Journal of Pharmacy Management - Jan 2022

Journal of Pharmacy Management • Volume 38 • Issue 1 • January 2022 Therewill come a timewhen journals no longer include articles about the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has not yet arrived, and this issue contains two such articles. We have selected these because they are not concerned with maintaining services but with improving them, demonstrating that even in the most difficult times development and enhancement is possible. Karen Lee and her colleagues describe how they had to change the way a pharmacist-led anticoagulation service was operated as a result of the pandemic, while Mahesh Mistry and Jo Loague look at improving engagement betweenmedicines optimisation teams and the general practices they serve. Both articles repay careful study. While the deployment of pharmacists in general practices and Primary Care Networks is very much to be welcomed, it is undoubtedly true that this rollout has not been without difficulties. In some cases pharmacists entering these new roles have reported a disparity between their expectations and those of their new employers, and a lack of professional support as they enter into a new professional setting. Colleagues in Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Professor Nina Barnett and Aanya Shah provide us with a fascinating pilot study on the work of a mentor or coach in supporting these pharmacists. They are quick to note that this is very much in its early development, but it seemed to us to be worth sharing now, because there is a current need that this paper points to, and suggests a method of addressing. Incidentally, Aanya is a third-year psychology student at Edinburgh University; proof, if it were needed, that you are never too young to publish if the material is good enough. We welcome papers from people in other fields where relevant to pharmacy practice. Dr Adam Mackridge is interviewed here about the use being made of independent prescribers in community pharmacy across Wales. We have no doubt that the principles displayed here may have relevance in other countries, although, of course, the representative bodies and structures will differ; but he offers an exciting overview of the way in which independent prescribing in community pharmacy can make a real difference to patient care. This is very much an interim report; things are moving very quickly, and no doubt this is something we will return to in the future. Increasingly pharmacy team members are being asked in engage in reflective practice. While this may not be new to younger colleagues, for those of an earlier vintage thinking in this way may not come easily. In our Leadership section Dave Cosgrove gives some practical pointers to improving our reflective practice and making it work for us as a spur and framework for self-improvement. Finally, we thought it would be interesting to have a subjective view of what the past year has felt like. The statistics tell a tale, but it is clear that they do not fully convey the rapid changes to which pharmacy has successfully adapted, the pressures of the pandemic and, particularly, the vaccination programme, and the complexity of the regular changes in guidelines that have had to be implemented at extremely short notice. We are very grateful to Chris Grahame for giving us just such a view. EDITORIAL 2