APhA Urges Congress To Enact Legislation Ensuring Prompt Payment To Pharmacists
April 8, 2008
The American Pharmacists Association challenges a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers study on the potential impact of requiring Medicare Part D plans to pay pharmacies on a timely basis. The study, commissioned by the trade association that represents Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), claims “prompt pay” legislation could raise Medicare drug costs by $3.3 billion over 10 years. But the study fails to acknowledge that PBMs are reaping billions of dollars in profits through interest income secured by delaying payments to pharmacies. APhA urges Congress to enact legislation to require “prompt payment” to pharmacies and stop some Medicare Part D plans from profiting at the expense of pharmacies.
Since the inception of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, pharmacists have played an integral role in ensuring the successes of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. While some of the initial implementation challenges have been addressed - much of it through efforts by pharmacists - some pharmacies continue to struggle with lengthy delays of payment for medications dispensed to Medicare patients. A recent study found that the average wait for reimbursement by Part D prescription drug plans ran in excess of 39 days, reflecting anecdotal reports APhA continues to hear from its members. In APhA’s most recent Medicare Part D Survey, half of those who were aware of the time it took for reimbursement indicated that they waited more than 30 days for reimbursement. APhA maintains that getting paid in a timely manner is a basic and fair business practice and strongly supports establishing a “prompt payment” standard to require plans to pay pharmacies’ “clean” (includes all necessary information) claims every 14 days for electronic claims and every 30 days for paper claims.
The business of pharmacy relies on a timely cash flow, and many pharmacies cannot sustain long delays in payment - particularly when medication suppliers, such as wholesalers and pharmaceutical manufacturers, enforce penalties for delayed payments from pharmacies. Lags in payments have heavily affected community pharmacies. Combined with the reduced reimbursements in Medicare Part D, a number of pharmacies have had to take out loans to cover their debts, while others, particularly independent pharmacies, have been forced to close permanently.
About the American Pharmacists Association (APhA)
The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, represents more than 63,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and others interested in advancing the profession. The APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States.
American Pharmacists Association
Recipients Of The 2008 APhA Academy Of Pharmacy Practice And ManagementPresentation Merit Award Announced
April 7, 2008
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) announces the recipients of the APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APhA-APPM) Presentation Merit Award. This award recognizes eligible participants on practice-related topics presented at the APhA2008 Annual Meeting Contributed Poster Session. Established in 1998, the award is intended to give members an incentive to submit practice-focused papers to be presented during the APhA Annual Meeting. Up to eight recipients may be selected for this award each year.
There are five categories in which the award can be given: APhA-APPM Contributed Research, APhA-APPM Innovative Practice Reports, APhA-APPM Current Residents Report on Projects in Progress, APhA-APPM Student Pharmacist Contributed Research, and APhA-APPM Student Pharmacist Innovative Practice Reports. Award recipients received a rosette and a certificate and were recognized during the APhA2008 Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, CA, March 14-17, 2008.
The 2008 APhA-APPM Presentation Merit Award recipients are:
APhA-APPM Contributed Research Paper:
Emily M. Ambizas, Danielle C. Ezzo, Maria Marzella Sulli, John Conry, College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions. Cultivating Patient Empathy in Student Pharmacists through an Introduction to Pharmaceutical Care Course.
Sharanya Murty, Division of Management, Policy and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Sujit S. Sansglry, Department of Clinical Sciences and Administration, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston. New Information Card Labels to Improve Consumer Comprehension for Behind-the-Counter Pseudoephedrine Products.
APhA-APPM Innovative Practice Report:
Dean Gianarkis, Medical Outcomes Specialist, Global Research & Development, Pfizer, Inc, Darshi Sunderam, Department of Medicine, East Orange General Hospital, Department of Medicine, Irvington General Hospital. Role of the Pharmacist in a Community Health Screening Event: Focus on Cardiovascular Disease.
Nicole M. Gattas, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Ellen E. Rhinard, University of Washington School of Pharmacy, Charles Taylor, Nimita Thekkepat, St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Fostering learning and growth through innovative teaching strategies in a self-care course.
