Celebrating ‘a nati
MINISTER WILL QUINCE PRAISES SECTOR IN HIS FI
PHARMACY minister Will Quince vowed he will be the sector’s champion and voice in government as he praised community pharmacy for their efforts during the pandemic.
In his maiden speech since taking charge of the portfolio, Quince told the Pharmacy Business Awards last Wednesday (12) about the vital work of community pharmacy that delivered 25 million Covid-19 vaccines, five million flu jabs, 200 million lateral flow testing kits and millions of medicines in the past two anda-half years. “These local efforts became the national success story,” he said.
Quince, who was appointed minister of state at the Department of Health and Social Care on September 7, added: “Just as we needed you in the pandemic, we need you now.”
He noted how community pharmacy could help achieve health secretary Thérèse Coffey’s ‘Plan for Patients’.
“Patients are our top priority. And in my opinion, no one understands that better than you,” Quince said.
Among the 600-strong guests at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in central London were community pharmacy teams, the chief pharmaceutical officer for England, leaders and representatives of professional and regulatory bodies, industry CEOs and top executives as well as ministers and MPs.
Quince began by paying tribute to Parvativen Solanki, the co-founder of Pharmacy Business, published by the Asian Media Group (AMG), and a sister title of Eastern Eye and Garavi Gujarat news weeklies. She passed away on September 8, the same as day as the Queen.
Shailesh Solanki, the Pharmacy Business executive editor, spoke of the vital contribution his mother had made in establishing AMG.
“She was one half of an enduring partnership with my father (the late Ramniklal Solanki) which saw the launch of one of Britain’s biggest Asian titles and the media group my brother Kalpesh and I now run.”
Paying tribute to the Queen, he said in the years of her reign “Britain has become a kinder, gentler and freer society.”
“And though there is still much to do to create a more equal society free of discrimination and prejudice, there is a deep sense of togetherness and community spirit in our country,” he added.
Solanki said the Covid-19 pandemic “changed and continues to change so much about our lives and society.
“During its peak, we witnessed a sense of solidarity from shared sacrifice which inspired an outpouring of neighbourliness where people looked out for one another.”
He stressed that local community pharmacists, who kept their doors open while others chose to closed theirs, were at the heart of a “neighbourly togetherness”.
Solanki said the pandemic demonstrated “the value of community pharmacy as accessible healthcare professionals in the communities where people live. They proved they really are the bedrock of our communities and the front desk of the NHS.”
“The immense value of our vibrant network of community pharmacies can no longer be in question,” he said, yet the sector has had to operate within a national contract that is “clearly not fit for purpose”.
The network “remains in a perilous financial state despite warm words of praise from the public and senior politicians”.
Solanki said the latest announcement once again freezes funding for another two years. The current settlement, which comes after four years of flat funding, follows substantial cuts in previous years.
“And when inflation is taken into account, the stark reality is that the value of
the pharmacy contract will have fallen by a quarter since 2015. Under these extreme financial pressures and the steep rise in inflation and energy costs, more pharmacies will close, depriving local communities of vital services,” he said.
A recent report commissioned by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said the impact of the current funding and rising costs could lead to “thousands of pharmacies closing”.
A collapse in the community pharmacy network would have calamitous effects on the nation’s healthcare and deepen the health inequalities, Solanki added. “Pharmacy is in dire need of an emergency cash injection and a long-term funding agreement that can sustain the sector.”
In spite of the challenges, he said he saw a lot of positives for community pharmacy, which stands on the cusp of transformational changes. It could play a key role in the prevention agenda, supporting people to live healthier lives for longer and by helping in the early detection of diabetes, heart disease, dementia and cancer.
But pharmacy’s voice, said Solanki, “has long been only a whisper in the corridors of power. It is time for that voice to be unified and amplified so that it will be heard at the highest levels.
“The leaders of the pharmacy bodies must unite behind one vision, one plan and one voice for the future of community pharmacy. Never has there been a more critical time for this to happen.”
The evening heard of some of the finest work community pharmacies across the country have demonstrated and how they adapted to meet the changing needs and demands of patients.
A total of 18 awards were presented, with three new categories in the 22nd edition of the awards.
The erstwhile Pharmacy Business Editor’s award – renamed as the Pharmacy Business Ram Solanki Lifetime Achievement Award 2022 in honour of the AMG founder and editor in chief, the late Ramniklal Solanki CBE – went to Raj Aggarwal.
The distinguished pharmacist has been a leading figure in community pharmacy for four decades and has contributed profoundly to the profession.
The top honours of the night, the Pharmacy Business of the Year 2022, went to Hodgson Pharmacy in Longfield, Kent.
Owner Amish Patel, who runs the family-owned pharmacy, said: “Winning the top award is certainly the highlight of my career. I have been attending the awards ever since I qualified, aspiring to one day be like the winners – innovative, pioneering and inspiring. Winning the award just gives the feeling I achieved that goal.”
Landy’s Chemist in Finchley, London, won the new Sustainable Pharmacy of the
Year award. Mitesh Desai’s pharmacy uses algae-based or paper bags for customers and there is no plastic in the store. It recycles 95 per cent of its waste and its thriving e-commerce business uses no paper at all at any stages of the ordering process.
Another new category, the Aspiring Pharmacy Leader of the Year, went to Aimee Coates of Forest Hall Pharmacy. She beat off her rivals by virtue of showing immense maturity in her short career which began only three years ago after she qualified as a pharmacist in 2019.
Lindsey Fairbrother of Good Life Pharmacy in Derbyshire won the Inspiring Woman of the Year award. Fairbrother was praised by judges for her passion for community pharmacy as well as being an exemplary role model and leader.
Mattock Lane Pharmacy in Ealing, west London, won the GP/Primary Care Integration Award for bringing together 29 surgeries from across different PCNs to deliver in excess of 100,000 vaccinations in the area. Rajan Shah, a superintendent pharmacist and co-owner, said: “Really proud to win this award. I thank our whole team who worked tirelessly to build great relationships with our local healthcare partners like GPs, PCNs and ICS/NHS colleagues, working collaboratively to support our patients and local communities.
“This shows the power of community pharmacy. We looking forward to building on this recognition to develop more services to benefit our local health needs.”
Gill Pharmacy in Southall, west London, won the Local Health Initiative of the Year award in recognition of its efforts to engage communities from different faith and cultures while delivering a range of outstanding services 365 days a year.
Amarjit Singh Gill and his family have run the pharmacy for more than 40 years and are known for their work in the community. He said: “After a tough two years through the pandemic, to be recognised and appreciated in this way means a lot to me and my entire pharmacy team. This feeling of satisfaction is second to none.”
Graham Philips, a champion of pharmacy-led healthy lifestyle interventions in the community, scooped the Innovation award for his initiatives at the newlyopened Letchworth Pharmacy in Letchworth Garden City.
Phillips said: “This was a very pleasant surprise for me and the timing couldn’t have been better. It was my birthday earlier this week. Absolutely delighted to have been a finalist in three categories at the Pharmacy Business Awards. These awards are the most prestigious of the pharmacy calendar and every finalist is a winner.
“To have actually won the Innovation award was the best birthday present I can imagine. Still grinning.”