What might the current Westminster Government mean for ... - BOPA
What might the current Westminster Government mean for ... - BOPA
What might the current Westminster Government mean for ... - BOPA
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Update to <strong>the</strong><br />
Innovation<br />
<strong>BOPA</strong> Strategic<br />
Plan 2009 –12<br />
I would like to use <strong>the</strong> opportunity of <strong>the</strong> first <strong>BOPA</strong> Bulletin to update members on progress<br />
with <strong>the</strong> Strategic Plan that I presented at last year’s Annual General Meeting<br />
We said <strong>BOPA</strong> would better meet<br />
<strong>the</strong> needs of existing members<br />
and attract new members<br />
• The Executive Committee asked Succinct<br />
Communications to undertake e-surveys<br />
and focus groups with members at<br />
last year’s annual symposia. The<br />
results of <strong>the</strong>se, toge<strong>the</strong>r with Succinct<br />
Communications’ suggestions <strong>for</strong><br />
proposed actions, can be found in <strong>the</strong><br />
‘Position statements and publications’<br />
page of <strong>the</strong> members section of <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>BOPA</strong> website. We have already<br />
implemented many of <strong>the</strong> proposed<br />
actions and it is our belief that moving<br />
<strong>for</strong>ward with <strong>the</strong> Strategic Plan will assist<br />
<strong>BOPA</strong> in meeting <strong>the</strong> needs of <strong>current</strong><br />
and future members, as identified by<br />
your responses to <strong>the</strong> surveys and focus<br />
groups.<br />
• You explained to us that <strong>the</strong> <strong>BOPA</strong> website<br />
was one of your key reasons <strong>for</strong> being<br />
a member of <strong>BOPA</strong>. In March 2010,<br />
we put a specification out to tender <strong>for</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> provision of a new, more functional,<br />
professional and user friendly website.<br />
You will find more in<strong>for</strong>mation on this<br />
development in <strong>the</strong> news section (p6).<br />
• You told us that <strong>the</strong> <strong>BOPA</strong> newsletter<br />
was ano<strong>the</strong>r service that you valued,<br />
although you suggested that it needed<br />
to be improved. As stated in <strong>the</strong> Chair’s<br />
introduction (p4), we have decided to<br />
partner with BJ Clin Pharm to provide<br />
this <strong>BOPA</strong> Bulletin and hope that this,<br />
our first <strong>BOPA</strong> Bulletin under <strong>the</strong> new<br />
arrangement, meets with your approval.<br />
We said <strong>BOPA</strong> would deliver<br />
an education and training<br />
programme that is fit <strong>for</strong> purpose<br />
and accessible to all<br />
• You told us that <strong>the</strong> annual symposia was<br />
ano<strong>the</strong>r of <strong>the</strong> key services you valued<br />
as a <strong>BOPA</strong> member. The programme <strong>for</strong><br />
this year’s event is now confirmed and<br />
can be found at www.bopasymposium.<br />
org. Once again, it is a joint conference<br />
with our colleagues in <strong>the</strong> United Kingdom<br />
<strong>BOPA</strong> Bulletin Issue 1 Summer 2010<br />
Oncology Nurses Society. The Committee<br />
always reviews your feedback <strong>for</strong>ms<br />
when deciding on <strong>the</strong> programme <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
next year. After Brighton 2009, you said<br />
you wanted more sessions <strong>for</strong> advanced<br />
practitioners – this year <strong>the</strong>re will be a ‘soft<br />
skills’ stream aswell as, hopefully, some<br />
poster discussion sessions.<br />
• You told us that <strong>the</strong> provision of e-based<br />
learning would be extremely desirable.<br />
We have received several responses to<br />
a specification <strong>for</strong> an e-learning website<br />
that we sent to a number of potential<br />
providers earlier on this year. Once we<br />
have assessed <strong>the</strong> quotes, we will decide<br />
on a provider and will <strong>the</strong>n enter into<br />
