Category: News

Community pharmacies across Northern Ireland will provide a Pharmacy First service again this winter to encourage patients to contact their local chemist for treatment and advice on a range of common winter conditions.

The Pharmacy First service is a winter initiative by the health service which enables patients to have a consultation virtually or in a private area with their local community pharmacist. Pharmacists can offer advice and treatment for common conditions like sore throat and common colds, recommend treatment and refer patients to other healthcare professionals as appropriate. 

Patients can call into a community pharmacy for a consultation, but for infection control purposes, it is preferable if they ring the pharmacy first for advice.  They can then have a consultation with the pharmacist over the phone, a video call or go to the pharmacy in person. Remote consultations will also be available for those who are vulnerable, patients who are continuing to shield, and those isolating due to COVID-19, who are unable to get medical advice for winter and COVID care. Anyone experiencing any COVID symptoms such as high temperature, continuous cough or loss of taste or smell should NOT go into the pharmacy.

Last winter, over 8000 consultations per month were offered to patients.  92% of people who used the service previously said they felt more confident about managing their cold or sore throat after speaking to their community pharmacist.

Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, Department of Health said,

“Community pharmacists are the first point of contact for many people in need of healthcare advice and support, with nearly 10% of the population visiting one of our community pharmacies every day. This year our health service has seen unprecedented and unrelenting pressures across the whole system, and our community pharmacy teams adapted remarkably well to fast-changing circumstances and adjusted their services so they could continue to support people at a challenging time.”

“Community pharmacy teams are now developing their role as an integral part of the Health Service, and are delivering a range of new services specifically designed to meet the needs of our population during the pandemic period. The  ‘Pharmacy First’ service will offer people the opportunity to readily access a consultation with a highly trained healthcare professional for advice and treatment for common winter conditions, and relive pressures on other acute care providers such as GPs and Emergency Departments.”

Joe Brogan, Head of Pharmacy, Health and Social Care Board said,

“The Covid-19 pandemic continues to put huge pressures on the health and social care system. Community pharmacists have played an important role throughout this pandemic and will continue to do so this winter as we experience a second surge. We encourage the public, when they have a minor ailment such as a sore throat or a cold and are considering going to their GP – to think Pharmacy First. Community pharmacists will use their skills and expertise to provide advice and treatment for a range of common conditions. This will help support GP practices, GP out-of-hours services and Emergency Departments over the coming months when winter ailments occur more frequently.” 

Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy NI, Gerard Greene continued:

“We are pleased to be launching this year’s Pharmacy First for Winter Ailments Service at community pharmacies across Northern Ireland. With the health service already under tremendous strain, and on course for further winter pressures, this service will allow community pharmacies to manage common ailments such as sore throats and the common cold whilst easing pressures on other parts of our health service.”

“As we enter cold and flu season, community pharmacists will ensure available and accessible care is provided for people in the local community, to help them manage minor conditions at home. We expect there to be an upsurge in cold and other winter ailments and that is why we have put in place the Pharmacy First Service: to continue to be the front door to the health service, providing expert assessments, advice and treatments.”

“We would like to remind patients who are experiencing any COVID symptoms such as high temperature, continuous cough or loss of taste or smell NOT to go into the pharmacy, please phone your pharmacy instead for advice.”

With so much continued uncertainty around how to manage COVID, the community pharmacy network is also playing an important role in assisting patients through this period in a safe and remote fashion. I would strongly encourage anyone unable to access face-to-face advice and assistance from their community pharmacy because they are shielding, isolating or vulnerable to get into contact with their local community pharmacy to schedule a telephone or video consultation.”

Michael Hill, Community Pharmacist from Hill’s Pharmacy in Tandragee said:

“Throughout the pandemic we have seen the enormous pressure placed upon our health services. Not only are we now facing a second wave, but we are facing it during winter flu season and that requires a radical rethink of how we treat patients.”

“Community pharmacy teams are proud to be able to play our part in ensuring care continues to be provided in the local community as far as possible, to relieve pressures on other parts of the health service, particularly for  minor conditions.”

“Our community pharmacies will become important hubs for people in the community so they can access good advice and healthcare this winter. The remote access feature of the service we offer will also benefit greatly those who have to shield, those who are vulnerable and those who may be COVID symptomatic and unable to leave the house. We know many of our patients will find this service of huge benefit. We would encourage everyone to work with us and use the service if they need it.”

The Pharmacy First service will be available from participating community pharmacies from 2^nd November 2020 until 31^st March 2021.  All patients registered with a GP in Northern Ireland can use this service, with the exception of temporary residents and patients living in nursing or residential homes.

