Commonwealth Pharmacists Association launches learning platform

A global CPD platform has been launched by the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA).

The CPA said the courses available through the platform will be of value to pharmacists working across the Commonwealth, particularly in middle- and low-income countries.

The platform currently features an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programme, with learning content developed as part of the Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS) project. The government-funded CwPAMS scheme created partnerships between NHS trusts and institutions in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, with the aim of exchanging learning on tackling antimicrobial resistance.

CPD courses under development include programmes on diabetes and medicines supply.

Victoria Rutter, executive director of the CPA, said that the CPD platform had been made “by Commonwealth pharmacists, for Commonwealth pharmacists”.

“This digital resource not only provides educational content and supports professional development, but it has brought together pharmacists from around the Commonwealth to share and learn from each other with a united goal of improving the care we provide,” she said. ”The launching of the first programme is a real milestone and we look forward to building on this with many collaboratively designed programmes in the months and years ahead.”

Kennedy Saini, president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Zambia, said that the platform would help its members “identify any knowledge gaps and fill that gap with relevant content and modules”, adding that it would “prepare pharmacists for the ever-changing pharmacy landscape and place the Zambian pharmacist in line with the emerging and current trends in global practice”.

The CPA was established by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in 1970. Today it is an independent charity, but retains a close relationship with, and receives support from, the Society.