voice

The way ahead

As many readers of this column will be aware, Pharmacy Voice will cease to operate in a few months’ time. At this point we are still deciding how and when. The constitution of the company does not allow for it to continue when one of the three member associations (NPA, AIMp and CCA) has given notice, as the NPA did at the end of 2016.

Whether Pharmacy Voice exists as the vehicle to support, represent and deliver change on behalf of the community pharmacy sector is no longer the issue. The question is whether the sector still has an important journey to go on collectively, and if so how does it find a new mode of transport when the Pharmacy Voice vehicle is left by the roadside.

Can pharmacy make it happen?

Can the profession 'Make it Happen' without Pharmacy Voice? asks ICP Editor Steve Bremer.

A whole box of unknowns

Claire Ward considers community pharmacy's position at the start of a new year

A whole box of unknowns

Claire Ward considers community pharmacy's position at the start of a new year

Welcome to 2017 - the year of the optimist

The editor's welcome to the new year

Forward View: making it happen

Pharmacy Voice, PSNC and RPS launch next phase of Community Pharmacy Forward View project

Forward View: making it happen

Pharmacy Voice, PSNC and RPS launch next phase of Community Pharmacy Forward View project

NPA PV split "a poorly-timed retrograde step" says D'Arcy

John D'Arch criticises NPA's decision to split from Pharmacy Voice

NPA to split from Pharmacy Voice

NPA aims to create simpler representation for pharmacy by splitting from Pharmacy Voice

Profession demands new approach on Integration Fund

Pharmacy Voice calls for profession to be more involved in discussions about its future

Government imposes funding cut

PSNC criticises government's "short-sighted and ill-judged" imposition of funding cuts

Add it up

Claire Ward suggests a little more teamwork could go a long way

Profession angry and disappointed at cuts

Pharmacy bodies react with anger and disappointment at news of a proposed 12% funding cut

Disappointment that emergency scheme only pilot

Urgent repeat medicines scheme will only be a pilot

One voice?

The One Voice Pharmacy group has urged its locum members to boycott Tesco for two weeks in September after the multiple announced a cut to its hourly rate. Bizarrely, One Voice Pharmacy said that a boycott was not the same as a strike, that locums already arranged should be honoured, and that the last thing they wanted was for Tesco pharmacies to end up without pharmacists.

There are none so deaf ...

You may have seen the report of the Pharmacy Voice audit of the non-supply of OTC medicines. It’s fascinating. The audit was conducted in over 5,000 pharmacies and analysed situations in which a decision was made not to sell an OTC medicine that a patient/customer had requested. In nearly two-thirds of cases, the reasons for not supplying were either because advice was given instead, or an onward referral was made to other healthcare providers or services; over 20 per cent were referred to their GP or out-of-hours GP service, a further 5 per cent to a walk-in centre, and 1 per cent to the local A&E department.