Agenda item

- Nick Hunter, Chief Officer, Rotherham Local Pharmaceutical Committee

Nick Hunter, Chief Officer, Rotherham Local Pharmaceutical Committee, gave the following powerpoint presentation:-

 

Introduction to the Profession

Medicines

-        Medicines still the most common therapeutic intervention but 30-50% were not taken as intended and 4-5% of hospital admissions were due to preventable adverse effects of medicines.  However, 41% of patients: little or no explanation of side effects

-        961.5M NHS prescriptions dispensed in England by community pharmacies (2011) – 3.8% increase on previous year

 

Pharmacist Education

-        23 Schools of Pharmacy

-        4 year MPharm Degree

-        Pre-registration year in practice

-        GPhC Exams

-        Registration

 

Rotherham Local Pharmaceutical Committee

-        Body recognised in statute since the beginning of the NHS

-        Support community pharmacists in doing their job

-        Work with the NHS to co-ordinate local service provision

-        Coterminous with RMBC

-        Provide expertise and experience

-        Elected by local professionals

 

Pharmacy and the NHS

-        Community pharmacies are independent contractors

-        Each pharmacy enters into a ‘contract’ with the NHS

-        Control of entry

-        Only a handful of pharmacies without NHS contracts

-        Terms of Service set down in legislation

 

Working Together

-        Community pharmacies located in the heart of every community

-        Unique access to the well

-        Support development of the JSNA and PNA

-        Understanding of the profession

 

Community Pharmacy in Rotherham

-        63 pharmacies

-        Half were national multiples

-        Quarter were regional multiples

-        Quarter were independents

-        NHS income accounted for >90% of turnover

 

Pharmacy Support Staff

-        Medicines Counter Assistants

-        Dispensers

-        Pharmacy Technicians

-        ‘Checking Technicians’

 

Essential Services

-        Dispensing

-        Repeat Dispensing

-        Support for self-care

-        Signposting patients to other healthcare professionals

-        Healthy Lifestyles service (Public Health)

-        Waste medication disposal

-        Clinical governance including audit

 

Public Health Campaigns

-        Early diagnosis

-        Stopober

-        Early detection of bowel cancer

-        Breastfeeding

 

Advanced Services

-        Medicines Use Review

-        New Medicine Service

 

Public Health/Wellbeing Services

-        Sexual health

-        NHS Health Check

-        Weight management

-        Stop smoking services

-        Immunisation

-        Alcohol screening and support

-        Substance misuse

 

Discussion ensued with the following highlighted:-

 

-        Contracted for 6 Public Health campaigns a year – get smarter and plan ahead - South Yorkshire approach?

 

-        It was originally supported by Department of Health grants to pilot a number of aspects 1 of which was to create a brand or image to enable marketing for using pharmacies for more than collecting prescriptions

 

-        National programme but very much for local delivery and local use as to what went in it with a national set of quality criteria

 

-        900 consultations a day in the community pharmacies for lifestyle advice

 

-        The Pharmacy Needs Assessment by Statute had to be done, traditionally, under the PCT.  That was transferring with Public Health into the Local Authority.  The Medicine Management Team would have worked on it but they were staying with the CCG to look at commissioning the work

 

-        From a NHS Commissioning Board point of view, the relationships between Public Health, Local Pharmaceutical Committee and the Clinical Commissioning Group would be quite challenging and the Board had a role to play in holding the system to account 

 

-        Wastage of prescriptions/repeat prescriptions was a big issue

 

-        There were no sites currently in Rotherham operating electronic patient prescription

 

Nick was thanked for his presentation.