pharmacists in secure environments - Royal Pharmaceutical Society

n e w s r o u n d u p
m e D I A v i e w
New conference for
new-look Society
Professional support for memebers
Sam Lister, Health Editor, The Times
Under pressure? - Look at the USA
Obama’s healthcare plan in pieces
In step with its changing face as
a professional body, a brand new
conference is being launched by the
Royal Pharmaceutical Society, to be held at
Imperial College in London on Sunday and
Monday September 5 and 6.
Carrying the theme “Supporting Patient
and Professional Decision-Making”, the RPS
Conference 2010 is replacing the British
Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) and has a
specialised focus on front line pharmacists
and practice.
The RPS Conference 2010 will showcase
how the Society as the new professional
leadership body is supporting its members
to develop their professional, practice and
leadership skills. It will provide an important
opportunity for pharmacists to learn about
the latest practice developments from across
Great Britain, develop their skills and network
with peers and leaders in the profession.
It will also explore how pharmacists
can tackle issues professionally as their
clinical role increases and will provide an
enlightening forum for in-depth and multiprofessional
discussions that will bring
practical solutions to life.
The science element of BPC will now be
run at a separate conference held by the
Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APS)
for pharmaceutical scientists, although the
RPS conference will also maintain a “science
into practice” element.
“I’m delighted to officially announce our
new conference, which is at an excellent
London venue,” says RPSGB Chief Executive
Jeremy Holmes.
“The two-day programme focussing on
professionalism and pharmacy practice has
been developed to reflect the major changes
in the profession and has a real emphasis on
a pharmacist’s role as a public-facing health
professional.”
The programme will be led by Conference
Chair, Professor Marjorie Weiss, Professor
of Pharmacy Practice & Medicine Use at the
University of Bath, together with professional
leads from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
and its membership.
Thought-provoking
sessions to empower
your professional
and leadership skills
Marjorie says; “This is a not-to-be-missed
event for pharmacists and will showcase
the latest practice research. It will feature
thought-provoking sessions to empower
your professional and leadership skills
through networking and workshops which
will be both inspiring and interactive.”
The Society is now calling on contributions
in any area of pharmacy practice research for
the conference, either as an oral or poster
presentation. Research and development in
clinical pharmacy and education will also be
considered.
Submissions should be either for the
‘’practice development and audit’ or
‘practice research’ category. It should
relate to original, previously unpublished
work contributing to the understanding,
development or evaluation of pharmacy
practice.
Meanwhile, nominations or applications
for the Practice Research Award at the
Society’s Conference 2010 are being invited
for consideration by the conference Practice
Research Panel.
This prestigious award, sponsored by the
Pharmacy Practice Research Trust, recognises
individuals who have made a significant
contribution to the field of pharmacy
practice research and who have the potential
to become a leader in the field.
The 2009 award went to Dr Darren
Ashcroft, Reader in Medicines Usage
and Safety, School of Pharmacy and
Pharmaceutical Science at the University
of Manchester for his work into medicines
usage and in particular quality and safety.
Dr Ashcroft said: “The Practice Research
Award recognised my research and work
over the last 10 years studying drug related
morbidity in the UK and its development
into a wider European context. Winning this
award meant a lot to me.”
Typically, applicants should be at the midpoint
of their career (e.g. Senior Lecturer
or Senior Research Fellow). The winner will
receive a cheque for £1000 and have the
opportunity to deliver a 30-minute lecture at
the Society’s Conference 2010 in September,
based primarily on the applicant’s own
research.
Beth Allen, Acting Director of the
Pharmacy Practice Research Trust said: “The
Trust is pleased to continue its support for
this award. It complements so well our
objective of developing and promoting
academic excellence in pharmacy practice
research. Since we started our support of
this award the two recipients, Dr Margaret
Watson and Dr Darren Ashcroft, have
proved to be worthy winners through their
continuing significant contributions to
pharmacy practice research.” n
The closing date for receiving abstracts for
the conference and/or applications for the
award is 5pm on Tuesday April 13. For full
details visit http://beta.pharmacyplb.com/
events-and-courses/the-royal-pharmaceuticalsociety-conference-2010.asp
The woes and warnings
associated with
healthcare in the UK
may be troubling, but spare a
thought for the Americans.