APhA-APPM Current Residents Reports on Projects in Progress:
Klodiana Myftari, Sonali G. Kshatriya, Kristen Goliak, Dominick’s Pharmacy and University of Illinois at Chicago - College of Pharmacy. Assessing Factors Influencing Patients’ Decisions to Obtain Shingles Vaccine in Community Pharmacies.
Meghan K. Sullivan, Kristin A. Casper, Tara R. Green, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and Kroger Patient Care Center. Determining Factors that Influence Patient Participation in Medication Therapy Management Services (MTMS).
APhA-APPM Student Pharmacist Contributed Research Paper:
Erin Beth Hays, Denise Hopkins, Joseph A. Banken, Nafisa Dajani, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The Prevalence of Comorbid Depression in Women with Diabetes during Pregnancy.
APhA-APPM Student Pharmacist Innovative Practice Report:
Candis M. Morello, Shawna Kobayashi, Linda Luu, Brandon Mutrux, Renu F. Singh, Brookie M. Best, University of California, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Evaluation of an Innovative Diabetes Training Model Effectiveness in Knowledge Retention and Usefulness by Pharmacy Students.
About the American Pharmacists Association (APhA)
The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, represents more than 63,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States.
American Pharmacists Association
PCPA And NPA Team Up To Provide “MUR Support And Evaluation Programme”, UK
April 7, 2008
The Primary Care Pharmacists Association, the largest independent organisation dedicated to supporting pharmacists working within primary care, and the National Pharmacy Association, trade association of the UK’s community pharmacy owners, are announcing today an innovative “Support and Evaluation Programme for the Medicines Use Review service”.
The programme has been designed to meet two key objectives:
To create examples of good practice to support implementation of high quality MURs that can be replicated in other localities
To create an evidence base to show the benefit of MUR intervention.
The programme will meet these objectives through:
– Project management overseen by a national project lead that includes:
- The creation of a project framework
- Defined roles and responsibilities for all those involved
- Local stakeholder engage- data collection tools
- Communication plan.
– Face to face training for community pharmacists that focuses on consultation skills
– Pharmacy based consumer promotion
The overall aim of this project will be to evaluate how effective MURs are at improving patients understanding of their medicines and subsequent compliance under prescribers’ direction.
We also will be looking at the positive impact MUR has on strengthening the relationship between pharmacists and patients.
In recognition of the fact that both commissioners and providers must be signed up to supporting MUR to ensure a successful outcome, PCTs and LPCs are asked to make a joint application for this support.
Four sites will be chosen by a selection panel and the successful applications will be announced in June.
Neal Patel, NPA Head of Communications comments:
“We are delighted that we are able to show a real benefit to members from our long standing relationship with PCPA. This programme is designed to help those who are willing but perhaps not yet enabled to carry out the service. In an era of evidence based practice pharmacy needs to show the value of the interventions we carry out. My hope is that this project will help to remove any barriers to the successful implementation of the service and capture the benefits that patients tell us they feel from an MUR.”
Shailen Rao, PCPA Chairman said:
“The PCPA is delighted to be working in partnership with the NPA on a joint initiative to engage community pharmacists and their PCO pharmacists in tandem. Community pharmacists provide an extensive and still vastly underutilised resource in primary care. In an age where innovative commissioning will increasingly shape the agenda, it is vital that the true importance and value of medicines management and pharmacy are fully understood and taken up. A key ingredient in allowing this to happen will be the ability of community pharmacists and pharmacists in PCOs to work in tandem to develop and implement services. We hope that this project will provide a practical vehicle to show what can be achieved with a little help from a co-ordinated resource, where the willingness to work together exists.”
Ian Hunter, Pharmacy Strategy Development Manager at Pfizer said:
“Community pharmacists can play a vital role in providing services to help patients better understand the medicines they take. This programme will help identify and develop best practice in delivering MURs and help pharmacists deliver best care for patients.”
This programme has been funded by Pfizer Limited as a service to medicine.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) was established in 1921 as the trade association of community pharmacy owners. To reflect the changes in the pharmacy environment the NPA now extends membership and its associated benefits to all members of the community pharmacy infrastructure.
National Pharmacy Association
NPA Statement In Response To Government’s White Paper, UK
April 4, 2008
The NPA welcomes today’s White Paper - a statement of faith in community pharmacy by Government. The White Paper signals that it’s time to unlock the long recognised potential of community pharmacy.
