Cancer Pharmacy Workforce

Dear BOPA members 
 
Many of you may have noted the various workforce publications that have circulated recently.  As a committee we wanted to assure all members that BOPA has endeavoured to push for changes in any publications that we felt were not a true representation of the profession.   
 

• The first publication was via Health Education England and was specific to Cancer (Dec17).  There was a rapid turnaround on responses for this and Geoff Saunders responded on behalf of BOPA – twe have circulated via email a copy of response Geoff submitted on behalf of BOPA response during the consultation period.   

• A second HEE publication around workforce that detailed the full pharmacy workforce has been in consultation recently and as a committee we provided our views within the consultation period. 

• The final publication was via CRUK, http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/full_report_final.pdf.  BOPA representation ensured that CRUK members were aware of the work that Pharmacists are capable of and the challenges that we face.  

 
We hope that you can use the attached and the CRUK document to drive change in workforce within your Trusts or Alliances.  
 
We now have a GAP  (Guidelines, Advocacy and Publications) committee that is dedicated to advocacy activities, this will ensure that wider consultation is achieved for any future publications.  
 
One final thing to note is that despite our best efforts in replying to consultation we have seen a trend for pharmacists to be not given enough priority in the final documents on cancer workforce, the focus is very much still on doctors and nurses. 
 
So our challenge for all our members is for you all to respond from your own organisation – the more pharmacy respondents there are in workforce consultations the better!!
 
Best Wishes
 
Steve Williamson on behalf of BOPA Exec Committee