Thursday 10th October 2024                   

Due to popular demand, we at Community Pharmacy Devon have decided to review our communications and bring you a weekly digest that will provide a brief overview of weekly activity.

As always, if you have any feedback or comments, please contact us by email at admin@cpdevon.org.uk.

A blood pressure event was held on Saturday 5th October in Plymouth at Plymouth Argyle FC in association with Plymouth City Council. Three of our pharmacies attended this event and assisted with taking people's blood pressure and discussing hypertension.

Approximately 60 people had their blood pressure checked in total, with at least 8 patients being offered ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

Conversations were also had around Pharmacy service offerings and the benefits of seeing your pharmacy first.

The day was a great success - even the mascot wanted to get involved!

Needle and Syringe Provision

Devon and Torbay council would like to thank all community pharmacies delivering the needle and syringe provision programme to people who inject drugs. There have been increases in infectious diseases associated with injecting drug use across Devon and therefore people who inject drugs must have access to clean injecting equipment.

We ask that there are no restrictions placed on the volume of equipment dispensed so please continue to provide the volume of equipment the customer requests at each transaction.

___________________________________________________________________________

Devon and Torbay needle exchange waste collection changes

Devon and Torbay public health teams are please to announce a revision to the current needle exchange waste collection process which is looking to significantly reduce the carbon footprint involved with the current system of collection and incineration of needle exchange waste. Please look out for an email from Gareth at Orion Medical to each needle exchange pharmacy with a presentation on the new system.

However as a summary, as of October 2024, Stericycle will stop collecting and providing the existing 25L/60L sharps bins and will be switching to a 30.2L Bio Bin used in the new Bio System collection method.

These new bins will now be disinfected rather than incinerated up to 600 times before they are removed from circulation, thus reducing single plastic waste and packaging, incinerating capacity and demand and improved logistical processes minimising truck emissions. 

This new system is for needle exchange waste only i.e. no medical sharps including flu vaccines, covid jabs, weight loss injections etc and the pharmacy continues to be solely responsible for ensuring that waste is correctly segregated; appropriately labelled; packaged appropriately for transport; stored safely and in a secure place away from areas of public access within the premises; and described accurately and fully on the accompanying documentation when removed.

The Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) and NHS England (NHSE) Newly Qualified Pharmacist Programme (NQPP) is now open for registration.  

This twelve-month programme is fully funded by NHS England WT&E to support newly qualified pharmacists to develop confidence and competence in the core areas of pharmacy practice. Educational supervision support is provided by CPPE as part of this training programme offer. 

Key dates – Two Cohorts for 2024-25: 

• Cohort 7  

• Applications opened 2^nd Sept 2024  

• Applications close 28^th Oct 2024 

• Programme start date: 4 November 2024 

• Cohort 8  

• Applications will open on 13th January 2025 

• Applications close 17^th March 2025 

• Programme start date: 24^th March 2025.  

Eligibility: 

The CPPE Newly qualified pharmacist programme is for pharmacists who registered with the GPhC from 2022 onwards* who are working or locuming in any of the following settings as their main role:  

• Community pharmacy (except Boots) 

• Integrated care boards 

• Community health services 

• Health and justice 

• General practice (Not for learners employed via ARRS)  

• Care homes (Not for learners employed via ARRS) 

• Pharmacists who registered before 2022 who are returning from a career break are also eligible to apply. 

• Other roles may also be eligible – contact CPPE to discuss how they can support.  

Note:  

Pharmacists employed via ARRS funding are required to enrol on the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP). NHS England WT&E provides separate funding for pharmacists working for Boots or in hospital pharmacy. These pharmacists are not eligible to apply for the CPPE NQP programme.  

Further Information: 

Please see the attached NQPP overview document from CPPE and the CPPE website www.cppe.ac.uk/career/nqpp/ for further information about the training offer provided.  

If you have any questions regarding this offer, please contact the CPPE NQPP team at newlyqualified@cppe.ac.uk.  

Thursday 10th October 2024 is World Mental Health Day which is about raising awareness of mental health and driving positive change. It’s also a chance to talk about mental health, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to get help if you are struggling.

This year’s theme is around Mental Health at Work. You can download a guide here on how to support both your mental health and your colleague’s mental health at work. Take a look at the Wellbeing page on our website here for resources for those working in Devon. Find resources and tips for talking about mental health here.

This is your chance to influence the third Police and Crime Plan, a strategy which sets out the strategic direction for Devon & Cornwall Police and the services commissioned.

The draft 2025-29 Police and Crime Plan is designed to tackle the issues that matter most to you – antisocial behaviour, drug and alcohol misuse, violence and theft in your town and city centres, in your countryside and rural areas, on your roads and in your homes and neighbourhoods.

Please access the survey here

If you have a positive news story to share with us please send it to admin@cpdevon.org.uk and it will be featured in an upcoming edition of the review. If featured, you will also win a surprise gift for you and your team up to the value of £25!

Click the name you need to email them directly: