Pharmacists ‘should be trained for industry changes’
Those employed in pharmacy jobs should be trained to deal with the changes in the industry, one expert maintains.
Rob Darracott, chief executive of Pharmacy Voice, said that with the immigration caps coming into play, the supply and demand of pharmacists will change.
He added that the evolving services community pharmacists will be expected to provide mean that the graduate skills required will continue to change over time.
“It is important that the whole pharmacy team – not just the pharmacist – receives appropriate training to enable them to keep pace with the changes and challenges in the industry.”
This comes after news that those employed in pharmacy jobs at Boots stores in the UK could soon be responsible for administering crucial services previously provided through the NHS.
According to the Daily Mail, the NHS is engaged in discussions with the high street chain to establish whether some services could be offered in store.
UK Pharmaceutical industry concerned about immigration cap
According to an pharmaceutical industry advocate group, there has been a significant reduction in the number of non-EU pharmacists working in the UK due to the recent immigration cap imposed by the Government.
“[The immigration cap] affected non-EU overseas pharmacy students who have just completed their UK degree and who have had offers of pre-registration training jeopardised by the ruling,” said Rob Darracott, chief executive of Pharmacy Voice said.
The UK Government imposed a temporary cap on immigration in 2010 that will become permanent in April of 2011. In addition to the cap, the popular Tier 1 (General) highly skilled immigration route will be replaced by an ‘exceptional talent’ visa which will be extremely difficult to obtain.
The UK is likely to axe the Tier 1 (Post Study Work) visa which allows foreign graduates of UK universities to work in the UK after their studies.
The pharmaceutical industry isn’t the only sector worried about the immigration cap and further changes to the immigration laws. The education industry in the UK is likely to suffer after the expected tightening of the student immigration rules take place.
Prime Therapeutics President and CEO Eric Elliott Presents Keynote Address at 2011 PCMA Managed Markets Educational Forum
Attendees at the 2011 Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA)’s Managed Markets Educational Forum today heard Prime Therapeutics’ President and CEO Eric Elliott speak about the critical changes facing pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy benefit managers as health care reform is implemented, industry consolidation increases, a greater number of generics enter the market and the pipeline of new treatments shrinks. Prime Therapeutics is a pharmacy benefit management (PBM) company dedicated to providing innovative, clinically-based, cost-effective pharmacy solutions for clients and members.
“In this time of great change, the industry needs to address the three key areas of cost, quality and access. We need to work together to help patients safely navigate these changes, so that we may continue to deliver the right drugs, at the right time, at affordable prices,” Elliott told attendees.
In his keynote address, Elliott spoke about how the industry has evolved and delivered improvements to patient health over the past several decades. In the coming years as more than 30 million patients join the health system, there will be a greater focus on providing higher quality care for patients while increasing value.
“While we may not all agree on each provision of the health care reform law, there are many provisions encouraging better outcomes and better cost management for our patients and clients,” said Elliott. “There is an enormous potential to close gaps in care in our country. Whether the potential is realized will depend to a significant degree on how well we do helping patients access and stick to their medications, while managing costs.”
Delivered to an audience of pharmaceutical manufacturers and other industry experts, Elliott’s speech was the meeting’s opening keynote address. The first-annual Managed Markets Educational Forum brings together leaders in the pharmaceutical and pharmacy benefits industries to discuss essential PBM, specialty pharmacy and payer issues.
Prime Therapeutics is a pharmacy benefit management company dedicated to providing innovative, clinically-based, cost-effective pharmacy solutions for clients and members. Providing pharmacy benefit services nationwide to nearly 17 million covered lives, its client base includes Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, employer and union groups, and third-party administrators. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, Prime Therapeutics is collectively owned by 12 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, subsidiaries or affiliates of those Plans.