MEMBER UPDATE

News update: October 2020

New membership opportunity for retired members

As we have extended the range of benefits available to members including legal insurance, access to financial advice and  discounts on goods and services the BPA executive has decided to offer members the opportunity to continue their membership after they have retired. BPA members can continue to support the association and benefit from these services  should they wish to do so  for an annual payment of £48. If you are due to retire in the near future and would like to take advantage of this opportuniity then contact p.robinson@bpa.website

Government annnounces Covid restriction bandings  

As expected the prime minister announced the tiered approach to Covid 19 restrictions in England as cases continue to rise. The majority of the local authorities will be in the "Medium" tier where current restrictions such as the rule of 6 and the 10pm hospitality curfew will remain the only restrictions in force. However some areas have been classified as  "Very High" risk and in those areas there will be significantly increased restrictions including the closing of pubs, gyms and betting shops. There is no plan to restrict general retail across any of the tiers at this stage and as such any impact on Boots stores is unlikely.

Revalidation deadline approaches.

The General Pharmaceutical Councill  reviewed the requirements for pharmacy professionals who are due to renew their registration after 31 August and decided that Pharmacy professionals who have a registration renewal deadline between 1 September and 31 December 2020 will only need to submit a reflective account for revalidation when they renew their registration. There will be no need to submit a peer discussion record or any planned or unplanned CPD records. The deadline for  compeltion of this requirement is the 31st of October 2020.

Pharmacy professionals will still be expected to reflect on the following three standards when completing the reflective account:
•    standard 3 - pharmacy professionals must communicate effectively
•    standard 6 - pharmacy professionals must behave professionally
•    standard 9 - pharmacy professionals must demonstrate leadership

The GPhC is encouraging Pharmacy professionals to reflect on their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic when completing the reflective account, although this is not essential.