The National Pharmaceutical Association board of management has placed a question mark over the adequacy of the basic training of pharmacy undergraduates and preregistration trainees.
After considering the implications of the peppermint water case (PJ, March 11, p390) at their March meeting, board members decided that the matter should be looked at urgently by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Education Committee. They agreed to seek an assurance that training would be reviewed to ensure that the pharmacy curriculum adequately prepared graduates for extemporaneous dispensing.
The NPA board believed that the case highlighted deficiencies in the baseline knowledge and competencies that could be expected of preregistration trainees. This raised questions about the general preparedness for practice of pharmacy undergraduates and whether they were given sufficient tuition on the calculation of quantities of ingredients and the requisite compounding skills. Equally important was the ability of preregistration tutors to assess the knowledge and competence of trainees to ensure that deficiencies were addressed.
Board members felt that extemporaneous dispensing was a key role for community pharmacists which should be retained and that pharmacists should maintain a high level of supervision over it. Pharmacists should be personally involved in extemporaneous dispensing.
Agreeing that it was important to learn lessons from the incident and that all possible steps should be taken to prevent any repetition, they were concerned that any measures instituted should not be disproportionate. In particular, board members were concerned about suggestions that extemporaneous dispensing should not be carried out in community pharmacies.
It was agreed that the NPA should produce a book for use by members to keep records of extemporaneous dispensing.
Reports of other matters considered at the March meeting follow.
EHC Pharmacists should be able to prescribe emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) free of charge as a prescription medicine, board members decided (PJ, April 1, p498). Board members regarded EHC as a special area involving a wide sexual health role as well as the supply of a product. The provision of EHC was a public health service and was best positioned as a National Health Service prescribing role. EHC should be supplied from pharmacies free of charge. It was not acceptable that people might be able to obtain it free of charge from NHS walk-in centres yet be expected to pay for it at pharmacies.
Walk-in centres Integration, rather than duplication, of services at NHS walk-in centres was needed, the NPA board felt. There was a strong case for encouraging nurses at walk-in centres to refer people to local pharmacies for advice on the treatment of minor ailments. Pharmacy owners should be able to tender for walk-in centres to operate within their premises. This would be particularly important in deprived areas where demand was insufficient to support a stand alone walk-in centre.
PCT boards The NPA board reaffirmed its view that it was essential that community pharmacists should seek places on the newly forming primary care trust executive committees in order to influence the local planning and delivery of health care. Recently published statutory instruments and guidance on the make up and establishment of the executive committees provided opportunities for community pharmacists to gain places on the committees. Local pharmaceutical committees were in a strong position to put forward suitable candidates. It was agreed to approach other pharmacy bodies to discuss the pooling of resources to provide support for pharmacists who might be appointed.
NPA roadshow Six dates were fixed as part of the NPA's "Ask your pharmacist" millennium roadshow, which is to tour Britain from May 22 to promote community pharmacy to consumers. The meetings would provide opportunities for members to discuss ideas and concerns. Senior NPA staff would be available. The meetings would be: May 26, Croydon, Hilton Hotel; June 2, Cardiff, Thistle Park Hotel; June 9, Manchester, Palace Hotel; June 16, Belfast, Europa Hotel; June 23, Edinburgh, Caledonian Hotel; and June 30, Birmingham, Grand Hotel. The launch of the consumer side of the roadshow would be at London's Covent Garden Piazza on May 22.