Insight Online – September 2024 | The Pharmacists' Defence Association

In this issue:

PDA launches the Medicines to Gaza Campaign
PDA’s response to Darzi Review
Inequalities in Health Alliance welcomes the government’s commitment to tackle health inequalities
PDA releases flu and Covid-19 vaccination services guidance 2024
NAWP encourages pharmacists to take part in Wear it Pink
Are you fit to sit for the November 2024 assessment?
Latest news
FREE PDA resources
Take advantage of upcoming PDA events
Enjoy a range of PDA Plus benefits!

PDA launches the Medicines to Gaza Campaign

The successful Medicines to Ukraine campaign was part of a European collaboration which raised more than £4.5 million for medicines for Ukraine. We are delighted to announce that the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and national pharmacy leadership organisations from across four different regions of the world will now join us to support a humanitarian relief campaign called ‘Medicines to Gaza’.

PDA representatives attended the annual FIP congress in South Africa to launch the next phase of the ‘Medicines To…’ initiative in collaboration with FIP.

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PDA’s response to Darzi Review

We have made an initial response to the Darzi Review Report.Though it pulls no punches and makes tough reading, the Darzi Review is a very welcome piece of work and finally, with a new government, there is now a real opportunity after years of neglect to start to repair the NHS.

Many PDA members work in hospitals, community pharmacies, and in GP surgeries and some work in all of the above as part of their portfolio careers.

Lord Darzi has stated that “My colleagues in the NHS are working harder than ever but our productivity has fallen.”

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Inequalities in Health Alliance welcomes the government’s commitment to tackle health inequalities

The Inequalities in Health Alliance (IHA) has released an open letter to Andrew Gwynne MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention, welcoming the government’s commitment to tackle health inequalities.
We support this initiative and are part of the IHA which has over 250 member organisations convened by the Royal College of Physicians.

The letter focuses on the commitment to establish a Mission Delivery Board (MDB) to bring together all government departments with an influence over the social determinants of health. The health MDB has the potential to tackle the root causes of illness, such as poor housing, lack of educational opportunity, employment (including how much money someone has), racism and discrimination, food quality and ability to make healthy choices, transport and air quality.

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PDA releases flu and Covid-19 vaccination services guidance 2024

Our advice line receives numerous calls from members each season around the provision of flu vaccination services. This year the PDA has received questions primarily around the volume and safe administration of flu and Covid-19 vaccines and the targets that some pharmacy owners and superintendent pharmacists are setting.

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NAWP encourages pharmacists to take part in Wear it Pink

The PDA NAWP Network is encouraging all pharmacists to take part in Wear it Pink. Pharmacists are invited to get involved by sending a photo of themselves wearing pink to nawp@the-pda.org by Sunday 6 October. The photos will be used to create a poster, which will be shared on social media to help raise donations and awareness of the charity and the important work they do.

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Are you fit to sit the November 2024 assessment?

We are offering advice to those eligible to sit the November 2024 assessment as they enter their final weeks of preparation.You can withdraw between now and at any point before you sign the non-disclosure agreement at the workstation and declare yourself ‘fit to sit’.

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

23/9/24 – PDA BAME Network invites nominations for upcoming elections

19/9/24 – NHS Pharmacists’ Newsletter – September 2024

18/9/24 – PDA update on the NPA’s second ‘Day of Action’ campaign

17/9/24 – The highs and lows of being on-call

6/9/24 – PDA LGBT+ Network attends Manchester Pride 2024

4/9/24 – Navigating the future: The crucial role of ethics and governance of AI integration in pharmacy

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FREE PDA resources

Did you know that the PDA has a range of FREE resources covering different health issues such as Fibromyalgia, Endometriosis, Ovarian Cancer and more? These resources have been designed by the PDA’s Equality Diversity, and Inclusion Networks and are FREE to PDA members.

As September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month, the PDA BAME Network released a factsheet to mark the month. The factsheet aims to help raise awareness of the disease and help employers understand that pharmacists diagnosed with sickle cell may need time off work for medical appointments and treatment. Learn more and download the FREE factsheet by clicking here.

You can explore all of our factsheets and guides here.

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Take advantage of upcoming PDA events

We host a range of events for PDA members to get involved in throughout the year. Below are just some of our upcoming events and sessions. Find more of our events here.

The Pharmacy Show

The Pharmacy Show returns to Birmingham this October (13-14) to offer UK community and primary care pharmacists, education, and networking opportunities. We are proud to once again support the show and will deliver two sessions this year. ‘Standing Up for Sitting Down‘ takes place in the Business Theatre on Sunday 13 October (10.20 am to10.50 am) and ‘PDA Safer Pharmacies Charter‘ takes place in the Business Theatre on Monday 14 October (9.35 am to 10.05 am).

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Reclaiming Narratives: A Black History Month Event

The PDA BAME Network is hosting an online panel event to celebrate Black History Month. This informal networking event will cover reclaiming narratives in pharmacy. Those attending the event will also hear from panel speakers and will be given the opportunity to listen to the panellist’s experiences, share their own experiences and ask questions.

Time: 8 pm to 9.30 pm
Date: Thursday 24 October
Location: Online via Microsoft Teams
Price: FREE

Learn more and register here

Clinical Pharmacy Congress North

CPC North is returning this November following the success of the inaugural CPC North last year, which saw over 1,200 pharmacy professionals in Manchester for an enriching and engaging experience. We will be delivering one session at CPC North this year, ‘Stopping racism at the front line of pharmacy‘ in the Strategy Theatre on Friday 1 November from 11:45 am – 12:15 pm.

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Save 10% on vehicle breakdown cover

Did you know that PDA members can save 10% on annual personal or vehicle breakdown cover with Start Rescue? Vehicle breakdown policies can start from just £18.78 per year with your discount. This deal also includes no excess charges on direct purchases and limited callouts, accident recovery and misfuel cover as standard.

Learn more and see how you can benefit by logging into your PDA Plus account today!

Insight Online – September 2024