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Two new Services!!

21/7/2015

Last Thursday evening, I chaired a really important engagement event for community pharmacists in our area.

There were presentations on 2 new services: The Gateshead Minor Ailment Scheme (MAS), and the new Transfer of Care (TofC) Service in Gateshead & South Tyneside.

The Gateshead MAS is a fantastic new service for Gateshead based on the recently introduced “award winning” South Tyneside MAS. Historically, Gateshead didn’t have a pharmacy based MAS (except in small isolated pockets) and this service will really put community pharmacy on the map at the centre of health care for minor ailments – “Think Pharmacy First”

Advertising will follow shortly, but the service begins on August First. Please ensure that you’ve signed up for it!!!

Turning to the TofC service...This innovative service will allow hospital colleagues to communicate with community pharmacy via our PharmOutcomes IT platform – requesting NMS, MUR or public health interventions.

All pharmacies will be switched on, so please ensure that you regularly check PharmOutcomes for the referral...

Chairmans Blog: Chocks away! - Think Pharmacy First

19/5/2015

All throughout my professional career as a community pharmacist, I’ve hoped that the skills of a pharmacist could be better utilised by society...and for many years on the LPC, I’ve been working towards this aim by leading our attempts to revitalise the current minor ailment scheme to be a bold new service...a service where the public can access a vast range of medicines for an increasing range of conditions “quickly and conveniently” from community pharmacy instead of accessing other more expensive services (GP, Walk in centres or Accident & Emergency departments).

Well, finally, here we are with a shiny new minor ailment service in South Tyneside – a bigger formulary, fuller list of conditions to treat and the promise that the lists will keep on growing – the time for pharmacy managing minor ailments in South Tyneside is now.

The 39 pharmacies we have will provide helpful easy access to minor ailments for patients; and will definitely reduce the strain on our overstretched GP colleagues, and other services.

This is a win-win for everybody.

There’s been a soft launch so far last month, but in the coming months prepare for a lot of publicity and signposting into community pharmacy.

My plea to pharmacy colleagues, then, is to embrace minor ailments - remove the chocks, and let’s fly with this new service and really show we can make a difference!!!

Recently the Royal Pharmaceutical Society have produced the following video to help highlight minor ailments services. This couldn't have come at a more timely manner for our local "Think Pharmacy First"service

Chairmans Blog: Are Pharmacists the answer?

18/3/2015

There has been a lot of chatter recently about having more pharmacy involvement in GP surgeries. I’m absolutely wedded to the principle that this is a good idea...as, without a doubt, this will improve patient care, and take some of the load off hard pressed GPs. I’m not exactly sure who will pay for this, however, and I don’t want it to come out of community pharmacy remuneration...

My wife is a prescribing support pharmacist in many surgeries and I know that if she was commissioned to do more, then the result would be better care for patients – especially those that are discharged from hospital.

But why stop there? Surely with better IT links and a common patient record, then community pharmacies could do so much more...Community Pharmacists are a rich resource that could be used more effectively to improve patient care – we just need to be given the chance!

Chairmans Blog: There is nothing minor about the new Minor Ailment Scheme in South Tyneside

8/3/2015

Great News Everyone!

The LPC has been working with the CCG in South Tyneside for a long time now on a complete re-boot of the minor ailment scheme...with a much bigger formulary and proper referral into community pharmacy.

In April the new service begins...with a soft launch initially, followed by full-on marketing as THINK PHARMACY FIRST.

The new service launch event later this month will familiarise everybody with the formulary and indications. I’m sure you will be pleased with the range of products we can supply on the new service, but, in addition more products including some on PGD will follow in due course.

Members of the public will be able to access treatments for common ailments from the network of community pharmacies in a similar manner to that offered by the GP, walk-in-centres or accident and emergency at a fraction of the cost to the NHS – and more conveniently in a much timelier manner.

The pharmacies in South Tyneside will act as mini walk-in centres themselves!!

Not only that, but patients will be actively referred into pharmacies from other providers - and eventually from NHS 111 also!

