RPS NEWS
ROYAL PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY NEWS ROUNDUP
NEW POLICY LEAD FOR RPS SCOTLAND
We are excited to announce that Laura Wilson has been appointed as the new Policy and Practice Lead for RPS in Scotland, following the retirement of Aileen Bryson.
Laura took up her new post this month and joins the RPS from her current role at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde where she is an Advanced Pharmacist in Addiction Services. Laura is an independent prescriber, a member of HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland and has previous experience as a teacher practitioner at Strathclyde University. She has also worked closely with community pharmacists in her current role and worked as both a community and hospital pharmacist.
‘I am delighted to be appointed as Policy and Practice Lead for the RPS in Scotland,’ Laura said: ‘I am looking forward to working to promote the pharmacy profession across Scotland and working with colleagues in England and Wales to do the same across GB. I am excited to embrace the challenges my new role will bring and to have the opportunity to engage with members in Scotland to find out how the RPS can work to support them and the amazing work they do.’
‘I am so pleased that Laura is joining the RPS Scotland team,’ added Clare Morrison, RPS Director for Scotland. ‘Laura brings wide- ranging experience across many areas of pharmacy that will be hugely beneficial for the role. Our team at RPS Scotland is committed to supporting and leading the pharmacy profession to deliver the best care for patients, and I know Laura will play an essential role in that going forward.’
RPS RESPONDS TO FITNESS TO PRACTICE CONSULTATION STRATEGY
We've submitted our response to the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPHC’s) consultation on its future strategy for managing fitness to practise concerns about pharmacy professionals.
‘We very much welcome the consultation’ said RPS President Sandra Gidley ‘which aims to ensure patients are protected whilst promoting and encouraging a learning culture that allows pharmacy professionals to deal with any concerns and go back to practising in appropriate circumstances.
‘Registrants from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities are currently disproportionately represented in Fitness to Practise (FtP) cases. By talking to our membership and the wider profession, including our ABCD group, we have identified potential barriers for people with protected characteristics and suggested measures to address any inequalities and bias within decision making. We would like to see further transparency and details from the GPhC as to how they are working to remove potential barriers.
‘We are pleased with the person-centred approach which, when applied, will offer greater support for everyone involved in FtP cases. We also support the aim of promoting reflection and learning through the use of several, more flexible, outcomes such as reflective pieces and mediation. However, more detail is needed on these proposals.’
COULD YOUR PHARMACY BECOME A SAFE SPACE?
Concerns have been raised by charities, organisations and helplines about the increased risk to those suffering from domestic abuse or violence during periods of lockdown. With access to some services restricted due to the pandemic, community pharmacies offer accessible and local safe spaces for anyone needing support.
We’re encouraging pharmacies to consider getting involved. Here are details of the schemes now available for pharmacies to sign up to and provide vital support: •UK SAYS NO MORE is working with pharmacies across the UK to provide Safe Spaces in their consultation rooms for people experiencing domestic abuse. If you would like to offer a safe space in your pharmacy, you can find out more here:
https://uksaysnomore.org/safespaces/becoming-a- safe-space/. • The ‘Ask for ANI’ scheme, which was launched this month, is intended to work alongside and build on existing initiatives to provide an additional tool that can be used to help the most vulnerable victims access emergency support in the community.
The scheme allows those at risk or suffering from abuse to discreetly signal that they need help and to access support. By asking for ANI, a trained pharmacy worker will offer a private space where they can understand if the victim needs to speak to the police or would like help to access support services such as a national or local domestic abuse helplines.
You can find out more here:
https://www.gov.uk/topic/law-justice-system/domestic-violence. DEVELOPING PHARMACY NETWORKING
We're planning to create a new online community to facilitate pharmacist networking. Your views will determine whether we go ahead and, if so, help us to develop a mobile-friendly service that meets members’ needs.
‘We heard clearly in our wellbeing survey that some pharmacists are feeling isolated,’ said Clare Morrison, RPS Director for Scotland and lead for the networking project. ‘Creating an online community is part of what we are doing to support better wellbeing among the pharmacy profession. But we really need pharmacists’ help to get this new service right. Whenever a new service is created, it is essential to involve the people who will actually use it in the service design. That’s why we are so keen for pharmacists to be involved in shaping what our new online community will look like.’
Check out our website
www.rpharms.com or follow our Twitter account @RPSScotland to find out more. 10
scottishpharmacist.com
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