Monthly Archives: January 2016

Working together

When I was a small boy, there were certain people placed on a list by my mother as “Boys you shouldn’t play with”. (Ten years later, she produced a similar list of girls, which, of course, made them much more interesting, but we’ll let that pass for now.)

The difficulty was that one of the boys sat next to me in the classroom, so I had to work with him from time to time. His reputation seemed undeserved to me, and we got along perfectly well.

This is very like the position that some parts of the NHS think they are in with the pharmaceutical industry – encouraged to pursue joint working, but very wary that they may come to rue having done so.

This is not made easier because any attempt on the part of NHS staff to understand the ABPI Code is thwarted by apparent differences in the companies’ application of it. Some of us at Pharmacy Management were just as baffled by the Code until we had training from Dr Rina Newton at CompliMed Ltd – and now we are jointly offering that training to others.

The content dictates that the group has to be fairly small – no more than 15 NHS and 15 industry delegates – in order that they can get the most from their day.

As you will see from the library section of this website, transparency and good governance are crucial to Pharmacy Management’s activities. We do everything we can to ensure that our meetings are fully compliant with the Code of Practice and that we make it as easy as we can for attendees to make appropriate disclosures. Come to the training and you’ll understand why we do some of the things we do – and don’t do.

Not only that, you’ll pick up some invaluable tips that will enable you to pursue joint working without any fear of improprieties in NHS-industry relationships.

Draw back the curtains

The story starts here with an article we published in the Journal of Pharmacy Management:
www.pmhealthcare.co.uk/uploads/mediacentre/Pharmacy_Man_July_2015.pdf

We then followed up with market research which produced some staggering results. These will be delivered at meetings in Slough (23rd Feb), Coventry (24th Feb) and Sheffield (25th Feb).
BUT WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO MAKE IT WORTH ATTENDING?

Of course, diagnosing a problem is one thing, but we need to treat it if we can.
1. Professional writers will produce detailed reports of what the pharmacists in workshops agree needs to be done and HOW
2. Pharmacy Management will produce the AREA PRESCRIBING COMMITTEE TOOLKIT FOR SUCCESS – a comprehensive document with practical advice for each aspect identified as needing fixing in the Workshops
3. Later in the year the Pharmacy Management Academy will be offering training sessions in skills for delivering a successful meeting –

  • preparation
  • chairmanship
  • report writing
  • project management.

So do you want to make the journey with us and see the “chink of light”?
To book your place – which is free to NHS pharmacists – go to www.pmhealthcare.co.uk/events/england
If you encounter any issues contact [email protected] who will be happy to help.

We’ve had a meeting of the Committee

colin crompton

Readers of a certain age may remember The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club, set in a fictitious working men’s club and in which club chairman Colin Crompton (above) prefaced his announcements with the phrase in the title.

Those announcements gave the impression that the Committee was bogged down in minutiae and did not actually achieve very much. That feeling will resonate with many of us, because it is true of a lot of our committee work.

It is certainly borne out by the responses to the Pharmacy Management survey about the workings of Area Prescribing Committees. It is clear that many pharmacists are frustrated and unhappy about the productivity of their local APC.

The question is – what are we going to do about it?

Come along to one of our three APC workshops in February where we’ll be sharing experiences and learning from each other. We have to make APCs work, so let’s put our heads together and make a difference.

You can register at www.pmhealthcare.co.uk/events.