There’ll be a lot of advertising all over the place to position pharmacy firmly at the centre of this part of urgent care.

There's nothing minor about this new minor ailment scheme...and it’s going to get better.

Chairmans Blog: - Over ordering of Medications

8/3/2015

It’s well known that patients hoard medication; and this is perhaps understandable when they are reliant on the medicines for their daily life...sometimes they store them in odd places for emergencies (car, caravan, suitcase etc.) so occasionally they appear to use more medication than actual.

There’s also the issue that patients who are dependent on medication will want to try and have a “buffer” in case there’s a shortage, or some problem ordering them.

So, sometimes when GP staff are looking at data they may see some odd patterns developing over time.

What shouldn’t happen is patients perpetually ordering prescriptions early or unnecessarily (for creams, inhalers etc.) as this is wasteful for the NHS and might alert prescribers to inappropriate dosing or conditions getting worse.

Inhalers in particular can be a big problem.

If a patient is an asthmatic they should use around 1 salbutamol inhaler per month (certainly not 2). Two puffs four times a day is too much - and probably shows that the asthma is out of control, and the patient needs a review.

If a patient has COPD, they could use considerably more...and so It’s really important for asthma patients to understand this...and for pharmacies who order medication on behalf of them to be aware of the condition and hence possible overuse. Inhalers must be used appropriately and not just ordered willy nilly for convenience. They must also be used correctly to ensure accurate dosing, so technique is important – and this is a role for community pharmacy.

When doing an MUR on a respiratory patient, we should check whether the patient is asthmatic or not; and if yes, then we should check dosage and technique...and so add pharmaceutical care to maximise therapy. If the patient is using the inhaler too much then the GP should be informed via feedback.

If the patient has COPD, a similar review should be done to keep a watching brief on this progressive disease.

It’s in everybodys interest that only inhalers that are necessary are ordered...inhaler waste is not acceptable and neither is out of control patients!

Chairman Blog: Act now to help remove the threat of criminal prosecution from dispensing errors

8/3/2015

The department of Health has launched a consultation into dispensing errors. For too long pharmacists have practiced with the threat of criminal proceedings against them if an innocent dispensing error has taken place. Hopefully once the consultation has taken place changes will redress ‘imbalances’ between legislation and regulation. and bring pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, who inadvertently make dispensing errors, more in line with the handling of errors made by other healthcare professionals.

By removing the fear of criminal prosecution, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy teams will be encouraged to report more dispensing errors, so the NHS can learn from when things go wrong, and stop them happening again. In the unlikely event that a pharmacy professional deliberately sets out to harm patients, they would continue to face the full force of criminal law.

These changes are crucial to driving high quality patient care and improving patient safety, developing pharmacy practice and enabling innovation.

Please get involved in the consultation.
This is a link to the discussion papers:-
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pharmacy-legislation-on-dispensing-errors-and-standards

This is a direct link to the consultation:-
http://consultations.dh.gov.uk/medicines-pharmacy-and-industry/rebalancing-medicines-legislation-and-pharmacy-reg/consultation/intro/view

Chairmans Blog: Seven days a week!

19/1/2015

If you're admitted to hospital on a Monday, the evidence shows that you've got a better chance of a speedy recovery than if you're admitted on a Saturday...
(http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/evidence-base.pdf)

Why is this you may ask?

Well, it's because it seems that there are more errors in hospitals at a weekend leading to a higher mortality rate, and poorer service. Perhaps this is because there are less staff present, leading to more errors on a weekend?

Whatever the reason, hospitals are starting to move towards a 7 day service. There's also the fact that operating theatres are less used on a Saturday or Sunday at present and this represents a good increase in productivity if they're used fully over a weekend.

This will have a big impact on staff in hospitals as they will all eventually become sort of shift workers... This is a major change for hospitals with huge challenges.

Community pharmacy has always been a 7 day per week profession.

Many pharmacies are open over the weekend although overall provision is less than during the normal week-days. We've heard recently, however, that the Prime-Minister has promised a 7 day GP week by 2020...this will have a major impact on pharmacy costs as the work load will be spread over more days...Let's hope funding follows!

