Pharmacy In Practice Podcast

Leadership in Scottish Community pharmacy circles has been alive and kicking for some years now. The policy document 'The Right Medicine' published back in February 2002 was a seminal moment for Scottish community pharmacy and paved the way for the way pharmaceutical care has evolved north of the border. In the heady days just after Scottish devolution Chief Pharmaceutical Officier Bill Scott pushed through this plan to allow pharmacists and their teams in Scotland to allow patients in Scotland to realise the benefits of pharmaceutical care.  "The Right Medicine: a strategy for pharmaceutical care in Scotland" was published on 4 February. It aims to help people to get the maximum benefit from their medicines. It outlines the way in which pharmacists and the Scottish Executive will work with stakeholders to improve public health; provide better access to care; deliver better quality services for people; and develop the pharmaceutical profession." So it seems appropriate that just over two decades on years on we chat with the boss of one of the community pharmacy chains that grew out of this period of Scottish political and community pharmacy history.  This interview is with Richard Stephenson. Richard has been Chief Operating Officer at Right Medicine Pharmacy for approximately 13 years. He is also Managing Director of the buying group Edinpharm and leads his own consultancy business, R5 Consult.  In addition to these roles Richard also gives his time voluntarily to a number of worthy causes not least his role as Trustee at the Children's Panel.  The team at Right Medicine Pharmacy began their journey in 2000 when business partners Jonathan Burton MBE and Noel Wicks took over the Campus Pharmacy at the University of Stirling. Since then the group has grown in size to 35 Pharmacies and over 250 team members. Right Medicine Pharmacy is now considered to be one of the most progressive and cutting-edge pharmacy service providers in Scotland. References Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates

Trevor Gore and I return with an introductory podcast revealing our plans for 2023. We’ll rattle through the UK pharmacy news, catch up on stories beyond pharmacy and discuss our monthly featured interview. It will hopefully be a lot of fun.

Patient group directions have traditionally been a ‘stop gap’ option, especially in the era before pharmacist independent prescribing. This debate will explore the future of patient group directions by community pharmacists. Many have lauded patient group directions as an excellent tool to extend the scope of practice of community pharmacists. However, many would say that a tick box technical process serves to continue the de-professionalisation of the pharmacist profession. In the coming years all pharmacists will qualify as independent prescribers but will they be able to make the step away from structured tick box pharmaceutical care or will they embrace uncertainty? Professor Harry McQuillan Chief executive of Community Pharmacy Scotland In addition to his role at Community Pharmacy Scotland Harry is also visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde and a RNID pension fund trustee. Siddiqur Rahman GP pharmacist Siddiqur is a pharmacist who works in general practice, he is an independent prescriber, PCN clinical lead, Co-Director of the Pharmacist Co-operative and a PDA Union representative. Professor Derek Evans Travel health pharmacist Derek Evans is a pharmacist who owns a private travel health consultancy. He has worked in community pharmacy in many specialist roles and senior management positions. Farzana Haq GP pharmacist Practice pharmacist with experience in community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, primary care and NHS 24.

The debate based on whether or not screening for atrial fibrillation should be deployed nationally in Scotland has been progressing for some years now. There is precedent for such schemes elsewhere but so far there has been no nod to such a national service in Scotland. Does the evidence stack up in favour of such scheme?  Should pharmacists be involved? If such a screening programme went national what precedent might it set for other clinical areas? What political lever would need to be pulled to make these things happen? You can view all the sessions at the Future Pharmacist conference by clicking here.  Thank you to our conference sponsors Wylie And Bisset. Find out more here.

The Aural Apothecary Podcast has captured the imagination of pharmacists across the land and has provided some light-hearted relief from what has been a tricky few years.  The podcast is a lighthearted take on the world of medicines, pharmacy and healthcare in the UK from Jamie, Gimmo and Steve the Chemist. They have welcomed a number of guests onto their podcast and have asked each to describe their favourite song, book and drug.  We are extremely proud to welcome them as guests at our inaugural conference. For fun, we will turn the tables and find out their favourite books, drugs and songs. You can view all the sessions at the Future Pharmacist conference by clicking here.  Thank you to our conference sponsors Wylie And Bisset. Find out more here.