OVER 1,100 JOBS FOR NI PHARMACY IN NEXT FIVE YEARS

More than 1,100 additional roles in the pharmacy sector in Northern Ireland will be required over the next five years. The opportunities – which will see current vacancies filled as well as new roles created in response to the development of new pharmacy services – will include up to 560 community, hospital and general practice pharmacists and over 600 pharmacy technicians.

The search and recruitment will be supported by the ‘Pharmacy Futures NI’ joint campaign, launched today by the Department of Health for Northern Ireland and Pharmacy Forum NI – the professional leadership body for pharmacists in Northern Ireland.

Sheelin McKeagney, Chair of Pharmacy Forum NI, commented:

“Over the past decade in particular we have seen demand for pharmacists increase significantly as hospitals introduced seven day working and new roles have been created in the hospital and general practice sectors – many of which have been filled by experienced community pharmacists.

“While all of these factors have placed enormous pressures on the existing workforce, they have given us an opportunity to attract, recruit and retain more pharmacists into the sector in Northern Ireland.”

The requirement for the roles has been identified in the Department’s ‘Pharmacy Workforce Review’, also published today and which is designed to inform Health and Social Care (HSC) workforce development needs in the pharmacy sector over the next 10 years. Developed specifically to respond to the Review’s recommendations, ‘Pharmacy Futures NI’ is initially aimed at students thinking of entering the profession and pharmacists working away from home who may be thinking of returning to Northern Ireland.

Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, Department of Health NI, explained:

“Over the last 30 years the pharmacy profession has been on a transition from the traditional dispensing of medicines to patient facing clinical roles. This expanding clinical role of pharmacists, supported by pharmacy technicians and adoption of technologies such as automation and robots, has resulted in greater effectiveness and importantly better health outcomes for patients.

“Consequently, these professional groups are in high demand and this will only continue to grow in the coming years – bringing a need to recruit additional pharmacists, alongside skilled pharmacy technicians and pharmacy support staff.”

The recommendations contained within the Review are consistent with proposals for UK-wide reform of the initial education and training of pharmacists in the coming years, which aim to ensure that pharmacy students are prepared for increasingly clinical roles in a multi-sector health environment across hospitals, general practice and community pharmacy.

Sheelin McKeagney, Chair of Pharmacy Forum NI, added:

“The Pharmacy Futures NI campaign will promote pharmacy as a career of choice in Northern Ireland – underpinned by a wide range of compelling factors such as greater opportunities for career progression and development, a fully integrated health and social care model, alongside the lower cost of living and quality of life for which the region is so well renowned.

“Through Pharmacy Futures NI, we will highlight the exciting new era into which the pharmacy profession in Northern Ireland is entering,” Mr McKeagney continued.

“For example, incoming changes to the initial education and training of pharmacists across the UK, which will include reform of the current pre-registration year, will fully equip our future pharmacists for a range of clinical roles working directly with patients to optimise their outcomes from medicines.”

“This, alongside many new service development interventions in pharmacy, will see the role of pharmacists expand to encompass a much wider range of clinical services and will enable pharmacists a greater focus on their remit as medicines experts.”

The Pharmacy Futures NI campaign will run from today, 9 November 2020, until early January 2021 and will feature range of creative initiatives, including videos, digital assets and website) which will act as a recruitment hub for those interested in pharmacy roles in Northern Ireland. Over 30 ‘Pharmacy Champions’ will act as key communicators during the campaign, charting their career pathways and sharing their career highlights and experiences in the profession.

For more information about the Pharmacy Futures NI info, visit www.pharmacyfuturesni.com

Health Minister Robin Swann has announced the publication of his Department’s Pharmacy Workforce Review.

The Review contains an analysis of the current pharmacy workforce in Northern Ireland and recommendations to inform the development of the pharmacy workforce over the next ten years.

Minister Swann said: “Pharmacists and their teams play an essential role in delivering health services to the people of Northern Ireland. This has been particularly evident in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic with pharmacy teams rising to the challenges posed by the emergency to adapt and maintain their services.

“With our aging population, our Health Service needs to care for increasing numbers of people with complex medical needs taking multiple medicines. Pharmacists with their unique set of skills and knowledge really are the medicines experts that our Health Service needs to help ensure that our people get the best possible outcomes from their medicines.

“Implementing the recommendations contained in the review will ensure that the pharmacy workforce has the necessary capability and capacity to fully support the transformation of our Health Service in the coming years.”

The recommendations contained within the Review are consistent with wider proposals for the UK-wide reform of the initial education and training of pharmacists previously announced by the UK pharmacy regulators, including the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland, in July 2020.

An early priority action for the Department, in response to the Review’s recommendations, is to take immediate steps to attract, recruit and retain more pharmacists in community, hospital and general practice roles within Northern Ireland.

Minister Swann added: “While some of the recommendations in the report will take time to implement fully, I am delighted to welcome today’s launch of ‘Pharmacy Futures NI’.

