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Home  »   Latest News • Insight   »   Insight Online – October 2024

Insight Online – October 2024

This month, read about the publication of the Employment Rights Bill along with some of the proposed changes to online prescribing through the GPhC's consultation. You can also access FREE PDA Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion resources and have your say on upcoming training opportunities provided through PDA Education.

Wed 30th October 2024 The PDA

In this issue:
  • PDA welcomes Employment Rights Bill
  • PDA highlights proposed changes to the GPhC’s online prescribing guidance currently under consultation
  • PDA welcomes introduction of employers duty to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace
  • PDA highlights possible vote on assisted dying
  • Withdrawal and Nullification for the November 2024 assessment
  • PDA issues important communication for members with past benefits in the Boots pension scheme
  • Latest news
  • FREE PDA resources available! 
  • PDA invites members to complete a Learning Needs Survey
  • Enjoy a range of PDA Plus benefits!

PDA welcomes Employment Rights Bill
 

We welcome the publication of the Employment Rights Bill which has been delivered within the government’s first 100 days in office, as promised.As an organisation that helps members understand and exercise their rights at work, we welcome an approach to improving the rights of working people, including pharmacists, their teams, and their families. This Bill will be the most significant improvement to rights at work for a generation.

We recognise that, while they were in opposition, the new government engaged with trade unions to determine what should feature in the proposed legislation. The published bill will now go through parliamentary processes before taking effect as an act of parliament in due course.
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PDA highlights proposed changes to the GPhC’s online prescribing guidance currently under consultation
 

For years we have expressed concerns and outlined risks associated with online prescribing. This includes concerns about questionnaire-based consultations and the need for a patient’s GP to be informed of any medication prescribed to ensure patient safety.

We have highlighted to members that there was a short time frame for them to comment on the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)’s consultation around online prescribing.

Earlier this month, the GPhC sought feedback from stakeholders, including registrants on proposed changes to its guidance on providing pharmacy services at a distance, including on the internet.
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PDA welcomes introduction of employers duty to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace
 

We welcome a new duty that will make employers responsible for preventing sexual harassment of their workers.

We help members to understand and exercise their rights at work and to challenge employers who do not fulfil their responsibilities. We also champion equality and work for safe and healthy workplaces in which pharmacists’ wellbeing is protected. We therefore welcome an improvement to the Equality Act that will help tackle sexual harassment.

There is a new duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, aiming to create safer and more respectful working environments.
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PDA highlights possible vote on assisted dying

We are calling for UK lawmakers to include a conscience clause in bills that would legalise assisted suicide or assisted dying (AS/AD). This clause would allow pharmacists not to be under any obligation to participate in any aspect of an AS/AD process if they have an ethical objection.

Learn more

Withdrawal and Nullification for the November 2024 assessment

For those due to sit the November 2024 assessment on Tuesday 12 November, the impact of family situations or working life may mean that candidates’ ability to prepare for the exam is compromised.

Learn more

PDA issues important communication for members with past benefits in the Boots pension scheme

Following a buy-out of the Boots Pension Scheme benefits, we are urging all members who worked for Boots in or before 2010 and accrued benefits in the scheme to raise complaints under the internal dispute procedure.

Learn more
Below is a list of the other key news stories that have been published on our website this month:

24/10/24 – PDA issues important communication for members with past benefits in the Boots pension scheme

18/10/24 – PDA attends Bengoa Conference on reforming healthcare in NI

15/10/24 – PDA launches ‘Building Better Boundaries’ – the first in a series of GPP Network events

11/10/24 – Boots pharmacists’ pay settlement 2024/25

10/10/24 – Boots Pharmacists’ Association members to vote on joining PDA Union

9/10/24 – ADHD Awareness Month 2024

8/10/24 – Addressing racial undertones in the language of pharmacy

3/10/24 – PDA BAME Network Newsletter – October 2024

3/10/24 – Agreement reached between Boots and the PDA Union in settlement of the 2024 pay talks for Pharmacists

1/10/24 – PDA encourages pharmacists to take part in ACTNow campaign
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FREE PDA resources available!

Did you know that we have a range of FREE resources that have been designed to help champion Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in the workplace? Some of these guides include:

  • Tokenism Factsheet. This factsheet provides an overview of tokenism in the workplace and helps pharmacists, trainees, and students understand its impact and lead a conversation in the workplace on the topic.
  • Guide to: Discrimination and the pregnant employee. This guide explains the rights of employees who are pregnant or are on maternity leave. The guide also looks at examples of pregnancy discrimination and how members can access support and advice from the PDA.
  • Sexuality and Gender Factsheet. For this factsheet, the PDA worked with Troglo to raise awareness and to help others to be more understanding of those in the LGBT+ community.

You can explore all of our factsheets and guides here.

We also have four EDI Networks that members can join for just £10 per year, £20 per year for retired members, £30 per year for non-PDA members, or FREE to PDA Student and PDA Trainee members.
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PDA invites members to complete a Learning Needs Survey

To further improve the support provided through PDA Education, we are asking all members to complete a short Learning Needs Survey.

PDA’s Education Hub is an online platform that provides free training and guidance to PDA members. It was launched in August 2020 to supply provisionally registered pharmacists with the support they needed. However, the platform has since developed to offer a range of free resources exclusively for PDA members.

We want to ensure that PDA Education is as useful and accessible as possible so that it can sufficiently support members. Therefore, the results of this survey will be used to shape the PDA Education programme for 2025, ensuring that members get more of the training opportunities they need.

PDA members are invited to complete this survey by Monday 18 November 2024. The survey should take no longer than 5 minutes.
COMPLETE THE SURVEY HERE

Save up to 40% on home appliances

Did you know that as a PDA member, you can save up to 40% on home appliances from Hotpoint, Whirlpool, and Indesit? This offer includes dishwashers, washing machines, fridge-freezers, and more as well as a ten-year parts guarantee on most products. So, if you’re a first-time home buyer or looking to upgrade your current home appliances, you can benefit from this deal. You can also get your freestanding washing machines, washer dryers, and dishwashers connected for a fee of £25 or your old appliances removed for a fee of £18.

Learn more and see how you can benefit by logging into your PDA Plus account today!
LOG IN TO YOUR PDA PLUS ACCOUNT TODAY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pharmacists' Defence Association is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England; Company No 4746656.

The Pharmacists' Defence Association is an appointed representative in respect of insurance mediation activities only of
The Pharmacy Insurance Agency Limited which is registered in England and Wales under company number 2591975
and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Register No 307063)

The PDA Union is recognised by the Certification Officer as an independent trade union.

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