However, there remains a lot of detailed work to be done on the contractual mechanisms that underpin NHS-funded pharmacy services. There now needs to be concerted effort from all parties to help pharmacy over the obstacles still in the way of an expanded clinical role.
Colette McCreedy, NPA Chief Pharmacist, comments:
“In recent years, pharmacists have expanded their role and many are already providing minor ailment and stop smoking services on behalf of the NHS. We know that where these services have been trialled patients and the public have voiced their appreciation, but many people are still not benefiting from such schemes, as health service managers in some locations do not yet understand what pharmacy has to offer. Community pharmacy’s unique strength lies in face-to-face access to health expertise on the High Street. We hope that today’s announcement means that Government now wants extended services to be available to all those that need them.”
And adds:
“We want to take our place as a more full and active partner in primary care, working with GPs. New pharmacy services, from Medicines Use Reviews to supplementary prescribing, work best where there is communication and trust on all sides - GP, pharmacist and patient. We want to play a full part in creating a genuinely responsive and equitable health service, in partnership with general practice and others.”
Notes
1.Pharmacists are highly trained professionals - registration as a pharmacist now requires four years education at an approved university leading to a Masters degree, ending with a final examination, plus one year’s preregistration work in a pharmacy setting.
2.Increased use of community pharmacy would mark a shift to more equitable health provision, by bringing a wider range of services into the heart of neighbourhood communities.
3.Community Pharmacies are within reach of the people who need them most, including the most disadvantaged. As the White Paper states, 99% of the population - even those living in the most deprived areas - can get to a pharmacy within 20 minutes by car and 96% by walking or using public transport.
4.The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) is the trade association for the UK’s community pharmacy owners and has virtually all community pharmacies in voluntary membership. The Association provides its members with professional and commercial support as well as representing the interests of community pharmacy in dialogue with Government both at a national and European level.
National Pharmacy Association
Recipients Of The 2008 APhA Academy Of Pharmacy Practice And Management Presentation Merit Award Announced
April 4, 2008
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) announces the recipients of the APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APhA-APPM) Presentation Merit Award. This award recognizes eligible participants on practice-related topics presented at the APhA2008 Annual Meeting Contributed Poster Session. Established in 1998, the award is intended to give members an incentive to submit practice-focused papers to be presented during the APhA Annual Meeting. Up to eight recipients may be selected for this award each year.
There are five categories in which the award can be given: APhA-APPM Contributed Research, APhA-APPM Innovative Practice Reports, APhA-APPM Current Residents Report on Projects in Progress, APhA-APPM Student Pharmacist Contributed Research, and APhA-APPM Student Pharmacist Innovative Practice Reports. Award recipients received a rosette and a certificate and were recognized during the APhA2008 Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, CA, March 14-17, 2008.
The 2008 APhA-APPM Presentation Merit Award recipients are:
APhA-APPM Contributed Research Paper:
Emily M. Ambizas, Danielle C. Ezzo, Maria Marzella Sulli, John Conry, College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions. Cultivating Patient Empathy in Student Pharmacists through an Introduction to Pharmaceutical Care Course.
Sharanya Murty, Division of Management, Policy and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Sujit S. Sansglry, Department of Clinical Sciences and Administration, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston. New Information Card Labels to Improve Consumer Comprehension for Behind-the-Counter Pseudoephedrine Products.
APhA-APPM Innovative Practice Report:
Dean Gianarkis, Medical Outcomes Specialist, Global Research & Development, Pfizer, Inc, Darshi Sunderam, Department of Medicine, East Orange General Hospital, Department of Medicine, Irvington General Hospital. Role of the Pharmacist in a Community Health Screening Event: Focus on Cardiovascular Disease.
Nicole M. Gattas, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Ellen E. Rhinard, University of Washington School of Pharmacy, Charles Taylor, Nimita Thekkepat, St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Fostering learning and growth through innovative teaching strategies in a self-care course.
APhA-APPM Current Residents Reports on Projects in Progress:
Klodiana Myftari, Sonali G. Kshatriya, Kristen Goliak, Dominick’s Pharmacy and University of Illinois at Chicago - College of Pharmacy. Assessing Factors Influencing Patients’ Decisions to Obtain Shingles Vaccine in Community Pharmacies.