discussions with potential partners in <strong>the</strong><br />
pharmaceutical industry to help fund this<br />
initiative.<br />
• You said you very much valued <strong>BOPA</strong><br />
study days. In <strong>the</strong> long term, we plan to<br />
include funding <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> provision of study<br />
days in <strong>the</strong> discussions mentioned above.<br />
That way, we should be able to run<br />
<strong>BOPA</strong> study days that may not intrinsically<br />
lend <strong>the</strong>mselves to sponsorship. In <strong>the</strong><br />
short term, we have agreed plans to<br />
run at least three study days this year –<br />
on breast cancer, prostate cancer and<br />
pharmacogenetics.<br />
We said <strong>BOPA</strong> would ensure<br />
<strong>current</strong> and future pharmacy<br />
work<strong>for</strong>ce needs are addressed at<br />
national level<br />
• In my Chairman’s introduction to <strong>the</strong><br />
February 2009 newsletter I stated that<br />
<strong>the</strong> Committee has agreed to work to<br />
implement some of <strong>the</strong> recommendations<br />
from <strong>the</strong> <strong>BOPA</strong> ‘Cancer plan and <strong>the</strong><br />
pharmacy contribution to cancer care’<br />
paper from 2001. To this end, <strong>BOPA</strong> has<br />
now published its ‘Standards <strong>for</strong> clinical<br />
pharmacy verification of prescriptions <strong>for</strong><br />
cancer medicines’ and <strong>the</strong> more detailed<br />
supporting guidance, which we hope<br />
will allow a degree of standardisation<br />
of practice in <strong>the</strong> UK. In addition, we<br />
are now in <strong>the</strong> process of validating<br />
in a number of trusts <strong>the</strong> process times<br />
expected if <strong>the</strong>se standards were to be<br />
followed, in order to produce a final<br />
validated <strong>BOPA</strong> ‘Clinical pharmacy<br />
capacity planner.’ It is our hope that<br />
<strong>the</strong>se standards and <strong>the</strong> planner will<br />
allow trusts to compare <strong>the</strong>ir services<br />
against a national baseline and help<br />
us to understand where <strong>the</strong>re are gaps.<br />
Only <strong>the</strong>n can we seek to address <strong>the</strong>se<br />
shortcomings at a local and national level.<br />
We said <strong>BOPA</strong> would facilitate<br />
and increase <strong>the</strong> research<br />
ef<strong>for</strong>ts of our members<br />
• The Committee agreed that <strong>the</strong> first<br />
stage of this work, <strong>the</strong> building of<br />
a research strategy document <strong>for</strong><br />
consultation to members, should be<br />
led by <strong>the</strong> FCP. This work has been<br />
suspended until <strong>the</strong> future of <strong>the</strong> FCP<br />
and <strong>the</strong> Professional Leadership<br />
Body becomes clearer (see <strong>the</strong><br />
FCP Chair’s introduction <strong>for</strong> more<br />
in<strong>for</strong>mation, p4).<br />
We said <strong>BOPA</strong> would ensure<br />
that its members’ views are<br />
represented at national level<br />
• The Committee will propose some<br />
changes to <strong>the</strong> constitution at this year’s<br />
AGM that we believe will both allow <strong>the</strong><br />
Committee to be more representative of its<br />
diverse membership and also help more<br />
members to get involved in <strong>the</strong> work of<br />
<strong>BOPA</strong>, without major time commitment.<br />
We hope this will enable us to be more<br />
responsive and representative as an<br />
organisation.<br />
In summary, I believe we are making good<br />
progress in delivering <strong>the</strong> Strategic Plan<br />
and thank <strong>the</strong> members of <strong>the</strong> Committee<br />
<strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir hard work which, I think it is<br />
important to remember, is often undertaken<br />
in <strong>the</strong>ir own time and <strong>for</strong> free. However, I<br />
believe that to truly deliver what members<br />
need, we need you to be more involved.<br />
Your <strong>BOPA</strong> needs you!<br />
5