I spent yesterday evening at a CPPE event in Teeside entitled “Communicating locally with commissioners and GP consortia” The evening was enjoyable and informative but one thing struck me about the presentation that was given by the evening’s expert. He talked about GP’s and how they are affected by all the NHS changes but also about how they will affect pharmacy and pharmacies. He emphasised the need for pharmacies to talk to GP’s
What’s wrong with that I hear you say? Well, GP’s are people and pharmacies are bricks and mortar so to be facetious, that’s never going to be possible! More seriously I made the point that I believe this is our weakness as a profession. We talk about shops and The Profession but not about the professionals that run them i.e. you and me – pharmacists.
The changes that are coming at us thick and fast at present, especially the White Paper “Equity and excellence – liberating the NHS“ and these changes have the potential to change things for the better for pharmacists but we need to stop thinking about bricks and mortar and think of ourselves.
The business of pharmacy is important but leave that to your area and regional managers. Focus of making things better for the patients you serve every day and find out about what is going on in your local area. Read the local Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment , what can you do as a pharmacist to plug any gaps in identified in the PNA?
If you focus on making life better for your patients and engage with local commissioners everything will be fine. People build relationships with people, not shops so start building your relationships with your local surgery, talk to your local authority, talk to your local LPC. Heaven forbid, you could even talk to each other. Remember the pharmacists who works down the road for multiple X is probably under the same stresses as you in multiple Y and even independent pharmacy Z.
Pharmacists have a fantastic future ahead of them, if the grab the nettle now and focus on themselves and deliver real benefits for their patients and local commissioners.
I’ve met my first pharmacists who has been asked to submit their CPD record for accreditation. I know it was coming but it’s still a bit of a shock so make sure you have nine pieces of CPD for the last twelve months and that it is entered onto one of the accepted formats.
So we finally have guidance on what constitutes “enough” CPD each year. The Council have deemed that we need to be completing nine entries to our CPD register each year. I think it’s good that they have finally come up with a number but my issue has always been, what is CPD? I’ve been qualified for 15 years but I still learn something new every day I work. My recent exposure to the prison sector has highlighted that I need to refresh my knowledge on anti-psychotics, but does reading the BNF section on anti-psychotics count as CPD?
If someone can let me know that would be great… and does finding out what constitutes CPD count as one of my annual nine!!
The other issue around CPD is access for locum pharmacists to “formal” CPD. I struggle to make it to CPPE workshops but like the interactive e-learning programmes because I can complete these in my own time and at my own pace.
I’d be interested in other pharmacists opinions. I’ve always thought a virtual CPPE workshop using Webex or similar would be popular amongst locums.
Agency Workers Regulations – how does it effect me?
The simple answer is it doesn’t. …. in most cases. For more expert guidance than I can supply as a pharmacist rather than a legal bod please click on the link below. http://www.pcg.org.uk/cms/documents/01109%20PCG%20A4%2020PP%20BROCHURE%20SINGLE%20PAGES.pdf
One in a lifetime opportunity – pharmacist required in Tonga
We have been approached by a not for profit pharmacy in the Kingdom of Tonga asking us to recruit a pharmacist to work at one of the health centres in the Kingdom. This opportunity will definately not come up again for if you fancy a complete change of scene and an opportunity to live on [...]
Just a quick post to remind all pharmacist that they need to renew their GPhC registration by the 31st October. So you still have a month to pay but if you are anything like me, if you don’t do it now, there’s a chance you’ll forget!
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