Meghan K. Sullivan, Kristin A. Casper, Tara R. Green, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and Kroger Patient Care Center. Determining Factors that Influence Patient Participation in Medication Therapy Management Services (MTMS).
APhA-APPM Student Pharmacist Contributed Research Paper:
Erin Beth Hays, Denise Hopkins, Joseph A. Banken, Nafisa Dajani, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The Prevalence of Comorbid Depression in Women with Diabetes during Pregnancy.
APhA-APPM Student Pharmacist Innovative Practice Report:
Candis M. Morello, Shawna Kobayashi, Linda Luu, Brandon Mutrux, Renu F. Singh, Brookie M. Best, University of California, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Evaluation of an Innovative Diabetes Training Model Effectiveness in Knowledge Retention and Usefulness by Pharmacy Students.
About the American Pharmacists Association (APhA)
The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, represents more than 63,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States.
http://www.APHANET.ORG
Pharmacists And GPs: It’s Not A Job Swap, UK
April 4, 2008
Today’s announcement of an enhanced role for high street pharmacists in patient care is eminently sensible - and does not mean a job swap with GPs.
Good quality care always depends on teams of professionals with different but complementary skills. The NHS was never a doctor monopoly.
Nor should it be seen as a single, stand-alone initiative. The NHS Alliance wants to see a raft of measures to make sure that healthcare is joined-up, instead of the fragmented service that too many patients have to cope with. Their new report: In sickness and in health, due to be published 10th April, contains a series of radical proposals to improve the integration of health services.
Michael Sobanja, NHS Alliance chief executive, said:
“Pharmacists are highly trained professionals who do much more than churn out prescriptions. Providing they work closely with GPs and other clinical colleagues - and the scheme is implemented only after local discussion - the NHS Alliance believes it will provide considerable benefits to patients.”
Notes
1.The NHS Alliance is a collaboration of professionals who put patients first. It is the independent body that represents NHS primary care. Values based, it is the only organisation that brings together PCTs with GP practices, clinicians with managers and Board members, and NHS primary care with its patients. The Alliance membership and its hard working national executive is fully multi-professional.
2.In sickness and in health will be published by the NHS Alliance 10th April 2008 and is intended to inform Lord Darzi’s NHS review. A press conference on its recommendations - many new and radical - will be held 3.00 pm Tuesday 8th April at the Lady Violet Room, the Liberal Club, Whitehall Place, Westminster. Journalists wishing to attend should contact Pat Goodall.
NHS Alliance
GPs’ Leader Comments On Extended Role For Pharmacists, UK
April 4, 2008
Making pharmacists available to patients suffering with minor self limiting illnesses will be a helpful move says Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA’s GPs Committee commenting on the government’s white paper published.
Dr Buckman comments: “We agree there are many areas in which appropriately trained pharmacists can take on extended roles in primary care and we would welcome this. To do so they will need to provide private and confidential areas for consultations. It has been possible for Primary Care Trusts to commission these and other pharmacist services for several years, but few seem to have done so. We believe the overall management of patients with long term conditions is best done within general practice but pharmacists have a role to play in supporting patients in their use of medicines. In general we are in favour of the idea of pharmacists being commissioned to help improve health outcomes.”
http://www.bma.org.uk
Millions To Benefit From Improved Access To Treatment, Check-Ups And Health Advice From Pharmacists, UK
April 4, 2008
White Paper Outlines Bigger Role for Pharmacists in Treating Sickness and Promoting Good Health
From the most deprived to the most remote areas of England, millions more people will have faster and more convenient access to the health treatments, care and advice they need, as local pharmacies gear up to play a bigger role in frontline healthcare, Health Minister Ben Bradshaw announced today.
The White Paper Building on Strengths, Delivering the Future sets out how pharmacists will work to complement GPs in promoting health, preventing sickness and providing care that is more personal and responsive to individual needs.
Pharmacists already play a vital role for local communities in dispensing medicines and providing services such as supporting people who want to give up smoking.
