{"id":1567,"date":"2025-12-05T14:28:47","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/pages\/pharmacy-services\/local-negotiated-services\/pharmacy-champions\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T13:17:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T13:17:52","slug":"pharmacy-champions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/pages\/pharmacy-services\/local-negotiated-services\/pharmacy-champions\/","title":{"rendered":"Pharmacy Champions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Pharmacy Champions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Service specification<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A Pharmacy Champion in NHS Highland is typically a designated person\u2014often a pharmacist or pharmacy team member\u2014who acts as a key point of contact and advocate for pharmacy-related initiatives within a specific area or service. While the exact duties can vary depending on the context (e.g., community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, or primary care), the role generally includes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Core Responsibilities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Promoting Best Practice: Encouraging safe, effective, and sustainable use of medicines across teams.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supporting Pharmacy First and Clinical Services: Helping implement services such as minor ailment management, blood pressure checks, and contraception services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Education and Engagement: Acting as a liaison between pharmacy teams and other healthcare professionals, providing guidance and training where needed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Driving Strategic Goals: Supporting NHS Highland\u2019s Pharmacy Services Strategy (2025\u20132030), which focuses on improving patient outcomes, digital transformation, and workforce development. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/NHS-Highland-Pharmacy-Services-Strategic-Plan-2025-2030.pdf\">[communityp\u2026cot.nhs.uk]<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Building Partnerships: Working with GP practices, care homes, and community services to integrate pharmacy into wider health pathways.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Why They Exist?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The role helps NHS Highland deliver its vision of making pharmacy an integral part of community and hospital care, shifting from a purely dispensing function to a more clinical, patient-focused service. Champions often lead local engagement, troubleshoot issues, and ensure alignment with national programs like Pharmacy First and the Primary Care Access Recovery Plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>There are several useful resources for Pharmacy Champions and related pharmacy initiatives in NHS Highland:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. TAM (Treatments and Medicines) \u2013 Right Decisions Platform<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Offers therapeutic guidelines, formulary updates, and medicine management resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Includes polypharmacy toolkit for medication reviews and realistic prescribing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rightdecisions.scot.nhs.uk\/tam-treatments-and-medicines-nhs-highland\/\">Access TAM resources<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/rightdecisions.scot.nhs.uk\/tam-treatments-and-medicines-nhs-highland\/adult-therapeutic-guidelines\/medicine-management\/polypharmacy\/\">Polypharmacy guidance<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rightdecisions.scot.nhs.uk\/tam-treatments-and-medicines-nhs-highland\/\">[rightdecis\u2026cot.nhs.uk]<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/rightdecisions.scot.nhs.uk\/tam-treatments-and-medicines-nhs-highland\/adult-therapeutic-guidelines\/medicine-management\/polypharmacy\/\">[rightdecis\u2026cot.nhs.uk]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Useful documents (claim forms etc)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I found several <strong>official and practical documents<\/strong> that can help you understand and support the Pharmacy Champion role in NHS Highland:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;1. Community Pharmacy Information Pack (NHS Highland)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Updated October 2025.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Includes <strong>guidance for community pharmacy services<\/strong>, contacts for Pharmacy Practitioner Champions, and operational details.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/pages\/community-pharmacy-information-pack\/\">Access the pack here<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/pages\/community-pharmacy-information-pack\/\">[communityp\u2026cot.nhs.uk]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;2. NHS Circular PCA (P) (2024)34 \u2013 Pharmacy Champions Funding<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Outlines the <strong>role and remit of Community Pharmacist Practitioner Champions<\/strong>, including:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Supporting <strong>Pharmacy First Scotland<\/strong> delivery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Promoting bridging contraception services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Implementing regulatory measures for medicines like sodium valproate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cps.scot\/latest-news\/pcap202434\">Read the circular here<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cps.scot\/latest-news\/pcap202434\">[cps.scot]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/NHS-Highland-Pharmacy-Services-Strategic-Plan-2025-2030-1.pdf\" title=\"NHS Highland Pharmacy Services Strategic Plan 2025 - 2030 (1)\" class=\"link-to-media\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/NHS-Highland-Pharmacy-Services-Strategic-Plan-2025-2030-1.pdf\">Pharmacy Strategy 2025 &#8211; 2030<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"nhsuk-card__description\">Pharmacy Champions Service specification A Pharmacy Champion in NHS Highland is typically a designated person\u2014often a pharmacist or pharmacy team [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"parent":1481,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1567","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1567"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1813,"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1567\/revisions\/1813"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.communitypharmacy.scot.nhs.uk\/nhs-highland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}