The United States, the only
industrialised nation that does
not guarantee health coverage
for all its citizens, is fast heading
for the critical list with its
health system ailments. Some
47 million people are without
insurance, medical costs are
rising, doctors’ bills cause most
personal bankruptcies and its
federal programme for the
elderly is unsustainable. For
all its clinical innovation, the
world’s most affluent nation can
be a tough place to get ill.
Barack Obama acknowledged
as much in making healthcare
his top priority on entering the
White House. He promised
change, making healthcare a
fundamental right. Insurance
would be mandatory, either
through a person’s employer or
a government scheme. There
would be tighter regulation
(stopping insurers refusing
to cover people with preexisting
conditions or dropping
them when they get ill). New
mechanisms would control
treatment and drug prices,
while a voluntary insurance
programme would be offered for
long-term care.
Perfect storm
It was a big wish-list, but all
seemed to be going to plan.
By the start of this year, the
Obama administration had
sign-offs from the House of
Representatives and the Senate.
It looked like they could trip
and still stumble over the finish
line. And then, in a perfect
storm of poor politicking, the
Democrats failed to quell rising
anger over the cost and structure
of the programme, added in
some cynical insurance caveats
to please their union backers,
and then contrived to lose
Ted Kennedy’s Massachusetts
Senate seat (and with it their
all-important voting “supermajority”).
A few months on,
and Barack’s grand plan for
healthcare is in pieces.
Think-tanks
argued over
excessive
federal control,
and the
government’s
suitability to
regulate quality
and costs
On a recent trip to
Washington DC, I met with
legislators, pollsters and
commentators from across the
political spectrum who threw
light on this extraordinary turn
of events. It also offered ideas
on ways forward – and a lesson
learnt from the country’s recent
pills and pharmacy legislation.
There was broad agreement
that an overhaul of healthcare
is a must. Tom Daschle, the
Democrat former Senate majority
leader, put it simply: the US does
not have a healthcare system; it
is an amalgam of market forces
which do not prioritise quality.
Republican congressman Charles
Boustany, a cardiothoracic
surgeon, pointed to flaws in the
way hospitals and doctors were
paid – rewarding patient numbers
over best practice. Think-tanks
argued over excessive federal
control, and the government’s
suitability to regulate quality
and costs, while some even
questioned healthcare as a
fundamental right. There is, as
Newsweek columnist Robert
Samuelson observed, an intrinsic
part of the American psyche that
demands autonomy.
An overarching theme was
the sheer size of Obama’s
legislation: it is too unwieldy,
too all consuming, too divisive
and too poorly unpacked and
explained to the public. While
Americans continue to lose their
jobs, sweeping trillion-dollar
healthcare reform is the wrong
priority (a point acknowledged
in its B-league position in the
State of the Union address).
However close things came
to being passed, those on the
political frontline now doubt
any great health overhaul will
be signed with a single stroke of
the legislative pen.
A lunch with Mark McClellan,
a senior fellow of the Brookings
Institution, offered clues
as to what next. McClellan
served both Clinton and Bush
administrations, most recently
running Medicare and Medicaid,
the federal programmes covering
the elderly, disabled and the
poor. In this role, he oversaw the
introduction of a new benefits
scheme for prescription drugs,
designed to ensure patients could
afford the treatments they need
at their pharmacies. The scheme
offered initial coverage of up to
$2,250, with extra allowances
where required. Money that
went unused was reabsorbed into
the patient’s benefits package,
encouraging sensible claims and
spending.
Generic drugs
The legislation was big, but
specific enough to avoid the
reform-stalling divisions that
have scuppered past attempts
to reshape healthcare. It got the
votes needed. McClellan said
that since implementation in
2006, the use of generic drugs
has risen from half to 70%,
while the cost of prescription
claims has dropped by 40%.
Others backed his assertion that
it had improved coverage and
brought some savings.
As President Obama and his
team chew over the healthcare
year ahead, they might look to
this lesson: dump plays at vast
reform and go for incremental
shifts – or risk missing out
entirely on the change so sorely
needed.
Food for thought across the
pond too. For all its monolithic,
multi-layered structures, the
NHS can be a pleasantly simple
place. n
l Sam Lister is Health Editor of
The Times. An award-winning
former health correspondent
and news editor, he has covered
the NHS and medical workforce
through reformation and revolt
and groundbreaking advances
in clinical practice and disease
control.
10 Pharmacy Professional | March 2010
March 2010 | Pharmacy Professional
11