Getting involved in research activities can feel daunting. As pharmacists, it could be argued that we don’t prioritise research in our careers enough. This session will involve a conversation between some of the top pharmacists involved in research in the UK. With decades of experience between them, we are hopeful that they might share their insights on why research matters and also some simple, manageable steps you can take to start your own research journey. Professor Mags Watson Professor of Health Services Research and Pharmacy Practice University of Strathclyde Independent consultant. Watson Research & Training Limited – health services research (HSR), HSR training, mentoring & coaching. Registered pharmacist. Professor Catriona Matheson Professor in substance use Professor in substance use at the University of Stirling, a freelance researcher in drug dependence and Chair of Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce. Dr Hayley Gorton Research and community pharmacist Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at the University of Huddersfield, interested in suicide research, community pharmacist and lead at RPS Greater Manchester. You can view all the sessions at the Future Pharmacist conference by clicking here.  Thank you to our conference sponsors Wylie And Bisset. Find out more here.

Is the rise of robotics in the sector a threat or an opportunity? Learn about the range of robotic options available in pharmacy. Hear first-hand feedback about the use of the various types of robots. Understand the workflow implications. Find out about the return on investment on the various robots on the market. Understand some of the downsides of robots. Learn about the long term impact of the various robots on the future of community pharmacy. James Semple Community pharmacy contractor James Semple, Contractor and Vice-chairman of the Community Pharmacy Scotland Board. Kevin Murphy Co-founder of Medpoint Superintendent Pharmacist at Wellbeing Pharmacies Group, Co-founder and Clinical Director at Acorn. You can view all the sessions at the Future Pharmacist conference by clicking here.  Thank you to our conference sponsors Wylie And Bisset. Find out more here.

For a number of years, there has been a movement towards advanced practice for pharmacists. Our panellists for this session has been right at the sharp end of developing and championing this movement. Learning objectives from this session include: Gain an understanding of what advanced practice is. Take part in debate around why consultant level practice for pharmacists is something we as a profession should aspire to. Consider whether the ‘procrastinating perfectionism’ that has been described by authors like Zubin Austin could act as a barrier to these goals. Learn about how you might start your own journey towards advanced practice as a pharmacist. Panellists Gordon Rushworth GP pharmacist and educator Programme Director, Highland Pharmacy Education & Research Centre, NHS Highland. FRPharmS(Consultant). Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner in GP. Paul Forsyth Lead pharmacist clinical cardiology Paul Forsyth currently works at the Department of Pharmacy, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. He has an interest in the education of pharmacists and in particular competency-based learning as a progression towards advanced practice. Susan Roberts Associate Pharmacy Postgraduate Dean Susan is currently the Associate Pharmacy Postgraduate Dean at NHS Education for Scotland, she is a pharmacist and educator. She recently was asked by the CPhO to lead pharmacy operations at the Louisa Jordan hospital in Glasgow. Jacqueline Sneddon Antimicrobial pharmacist Antimicrobial pharmacist, interested in education and QI. Programmes Manager for BSAC, member of RPS Scottish Pharmacy Board and RPS AMR EAG. Fiona Marra Paediatric pharmacist MPharm (Consultant). Lead Clinician Paediatric Infection (SPAIIN). Principal Pharmacist U of Liv & PHS. PhD candidate. You can view all the sessions at the Future Pharmacist conference by clicking here.  Thank you to our conference sponsors Wylie And Bisset. Find out more here.

Many pharmacists dislike failure. Research literature around this topic has characterised pharmacists as procrastinating perfectionists. If we assume these traits are well observed and we are aware of them then how do we as pharmacists ensure there is space to fail, learn and grow. Gary Redfeather Academic pharmacist Clinical, medical leadership, education and research programme lead at De Montford University. Yousaf Ahmad Chief Pharmacist Non-executive director, global pharmacy ambassador, advisory and editorial board member, university teacher practitioner. You can view all the sessions at the Future Pharmacist conference by clicking here.  Thank you to our conference sponsors Wylie And Bisset. Find out more here.

