Embracing change and enabling teams to deliver expert patient care

A message from Claire Nevinson, Pharmacy Superintendent: 

Last month saw the long-awaited launch of the Primary Care Recovery Plan by the DHSC in England. The plan, welcomed by the community pharmacy sector, assures funding to support the development and delivery of a Pharmacy First service like those offered in Wales and Scotland, and expansion of and further funding for the Pharmacy Contraception Service and Hypertension Case-finding Service. I would encourage those of you working in England to read the full plan here. 

The plan also includes details of policy changes (subject to consultation), such as the inclusion of pharmacy technicians as healthcare professionals permitted to deliver PGD services, changes to patient access to records through the NHS App and arrangements to simplify hub and spoke dispensing. While the negotiations are ongoing, we should prepare now for the opportunity afforded to us to release pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to relieve pressure on other parts of primary care and secondary care, provide more services to patients and ultimately to offer enhanced patient care.

Key to our success in delivering expert patient care is the capability and confidence of every member of our healthcare team. In readiness for the changes we will introduce over the coming months, I encourage you to focus on supporting trainee pharmacy and healthcare team members to engage with and complete their training, to foster a culture of continual learning and to embark on new learning pathways, so that we are ready to embrace change and new opportunities together. Not only will this focus provide a stable and strong platform for growth, but it will also promote a sense of pride and fulfilment as we continue to support patients and communities in new and impactful ways. 

The shape of our healthcare teams continues to evolve and last month we welcomed nurses into selected stores to support the provision of Boots private services. We also applauded the latest cohort of pharmacists who successfully completed their Independent Prescribing course and who will be delivering minor ailments services either privately or as part of commissioned services in Wales and Scotland over the coming months.

Capability, competence and confidence through training and ongoing learning are at the heart of developing a high-performing healthcare team, ensuring the safety of our patients and the future of our healthcare business. This is also true for those professionals who work with us on a temporary basis, such as locum pharmacists, some of whom will already be familiar with Boots processes and procedures and others who may be stepping into a Boots pharmacy for the first time. It is important that locum pharmacists are prepared and ready for working at Boots and that they are welcomed and set up on arrival for their shifts.

As we head into the summer months and then into flu season, when we typically see a greater need for additional pharmacist cover, I’d encourage store leaders and pharmacy teams to consider how they can support locum pharmacists to deliver great patient care. Look out for new and updated locum support materials, which may also benefit relief team members to familiarise themselves with new stores. These will arrive in stores within the next month to help you to work with locum pharmacists to deliver the highest quality patient care and achieve success together.