The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7470 p317
22 September 2007

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Practice-based commissioning awareness week

Pharmacy practice-based commissioning (PBC) week kicks off on Monday with several activities organised both nationally and locally.

The organisers say that the week (24–28 September 2007) is designed to raise awareness of PBC, a key driver for service redesign, and help overcome a widespread lack of pharmacy engagement with the process. PBC week has been organised by national pharmacy bodies, some of which have produced updated guidance and tools to coincide with it (see Panel below).

Colette McCreedy, director of practice at the National Pharmacy Association, warned that wherever pharmacists practise in England, they are taking a gamble if they ignore PBC.

Some pharmacists and local pharmaceutical committees are using the week as a target for making service proposals under PBC. Stephen Fishwick, head of NHS service development at the NPA, said that pharmacists who want to get involved in PBC week can still do so even at this late stage.

Mr Fishwick suggested that pharmacists consider what services they could develop and market to practice-based commissioners. They can also ask their PCT what it is doing to ensure that pharmacy is engaged in PBC locally. The NPA has developed a PBC engagement checklist, which it says pharmacists can send to their PCTs, preferably co-ordinated via the LPC.

“We want pharmacists to step forward confidently, without feeling they are taking a leap in the dark. We hope pharmacy PBC week will give pharmacists the information, confidence and impetus they need to take their next step on PBC,” said Mr Fishwick.

A virtual expert panel has been put together to answer any questions that pharmacists have about PBC throughout the week. The panel comprises six professionals who have a range of perspectives on PBC, including policy, practical implementation, general practice, PCT and pharmacy. Questions can be e-mailed to pbcexpertpanel@npa.co.uk

In addition, a diabetes care pathway redesign workshop, organised by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the NPA, will take place at the Society’s headquarters on 24 September, with a view to producing a condition-specific commissioning toolkit.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee is currently updating its services database to enable LPCs and contractors to access up-to-date information on locally commissioned services. The idea is that the database can be used to provide examples of good practice locally, and can therefore help commissioning of services.


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