“This campaign will showcase the very best of our pharmacy profession, and demonstrate to current and future pharmacists from near and far why Northern Ireland is the best place to take the next step on their journey towards a rewarding career.”

Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at the Department of Health added: “Our review has considered the full scope of pharmacy practice in HSC settings, including community pharmacy, general practice and hospitals. The recommendations contained within the report are ambitious and transformational for the pharmacy profession in Northern Ireland. Pharmacy teams are a critical part of the multi-disciplinary medicines optimisation workforce required to ensure that our people get the most from the medicines that they use every day, and are in high demand as a result.”

“Planned reforms of the initial education and training of pharmacists in the UK will see pharmacists taking on increasingly clinical roles across all sectors. Optimising the skill mix of the pharmacy workforce is an essential part of realising the full potential of these wider developments. A central theme of the Review is developing the role of pharmacy technicians within the workforce in tandem with progressing the regulation and registration of pharmacy technicians as registered professionals in their own right.”

There has been a further call for the return of any oxygen cylinders currently not being used to any community pharmacy.

As with any patient returns at this time, caution should be taken when accepting returns, and appropriate decontamination measures should be taken. Please see a copy of the poster (previously circulated in March). You may wish to display this in your pharmacy.

Any assistance you can provide would be welcomed to support the ongoing COVID-19 situation.  

The Pharmacy First Winter Ailments service will operate again in community pharmacies from 2^ndNovember 2020 until 31^stMarch 2021.

The following service resources are available, on the dedicated Pharmacy First webpage on this website, available here.

• Service specification 20/21
• Service guide for community pharmacists 20/21
• Service Contract 20/21 – this should be signed and returned via email to your local HSCB office before you commence the service
• Privacy notice template
• Advice sheet for sore throat and common cold
• Advice sheet for patients with symptoms of Coronavirus
• Pharmacy First Monthly Record Form

CPNI have produced a 15 minute Pharmacy First training webinar, which we hope you find useful, available here. It should be used alongside the service specification and guidance to train all members of the pharmacy team involved in service delivery.

Printed copies of the service posters will be distributed to contracted pharmacies. Pharmacies may also wish to promote the Pharmacy First service on their social media accounts, using the patient information leaflet available on the BSO website. Pharmacy First communications will be shared on CPNI’s social media channels, please feel free to share.

If you have any queries in relation to the service please contact the pharmacy advisor in your local HSCB office or Kerry Grimes in the CPNI office.

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By James McCaughan, Chair, Community Pharmacy NI

Looking back on part of ‘Ask Your Pharmacist Week’, pharmacies across Northern Ireland showcased the range and quality of care they provide on a daily basis to all of those within their communities. Of course, the week has also allowed time to reflect on the services provided by our community pharmacies throughout the fight against Covid-19.

There is no doubt that Covid-19 has changed the face of community pharmacy. We are one of the key primary healthcare providers on the ground, ensuring that the safe supply of medicines is assured, and our patients and communities remain healthy and looked after. This is a role which we do not take lightly.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the community pharmacy workforce has stepped up to the mark and shown extraordinary strength and resilience under mounting pressure rarely experienced before.

We got back to our core service and adapted so that we could support our communities in the safest way possible. New measures had to be introduced quickly including screens and social distancing. Our working practices changed, literally overnight, and so did much of our lives. Hours increased, services changed, but the commitment of our local pharmacists remained. As an organisation, we are incredibly thankful for this.  

Moreover, as GPs became less accessible, local community pharmacies became the first port of call for anyone managing a lifelong condition or experiencing illness. From the beginning of the pandemic we have been inundated with patients, with local pharmacies across Northern Ireland seeing on average 40,000 more people per week. At several points we were seriously understaffed with 30% of pharmacists self-isolating, meaning those still working were doing 70-hour weeks.

Community Pharmacists have proven their valuable role during this time. During a period of uncertainty and fear, they have been a steady hand of reassurance, advice, and support for many people, including some of the most vulnerable in our local communities. I am proud of the work of my colleagues who stepped up to the plate when they were called upon.

In addition this year, we have focused on the expansion of our services within public health, including the free winter flu vaccine service offered to all health and social care staff, the Minor Ailments Service and the Pharmacy First programme. All of these services are working to ease pressures across the health service, allowing our HSC colleagues in areas such as GP surgeries and Emergency Departments to focus on critical patients and work towards ensuring accessible services are provided within all our communities.

Moving into winter, we are calling on everyone to pull together and work with us so we can continue to serve and provide for our communities with the same high standard of service delivered up to this point.

Whilst this period presents us with additional challenges in terms of services, we remain as committed and driven as ever to continue to help those who need us. Covid-19 has shown that the Northern Ireland health service is strong and resilient, but it is not unbreakable. We need to all work together and meet these challenges together and united.