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Letters to the Editor
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British Pharmaceutical Conference
New national framework is a significant move
From Mr C. Ranshaw, FRPharmS
In your leading article “We
all could do better” (PJ, 9
September, p298) you expressed disappointment that the organisers of
the British Pharmaceutical Conference had not done more to invite pharmacists
with special clinical interests to talk about their work at the conference.
While the Royal Pharmaceutical Society was pleased that health minister
Andy Burnham chose to launch the new national framework for pharmacists
with special interests (PhwSIs) at the BPC, we only had short notice
of his intention to do so. However the move is a significant one for
the profession and attracted national media attention including a major
story in the Daily Mail of 5 September.
The BPC is a flagship event for the profession and the programme included
many expert practitioners who addressed the conference on a range of
subjects, including pharmacy prescribing, mental health, medicine usage
reviews and public health. The national framework will enable the pharmacists
to help people with long-term conditions to cope with their treatment
at home. Significantly David Colin-Thomé and Beth Taylor, two
members of the advisory group responsible for producing the framework,
were also speakers.
I am sure that those expert pharmacists who presented at the BPC this
year will be among the first to undergo training and gain accreditation
to enable them to become PhwSIs.
I also expect that many will return to the BPC in 2007 to share their
experiences and encourage fellow pharmacists to take up the challenge.
Colin Ranshaw
Chairman of the Conference Committee
Royal Pharmaceutical Society |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal