David Wightman was one of the youngest ever funeral directors in the UK. He has over 28 years of experience in his sector. We were very lucky to have some of his time to discuss his insight into death and dealing with families at the end of life. We had a good chat about the topic of death and how pharmacists might make an input when people are going through bereavement. About David David's new business, Prokey, is a new vaccination and management solution that aims to address this unmet need through a partnership with Pharmadoctor, the UK’s leading provider of vaccination service packages to UK pharmacies. Tapping into Pharmadoctor’s network of over 8,000 partner community pharmacies, Prokey provides funeral directors, private care sector works, lifeboat crews, first aiders and emergency service workers with a one-stop-shop vaccination service, ensuring businesses and organisations can find out which vaccines their teams require and arrange access for them. Pharmacies will be able to opt in to participate in the Pharmadoctor-Prokey Partnership and receive client referrals. Pharmadoctor will support Prokey clients to register online for a service such as hepatitis B vaccination, then, via the Prokey website, book an appointment at their local Pharmadoctor partner pharmacy to receive their jab(s). Prokey founder and CEO David Wightman is a serving funeral director and embalmer with nearly 30 years experience, a seasoned health and safety officer and an active lifeboat volunteer based in the beautiful seaside town of Broughty Ferry on the east coast of Scotland. Commenting on why he created Prokey, David says: “Having struggled to manage and source the appropriate vaccinations for my team of funeral directors in my role as health and safety officer, I wanted to create a simple solution which can be used by other professional and volunteer organisations across the UK so that they can protect their teams with the minimum hassle and disruption”. He goes on to say “When you’re out there helping others, your own safety can be the last thing on your mind. I genuinely want to see everyone around me carry out their duties as safely as possible, so if you are in the business of helping others, Prokey’s in the business of helping you”. David told us that Prokey has already teamed up with pharmacy group Davidsons Chemist so that their 44 branches throughout Scotland will provide the Prokey service. Commenting on the partnership with Prokey, Davidsons Chemists Superintendent Pharmacist Karen Gordon said: “Our collaboration with Prokey will provide the communities our pharmacies serve with cost-effective private vaccination services in addition to the clinical services our branches already provide”. Mrs Gordon goes on to say “we hope our collaboration with Prokey also helps to highlight the wider value community pharmacies play in providing the public with access to convenient local healthcare services”. You can find out more about Prokey on their website.

Pharmacy In Practice Podcast

What has a funeral director got to do with vaccinations?

We were very pleased to catch up with Leyla Hannbeck. Leyla is a pharmacist and CEO of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies. We chatted about all things community pharmacy and in particular explored Leyla's views on how to make working in community pharmacy a more attractive proposition for pharmacists.  

Leyla Hannbeck on the future of the community pharmacy workforce

Going into this series (with an open mind) we have made a few assumptions about the current 'lie of the community pharmacy training land' and it is largely that there is very little investment in community pharmacist development above and beyond mandatory training requirements. As part of this series, we will talk to a range of key players in pharmacy with an interest in community pharmacist education and training. My co-host for many of the series will be fellow pharmacist Derek Evans. In this episode, we were very fortunate to be joined by Professor Larry Goodyer.  Larry Goodyer is Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the School of Pharmacy at De Montfort University UK. We discussed a range of topics. the list below will give you a flavour of the conversation. The current state of community pharmacy in the UK. The community pharmacy workforce crisis. Training activity currently happening in community pharmacy. Whether or not community pharmacists are knowingly competent when using their independent prescribing qualification. The regulation of independent prescribing. Futures training models for community pharmacists. The importance of supervision and multidisciplinary working. About Professor Larry Goodyer Larry Goodyer is Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the School of Pharmacy at De Montfort University UK. He worked as a clinical pharmacist through much of the 1980s and early 90s and until 2003 was Head of the Pharmacy Practice group at King’s College London. His principal interest is within the field of travel medicine, in which he is keen to promote the role of pharmacists. He has lectured and taught widely on Travel Medicine to both Health professionals and the public and has been invited to address both national and international conferences on the subject, as well as appearances on television and radio broadcasts. Related research interests include methods for bite avoidance and medical supplies for overseas travel. More broadly in his capacity as a Professor of Pharmacy Practice, he has been involved in research and teaching on a wide range of issues related to the profession of Pharmacy. These include new roles for pharmacists such as prescribing and medicines management. About Derek Evens Derek Evans FRPharmS, FRGS, FFTM RCPS (Glasg), FISTM, Independent Prescriber. Independent Travel Medicine Specialist and Consultant. Adjunct Clinical Professor in Pharmacy Practice. Doctor of World Sciences (h.c. CCU/USA).

