Category: Podcasts | Page 3 | Pharmacy in Practice

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

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.

If you prefer to never miss an episode you can subscribe on your preferred podcast platform. Just click on the links below to get going.

Is community pharmacy representation in need of an overhaul?

Professor David Wright

David Wright, Professor of Pharmacy Practice from the School of Pharmacy at the University of East Anglia has lead an independent review of the roles and structures underpinning Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and the Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) in England.

The review has been called at a time when the community pharmacy landscape is rapidly changing and local representation and support has never been more important. The purpose of the review was to result in recommendations which will optimise PSNC and LPC contractor representation and support and ensure that the national network structure is working as efficiently for contractors as it can and is fit for the future.

The review team has made 33 recommendations, including the introduction of an independent governance and strategy oversight committee, replacement of the PSNC with a council constituted with LPC chairs and significantly increased funding for national negotiation activities.

You can read the full report here.

This report goes much further than many people expected and as such we were very pleased to discuss the findings with Professor Wright on the PIP podcast.

If you prefer to never miss an episode you can subscribe on your preferred podcast platform. Just click on the links below to get going.

Professor Harry McQuillan on the ‘ART’ of community pharmacy

Chief Executive Officer of Community Pharmacy Scotland Professor Harry McQuillan

Professor Harry McQuillan has been Chief Executive Officer of Community Pharmacy Scotland for 14 years. He has worked in a range of roles across pharmacy since qualifying as a pharmacist a number of years ago.

Our paths have crossed a number of times over the years but given the exciting developments in pharmacy in Scotland, the timing of this interview was really perfect.

Earlier this year was supposed to be one of the most exciting times in community pharmacy in Scotland but all that was put on hold due to COVID-19.

But with adversity comes opportunity and the community pharmacy network in Scotland ‘creaked’ but was never close to falling over even at the height of the crisis. It is this balance between a secure supply chain versus a platform to deliver valuable services right at the heart of communities that Harry describes as being most important.

‘Supply is not enough’.

Community Pharmacy Scotland has managed to support the development of a network of community pharmacies in Scotland that can deliver that core dispensing role efficiently but that also leaves the door open to innovation.

And that innovation will shortly come in the form of Pharmacy First. We chatted about the in’s and out’s of the new service. I was particularly interested to hear Harry’s vision for the future whilst casting a look over our shoulder to the days of Professor Bill Scott and some of the policy documents that have helped to deliver the opportunities that we see today. We even discussed the origins of pharmaceutical care back in 1990.

‘Scotland is a place where you can work in community pharmacy and put your degree to the test’.

The door has now been thrown open to innovation and service development up here all under the banner of ‘Achieving Excellence in Pharmaceutical Care’. Rose Marie Parr has given the network permission to get on and do it. And the money from the Scottish Government has followed. The relationship between the players here continues closer than ever.

Harry reflected on the ‘Prescription for Excellence’ document and restated the ambition in there that every pharmacist should be an independent prescriber. The Pharmacy First deal makes a confident move towards a consultation based payment structure to the community pharmacy contract. The conflict of interest that is often cast up around supplying and dispensing on the same premesis has been mitigated and pharmacists can move forward with confidence.

Harry described how the future involves gathering a complete dataset that will help with the articulation of the true value of community pharmacy.

I found the chat extremely uplifting. Scottish community pharmacy are playing to win and so far have delivered. Pharmacy First is the next challenge and it comes at the right time. The network needs to not just recover but innovate, develop and thrive.

There were a few probing personal questions in there so make sure and listen or watch to the end.

You can watch the interview or subscribe to the PIP podcast if you prefer to listen.

I found it to be a very encouraging and optimistic conversation but don’t take my word for it, decide for yourself.

Johnathan.

If you prefer to never miss an episode you can subscribe on your preferred podcast platform. Just click on the links below to get going.

Dr Emily Kennedy on why Scottish pharmacy remains world leading

Senior prescribing support pharmacist Dr Emily Kennedy

Dr Emily Kennedy has worked as a prescribing support pharmacist in primary care in NHS Dumfries and Galloway for 16 years and now supervises 17 pharmacists working across general practice. Her varied and very successful career so far has involved education, research and work in community pharmacy.

I was interested to discuss various aspects to her current and previous roles. In particular, I was interested to hear more about Emily’s current role and how she has seen things change in pharmacy over the years.

We discussed the current state of play in primary care pharmacy in Scotland and touched on education, training, supervision, competence and also the need for pharmacists to have confidence in their own ability.

Scottish pharmacy has evolved dramatically over recent years and Emily has really been part of that evolution. We discussed how pharmacists’ expectations have changed and how her work now involves

During the COVID-19 crisis, Emily has been involved with her local COVID-19 hub in Dumfries and Galloway. I was interested to hear her insights around being involved here.

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What does the pandemic teach us about the future of antibiotics?

Stephen Hughes MBA, MSc, MPharm, Consultant Antimicrobial Pharmacist at Chelsea & Westminster NHS Foundation Trust.

Stephen Hughes MBA, MSc, MPharm, is a consultant antimicrobial pharmacist at Chelsea & Westminster NHS Foundation Trust. We were lucky enough to catch up with him on the podcast to discuss how he and his team have adapted to working life during the pandemic. We also discussed antimicrobial pharmacy at length. A fascinating conversation.

In your view what is the importance of patient-reported outcomes in antibiotic use?

How do we innovate before we have to in the antibiotic space?

Are we too reliant on the pharmaceutical industry to keep coming up with new antibiotics and how sustainable is this cycle?

Do we make the best use of new antibiotics?

How should the UK government intervene to ensure a robust pipeline of new antibiotics remains into the future?

Are we collectively being too complacent in the prescribing practise that we tolerate with antibiotics?

What have you and your team had to unlearn during COVID-19?

Are you concerned about a surge of secondary bacterial infection in people who have suffered COVID-19?

How have your team coped with the COVID-19 situation?

If you prefer to never miss an episode you can subscribe on your preferred podcast platform. Just click on the links below to get going.

Interview: Yousaf Ahmad on coping with COVID-19

In our first video podcast, we sat down with Pharmacist Yousaf Ahmad. Amongst other roles, Yousaf is currently Chief Pharmacist at Care UK and was also recently appointed to the GPhC Council. We had a wide-ranging chat about how Yousaf has coped with COVID-19 in his current role.