News summary

Two new schools of pharmacy are being planned by universities, if they can get approval from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the Higher Education Funding Council for England...[more]

There is to be a judicial review of the legality of the sale of levonorgestrel in pharmacies...[more]

Community health councils were given a new lease of life when a Conservative and Liberal Democratic amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill was passed in the House of Lords on April 24...[more]

The Pharmacy Healthcare Scheme is to take a new direction following major changes to its board of directors...[more]

There are not enough community pharmacists in Britain to implement the government's agenda for pharmacy, says the National Pharmaceutical Association...[more]

The Pharmaceutical Journal editorial board will meet for the first time in June and comprises the following pharmacists representing a wide range of the profession...[more]

Two new schools of pharmacy planned

Two new schools of pharmacy are being planned by universities, if they can get approval from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. One is at the University of East Anglia; the other is planned by the University of Kent with the University of Greenwich.

Professor Sam Leinster, dean of a new medical school at the University of East Anglia, which is to take its first students in 2002, says that his university would be a sensible choice for a new school of pharmacy because, in addition to the new medical school, it already has a strong health sciences school and an ethos of integrated learning. Although the university's plans are at a preliminary stage, discussions having been limited to local pharmacists, the university is to meet representatives of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on June 14.

“Pharmacy is an important profession in health care and will increasingly be so,” he says. “It makes all sorts of sense to have a school of pharmacy here. We are exploring what sort of curriculum we would have and how to deliver it to fit in with our patient-centred ethos. Our approach will be different because our approach to health care is different to other places. We certainly won't be following the traditional approach.”

The Universities of Kent and Greenwich have agreed to work towards opening a joint school of pharmacy at Kent's Medway campus, with the first intake of students being planned for 2003.

Professor of microbiology Peter Jeffries says that Kent is a good choice for a new pharmacy school because there are calls for pharmacy education in the region, there is an overall need for more pharmacists and the two universities have a history of collaboration. There are also complementary interests between the universities and hospital, community and industrial pharmacy. An innovative course is to be designed over the coming six months.

Neither Kent nor Greenwich universities have medical schools, but they see pharmacy as an area in which they have relevant scientific expertise. Greenwich offers a pharmaceutical sciences degree and the two run a joint pharmaceutical chemistry degree. There are also molecular sciences and biosciences degrees.

The Kent and Greenwich pro-vice-chancellors met Society representatives on May 1.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has a neutral role as far as the opening of new schools of pharmacy is concerned.

Alan Nathan, chairman of the Society's Education Committee, explained that the Society neither encourages nor discourages applications. It simply assesses them against the curriculum criteria for registrable pharmacy degrees.

“The Education Committee has to satisfy itself that any university wanting to put up a registrable pharmacy degree can produce a course of equal standard and quality to existing ones,” he said. “Some people say we should not allow new pharmacy schools, but the Society does not have that power.”

However, the hurdle potential new schools of pharmacy have to overcome is a high one. In addition to meeting the degree accreditation criteria, potential new schools have to satisfy the Society that they have sufficient funding, sufficient staffing and a track record in relevant research.

In addition, there is a financial cost. Accreditation is only free of charge for established pharmacy schools. This means that new schools have to pay the cost of annual accreditation of their degrees until the first cohort of students has graduated. After that, they are treated as established schools of pharmacy.

In 1989 the former Heriot-Watt school of pharmacy in Edinburgh was closed after the University Grants Committee seized on pharmacy manpower reports which suggested that there was a sufficient supply of pharmacists. Heriot-Watt took 40 students a year, but the UGC believed 60 to be the minimum viable intake. At the time, the university was turning away nine in every 10 applicants.

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Review for OTC levonorgestrel

There is to be a judicial review of the legality of the sale of levonorgestrel in pharmacies.

On May 2, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children satisfied Mr Justice Scott Baker that a full hearing should be held into the society's claim that the supply of levonorgestrel should only be permitted subject to the provisions of abortion legislation and the Offences Against the Persons Act 1861 (PJ, April 28, p564).

A spokesman for the SPUC told The Journal that no Department of Health representative attended the hearing to oppose the society's application.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society says that levonorgestrel is not abortifacient because it acts before pregnancy is established.