Professor Larry Goodyer on community pharmacist prescribing competence, training, supervision and the future of community pharmacy clinical services

This has been a very disruptive period in our recent history and community pharmacists across the land have been thrust to the fore. The public-facing side of community pharmacy has remained resolute but we know that behind the scenes everyone in the sector is tired. Despite this heroic effort and undoubted fatigue, we hope you can join us as we begin to look to the future specifically in the area of community pharmacy training.  This podcast marks the beginning of a series where we discuss the current reality of community pharmacy training, vaccination services and autonomous working in the UK, what possibly needs to change and what future models might look like.  We are hoping to start a conversation about what we have come to expect as 'normal' in terms of community pharmacy training and associated career progression.  We have talked to hundreds of community pharmacists over the years as part of our work publishing various stories on Pharmacy in Practice and a recurrent theme is a lack of time. And usually a lack of time for training.  Going into this series (with an open mind) we have made a few assumptions about the current 'lie of the community pharmacy training land' and it is largely that there is very little investment in community pharmacist development above and beyond mandatory training requirements.  As part of this series, we will talk to a range of key players in pharmacy with an interest in community pharmacist education and training.  My co-host for many of the series will be fellow pharmacist Derek Evans. About Derek Derek Evans FRPharmS, FRGS, FFTM RCPS (Glasg), FISTM, Independent Prescriber. Independent Travel Medicine Specialist and Consultant. Adjunct Clinical Professor in Pharmacy Practice. Doctor of World Sciences (h.c. CCU/USA). Don't forget to check out our brand new (and ever-expanding!) community pharmacy training content. You can start learning by clicking here.

New series: The future of community pharmacy vaccination services, training and autonomous practice

Well, it has been a while since we have recorded a podcast on Pharmacy in Practice so when I was recently in touch with friend of PIP Jonathan Underhill I suggested we have a chat. And it was a fun, interesting and insightful conversation. We recorded the episode first thing on Monday morning after the England football defeat. We had a chat about Gareth Southgate's leadership and what the pharmacist profession can learn from him. We also talked about how the various sectors of pharmacy have weathered the pandemic and where the profession goes next. Professionalism, competence, shared decision making and the future for pharmacists were also topics we covered. Jonathan completed his pharmacy degree at Sunderland and has post-graduate qualifications from London and Liverpool Universities as well as the Institute for Learning and Development. He began his career as a hospital pharmacist in London before joining the National Prescribing Centre (NPC) in 1996. Working on MeReC publications and then developing an educational network/eLearning platform for evidence-based therapeutics and Information Mastery gave him a passion for understanding how clinicians keep up to date and help people make informed choices about their medicines. Now as a consultant clinical adviser for NICE, he inputs into those Clinical Guidelines that have a large medicines component, oversees outputs from the NICE Medicines team such as evidence summaries on new medicines and Antimicrobial Prescribing Guidelines as well as providing NHS access to the BNF. He also has an honorary post at the Keele School of Pharmacy teaching under and post-graduates as well as pursuing his research interests in Evidence-Informed Decision Making. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists and a qualified COVID-19 vaccinator. This gives him less time than he would like to devote to the passions in his life such as mindful walks in the Cheshire countryside with his soulmate Wor Bobby the Border Terrier, captaining his village cricket team, singing in his decidedly ordinary style with some incredibly talented rock musicians and his long-standing and largely unrewarded devotion to NUFC.

