Thank you, FPM membership and staff, for a successful year in 2019. It was a challenging year for us. In June 2019 we were joined by our new Chief Executive – Dr Marcia Philbin – who has worked tirelessly to steer FPM through these difficult times. As we begin 2020, the pandemic of COVID-19 has struck us all, with significant effects on FPM operations, and our members working in the life sciences. FPM’s plans have been adapted to match the initial challenges. Despite the closure of the offices we have, for the most part, maintained business as usual. Delivery of FPM’s core strategy remains the focus throughout 2020.

We need, in 2020, to continue to collaborate as we have done in 2019. We must continue look abroad where our global industry employs thousands of doctors. Many of these doctors do not have access to the vocational training that the FPM provides in the UK. Discussions with IFAPP and the IFAPP Academy to build common training have progressed. Drawing upon the enormous work undertaken by the IMI project, PharmaTrain, a new Pharmaceutical Medicine Specialty Training curriculum is being created. This will incorporate the General Medical Council’s ‘Generic professional capabilities framework’. The new curriculum will be evaluated and launched in late 2020.

During 2019, we developed the FPM Strategy 2020-22. This is now being implemented. We established the Strategic Advisory Committee, to bring focus to the process of approval of our strategic priorities. This committee’s remit is to evaluate proposals from FPM staff and our operational committees. One of its first recommendations to the Board of Trustees was the piloting this year of online examinations.

At this time, more than ever, it is vital that we stay connected with FPM members and other stakeholders. The biannual electronic Journal of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (JFPM) has continued to grow and has created an engaged readership. The JFPM is complemented by frequent bulletins, which are designed to provide the members with up to date news and events, and links into social media channels. The new FPM website is a fantastic new interface that will connect broadly across society and stakeholders. We are anticipating an uplift in engagement with FPM.

Traditional ways of working and communication channels have been severely tested at the beginning of 2020. However, we are pleased to report that we have a suite of remote working tools at our disposal, allowing essential FPM operations, and committees and working groups, to continue almost uninterrupted. As understanding of these new platforms grows, we will expand to our training, use of video lecturing and remote educational events.

In terms of finance, we can reassure you that we are balancing the books and our reserves are holding up. As we enter 2020, we are confident that the impact of COVID-19 on finances can be managed. There will, of course, be challenges in restarting our full programmes when the ‘lock down’ is lifted. Whilst the challenges of COVID-19 have delayed implementation of some of our strategy it has created opportunities for flexibility of working and collaboration which are essential for our growth. I am confident that we can continue to adapt, innovate and deliver on our mission for patients and the public.

Professor Tim Higenbottam
President
The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, April 2020

Chief Executive’s Foreword

I am delighted to be writing my first foreword as Chief Executive of FPM. I have been in post since 24 June 2019 and I am enormously impressed by the quality of the work and output from both staff and volunteers. I want to take this opportunity to thank all our members, who volunteer and give so much of their time to support FPM.

2019 was a year of change for FPM and I must extend my sincere thanks to the previous Chief Executive, Kathryn Swanston, who stepped down in 2018. Other notable changes in 2019 include:

• appointment of a new Head of Revalidation Operations
• development of strategic plan 2020-2022
• creation of a new website
• strengthening of social media presence
• revision of the Good Pharmaceutical Medical Practice guide; and
• reinstatement of the President’s Medal which was awarded to five outstanding recipients.

One of my first experiences as Chief Executive was to attend last year’s hugely successful FPM Education Day, on the topic of ‘Patients in the Practice of Pharmaceutical Medicine’. The focus on the patient voice is very important because patients are no longer passive participants in their healthcare. Their lived experience can enrich the process of developing new medicines, designing clinical trials and capturing safety data. FPM Education Day was supported by several patients who gave keynote presentations and led workshops.

Another successful event was the FPM Annual Symposium in November, where the theme was ‘Clinical Research and Life Cycle Management’. One of the most powerful presentations that I have had the honour to witness was by a patient who shared his history of managing his condition with the use of many different drug treatments. Again, the patient experience conveyed the perspective that is not always considered when developing new drug treatment regimes.

I am delighted that the patient perspective is also being drawn upon as FPM redevelops its flagship Pharmaceutical Medicine Specialty Training programme, which will be submitted to the GMC in Autumn 2020.

Even though this Annual report is a review of 2019, I have to say something about COVID-19, which is dominating everything right now. I want to applaud the staff for the way that they have responded to ensure that the business of FPM has continued seamlessly as we transitioned to working from home. I want to assure all our members that because of the prescient work that we have done in 2019, FPM is resilient, and we will continue to innovate and deliver even more for, and with, our members in the future.

Thank you.

Dr Marcia Philbin
Chief Executive
The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, April 2020

Our Activities and Achievements in 2019

2019 has been a year of change for FPM. We said a fond farewell to our long serving Chief Executive, Mrs Kathryn Swanston and welcomed the new Chief Executive, Dr Marcia Philbin. Prior to Dr Philbin’s appointment, Ms Sarah Davis, the Head of Membership and Operations, was the Acting Chief Executive and we thank her for her stewardship of FPM during this time.

2019 marked the 30th Anniversary of FPM and the 5th Edition of the Journal of FPM was a celebration of the last 30 years of pharmaceutical medicine as well as exploring future trends. Dr Flic Gabbay and Professor Peter Stonier were two of the founders of FPM and shared their reflections in the Journal via a special video.

Communications and Advocacy

An important area of FPM’s activity is our public policy work and our responses to consultations. FPM has several Expert Groups made up of FPM member volunteers who have an in-depth knowledge within key areas. Expert Groups respond to press releases, consultations and publications. A new group on medical devices has now been established and a Patients Expert Group is also currently in development.

The current Expert Groups are listed below:

• Government Policy
• Orphan Gene Therapy
• Clinical Development
• Paediatrics and Vulnerable Groups
• Key Therapy Areas
• Oncology
• Medical Devices

In 2019, FPM contributed to several major consultations and inquiries, including the following:

• Participating in RCP London’s consultation on UK public health research goals
• Advising on changes to the Human Medicines Regulation 2012 (HMR2012) to ensure the continuity of supply of medicines; and
• Providing input into the EMA’s ‘Guideline on quality, non-clinical and clinical aspects of medicinal products containing genetically modified cells’ and ‘Regulatory Science to 2025: Strategic Reflection’ consultation
• Participation by Dr Penny Ward Penny Ward, Chair of Policy expert group, in an interview on the BBC 5pm programme on the impact of Brexit and medicines shortages

These activities help to develop national and global policy or regulations in areas associated with pharmaceutical medicine.

Activities planned for 2020 include:

• FPM’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 crisis
• Investment in platforms to deliver online exams and training
• Recruit a new Membership and Events Manager
• Produce a Memorandum of Understanding to enable collaborative work with IFAPP and IFAPP academy
• Revamp the award ceremony including new award categories
• Review the digital infrastructure in FPM as part of the modernisation plan

The ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19 meant that practical, unobtrusive and preventative measures were taken to protect staff and visitors to the FPM building at Angel Gate, London. A COVID-19 risk register was developed, and mitigation steps included new processes such as allowing the Designated Body to implement remote appraisals.

Once the government made the decision to implement lockdown for the UK population, the FPM office quickly operationalised activities so that the business continued seamlessly with the staff working remotely. For example, telephone extensions were linked to the staff’s newly acquired mobile telephones to ensure that FPM members could still contact the office with their queries. An additional licence for GoToMeetings was also purchased so that FPM could hold two parallel video conferences. This ensured that the schedule of committee meetings continued as part of FPM’s business continuity plan.