PCN Next Steps for all community pharmacies

PSNC have published a series of individual checklists which focus on different aspects of the CPCF.

The latest PSNC Checklist is attached below. This provides relevant website page links that enable your team to access information on two important PSNC Briefings (47 & 48). These will help support pharmacy contractors on how best to work together at the vital next stage of PCN development in their area.

• CPCF Checklist 20: PQS - Consider if you could be a Pharmacy PCN Lead

At our recent CPSC Academy series events during September: 'Building Effective Relationships (Transformation & Integration)' the topic of PCN progression was covered in quite some detail. The event was agreed and developed by CPSC in collaboration with Pharmacy Complete to support all contractors by helping facilitate the process of initiating ideas for the necessary first steps required to be made for PCN involvement. Those that attended benefitted greatly from the evening and are now well on their way to networking with their fellow pharmacies, agreeing actions and appointing a lead.

Attendance at the Academy events was however somewhat mixed, with excellent levels of attendance, commitment and coordinated planning at some locations, whilst at others there was a very low turn out. There is therefore a risk of large variances in the rates at which community pharmacies become involved, engaged and eventually directly influence the decisions and planning made within their PCN.

The key thing is that all pharmacies intending to meet the PCN domain of PQS must take action now.

Pharmacies that wish to engage with the PCN must agree a collaborative approach to engaging with the PCN and must agree an appointed 'Pharmacy PCN Lead' who acts as their single named representative on behalf of the other contractors.

There are many resources available to help pharmacies with the next steps, however the most urgent and important step is for pharmacies within each PCN to get together and meet. The following actions are some of the ideas that came out of the CPSC Academy evenings:

• Set up WhatsApp groups/NHS email groups for local pharmacies in your area
• Arrange to meet in one pharmacy in the PCN area
• Visit other pharmacies in your PCN area so they also understand the need to collaborate
• Understand which pharmacies in your PCN area are doing what services and how they do it
• Agree a PCN Lead for community pharmacy

Other links that will also help you are shown below. They are from the CPSC Primary Care Network website page - check out the 'maps and other information' as well as the declaration required back very soon to the LPC:

• https://cpsc.org.uk/professionals/professional-networks-stakeholders/primary-care-networks-pcns
• Other proposed actions
• The five top qualities every community pharmacy PCN lead should have - 'The Pharmacist' magazine

It's really important to be involved and aware of what's happening

- who are the key contacts, who is my Pharmacy PCN Lead?

- who are the 'movers and shakers' that influence others and potentially open doors?

- what do people want, how will this be achieved?

You must be involved if you wish your PCN solutions to involve community pharmacy!