Jonathan Underhill on competence, professionalism, micro-credentialing and a bright pharmacist future

Laura Smith CTA is a Partner at Wylie & Bisset. We kick off a new season of podcasts on Pharmacy in Practice by talking to her about IR35. We have published a number of articles recently on this topic so thought it was time to have a chat with the experts.  If you enjoy this episode and the PIP podcast please feel free to leave a review on your podcast player. It helps others to find us. For tax advice please contact your accountant. every situation is different and will potentially require advice specific to you. Previous coverage of the IR35 topic on PIP Could IR35 be good for pharmacist locums? Will IR35 change locum life forever? Is IR35 a potential tax time-bomb for pharmacist locums? About our guest Laura Smith CTA joined Wylie & Bisset in April 2016 as a Manager in the WB Healthcare team, was promoted to Head of Healthcare in July 2018, with a further promotion to Director in July 2019 and now partner with effect from 1st April 2021. Until joining Wylie & Bisset in April 2016, Laura spent the majority of her career working with a top 10 accountancy firm in Glasgow. Whilst developing her tax career and experience in the professional services sector, with a particular focus on the healthcare sector, Laura qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2013. Laura heads up the WB Healthcare team in all aspects of accounting and taxation matters, under the lead of partner Tom McGuire. In addition to the review of accounts for Healthcare sector clients, her expertise covers personal taxation including capital gains tax planning, remuneration planning, and advising on inheritance tax issues and planning considerations. The Pharmacy in Practice podcast is kindly supported by Glasgow based Wylie & Bisset LLP chartered accountants. Wylie & Bisset LLP is a leading chartered accountants Glasgow-based practice, with a national reach, whose growth has been organic, through referral and reputation.  They have the background, expertise and extensive resources required to provide your business or organisation with the right solutions when it comes to managing and growing your business. The firm covers the whole of the UK, providing business advisory and support services to clients across a wide range of public and private sectors, ensuring you have access to the best possible accountancy and tax planning advice so your business runs smoothly, is financially sound and complies with regulatory and legal controls. Their approach is proactive and “hands-on” via a true partner-led service, which they believe is the best way to provide their clients with a first-class service. Their commitment to excellence and efficient service has maintained a reputation for high-quality professionalism and awareness, ensuring ongoing client loyalty and recurring referrals. If you are searching for a hands-on partner-led firm of accountants in Glasgow contact us today to see how they can assist your business. 

Is pharmacy ready for IR35?

We recently had the pleasure of chatting to the founder and owner of Instant Dentist Aalok Shukla. Instant dentist is an innovative collaborative business that will help community pharmacies extend their digital impact but also deliver much earlier preventative dental care to people as they visit. We came back together to discuss the rapidly changing landscape of community pharmacy in the UK. Instant Dentist is one opportunity that pharmacy owners may wish to avail of but it is the 'tip of the iceberg' in terms of possible opportunities. Amazon Pharmacy has started to trade in the USA so the need to evolve is here like never before. Hopefully, this chat will give viewers and listeners some ideas on how to get started with incorporating digital activities into your pharmacy business. Aalok commented: "Through easy and affordable access to private dental care, Instant Dentist is the first dental wellness platform that allows you to manage your dental health in a way you’ve never thought was possible. Prevention and diagnosis from an experienced digital dentist is just a click away." We hope this podcast might give pharmacy owners across the country inspiration to extend into digital dental services if they have not already done so. 

Amazon, digital dentistry and how community pharmacies fit

Ian Strachan is a community pharmacy owner contractor. He owns a number of pharmacies in England. He was the Chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) between 2014 to 2018. I have wanted to chat with Ian for a while now. He really has operated at the top of UK pharmacy politics for quite some time and has led the way with many innovative initiatives through his community pharmacies. We had a wide-ranging and fascinating conversation about many aspects of community pharmacy. Community pharmacy politics in England is a complicated and often turbulent arena. This came out in the chat but we offset these challenges with some positivity as we looked to the future. A fulfilling and attractive career pathway for pharmacists working in community pharmacy was important to both of us. Ian is passionate about the profession and in particular, he cares deeply about the professionalisation of community pharmacy. We discussed what he thought the vision for the future of community pharmacy should be in the coming years and delved into some notable long-standing community pharmacy topics like free deliveries for example. Ian is as enthusiastic an advocate for community pharmacy that I have spoken to for a while so it was fascinating to get his insight. 

