Twenty-four hours per day, every day, PDA members are providing care for patients across the health system, in hospitals, primary care, prisons, community pharmacies and elsewhere across all four nations of the UK and the crown dependencies. At any given moment, the PDA central team of legal, pharmacy and other experts have open cases of support for individual members who need help with employment, regulatory or other issues, and the team stand ready to help other member should they need assistance.
However, the PDA does far more than this for all members and pharmacists, so this article shares some examples of the sort of other activities the PDA are involved in, in a typical week.
Northern Ireland Healthcare Awards, Belfast
Recently PDA representatives attended the 25th Northern Ireland Healthcare Awards in Belfast. The Black-tie event is a chance for many people working in pharmacy to highlight and celebrate best practice.
Each year the PDA sponsors the Student Leadership category of the Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh Healthcare Awards to celebrate future professionals. The NI award was won this year by final year MPharm student Olivia Donnelly of Queens University. PDA National Officer Una O’Farrell presented Olivia with her award.
“Shaping Pharmacy” event, Birmingham
More than thirty of the PDA’s representative networks gathered on a Saturday in Birmingham for a one-day event on “Shaping Pharmacy”. Like the overall PDA membership those attending included hospital, primary care and community employed pharmacists, locums, students, pharmacy academics and more.
International Workers’ Memorial Day
International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) is a global occasion marked annually on 28 April each year and is formally recognised by the UK government. Last year 135 people in Britain went to work but did not come home because they were fatally injured at work. It is estimated another 50,000 people each year die in Britain due to a work-related illness or injury.
The PDA believes that if governments and employers truly prioritised health and safety, lives could be saved. The organisation participates in IWMD events each year.
Pictured above is one PDA wreath laid at a memorial event this year, as you can see it is in the PDA colours plus the purple associated with IWMD.
Launching the Safer Pharmacies Survey 2024
This date (28 April), is also the United Nations’ World Day for Safety and Health at Work, and the day the PDA launched its latest Safer Pharmacies Survey. The survey is encouraging members across all sectors to provide feedback on the seven commitments in the Safter Pharmacies Charter.
2024 marks the 9th year of the survey, which asks how often the seven commitments have been met during the previous six months. With the findings, the PDA can highlight the reality of practice conditions and aims to persuade governments, regulators and employers to improve the working environment for pharmacists, which will, in turn, improve patient safety. Learn more
FIP vaccination policy event in The Hague, Netherlands
Members of the PDA team attended the FIP (International Pharmaceutical Federation) Global Vaccination Policy Framework Development Summit in The Hague, Netherlands. The 14 member organisations in attendance focused on how to grow the role of pharmacy in vaccination and the implementation of FIP’s Statement of Policy on the role of pharmacy in life-course immunisation.
The two-day event brought together country case studies, global data on vaccination trends, new regulatory and policy enablers, and emerging therapies and technologies to empower the pharmacy workforce in vaccination and enhance public health outcomes. The discussions laid the groundwork for development of a global policy framework, which will support vaccination around the world.
Celebrating workplace representatives becoming mental Health First Aiders
As part of the Inclusive Pharmacy Practice group led by NHS England, the PDA highlights initiatives that increase inclusion. Nicola Rees, a PDA Rep working at Boots shared her experiences of undertaking the Mental Health First Aid Training. Nicola explained how the knowledge and training she has gained will help her to support patients and feel confident in asking about their mental health and wellbeing.
She said, “As a PDA Rep, I also support colleagues at times when they might be feeling particularly stressed or anxious and this training will undoubtedly help me in that role too, increasing my ability to support them fully and direct them to the help and support I now know is available.”
Nicola’s article has been shared with NHS England for inclusion in their next Inclusive Professional Practice bulletin.
These are just some examples from one week, and every week contains a slightly different set of activities for the PDA. However, what makes every week consistent is that all activity is undertaken to deliver the PDA’s objectives to:
- advance and protect good health by promoting proper standards and best practice in pharmacy;
- support the safe and effective practice of pharmacists at every stage of their education and career;
- provide leadership and representation for employed and self-employed pharmacists, and those in training;
- protect, defend, lobby for and support the interests and reputations of pharmacists;
- work with and support local, national and international organisations with similar objectives; and
- facilitate professional indemnity insurance, arrange benefits and undertake any other activities that can support our wider objectives.
Learn more
- Safter Pharmacies Charter
- PDA Reps at Boots supported to become Mental Health First Aiders
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