This extended role will see many more pharmacists being able to prescribe for and deal with minor ailments on the NHS, as well as promoting good health, supporting those with long-term conditions and preventing illnesses through additional screening and advice.
This will enable pharmacies, many of which already open out of hours - and some working as late as midnight - to provide increased access to medicines and care.
Under the new proposals, pharmacies will:
* become “healthy living” centres promoting health and helping people to take better care of themselves;
* be able to prescribe certain common medicines and be the first port of call for minor ailments - saving every GP the equivalent of around one hour per day, adding up to some 57 million GP consultations a year;
* provide support for people with long-term conditions - such as high blood pressure or asthma - 50 per cent of whom may not take their medicines as intended - especially those starting out on a new course of treatment;
* be able to screen for vascular disease and certain sexually transmitted infections, such as chlamydia;
* work much more closely with hospitals to provide safe, seamless care; and
* play a bigger role in vaccination.
Supporting this programme, the Department of Health will appoint two new pharmacist clinical directors who will champion change in hospitals and in the community.
Ben Bradshaw said:
“A pharmacy isn’t just a place where you go to pick up a prescription. It’s a service, staffed by health professionals who are capable of dealing with minor ailments, screening for diseases and giving health advice to the local community
“As 99 per cent of the population can get to a pharmacy within 20 minutes, everyone will benefit from more types of treatment available through local pharmacies who can prescribe more, advise more and deal with more.
“These proposals are not about pharmacists taking over the work of GPs - it’s about complementing them, taking pressure off GPs and enabling them to spend more time with those patients who really need it.
“This White Paper heralds some major changes. We want to hear what people, patients, consumers, the NHS and the professionals have to say. We are therefore holding a series of public events around the country starting on 1 May in London. We will then consult on some key proposals here later this year.”
The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, Keith Ridge said:
“This is a landmark document for both patients and pharmacy. When implemented, it will underpin better care of patients with medicines, will be a major contribution to improving the health of the population and should complete the transformation of pharmacy to a clinical profession.”
Sue Sharpe, CEO of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, said:
“I am delighted that the White Paper proposes implementation of a wide range of community pharmacy based services that will offer people easy access to support to help them stay healthy and extend the part community pharmacists play in the care of people with acute and long term conditions.
“It builds on the new contractual framework, identifying the barriers to developing our role and proposing practical and constructive measures for tackling them. The White Paper includes many innovative proposals and PSNC will look forward to working with the government, NHS Employers and others to deliver the benefits we can bring to the NHS as soon as possible. This is a really positive White Paper for community pharmacy.”
Felicity Cox, Community Pharmacy Lead for NHS Employers said:
“This paper provides a clear direction for the development of community pharmacy and paves the way for the increasing contribution of pharmacists to the health of the population. We welcome the proposals in the paper which will enable patients to get easier access to care from their local pharmacist.
“The paper acknowledges the role of NHS Employers in delivering changes to the contract for community pharmacy. As a next step we look forward to working with trusts and the Department of Health to develop our mandate so that we can begin discussions with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and other organisations as soon as possible.”
Key proposals for later consultation will include reforming the way in which the NHS contracts for services and 100 hours per week pharmacies.
A further market research report out today, Community Pharmacy Use, sets out the importance of pharmacies to their communities. It says:
* 84 per cent of adults visit a pharmacy at least once a year with 78 per cent visiting for health related reasons;
* adults in England visit pharmacies on average 14 times per year;
* around one in ten people get health advice from their pharmacy but very few use their pharmacy to obtain urgent advice;
* pharmacies are mainly used to get medication that has been prescribed by a doctor and to purchase supplies of over the counter medication;
* there is currently very low use of other health related services such as regular monitoring of current health conditions and health screening for conditions such as diabetes and cholesterol; and
* the majority of people visit the same pharmacy all of the time with around a third of people using a variety of pharmacies but one most often. Those with long term health conditions or disabilities and those who live in rural areas are more likely to visit the same pharmacy.
1. The White Paper can be downloaded here.
2. The announcement of White Paper as made on 25 July 2007 by the Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo. It can be found here.