Minna Eii is an Advanced Pharmacist Practitioner in Acute medicine. She is Vice-Chair of Sustainability at The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists and also a Member of Pharmacy Declares (Twitter: @PharmDeclares) environmentally conscious pharmacy professionals calling for climate health/action, leadership, education, declaration, divestment. You can view all the sessions at the Future Pharmacist conference by clicking here.  Thank you to our conference sponsors Wylie And Bisset. Find out more here.

Ade Williams is the Superintendent Pharmacist at Bedminster Pharmacy in  Bristol, also part of the prescribing clinical team at Broadmead Medical Practice, a local GP surgery and the Associate Non-Executive Director of the North  Bristol Trust. You can view all the sessions at the Future Pharmacist conference by clicking here.  Thank you to our conference sponsors Wylie And Bisset. Find out more here.

Listening to the patient voice has always been very important to us at Pharmacy in Practice.  Dr Ruth Edwards was diagnosed with breast cancer a number of years ago and since then she has courageously faced into the disease and more than that has shared her experience with considerable candour for the benefit of others, not least her pharmacist colleagues. You can view all the sessions at the Future Pharmacist conference by clicking here.  Thank you to our conference sponsors Wylie And Bisset. Find out more here.

There’s a big world out there beyond UK pharmacy and a few years ago Dr Catherine Duggan stepped out into it. As the CEO of The International Pharmaceutical Federation, she has demonstrated transformational leadership globally.  Through this work, she has championed the role of the pharmacist in many countries around the world.  We are extremely fortunate to welcome her to the inaugural Future Pharmacist conference to explain how the pharmacist profession has developed globally especially in light of recent events. You can view all the sessions at the Future Pharmacist conference by clicking here.  Thank you to our conference sponsors Wylie And Bisset. Find out more here.

The future of Scottish pharmacy We are very proud to be joined by the newly appointed Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for Scotland and Honorary Professor at the Robert Gordon University Alison Strath. Pharmacy in Scotland continues to thrive but what lies ahead?  Alison has for years been one of the most visionary leaders in Scottish pharmacy so it is, therefore, a pleasure to welcome her to describe what her view of the future could look like. You can view all the sessions at the Future Pharmacist conference by clicking here.  Thank you to our conference sponsors Wylie And Bisset. Find out more here.

David Wightman was one of the youngest ever funeral directors in the UK. He has over 28 years of experience in his sector. We were very lucky to have some of his time to discuss his insight into death and dealing with families at the end of life. We had a good chat about the topic of death and how pharmacists might make an input when people are going through bereavement. About David David's new business, Prokey, is a new vaccination and management solution that aims to address this unmet need through a partnership with Pharmadoctor, the UK’s leading provider of vaccination service packages to UK pharmacies. Tapping into Pharmadoctor’s network of over 8,000 partner community pharmacies, Prokey provides funeral directors, private care sector works, lifeboat crews, first aiders and emergency service workers with a one-stop-shop vaccination service, ensuring businesses and organisations can find out which vaccines their teams require and arrange access for them. Pharmacies will be able to opt in to participate in the Pharmadoctor-Prokey Partnership and receive client referrals. Pharmadoctor will support Prokey clients to register online for a service such as hepatitis B vaccination, then, via the Prokey website, book an appointment at their local Pharmadoctor partner pharmacy to receive their jab(s). Prokey founder and CEO David Wightman is a serving funeral director and embalmer with nearly 30 years experience, a seasoned health and safety officer and an active lifeboat volunteer based in the beautiful seaside town of Broughty Ferry on the east coast of Scotland. Commenting on why he created Prokey, David says: “Having struggled to manage and source the appropriate vaccinations for my team of funeral directors in my role as health and safety officer, I wanted to create a simple solution which can be used by other professional and volunteer organisations across the UK so that they can protect their teams with the minimum hassle and disruption”. He goes on to say “When you’re out there helping others, your own safety can be the last thing on your mind. I genuinely want to see everyone around me carry out their duties as safely as possible, so if you are in the business of helping others, Prokey’s in the business of helping you”. David told us that Prokey has already teamed up with pharmacy group Davidsons Chemist so that their 44 branches throughout Scotland will provide the Prokey service. Commenting on the partnership with Prokey, Davidsons Chemists Superintendent Pharmacist Karen Gordon said: “Our collaboration with Prokey will provide the communities our pharmacies serve with cost-effective private vaccination services in addition to the clinical services our branches already provide”. Mrs Gordon goes on to say “we hope our collaboration with Prokey also helps to highlight the wider value community pharmacies play in providing the public with access to convenient local healthcare services”. You can find out more about Prokey on their website.

