***Latest news***

NHS Long Term Plan published (England): where does community pharmacy fit within it?

• Find out in the NPA superintendent update

What is coming in 2019? Read superintendent update for full details:

General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) plans (England, Scotland and Wales)

Falsified medicines Directive (FMD) – refer to the NPA FMD webpage and FMD checklist and summary resource

Quality Payments Scheme (QPS) (England only) – refer to the NPA QP webpage and QP checklist and summary resource

Brexit – potential impact on medicines supply chain and medicines shortages – new legislation proposed by DHSC: Serious Shortages Protocol (SSP)

How to make 2019 a success?

Check your top growing OTC classes/products

See if you are potentially losing money – use the NPA Business Efficiency Solutions pack (England), Supporting members in Wales through change (Wales) and Community pharmacy operational support (Ops) pack (UK)

• Northern Ireland and Scotland: Supporting members packs coming in early 2019

NPA Medication Safety Officer (MSO) and patient safety reports

During 2018, the top three types of patient safety incidents reported were handing out errors (3.7%), delivering medicines errors (3.5%) and Controlled Drugs (CD) errors (3.5%). Use the following resources to reduce patient safety incidents:

• Delivering medicines safely and effectively:course for members of staff collecting prescriptions and/or delivering medicines
• Delivering pharmacy items standard operating procedure (SOP)
• Insulin and inhaler identification checker
• Monitored dosage systems (MDS) guidance
• Valproate dispensing checklist