3. A Review of NHS pharmaceutical contractual arrangements, a report by Anne Galbraith, is also published here.
4. Details of the forthcoming listening events can be found on the NHS PCC website
5. The qualitative and quantitative research report Community Pharmacy Use can be found here.
http://www.dh.gov.uk
An Independent Inquiry Into A Professional Body For Pharmacy
April 4, 2008
The Report of the Independent Inquiry into a Professional Body for Pharmacy, chaired by Nigel Clarke and commissioned by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in September 2007, was published this morning.
The Inquiry undertook a wide-ranging consultation exercise with the pharmacy profession between November 2007 and February 2008. There were seven formal evidence sessions and seven public meetings held throughout Great Britain. 32 organisations gave evidence at the formal sessions, 65 pharmacy bodies and 170 individuals submitted written evidence.
Nigel Clarke said: ‘The pharmacy profession has responded with great enthusiasm to this consultation exercise, and I am grateful to all those who took the time and trouble to take part. The debate has been informed by well thought through evidence from many bodies and individuals, who care passionately about their profession, and the patients and public it serves.
As many people said to us, this represents a time of great opportunity for pharmacists. It is a moment when the RPSGB can take the experience it has built over its distinguished 167 years and use it to fashion a reinvigorated Professional Body, which can support its members and the public in a more dynamic way than has been possible in recent times. The new Professional Body should welcome within its ranks all pharmacists, and those who play a part in educating and supporting pharmacists.
It must be a strongly member-focused body, but one capable of representing pharmacy to others - not least the devolved administrations of Great Britain, and the public they serve.
All this is occurring at a time when the role of pharmacy within healthcare systems in the UK is changing quickly. Patients and the public, and indeed other healthcare professionals, have great need of the expertise that pharmacists supply. Safe and effective use of medicines is an essential part of good care. A Professional Body able to support its members, and working to drive up standards, will be at the heart of those developments.’
The main conclusions of the Inquiry were:
- An effective Professional Body for pharmacy is essential in the interests of both the profession and the public. In the past the successful regulatory function has inhibited the development of a professional body for pharmacy. The new regulatory arrangements provide the opportunity to strengthen this essential professional support.
- The new Professional Body must provide clear leadership to the profession; provide services to its members that support their work, especially in relation to Continuing Professional Development andRevalidation; allow all to develop the highest standards of practice, such as around specialisms; and also represent the profession to patients, the public, healthcare professionals and the devolved administrations. In all cases, it must be a trusted source of information and advice.
- The new Professional Body should embrace not only pharmacists, but the whole of the ‘pharmacy family’. Registered pharmacists should be the core of the new Professional Body. Other membership categories should be created to cover non-practising and retired pharmacists, academics, pharmaceutical scientists, registered pharmacy technicians, pre-registration trainees and students.
- A new structure for a Professional Body should be established, built upon the existing RPSGB. Its Council would have representation from enhanced National Boards for England, Scotland and Wales, as well as sectoral representation from pharmacists in community, hospital/PCT/Health Board, science and academia, and specific representation from technicians and special interest groups within the profession.
- The Professional Body should not perform trade union functions, nor represent individual pharmacists in proceedings against them.
- The RPSGB should set up a Transitional Committee, based around those who have expressed an interest in being part of the new
Regulatory Body, and working with all those with an interest, to make arrangements to ensure that the Body is operational at the same time as the General Pharmacy Council in January 2010.
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
Day Lewis Pharmacy Plc Response To Government Proposals In Pharmacy White Paper ‘Building On Strengths, Delivering The Future’, UK
April 4, 2008
The Day Lewis Pharmacy Group has examined carefully today’s policy proposals and ‘broadly welcomes’ the ambitious aspirations, proposals and measures outlined by the Department of Health in the new Pharmacy White Paper ‘Building on Strengths, Delivering the Future’.
As the UK’s largest independent pharmacy multiple, Day Lewis Plc believe that there is much to be gained for community pharmacy policy to be integrated into the thinking around the future of the NHS. For many people, their local pharmacy is quite literally ‘the front door to the health service’, providing convenient patient accessibility to a qualified and experienced healthcare professional. The company agrees with the Government view that the community pharmacy network is a vastly under-used resource: Day Lewis feels that many of the policy proposals set out in today’s announcement represent a positive opportunity to utilise those skills to provide preventative care for patients.