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CHCs saved along with Health Bill

Community health councils were given a new lease of life when a Conservative and Liberal Democratic amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill was passed in the House of Lords on April 24.

If, as is widely expected, a general election is called on May 8 — to take place on June 7 — the Bill will be central to behind-the-scenes deals between the parties as business is rushed through before Parliament is dissolved.

The Government is thought to be unlikely to let the whole Bill fall if it does not have the opportunity to reinstate its original clause to abolish community health councils in England. This is a compromise which would be welcomed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, which has campaigned extensively to ensure that enabling legislation is in place for pharmacists to be able to extend their roles once the Bill becomes law.

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New direction for health promotion

The Pharmacy Healthcare Scheme is to take a new direction following major changes to its board of directors.

A new chairwoman, Yve Buckland, has been elected — Mrs Buckland also chairs the Health Development Agency — and a further four pharmacists and two public health experts are to be recruited to the board. With some existing members, the maximum size of the new board will be 10 members.

In addition, a communications manager is to be recruited to run a new communications programme, which is to include lectures at national conferences, articles in influential journals and collaboration with other health care organisations on promotional campaigns.

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More pharmacists needed for NHS plan

There are not enough community pharmacists in Britain to implement the government's agenda for pharmacy, says the National Pharmaceutical Association.

At its April meeting, the NPA management board estimated that changes to repeat dispensing alone would increase workload by 20 per cent. Although this could be delegated, pharmacists were still needed for supervision. Cognitive services, such as medicines management, smoking cessation and prescribing for minor ailments would further increase the demand.

Other matters considered by the NPA board follow.

Malaria The NPA's malaria prophylaxis chart is to be redesigned to make it clear that second-line regimens are not alternatives, but are for people with a contraindication to first-line prophylaxis. Patient group directions for prescription-only prophylaxis are to be explored.

Older people A resource pack to support pharmacists providing services for the elderly within the national service framework for older people (PJ, March 31, p415) is to be produced.

Containers Patient packs of some generic medicines in the form of recloseable pots, rather than blister packs, put pharmacists in breach of the Code of Ethics, which requires dispensing in child resistant packages. The matter is to be taken up with manufacturers.

Advertising The NPA is to oppose direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines because advertising is intended to persuade, rather than to inform.

Election results The new chairman of the NPA board is Gerald Alexander (North London). Terry Hannawin (Northern Ireland) is vice-chairman and Wally Dove (South Region) is treasurer.

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Editorial board appointed for The Pharmaceutical Journal

The Pharmaceutical Journal editorial board will meet for the first time in June and comprises the following pharmacists representing a wide range of the profession.

Angela Alexander is secretary to Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire local pharmaceutical committees and Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education tutor for Berkshire. She is vice-chairman of the College of Pharmacy Practice.

Judy Cantrill is professor of medicines (usage, evaluation and policy) at the school of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Manchester. She also has a joint appointment with the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre.

Anthony Cox is a pharmacist at City Hospital NHS Trust, Birmingham, and the West Midlands Centre for Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting. He is also a postgraduate student at Aston University.

Noel Dixon and John Hall are community pharmacists in Co Durham. They were joint winners of the first Pharmaceutical Care Award and both are honorary lecturers at the University of Sunderland. They are committed to developing the extended role for community pharmacists.

Nick Hale is branch manager of Moss Pharmacy, Eastleigh, Hampshire, and prescribing adviser for Eastleigh North Primary Care Group, local branch committee member and local pharmacy development group member.

Christina Lowe is quality control manager and radiopharmacist for Swansea NHS Trust. Current posts include Morgannwg local branch secretary and GHP compounding interest group chairman.

Norman Lannigan is trust chief pharmacist of Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust and immediate past chairman of the Hospital Pharmacists Group of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. He received the Charter Silver Medal for 2000.

Bob Rihal is a community pharmacist of 20 years' experience with four pharmacies in south London. He is chairman of London, Southwark and Lewisham LPC and lead pharmacist for Lewisham PCG.

Steve Wicks is executive director for pharmaceutical research and development for Pfizer Ltd with responsibility for staff in Kent and Germany. He is a member of the Industrial Pharmacists Group committee.

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