From 3 to 25 February 2025, a series of interactive webinars will be held across the UK, inviting pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy team members to share their views on a proposed vision and common purpose for pharmacy professional leadership.  

Pharmacy

Key Insights:

• Accessibility: The widespread availability of the common ailments service ensures that patients can receive timely care without needing a GP appointment.

• Healthcare Efficiency: By managing minor conditions at the pharmacy level, the service helps alleviate pressure on general practitioners, allowing them to focus on more complex cases.

• Patient Empowerment: Offering free advice and treatment empowers individuals to seek care promptly, potentially leading to better health outcomes.

This model highlights the integral role of community pharmacies in enhancing primary healthcare delivery in Wales.

Dame Jenny Harries has announced she will step down as UKHSA chief executive in early summer.

Meanwhile, UKHSA’s chief scientific officer, Professor Isabel Oliver, has been appointed chief medical officer for Wales, succeeding Sir Frank Atherton following his retirement.

Appointed in April 2021 as UKHSA’s first chief executive, Dame Jenny played a pivotal role in creating the agency during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under her leadership, UKHSA developed specialist scientific, data, and operational expertise to safeguard the public from infectious diseases and other health threats.

Reflecting on her tenure, Dame Jenny expressed immense pride in UKHSA’s early achievements.

She said: “We started building the Agency mid-pandemic and since then we have created a genuinely unique and world leading public health agency with strong partnerships across public, private, domestic and international organizations.”

“It has been a privilege to lead the Agency from day one but I am now excited about doing something new in the next phase of my career and while continuing to champion the Agency’s work.”

Health secretary Wes Streeting praised Dame Jenny’s contributions, recognizing her crucial role in protecting the nation’s health.

“Her dedication has inspired countless people and improved the wellbeing of communities across the country. I am extremely grateful for her advice and support since coming into office and wish her every success in her next chapter,” he said.

UKHSA chair, Ian Peters confirmed that work is underway to appoint a successor to lead UKHSA into its next phase.

Professor Isabel Oliver Dame Jenny Harries steps down as UKHSA chief executive

The recruitment process has also started to find a successor for Professor Isabel Oliver as UKHSA’s next chief scientific officer.

During her time at UKHSA, Professor Oliver spearheaded the development of the agency’s science strategy and the delivery of many scientific functions and services.

She created a new Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre at UKHSA’s Porton Down campus to strengthen pandemic and epidemic preparedness, as well as led the establishment of a new Centre for Health and Climate Change.

As she transitions into her new role as the principal medical adviser and professional head for the medical profession in NHS Wales and the Welsh Government, Professor Oliver expressed gratitude for her time at UKHSA.

“It has been an honor to serve as UKHSA’s first chief scientific officer and lead an excellent team of public health scientists and clinicians who work tirelessly to combat health threats and keep people safe.”

“Although I will miss UKHSA hugely, I look forward to continue working with the Agency in my new role as Chief Medical Officer for Wales,” she said.

The standards outline responsibilities, knowledge, conduct, and performance required by a chief pharmacist to support their organisation and its staff to deliver safe and effective pharmacy services.

The regulatory body observed that the updated standards reflect new legislation removing the threat of criminal sanctions for inadvertent preparation and dispensing errors by pharmacy staff working in hospitals and similar settings.

Given that these protections already apply to pharmacy staff in registered pharmacies, this new legislation aims to standardize practices across the sector, thereby encouraging the reporting of incidents, and subsequently learning from errors.

To benefit from the defences, the hospital (or relevant setting) requires a chief pharmacist or equivalent in post, who must be a registered pharmacist with the appropriate skills, training, and experience.

The chief pharmacist must also meet the standards, which include:

• Providing strategic and professional leadership.

• Developing a workforce with the right skills, knowledge, and experience.

• Delegating responsibly and make sure there are clear lines of accountability.

• Maintaining and strengthening governance to ensure safe and effective delivery of pharmacy services.

The new standards apply to all chief pharmacists, regardless of the setting they work in.

Louise Edwards, chief strategy officer at GPhC, described the development of the chief pharmacist standards as the first part of their programme to strengthen pharmacy governance.

“The programme aims to provide clarity around how pharmacies are organised and managed to help ensure patients and the public continue to receive safe and effective pharmacy care,” he explained.

Edwards acknowledged that while chief pharmacists often do not provide care directly themselves, their actions have an impact on patient care and people’s confidence in pharmacy.

“The new standards are helping to strengthen assurance in a critical leadership role, and support governance to make sure patients and the public receive safe and effective care,” he added.

The GPhC received 158 responses to the consultation on the draft standards, 132 from individuals and 26 from organisations.

Most respondents showed agreement with the proposals, with 79 per cent stating that the changes would strengthen and maintain pharmacy governance.

While 68 per cent of respondents said the new standards would provide a governance framework supporting staff to report preparation and dispensing errors, 67 per cent agreed that the reporting of errors would help staff learn from those errors.

In addition to the consultation, the GPhC hosted a webinar on the standards and organised two public and patient forums.

After taking into account the feedback, GPhC has made some changes to the standards, including adding a requirement for chief pharmacists to ensure that staff feel confident and supported when challenging behaviours such as discrimination, bullying, and harassment.

This initiative underscores the GPhC's commitment to ensuring that all pharmacies, including online platforms, deliver services that prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of patients and the public. The existing guidance mandates that prescribers adhere to national prescribing guidelines and follow established best practices. The updated guidance aims to further enhance these protocols by specifying additional precautions for high-risk medications.

In response to the proposed updates, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has advocated for more stringent measures. The NPA emphasizes the necessity of comprehensive two-way consultations with patients and thorough reviews of their medical histories before dispensing higher-risk medications, such as weight loss injections. This perspective highlights a proactive approach to patient safety, ensuring that medications are prescribed based on a complete understanding of individual health profiles.

Conversely, the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) holds a differing viewpoint. The CCA asserts that its members have a longstanding history of safely providing weight loss medicines remotely. They argue that when current regulations and guidance are properly followed, the prescribing and supply of these medicines are safe and effectively meet patient needs. Consequently, the CCA does not perceive a need for additional regulation, suggesting that strict adherence to existing protocols is sufficient.

This discourse reflects a broader conversation within the pharmaceutical community about balancing innovation in service delivery with the imperative of patient safety. As online pharmacies become increasingly prevalent, ensuring that regulatory frameworks keep pace with technological advancements is crucial. The GPhC's forthcoming guidance updates represent a step toward reinforcing safeguards, while the perspectives of organizations like the NPA and CCA contribute to a nuanced dialogue on the most effective strategies to protect public health.

In conclusion, the ongoing discussions and impending updates to guidance on the online supply of weight loss medicines underscore the dynamic nature of healthcare regulation. They highlight the need for continuous evaluation and adaptation to ensure that patient safety remains at the forefront of pharmaceutical practice in an increasingly digital world.

For more details, visit the full article here.

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