated requirements or training/learning activities that must be completed. PIPs are responsible for identifying their own learning needs, undertaking appropriate training to address these, and ensuring competence within the clinical area they plan to prescribe in.

A new NPA guide supports PIPs in expanding their scope of prescribing practice and follows a step-by-step process to address learning needs. The resource provides PIPs with a structured process to develop competence in a new prescribing area and create a portfolio of evidence, which can be used to demonstrate competence to employers, commissioners and regulators. Go to the NPA website (www.npa.co.uk) for more information.

Engaging with the new Labour government

The NPA, Community Pharmacy England, the Company Chemists’ Association, the Independent Pharmacies Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society have together written to the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, calling for investment in pharmacies to cut GP waiting times.

In a joint letter to Wes Streeting, the pharmacy bodies say they are “ready and willing” to help the new government address the challenges the NHS faces, given su cient funding, holistic workforce planning and improved medicines security.

They add that investment in community pharmacy is crucial to maintaining patient access to medicines, realising Labour’s vision of a return of the ‘family doctor’ and embedding a greater focus on prevention in theNHS. When in opposition, Wes Streeting spoke about Labour’s plan for general practice and primary care.

He said he wanted to shift far more resources into community services and that improving access to GPs and community services was key to relieving pressures on hospitals. NPA sta briefed him on several occasions whilst he was an opposition spokesperson, and we look forward to maintaining a constructive dialogue.

Top line message

Our top-line message will be: invest in community pharmacy to cut GP and hospital waiting times. We have a plan stretching across the new government’s fi rst 100 days in o ce and beyond – lobbying, infl uencing, media, social media and positive action.

We aim to take the campaign to parliament, political party conferences, national TV and radio, and online media, as well as communicating it via social media and beyond.

Pharmacy Undergraduate Training Programme summer special offer

This course provides pharmacy undergraduate students undertaking placements or employment in community pharmacies with essential knowledge and skills in relation to community pharmacy practice, pharmacy law and ethics, calculation practice, minor ailments and making job applications (including Oriel).

An exclusive summer offer price is valid for enrolments made before August 31, 2024, after which date the price will revert back to £80. After completing this course, students will be more confi dent and prepared for work on the medicines counter and in the dispensary, both as an undergraduate and trainee pharmacist, applying for foundation training placements, and undergoing university exams.

Having a competent pharmacy undergraduate student also aids in the safe and e ective operation of a pharmacy.

Inclusive recruitment

Inclusive recruitment is about more than just fi lling positions; it’s about creating a workforce that reflects a diverse range of experiences, identities and perspectives. For the LGBTQ+ community, inclusive recruitment processes are vital for several reasons:

• Equal opportunities: Ensuring that LGBTQ+ candidates have the same opportunities as others

• Diverse perspectives: Bringing diverse perspectives into the workplace, which can enhance creativity and innovation

• Representation: Refl ecting a commitment to diversity and inclusion, which can attract top talent from all backgrounds

• Employee wellbeing: Creating a supportive environment where all employees feel valued andrespected.

For more information and insights, visit the NPA’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion pages: www.npa.co.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion

New NPA information hubs

The NPA website now houses information hubs on Gender Dysphoria(includes information and guidance on puberty blockers restrictions), Delivering Medicines and Monitored Dosage Systems. New resources have also been added to existing hubs, including;

• Flu vaccinations: www.npa.co.uk/information-and-guidance/latest-updates-on-community-pharmacy-seasonal-influenza-vaccination-advanced-service-2024-25-england/

• Pharmacy First (England): www.npa.co.uk/information-and-guidance/important-update-pharmacy-first-launch-and-expansion-of-existing-services-england-16-11-2023/

• Pharmacy technicians and PGDs: www.npa.co.uk/pharmacy-technicians

• DMS (overview, SOP and FAQs) updated to reflect the extension claim period to three months, in line with other NHS services: www.npa.co.uk/discharge-medicines-service-dms

New NPA Pharmacy Technician course

Could upskilling a member of your team to complete the pharmacy technician course help with team effciency?

Our new GPhC-accredited Level 3 Pharmacy Technician course is now open for enrolments. Upon completion of this course, students will qualify as GPhC registered Level 3 pharmacy technicians.

How does our new Level 3 course compare to our previously offfered BTEC Diploma?

• A revised marking strategy reduces the number of resubmissions students may experience whilst on the course, streamlining the assessment process and ensuring motivation is maintained

• Removal of on-site visits reduces the pressure students may have experienced in an already busy workplace

• Regular touchpoints are provided with the course supervisor via online drop-in sessions and tripartite progress reviews, to support students through their learning

• Course content and assignment have been reviewed and improved.

We have taken significant strides to improve our Level 3 offering and ensure that the standards required by the GPhC are maintained, whilst also offering a better learning journey for our students, ensuring satisfaction and motivation are maintained.