We were very pleased to catch up with Leyla Hannbeck. Leyla is a pharmacist and CEO of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies. We chatted about all things community pharmacy and in particular explored Leyla's views on how to make working in community pharmacy a more attractive proposition for pharmacists. 

Going into this series (with an open mind) we have made a few assumptions about the current 'lie of the community pharmacy training land' and it is largely that there is very little investment in community pharmacist development above and beyond mandatory training requirements. As part of this series, we will talk to a range of key players in pharmacy with an interest in community pharmacist education and training. My co-host for many of the series will be fellow pharmacist Derek Evans. In this episode, we were very fortunate to be joined by Professor Larry Goodyer.  Larry Goodyer is Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the School of Pharmacy at De Montfort University UK. We discussed a range of topics. the list below will give you a flavour of the conversation. The current state of community pharmacy in the UK. The community pharmacy workforce crisis. Training activity currently happening in community pharmacy. Whether or not community pharmacists are knowingly competent when using their independent prescribing qualification. The regulation of independent prescribing. Futures training models for community pharmacists. The importance of supervision and multidisciplinary working. About Professor Larry Goodyer Larry Goodyer is Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the School of Pharmacy at De Montfort University UK. He worked as a clinical pharmacist through much of the 1980s and early 90s and until 2003 was Head of the Pharmacy Practice group at King’s College London. His principal interest is within the field of travel medicine, in which he is keen to promote the role of pharmacists. He has lectured and taught widely on Travel Medicine to both Health professionals and the public and has been invited to address both national and international conferences on the subject, as well as appearances on television and radio broadcasts. Related research interests include methods for bite avoidance and medical supplies for overseas travel. More broadly in his capacity as a Professor of Pharmacy Practice, he has been involved in research and teaching on a wide range of issues related to the profession of Pharmacy. These include new roles for pharmacists such as prescribing and medicines management. About Derek Evens Derek Evans FRPharmS, FRGS, FFTM RCPS (Glasg), FISTM, Independent Prescriber. Independent Travel Medicine Specialist and Consultant. Adjunct Clinical Professor in Pharmacy Practice. Doctor of World Sciences (h.c. CCU/USA).

This has been a very disruptive period in our recent history and community pharmacists across the land have been thrust to the fore. The public-facing side of community pharmacy has remained resolute but we know that behind the scenes everyone in the sector is tired. Despite this heroic effort and undoubted fatigue, we hope you can join us as we begin to look to the future specifically in the area of community pharmacy training.  This podcast marks the beginning of a series where we discuss the current reality of community pharmacy training, vaccination services and autonomous working in the UK, what possibly needs to change and what future models might look like.  We are hoping to start a conversation about what we have come to expect as 'normal' in terms of community pharmacy training and associated career progression.  We have talked to hundreds of community pharmacists over the years as part of our work publishing various stories on Pharmacy in Practice and a recurrent theme is a lack of time. And usually a lack of time for training.  Going into this series (with an open mind) we have made a few assumptions about the current 'lie of the community pharmacy training land' and it is largely that there is very little investment in community pharmacist development above and beyond mandatory training requirements.  As part of this series, we will talk to a range of key players in pharmacy with an interest in community pharmacist education and training.  My co-host for many of the series will be fellow pharmacist Derek Evans. About Derek Derek Evans FRPharmS, FRGS, FFTM RCPS (Glasg), FISTM, Independent Prescriber. Independent Travel Medicine Specialist and Consultant. Adjunct Clinical Professor in Pharmacy Practice. Doctor of World Sciences (h.c. CCU/USA). Don't forget to check out our brand new (and ever-expanding!) community pharmacy training content. You can start learning by clicking here.

