The world of pharmacy in the UK includes a number of organisations that influence how the profession works. The PDA are proud to be the independent trade union for pharmacists and to play our part, but for the system to work best we also need the other organisations to be effective and contribute appropriately.
That includes pharmacists having a professional body, a key role undertaken in Great Britain by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). Many PDA members are also RPS members and we all need to see the RPS performing in the interests of pharmacists, hence we have an interest in the RPS being led effectively.
We encourage pharmacists to consider joining the RPS, which you can do here: https://www.rpharms.com/membership and to vote in the elections so that the people leading the professional body for pharmacists are ensuring that organisation is doing the best it can.
The RPS is currently starting an election process for seats in England, Scotland and Wales and the PDA are asking any potential candidates to consider the following issues and how RPS will act upon them:
1. Safer Pharmacies CharterAll pharmacies need to be run safely, with patient safety placed above profit. The PDA have developed a charter for basic standards that need to be maintained at all times.
However, pharmacists tell us these standards are often not being met. We would welcome the RPS supporting our campaign to ensure pharmacies are safe for patients and for pharmacists.
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2. Future of pharmacyWe need the future of pharmacy to provide a rewarding career path for pharmacists that make best use of their skills and provide value to patients, the taxpayer and to the pharmacist We need to be a respected healthcare profession that adds value in community, primary care, hospital and elsewhere. We need to be delivering pharmaceutical care in a way that plays a vital part in the nation’s health system. The PDA developed our “Road Map” strategy and have continued to argue for a clear role for pharmacists to be agreed by the profession and governments. Cutting pharmacy budgets and deskilling the role is not the answer. The pharmacy profession needs to pursue the introduction of an agreed overarching strategy in each UK nation which incorporates appropriately trained specialist pharmacists in every sector where medicines are prescribed, supplied or administered to patients.
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3. Remote SupervisionThe PDA have led the campaign to resist various attempts to introduce remote supervision and have successfully prevented it from being introduced thus far. We must continue to stop this dilution of patient safety happening. The RPS have an extra responsibility, as a member of the Rebalancing Medicines Legislation and Pharmacy Regulation Programme board, to oppose any such proposals and those that lead the RPS need to be clear about the organisation’s position.
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4. A strong voice for pharmacistsPharmacists need a strong voice speaking up for them as the pharmacy profession. The PDA, as the only independent trade union exclusively for pharmacists, provides a strong voice in the workplace but there is also a need for an effective professional body focused exclusively on pharmacists. The interests of patients, non-pharmacist colleagues and others all have a place, but to ensure the voice of pharmacists is heard, the RPS must also focus exclusively on the important issues as they impact upon pharmacists. We want to see the leadership of the RPS continue to keep the RPS as the voice of pharmacists and not widen membership eligibility beyond pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists and pharmacy students/pre-registration trainees. |