Tomorrow's Pharmacist October 1999 p58-60
Edited by Pamela Mason

Pharmacy in a new age

Pharmacy in a new age: the road to the future

By Beverley Parkin

"Pharmacy in a new age" (PIANA) has attracted much comment since it first appeared on the Council of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's agenda in 1995. Many people have welcomed the initiative, others have been sceptical, but few have been indifferent. This article explains what it is about.

In a nutshell, "Pharmacy in a new age" aims to enlist the profession in the process of shaping its own destiny. Based on an aspirational vision of a future for pharmacy services, it does not, however, seek to prescribe any particular model for the way that pharmacy services will develop or be delivered.

Change

Pharmacy in a New Age is a process rather than an event. It began with the recognition that the only certain thing about the future is that it is bound to be uncertain. For pharmacy, as for all health professions, change is a permanent feature of the landscape. If pharmacy was going to be in a position to map out its own destiny, it clearly needed to get to grips with change. On the Council's part, there is now a standing commitment to focus on and plan for what that future might bring. "Pharmacy in a new age" has developed into the driving force behind the Council's policy agenda and the impetus for a programme of work to equip the profession for the challenges that change is already creating.
In 1995, the Council began to examine changes in society that would be likely to affect demands on pharmacy services. It was quickly recognised that there was a need for a strategic planning programme to enable pharmacists - and the Society - to become better equipped to face the challenge of change that certainly lay ahead.
The first step was to get the members involved. A series of thought provoking briefings published in The Pharmaceutical Journal kicked off the debate about what factors would influence the future and how that future might look. New technology, government policy, new pressures on the NHS, consumer demands - all were examined as powerful potential drivers for change.

Debate

Supported by a team of local co-ordinators, pharmacists met all across the country to debate how they wanted - or did not want - their future professional roles to develop and to think about what was needed to achieve their future of choice. Others - patients, professionals and planners - with an interest in the future of pharmacy were also asked for their views.
This was evidently an issue ripe for discussion because thousands of members and other stakeholders took part in the debate and fed back their views on their hopes and fears for the future. Some very clear messages emerged. Pharmacists were positive in their belief that their unique skills and knowledge should - and could - be put to fuller use in the name of patient care. But there was also awareness that pharmacists needed to demonstrate their value in order to claim a more fulfilling role for the future. The future could be full of opportunity but only if the profession made the right preparations and the time for action was now - there could be no delay.
Pharmacists also clearly called for more support and leadership from their professional body, which needed to become a more effective advocate for the potential contribution that pharmacy could make to healthcare.

New horizon

The Council distilled these views along with its own into a vision of a sustainable pharmacy service that would meet both patient need and the aspirations of the profession. This was published in 1996 in "The new horizon", a document which recognised that standing still was no longer an option if pharmacy was to develop its full potential. This stage of the programme set out the challenges that needed to be dealt with right away and set out a timetable for action.

The future

When these preparatory steps had been taken, PIANA moved to its next stage with the publication, in 1997, of "Building the future". This identified five key areas of activity where pharmacists make the greatest contribution and mapped out a set of future roles in each:

The management of prescribed medicines - advising and supporting patients; prescribing in a wide range of circumstances
The management of long term conditions - comprehensive support for patients; managing repeat prescribing
The management of common ailments - for pharmacies to be the first port of call for advice on minor and common ailments
The promotion and support of healthy lifestyles - providing integrated NHS support services
Advice and support for other healthcare professionals - providing a key role in healthcare teams

Other, supporting aims were also indentified as steps along the path to progress. Notable among these was the commitment by the Council to take forward "Building the future" at local and national level. A project manager was appointed to work with the co-ordinators across the country to help pharmacists explore ways forward.
A key focus at local level is the formation of local pharmacy development groups, which bring together pharmacists from all sectors of the profession to share best practice and help establish awareness of what pharmacy has to offer.

Society re-organisation

The Council, meanwhile, had taken a long hard look at its own ways of working and decided that these needed reforming if the Society was to be in a position to deliver the leadership and effectiveness that the membership had so clearly called for. After consultation, the Council redefined its role as a body for strategic planning and policy formation, with standing committees and staff tasked with detailed implementation.
To facilitate more effective working, the management operation was organised into five directorates - including a new public affairs directorate bringing together communications activity with a new emphasis on external affairs. The headquarters operation is currently engaged on a business planning and prioritisation programme to ensure that resources are focused where they can make most impact.

Over to you

In 1998, the latest phase of PIANA was launched with a multi-media presentation at the British Pharmaceutical Conference. "Over to you" takes the PIANA message out on tour with a roadshow that aims to reach those pharmacists who have not yet become involved. The message of the roadshow is that the Council is committed to doing everything it can to help pharmacists achieve the future that they want but, ultimately, the future of the profession lies with pharmacists themselves.
The roadshow features local pharmacists talking about how they have developed themselves, their services and their professional relationships in order to move with the times. The vital importance of communication and the need to find coping strategies for dealing with the stress of change are two of the key themes of the roadshow, which has attracted large audiences and is set to run throughout the year 2000.
The Council continues to believe that pharmacy's ambitions for the future can only be achieved if the profession as a whole is brought into the process. There are many alliances to forge, both within pharmacy and externally among government, the NHS, other health professions and the public. But the new age for pharmacy is a concept and a philosophy very much in tune with the times. Current government policy in health and social care points to the kind of "joined up", seamless approach to healthcare that pharmacists are working to develop with the other members of healthcare teams.
"Pharmacy in a New Age" has both helped set pharmacy on the road to its future and continues to guide and encourage pharmacists on their journey.

Ms Parkin is director of public affairs, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain

Tomorrow's Pharmacist October 1999 p58-60 Edited by Pamela Mason

Pharmacy in a new age