In this issue:
- Welcome
- PDA General Practice survey
- PDA members at QE Birmingham work together to influence changes to weekend working hours
- The foundation training year and beginning work
- Black Country pioneer clinical peer mentoring scheme for clinicians in primary care
- Workplace support and becoming a PDA NHS Rep
- Get involved
- In case you missed it
Welcome to the October edition of the NHS Pharmacists’ Newsletter
Since the last edition, there have been many developments within the PDA. We now have over 30 PDA Reps within the NHS who are having a real impact in their workplace. If you are interested in becoming a PDA Rep you can find more details here.
The PDA regularly works with PDA members in their workplace to ensure members’ voices are heard and pharmacists have their say within the NHS.
The first meeting of the PDA NHS Reps’ Network was on 27 June and Michal Lamparski, PDA Rep at Royal Devon University NHS Foundation Trust, and Jyoti Saini, PDA Rep at the Black Country ICB, talked about the work they have done as reps. Michal talked about how he communicates with members by setting up a WhatsApp group to enable discussion and support. Jyoti talked about how she gained union recognition for the PDA in her ICB, getting the PDA on the JNCC (Joint Negotiating Consultative Committee) and the presentations she has done on wellbeing. You can read more about the Network here.
Upcoming events for NHS members this Autumn:
- 17 October: All changes in ICBs: How does it affect members and what’s the role of the PDA? Learn more and register here.
- 24 October: PDA GP work satisfaction event. More details including how to register can be found here.
PDA General Practice survey
After a hiatus during the Covid-19 pandemic, we believed that a survey of members working in general practice would be beneficial to seek the views of members working in primary care.
The questionnaire was drafted with support from primary care pharmacists in our regional committees and ran for four weeks during May and June 2023. The survey had a significant number of questions, and we thank those members who took the time to complete it as they have provided a fascinating (and at times concerning) snapshot of how things are on the general practice frontline.
The survey had an overall response rate of 1,378, with some interesting variations in the responses from pharmacists across the four UK nations.
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PDA members at QE Birmingham work together to influence changes to weekend working hours
The Foundation Training Year and beginning work
My experience of the Foundation Training Year was definitely one to remember. I remember being so anxious to not only move away from home but to then start a new job in a hospital after having two years of online university! However, the staff here at my trust were very welcoming and I was lucky to have such a good support system of fellow foundation pharmacists. This helped to remind me we are all in this together.
Having partaken in the Foundation Training Year, it has cemented my love of pharmacy. I know now for sure that hospital pharmacy is definitely my niche. I have had the opportunity to sit in on surgeries, and work on speciality wards such as neurology, cardiology, oncology and paediatrics.
Black Country pioneer clinical peer mentoring scheme for clinicians in primary care
By Jyoti Saini, PDA Regional Committee member for West and Wales and primary care pharmacist
Being a PDA Rep has helped me to realise that, in particular, any new pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in primary care can benefit from the support of 1-1 mentoring. That’s why I joined the mentoring programme within the training hub.
What is mentoring?
Mentoring is a learning relationship, generally focused on long-term professional and personal development. The primary purpose is to drive personal growth, building skills, knowledge and understanding.
Mentors support and encourage their mentees by offering suggestions and knowledge, both general and specific. The goal is to empower mentees to find their own solutions to any problems or questions they may have and support them to achieve their goals.
The PDA offers Mentoring and Mentee Training Programmes for members, those wishing to learn more can enquire with PDA Education by emailing pdaeducation@pda-union.org.
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Workplace support and becoming a PDA NHS Rep
I was very impressed when I received a follow-up email from the PDA to enquire how the issues had been resolved with retrospective advice on how to deal with issues like these in the future. I was then told about the role of PDA NHS Reps and presented with the opportunity to become one as my hospital currently does not have a specific union rep for pharmacists. Having done the initial training, I’ve found many useful resources and training opportunities that will help me support my colleagues in the NHS workplace. It can be hard to raise concerns, but it’s important to do so to ensure a safe and cohesive working environment and the PDA gives you the tools and support you need to be able to carry out this role.
I am currently awaiting recognition at my Trust and look forward to opportunities to speak with reps from other disciplines within the NHS to contribute to a positive working environment. I am also excited to pursue further training opportunities with the PDA which I believe will enhance my skills as a healthcare professional.
Get involved
Those who wish can become a PDA Workplace Rep here or they can also get involved with their Regional Committee here.
The PDA also has four Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Networks available for members to join. All networks welcome allies and PDA Student and PDA Trainee members can join for FREE. More information can be found here.
We encourage you to forward this newsletter to colleagues who you feel may find it interesting and if they are not yet members of the PDA and wish to join they can do so here.
In case you missed it
- Celebrating 75 years of the NHS
- Long-awaited NHS England plan sets out programme for development of the pharmacy workforce
- Supporting greater diversity in pharmacy leadership
- PDA launches Early Careers Network for trainee pharmacists and pharmacists in the first five years of their career
- The Health and Social Care Committee’s expert panel publish their report on hospital pharmacy which includes comments from PDA NHS members. Learn more here.
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