South Yorkshire Primary Care Knowledge Services | TRFT Library & Knowledge Service
via NHS Confederation
This paper captures the learning from a masterclass series, delivered jointly by the NHS Confederation and Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, on how integrated care systems and industry can work better together. It was developed, researched and written by both organisations.
Full paper: Partnering with purpose: how integrated care systems and industry can work better together
NHS England
The Pharmacy Workforce Race Equality Standard sets out to improve equality, diversity and inclusion in pharmacy teams in the NHS. This report provides the first national overview of the varied experiences that registered pharmacy professionals and wider team members in NHS trusts face.
Full report: Pharmacy Workforce Race Equality Standard report
See also: Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s inclusive pharmacy practice delivery plan
The Inclusive Pharmacy Practice Delivery Plan sets out important actions, for senior pharmacy leaders and managers, to ensure all pharmacy team members are treated with equality, fairness and respect.
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and Pharmacist Support have published a report examining the impact of workforce wellbeing on pharmacy teams and how it can be addressed. The report is the outcome of a roundtable event in May 2023 attended by representatives from the NHS, professional bodies, employers, trade unions, education and regulators.
The report offers a comprehensive overview of the key insights shared during the event and highlights the critical themes that emerged from the discussions.
It provides an overview of the current wellbeing situation being faced by pharmacy teams, the evidence of the impact of poor wellbeing and provides some recommendations on how to support the pharmacy workforce. It states that the responsibility for the wellbeing of pharmacists and pharmacy teams does not sit with one body, it requires a system wide approach that includes the NHS, professional bodies, employers, trade unions, education, charities, regulators and individual pharmacy team members.
Full report: Workforce Wellbeing Roundtable Report
via Nuffield Trust
The Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund were commissioned by Community Pharmacy England to develop a vision for the direction of community pharmacy and to describe the actions needed to turn that vision into reality. This report outlines that vision, warning that it cannot be delivered without changes to the law, as well as additional funding beyond what was announced in a recent pharmacy funding boost.
Full report: A vision for community pharmacy
House of Commons Library
This briefing provides information on community pharmacy services in England. In particular, it focuses on funding, services, workforce and pharmacy closures.
Full report: Community pharmacy in England
Summary: Community pharmacy in England
British Journal of General Practice 2023; 73 (731): e407-e417. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2022.0518
Practice-based pharmacists (PBPs) have been introduced into general practice across the UK to relieve some of the pressures within primary care. However, there is little existing UK literature that has explored healthcare professionals’ (HCPs’) views about PBP integration and how this role has evolved.
The aim of this study was to explore the views and experiences of GPs, PBPs, and community pharmacists (CPs) about PBPs’ integration into general practice and their impact on primary healthcare delivery.
Four main themes in relation to PBPs’ integration into general practices were revealed: evolution of the role; PBP attributes; collaboration and communication; and impact on care. Areas for development were identified such as patient awareness of the PBP role. Many saw PBPs as a ‘central hub–middleman’ between general practice and community pharmacies.
Participants reported that PBPs had integrated well and perceived a positive impact on primary healthcare delivery. Further work is needed to increase patient awareness of the PBP role.
Full paper: GPs’ and pharmacists’ views of integrating pharmacists into general practices: a qualitative study
Estimates of the cardiovascular disease events and costs avoided from increasing blood pressure checks in community pharmacies in England | Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
This document contains data for possible scenarios of cardiovascular disease avoided from increasing the numbers of people seen for blood pressure checks in community pharmacies in England. This supports policy options on increasing community pharmacy blood pressure services and supports statements on the impact of these policies.
The data provides estimates of disease avoidance over a potential 20-year period. This includes data on the estimated number of events avoided and their potential cost, as well as mortality avoided and quality-adjusted life years gained from disease event avoidance.
Full detail: Increasing blood pressure checks in community pharmacy: cardiovascular disease impact
NHS Confederation
Delegation of primary pharmacy, ophthalmology and dentistry (POD) from NHS England to integrated care boards (ICBs) on 1 April 2023, provides an opportunity to transform care for patients but will need a realistic timetable and smooth transition if this transformation is to be achieved.
This report provides evidence from nine ‘early adopter’ ICBs and argues that closer local collaboration between NHS systems and frontline providers can be the single biggest to driver to address local provision challenges.
via NHS England
The NHS has launched a new campaign to highlight how high-street pharmacies can support patients with non-urgent health advice for minor conditions including coughs, aches and colds. Adverts will run across catch-up TV services, online video, radio and social media, dramatising minor illnesses and highlighting the vital clinical advice, support and over-the-counter medicines that local pharmacists can offer. This is one of several campaigns aimed at drawing attention to the importance of accessing the most appropriate NHS service when patients are in need.
Recent Ipsos polling found high levels of public satisfaction with their local pharmacy, with around nine in 10 people reporting they received good advice as well as feeling treated with respect. Latest data shows in November nearly 100,000 (91,785) people with minor illnesses received a same day consultation with their local pharmacist after initially calling NHS 111 or their local GP Practice, up 39% from 66,039 the same month in 2021.
Full detail: NHS launches ad campaign as just one in five would visit high-street pharmacy for minor illnesses
UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership
Pharmacy professional leadership has never been so important. Significant changes in the profession affecting pharmacy technicians and pharmacists are anticipated both now and in the future. there is a need need to ensure the professions are well equipped, with a voice to help shape the future, and enabled to develop through sharing and learning from best practice.
To address this, the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership has published a report with a set of recommendations. The Commission proposes that closer collaboration between professional leadership bodies and specialist professional groups as part of a Pharmacy Leadership Council will enable and support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to meet the opportunities and challenges ahead. The Council will be set up in 2023 to lead the implementation of the report’s vision and recommendations over five years.
Full report: Report of the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership
Primary Care News 