Vision, politics, pharmacy clubs, elitism, free services and where community pharmacy goes next

Failure to identify high-risk medication errors in patients with complex needs can have a fatal outcome, a recently published report warned. The report, published by Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB), sets out a case where a medication error with warfarin contributed to the death of a 79-year-old man. The patient had suffered a fall at home and had been admitted to hospital. An error on his chart whilst he was on the ward led to him receiving three or four doses of warfarin, which he did not normally take before the error was spotted by a ward-based clinical pharmacist. The patient developed internal bleeding and deteriorated (due to several health reasons) and died 21 days after his first admission. In the case HSIB examined, the patient was on 12 different medications and supplements at the time of admission. By day nine of his hospital stay, this had increased to 16. HSIB’s national investigation focused on the role of ward-based pharmacy services and how they work within the multidisciplinary teams (MDT’s) that administer care to patients. Ward-based pharmacists are crucial in enhancing the team’s ability to spot errors, especially in high-risk situations. However, the investigation findings emphasised that there is variance in the way the services are staffed and organised. They also found that other staff within the MDT’s could better understand the role pharmacists have in between admission and discharge of the patient. HSIB also found that more work needs to be done to assess the resilience of pharmacy services to operational pressures and the additional challenges associated with caring for older people. As a result of the national investigation, HSIB has made three recommendations to facilitate a better understanding of the role of the ward-based pharmacist and to encourage best practice and resilience when identifying and developing models of pharmacy provision. In this podcast, we were fortunate to be joined by Lead Investigator Deinniol Owens. We discuss some of the pertinent points in the investigation and explore some of the wider questions about pharmacy. In particular, we discuss how this investigation makes the case for the integration of pharmaceutical care led by pharmacists into every multidisciplinary team in the country. You can read the full report here. 

What can we learn from this tragic fatal warfarin error?

Graham Parsons is the Chief Pharmacist at Turning Point. He is a pharmacist with a wide range of experience in many aspects of pharmacy. As a specialist in Substance Misuse he has worked at both local, regional and national level (through the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, National Institute of Health and Care Excellence and Turning Point) to deliver a wide range of initiatives and policies which have impacted on both substance misuse services and the lives of individuals affected by substance use disorders. This has included over six years as a prescriber within the Plymouth Specialist Addiction Service. During this time he has also developed an interest in Mental Health and Pain and the management of these conditions in this cohort of patients. He has also delivered a number of training sessions covering a diverse range of topics from substance misuse to Controlled Drug legislation for a number of institutes including the University of Bath and the Royal College of General Practitioners and developed Post Graduate addiction courses for Medway University. I am an experienced public speaker who has presented at many events including the College of Mental Health Pharmacy International Conference and on local BBC radio. In the written media I have produced a number of articles on substance misuse and its treatment for the Pharmaceutical Journal. We had a wide-ranging discussion about the issues of the day in the area of substance misuse. There has been a move towards the use of Buvidal slow-release injection. Have you got any thoughts on this move especially in light of the current pandemic? What is the future of substance misuse services delivered through community pharmacy? What is the role of naloxone in community pharmacy? How can community pharmacy support alcohol brief interventions? Why are drug deaths still so high? How is polypharmacy relevant to the area of polypharmacy? Has nudge theory got a role in tackling the alcohol crisis in this country? 

Naloxone, alcohol abuse, why drug deaths remain high and a role for community pharmacy

I have never met a pharmacist or pharmacy technician that does not dread the letter of complaint from the GPhC dropping through the letterbox. Unfortunately in the context of overall rising numbers of complaints being made by fellow health professionals and also by the general public, I felt it important to touch base with our colleagues at Hempsons to get their views on what you can do if you find yourself in this terrible situation. In a very interesting chat, we covered the fitness to practise process and how to navigate it if you need to. We also discussed some of the reasons behind rising numbers of GPhC complaints and also the variation in where complaints come from between different professions. There were some key pieces of advice so hopefully, you find these useful. Tania Francis Tania Francis is a solicitor and partner at Hempsons. Tania advises doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals with all sorts of issues to do with registration and regulatory issues, specialist registration or specialist lists, litigation, associate disputes, CQC registration, difficulties with NHS England and more. Tania is a qualified doctor and works in a team which also includes a qualified dentist, and they, therefore, offer a unique approach to our clients’ problems. The team regularly contributes to Independent Practitioner Today and Dentistry magazine and offers training and seminars to our clients. Tania is also on the council of the Medico-Legal Society. Thorrun Govind Thorrun is a trainee solicitor at Hempsons. Thorrun studied Pharmacy at King’s College London, completing her pharmacy pre-registration training in community pharmacy. As a practising community pharmacist, she has been a strong advocate for healthcare and healthcare professionals across traditional and social media. Thorrun studied for her Graduate Diploma in Law, full time whilst working as a pharmacist. She subsequently studied for her Legal Practice course and MSc in Law, Business and Management, attaining a Distinction. As a qualified healthcare professional, she has first-hand experience of operating in a challenging environment whilst striving to provide excellent care to patients. “This podcast is made available on the basis that no liability is accepted for any errors of fact or opinion it may contain. The content should not be regarded as a comprehensive statement of the law and practise in this area.  Professional advice should be obtained before applying the information to particular circumstances.” 