Kirit Patel and his team believe this White Paper signals a significant and timely step forward in terms of clearly acknowledging and implementing the wider role that pharmacy will play in primary care over the next decade. Day Lewis sees sense and rationale behind plans for pharmacy-based ‘flu vaccination and traveller’s health clinics, and is encouraged that there is a strong focus placed on pharmacy management of long-term conditions, such as asthma and diabetes. The company’s view is that these proposals to put pharmacy into the bigger healthcare picture are long overdue, but Day Lewis are encouraged that the profession will finally see future pharmacy policy in synergy with the rest of NHS thinking and planning.
However, Day Lewis contend that while many of the policies are an important step in the right direction - with their focus pharmacy’s role in improving the nation’s health through patient-centred care and pharmacy service innovation - there are still some areas which need to be addressed as amatter of urgency, namely: the two main pressure points affecting community pharmacy - control of entry and purchase profit income.
Commenting on the White Paper, Day Lewis Chief Executive, Kirit Patel, MBE, said:
“We are heartened and encouraged by the focus placed on developing pharmacy’s contribution to the nation’s health. Community pharmacists have already shown just how innovative they can be when given the chance, when extending their roles and responsibilities, such as pharmacist prescribing and pharmacists with special interests. Our pharmacy teams are already helping patients to access high quality care in the communities that Day Lewis operates.”
“An increased focus on pharmacy’s potential and making community pharmacy services more responsive to patients is welcome, but there also must be the capacity and the resources to make this happen. We will need further detail from the Government about where the money is going to come from to fund these changes and to ensure that these proposals are cost-effective, have proven health benefits, and to make the best and most appropriate use of the community pharmacy workforce. So, in our view, the next steps are crucial. We look forward to learning more about the key proposals and consultation process on the Government’s plans for reforming the way in which the NHS contracts for services and 100 hours per week pharmacies.”
Another of Day Lewis’s key concerns over the past year has been commissioning policy. The company, along with other pharmacy stakeholders and representative bodies, believe that commissioning policy is core to achieving change in the NHS. Crucially it is also central to pharmacy’s aspirations to expand and develop. This is where future pharmacy policy and the bigger NHS picture converge.
As a strong believer in ‘patient power’, Day Lewis are delighted to see that the Government has listened to the public on the services and access that they want from local pharmacies - and are addressing the views and needs of patients. Mr Patel commented: “We are not surprised to learn that DoH patient surveys conducted in preparation for the White Paper clearly demonstrated the ‘high esteem which pharmacy is held’. Our own anecdotal customer feedback from our 165 pharmacies around the country reinforces this: indicating that the public appreciates that local pharmacists, working at the heart of their communities, can and already do make a very real and positive contribution in helping people make informed choices and develop healthy lives. Day Lewis will certainly be making its views - and those of its customers - heard at the DH planned series of public consultation events around the country.”
Peter Glover, Day Lewis Managing Director and Superintendent Pharmacist, added: “Community pharmacies are located at the heart of each local community - as attested by our Day Lewis Pharmacy company slogan: ‘Serving Our Local Communities’. They already provide ready access to many of the services highlighted in the White Paper. In fact, pharmacists are eager and able to play a key role in managing long-term conditions, improving public health and reducing health inequalities. We have long contended that pharmacy should continue to make an enhanced contribution to primary care - and that it has the potential to deliver many of the Government’s patient healthcare priorities - such as playing a key role in the Government’s recently announced plans for ‘health MOTs’ for everyone aged between 40 and 74. Indeed, many of our Day Lewis pharmacies already successfully operate as ‘healthy living’ centres - actively promoting health and offer our customers and patients the healthcare and advice they need to take better care of themselves.”
“Although there remain some anxieties about the possible future plans and effects of Control of Entry regulations and the continued negative financial impact of Category M, Day Lewis executives and pharmacy teams look forward over the next 5 to 10 years to participating in the implementation of these White Paper strategies, and to play our part in building on pharmacy’s strengths in primary care and to delivering quality pharmaceutical services and care for patients, value for money for taxpayers and the best outcomes for the NHS.”
Day Lewis Plc is the largest independent pharmacy multiple in the UK - with 165 pharmacies around the country.
Day Lewis Pharmacy Group
