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This month's news from the National Pharmacy Association...

Let’s seize this once-in-a-decade opportunity together

By Henry Gregg, NPA chief executive.

Since joining the NPA as chief executive, I have spent at least two days a week visiting NPA members – to make sure I truly understand their concerns and their priorities.

Something I’m hearing consistently is a call for unity in the sector, as it can often appear that the various leadership organisations are not aligned in terms of current public policy or the future.

Worse still is when this breaks out into public disagreements, which makes it harder for government and other stakeholders to engage seriously with the sector as a coherent lobby. Even among those representing independents, our many shared interests can sometimes be obscured by the noise of criticism, occasionally personal.

This has taken on even more urgency because of the publication this month of the 10 Year Health Plan for England. The plan lays out a clinically-oriented path for pharmacy and this is a journey best taken together.

Our priorities At the outset, can we all agree which of the many opportunities listed in the plan ought to be our priority for swift development? On the flipside, can we also stand together against potential dangers, for example the possible unintended consequences of the promise to create neighbourhood health centres in every community?

Then, what synergies can we all identify in terms of implementation? Let’s start with workforce, technology and public education, perhaps. Fortunately, we are not starting from zero co-operation.

In fact, there are many ways in which the pharmacy leadership bodies already work closely together – from patient safety and workforce to joint sponsorship of the All Party Pharmacy Group in Parliament.

What’s more, all the main organisations in pharmacy agree about the need for better funding; for progress on medicines shortages; and support a broad outline for the development of clinical services.

Our differences are often about the speed, scope and implementation of change, rather than the overarching principles. Ten years may seem like a long way away, but the clock is already ticking on the future of pharmacy.

With discussions on the next community pharmacy contractual framework due to begin shortly, it is vital that the government hears a coherent and joined up message from the sectornow.

There’s a huge opportunity to create a range of new ideas about how pharmacies work, but it’s essential to have clear, unififed voice on the essentials in order to have infl uence.

Now’s the time for everyone in our sector to set aside differences, work on areas where we agree, and co-ordinate - or risk setting back our cause by a decade!

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NPA reveals Ask Your Pharmacist Week dates

Ask Your Pharmacist Week (AYP) will take place from 3-10 November. AYP is the foremost UK-wide public awareness campaign for community pharmacy, providing an annual platform for promotional activities and a prompt for conversations with stakeholders at local level about community pharmacyservices.

Many pharmacies also use the week as an opportunity to invite local politicians and dignitaries to visit, to learn about the skills and services on offer. More details will be released soon.

Pharmacy owners, pharmacy teams and stakeholders wishing to discuss how they can take part should email NPA head of communications, Stephen Fishwick at s.fishwick@npa.co.uk

Putting NPA members first

Any profit made by the NPA (including NPA Insurance) is reinvested into services and support for members. It also funds our advocacy activities - making the case for investment in community pharmacy and raising the profi le of the sector.

We can do this because we have no shareholders to satisfy, unlike some other pharmacy bodies. Our clear mission is to help independent pharmacies to prosper, professionally and commercially.

A growth in NPA membership numbers – as more and more pharmacies saw the benefi ts of joining our ‘NPA family’ – has contributed to the overall positive numbers in this year’s accounts.

Meanwhile, the investment we have made in the Insurance Company and the Peach Brand allows us to make money outside of pharmacy, which we can then plough into supporting NPA members.

The NPA is constantly adding value to our membership offer – from improved access to pharmacy market data, to a suite of new resources on independent prescribing and marketing support.

NPA members! Please make the most of your membership by leafi ng through the brochure on the NPA Membership hub – npa.co.uk/ membership/full-membership/ – and use the wide range of services on offer.

KEY DATES

• IMMUNISATION AWARENESS MONTH - August

Educating the public about the benefi ts of vaccines, dispelling myths and misinformation, andencouraging people to stay up to date with theirimmunisations.

• PSORIASIS AWARENESS MONTH - August

Raising awareness about psoriasis - aiming to educate the public and promote research into better treatments and potential cures.

NHS services changes

Latest Policy Consultations

Did you know that the NPA responds to numerous governmental and NHS policy reviews each year? Our featured consultation this month is:

Scottish Government Long Term Condition FrameworkConsultation

NHS Scotland is facing signifi cant challenge with over a third of people in Scotland now living with at least one long term condition (LTC).

Management plans for LTCs have been, in the main, condition-specific, however the Scottish Government is looking now to take a cross-cutting approach to ensure equitable and sustainable access to services to benefit people with multiple long term conditions, while also providing services specific to conditions when required.

The NPA responded to the consultation with a resumé of how community pharmacy teams already support people with LTCs, citing references of innovative practice.

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Record keeping for NHS services

We have released a superintendent update about record-keeping for NHS services, to clarify the principles and expectations around keeping effective contemporaneous records.

With the expansion of clinical services offered in community pharmacy, it is important that pharmacists and pharmacy teams fully understand and comply with the record keeping requirements set out in legislation, regulations, and service directions.

All pharmacy staff must be aware that poor recordkeeping can lead to serious risks, including patient safety incidents, with the potential for significant harm. The update can be accessed on the NPAmembership hub.