Well, it has been a while since we have recorded a podcast on Pharmacy in Practice so when I was recently in touch with friend of PIP Jonathan Underhill I suggested we have a chat. And it was a fun, interesting and insightful conversation. We recorded the episode first thing on Monday morning after the England football defeat. We had a chat about Gareth Southgate's leadership and what the pharmacist profession can learn from him. We also talked about how the various sectors of pharmacy have weathered the pandemic and where the profession goes next. Professionalism, competence, shared decision making and the future for pharmacists were also topics we covered. Jonathan completed his pharmacy degree at Sunderland and has post-graduate qualifications from London and Liverpool Universities as well as the Institute for Learning and Development. He began his career as a hospital pharmacist in London before joining the National Prescribing Centre (NPC) in 1996. Working on MeReC publications and then developing an educational network/eLearning platform for evidence-based therapeutics and Information Mastery gave him a passion for understanding how clinicians keep up to date and help people make informed choices about their medicines. Now as a consultant clinical adviser for NICE, he inputs into those Clinical Guidelines that have a large medicines component, oversees outputs from the NICE Medicines team such as evidence summaries on new medicines and Antimicrobial Prescribing Guidelines as well as providing NHS access to the BNF. He also has an honorary post at the Keele School of Pharmacy teaching under and post-graduates as well as pursuing his research interests in Evidence-Informed Decision Making. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists and a qualified COVID-19 vaccinator. This gives him less time than he would like to devote to the passions in his life such as mindful walks in the Cheshire countryside with his soulmate Wor Bobby the Border Terrier, captaining his village cricket team, singing in his decidedly ordinary style with some incredibly talented rock musicians and his long-standing and largely unrewarded devotion to NUFC.

Laura Smith CTA is a Partner at Wylie & Bisset. We kick off a new season of podcasts on Pharmacy in Practice by talking to her about IR35. We have published a number of articles recently on this topic so thought it was time to have a chat with the experts.  If you enjoy this episode and the PIP podcast please feel free to leave a review on your podcast player. It helps others to find us. For tax advice please contact your accountant. every situation is different and will potentially require advice specific to you. Previous coverage of the IR35 topic on PIP Could IR35 be good for pharmacist locums? Will IR35 change locum life forever? Is IR35 a potential tax time-bomb for pharmacist locums? About our guest Laura Smith CTA joined Wylie & Bisset in April 2016 as a Manager in the WB Healthcare team, was promoted to Head of Healthcare in July 2018, with a further promotion to Director in July 2019 and now partner with effect from 1st April 2021. Until joining Wylie & Bisset in April 2016, Laura spent the majority of her career working with a top 10 accountancy firm in Glasgow. Whilst developing her tax career and experience in the professional services sector, with a particular focus on the healthcare sector, Laura qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2013. Laura heads up the WB Healthcare team in all aspects of accounting and taxation matters, under the lead of partner Tom McGuire. In addition to the review of accounts for Healthcare sector clients, her expertise covers personal taxation including capital gains tax planning, remuneration planning, and advising on inheritance tax issues and planning considerations. The Pharmacy in Practice podcast is kindly supported by Glasgow based Wylie & Bisset LLP chartered accountants. Wylie & Bisset LLP is a leading chartered accountants Glasgow-based practice, with a national reach, whose growth has been organic, through referral and reputation.  They have the background, expertise and extensive resources required to provide your business or organisation with the right solutions when it comes to managing and growing your business. The firm covers the whole of the UK, providing business advisory and support services to clients across a wide range of public and private sectors, ensuring you have access to the best possible accountancy and tax planning advice so your business runs smoothly, is financially sound and complies with regulatory and legal controls. Their approach is proactive and “hands-on” via a true partner-led service, which they believe is the best way to provide their clients with a first-class service. Their commitment to excellence and efficient service has maintained a reputation for high-quality professionalism and awareness, ensuring ongoing client loyalty and recurring referrals. If you are searching for a hands-on partner-led firm of accountants in Glasgow contact us today to see how they can assist your business.