It's important that everyone ensures that they have a good work/life balance!

Chairmans Blog: - DRY JANUARY - Can you stay off the booze for 31 days?

2/1/2015

Community pharmacists have an important role in educating the public about the risks associated with excessive alcohol drinking and promoting safe alcohol consumption...one of the ways we can help is by simply talking to patients giving brief advice, but initiating the conversation can be challenging.

The LPC is working with the local authorities to try and get a brief alcohol intervention service up and running using scratch cards to start the conversation.

For information, there is a public health media campaign called "Dry January" and it's an attempt to encourage people to abstain from alcohol for 31 days - during the month of January. The campaign will be focussing on the link between alcohol and cancer:-

Alcohol is the second biggest cause of cancer (in people over 35) after smoking...
Alcohol is responsible for 4% of UK cancers – about 12,500 cases each year (Alcohol Research UK)...
An estimated 6% of cancer deaths in the UK caused by alcohol. (Cancer Research UK, Alcohol and Cancer: the evidence, 2009).
85% of people do not realise that drinking over limits increases the risk of developing breast cancer.
Some 65% were unaware it increases the risk of bowel cancer.

So, the simple message is: "the more often you drink, the more you increase your risk of developing cancer".

If you're interested in supporting the campaign in your pharmacy (or by having a month off alcohol yourself?), then please please visit the dry January website. www.dryjanuary.org.uk

Can you stay off the booze for 31 days?

Chairmans Blog: Happy New Year

1/1/2015

As we enjoy New Year Celebrations, and the year changes into 2015; our thoughts perhaps reflect on the past year and look forward with anticipation to the New Year?

What a year we’ve had in Community Pharmacy...

In terms of hassle, perhaps stock shortages were the thing that irritated you the most, but perhaps the most disappointing result last year was the remuneration settlement; which once again has us doing more work for less payment. It reminds us though that the future is in service delivery? We simply must engage as much as possible with locally commissioned services – and the LPC is doing its utmost to get new local services commissioned from any agency that will listen. There will be no new money via the supply chain - so please get involved in any new commissioned services and do them well. Quality of care is important...

The NHS has to save money moving forward and Community Pharmacy if commissioned will provide savings...

A good example is to make community pharmacy the first port of call for minor ailments...walk-in centres, GP surgeries and casualty departments are really not the place that patients should be accessing minor ailment treatment...give it to Community Pharmacy and there will be better patient access and massive savings to the NHS.

Public Health Services like vaccination are another good example. We could be commissioned to provide so much more than flu!

The list goes on...and commissioners must start to commission differently.

The New Year will almost certainly bring new challenges for community pharmacy in our patch, but your LPC is ideally placed and eager to help. Our news/twitter feeds are always sending out relevant items for contractors, their pharmacists and their support staff and we provide many training events throughout the year.

So let’s raise a glass and drink a toast to the future, a future where community pharmacy really is fully embedded in the NHS - providing value for money quality pharmaceutical care to patients...Happy New Year!

CHairmans Blog:- Honey

18/12/2014

At this time of year many people have colds and sore throats...and as a consequence they seek out remedies from pharmacies, because pharmacists and their staff are ideally placed to provide medication, and advice, to ease the suffering from minor ailments.

A lot of cold medication contains honey as an ingredient...and honey has been used in such medication for thousands of years - even the ancient Egyptians used honey to treat catarrh. Indeed one such remedy, from those far off days, involves painting the nose for 4 days with lead ore, dry incense and honey to drive out the catarrh! Not recommended these days (for obvious reasons!), but honey is still included in many over the counter products today - often for its pleasant taste, or soothing properties.

Another of the big benefits of honey found in antiquity was its antiseptic and antibacterial properties, and in ancient times the product was applied to treat wounds. In modern times honey is still used sometimes in chronic wound management - although the evidence for its use is sketchy...

Whatever the evidence, honey is a delicious substance and has been used throughout history to sweeten foods; and in medication...and I like it on toast!