Most popular Your RPS articles of 2016

The 175^th year of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has been one of change and challenge, both for the Society and its members. From a sudden change to the RPS presidency and uncertainty for pharmacists in the UK post-Brexit, to the drawn-out consultation surrounding the community pharmacy cuts in England and the efficiency savings proposed in the Carter Review.

Despite this, however, pharmacists have continued to embrace new roles and opportunities throughout 2016, with a significant number of pharmacists taking up roles in GP surgeries across Great Britain and becoming independent prescribers, and evidence that pharmacists can play a significant role in managing the care of patients both in A&E and care homes.

Throughout the year RPS Scotland and RPS Wales have been working hard with government and key decision-makers to ensure that the recommendations in their respective manifestos become a reality.

2016 also saw the launch of two new RPS campaigns. In February, the RPS published its care homes policy ‘Right Medicine; Improving Care in Care Homes’ in which it made the case for pharmacists to have overall responsibility for medicines and their use in care homes across Great Britain. In November, the RPS launched its most recent campaign on long-term conditions, calling for more pharmacists to become prescribers and for them to be further integrated into the multidisciplinary team to ensure pharmaceutical care is available throughout the healthcare journey of patients with long-term conditions.

Below are the 10 most-read Your RPS articles of 2016 and 5 articles from 2015 that are still proving to be popular a year on. If you have any news ideas for content or  feedback regarding the Your RPS section in 2017 please get in touch.  

Your RPS top 10 for 2016

1. The Carter Review through the eyes of a hospital pharmacist
2. A pharmacy without a pharmacist is a shop RPS president tells annual conference 
3. What will happen to pharmacy if the UK votes to leave the European Union
4. Pharmacists have a critical role to play in hospital emergency departments 
5. Ash Soni loses RPS presidency
6. RPS offers support to preregistration students after GPhC reports 41% pass rate
7. Government cuts to community pharmacy: the perspective of grassroots pharmacists 
8. RPS issues statement after Brexit vote
9. The future of the UK post-Brexit
10. Benchmarking will help hospital trusts meet Carter efficiency challenge

Still popular from 2015:

• Why this NHS hospital trust asks all its clinical pharmacists to become independent prescribers
• RPS to review membership following Pharmacy2U investigation
• Example job descriptions for practice pharmacists published in GP guide
• Identification of foreign medicines
• What closer ties with GP practices will mean for pharmacists