Pharmacy law, fitness to practise and how to stay out of trouble

I was very proud and grateful to get the chance to talk to the Chief Executive Officer of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Duncan Rudkin. Duncan was very generous with his time and we discussed a wide range of topics. Time was limited so we didn't get through all the topics I wanted to but we did cover lots of ground. We ran out of time and there are questions we did not get round to. Duncan has very kindly agreed toa answer these in writing so stay tuned. Areas explored include the following: What is the role of the GPhC and to who are they accountable? Is the current revalidation process fit for purpose to safely regulate independent prescribers? Is independent prescribing practice ahead of regulation? How do the GPhC standards guard against the risk associated with unconscious incompetence? Is the fitness to practise process in its current form fit for purpose? Do you think the experience of registrants that have gone through the fitness to practise process good enough? Is a person who supplies a COVID-19 rapid antibody test unfit to practise? Will the GPhC express opinions on other matters for example homoeopathy? Are the public at more risk now that inspections have been stopped due to the pandemic? What was the most difficult decision the GPhC has had to make during the COVID-19 pandemic so far? 

Duncan Rudkin on guiding the GPhC through a pandemic

We recently had the pleasure of chatting to the founder and owner of Instant Dentist Aalok Shukla. Instant dentist is an innovative collaborative business that will help community pharmacies extend their digital impact but also deliver much earlier preventative dental care to people as they visit. Aalok commented: "Through easy and affordable access to private dental care, Instant Dentist is the first dental wellness platform that allows you to manage your dental health in a way you’ve never thought was possible. Prevention and diagnosis from an experienced digital dentist is just a click away." We hope this podcast might give pharmacy owners across the country inspiration to extend into digital dental services if they have not already done so. 

How can community pharmacy improve collaboration with dentists?

Darshan Negandhi is a Primary Care Network (PCN) clinical pharmacist. Previously he was Director and Superintendent Pharmacist at Lewisham Pharmacy in London. He has recently made the move to work within the PCN and is thoroughly enjoying it. We had a great chat about all things pharmacy. Darshan is very modest but has a fantastic ambition to become a pharmacist partner ina GP practice. With his talent, vision and enthusiasm I fully expect him to achieve this. Thoroughly enjoyed this chat. 

Why I want to be a pharmacist partner in a GP practice

Dr Andrew Radley is a consultant pharmacist in public health. He works in NHS Tayside and was recently a member of a successful team who managed to eradicate hepatitis C. He recently wrote to PIP explaining how 56 community pharmacies helped to eradicate hepatitis C in NHS Tayside. It was a real pleasure to discuss Andrew's recent activity around hepatitis C and in particular how community pharmacy was central to the success of this project. Our discussion broadened to cover topical issues like the new NHS Pharmacy First service, his views on how important a multidisciplinary team approach is in pharmacy and also his advice to pharmacists who are new to the register. We are unfortunately still in the midst of a global pandemic and I found Andrew's views on how we can learn from the hepatitis C service as we all work to get to grips with the current situation very interesting. Some fascinating insights here. Andrew is an extremely modest character but I found his work, particularly recently on the hepatitis C front, to be really inspirational. He demonstrates the tangible impact that community pharmacy can have when they are included in a service such as this. He was at pains to make the point that teamwork is key and attributed his personal career success to working effectively as a member of various teams over the years. I highly recommend you have a look at the stories on the hepatitis C service and we have included the original research articles within these stories if you are interested to delve a bit deeper. 

What can a hepatitis C eradication service teach us about tackling COVID-19?

Comment, analysis and interviews from UK Pharmacy

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Pharmacy In Practice Podcast

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