Over the course of 2013 and beyond, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society will be jointly working with the Pharmacy Forum of Northern Ireland and the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) to create a resource for pharmacy professionals to maintain and develop the quality of systems of care.

Everyone working in healthcare is responsible for the quality of care provided and this resource will be relevant to frontline pharmacy professionals as well as senior leaders within healthcare providers; this is particularly relevant given the unacceptable failings in the quality of care at Mid-Staffordshire Hospital between January 2005 and March 2009.

Our objective is to create a user-friendly professional resource that will provide insight and perspective into the “quality levers” within pharmacy and the wider healthcare system. The work will be informed by existing approaches to achieving quality across healthcare and other high-risk industries in the UK and beyond, including hallmarks of quality, and will share these different “quality levers” and methodologies to help pharmacy professionals and leaders to maintain and develop the quality of care provided.

The work will contextualise the vital role of professionalism, professional judgment, ethos and values in safeguarding patients, the importance of openness, transparency and candour in the quality system and will run parallel to a programme of government-led activity looking at rebalancing medicines legislation and pharmacy regulation.

Commenting on the plans Helen Gordon, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Chief Executive said: “This collaborative project of the three professional bodies will help make a real difference to patients and to pharmacy in improving and maintaining quality across the UK. This work-stream aligns with our work to get the culture right, embedding a just, open, safety culture in pharmacy.”

Julie Greenfield, Pharmacy Forum Manager of Pharmacy Forum NI said: “Achieving high quality of care for all is complex, so it is important that we create a resource which covers a broad spectrum of tools to maintain and develop the quality of systems of care as well as one that that inspires learning and reflection.”

Steve Acres, President of APTUK said: “This resource will be an important toolkit for both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians committed to understanding and improving quality in their areas of work and APTUK are pleased be working with the RPS and Pharmacy Forum NI to create this.”

We would like help in creating this resource and are assembling a stakeholder group and an expert advisory panel to input into the creation of this professional resource.
If you would be interested in being involved in either the stakeholder or expert advisory panel, then please contact support@rpharms.com with your contact information. If you are interested in joining the expert advisory panel please also provide details of your expertise in healthcare quality systems.