The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is to develop guidance on the process of counter prescribing, taking account of likely practice developments over the next five years, including the possible introduction of pharmacist prescribing.
At its meeting on November 2, the Council's Practice Committee agreed that the guidance would aim to ensure consistency and quality of advice in community pharmacies. A desirable next step might be for pharmacists to develop local counter prescribing policies or formularies.
It was felt that the guidance should acknowledge the professional responsibility and personal accountability of the pharmacist in charge. It should aim to achieve a balance between the need for a practical process that could be readily implemented and the need to manage risks and provide quality assurance.
The committee agreed that the practice division should draft the guidance in liaison with the Professional Standards Directorate for consideration at a future committee meeting.
Skill mix The Practice Committee agreed to endorse proposals from the practice research unit on possibilities for research that would assist the Society in its deliberations on the community pharmacy skill mix issue. The proposals would be put to the Council at its next meeting.
The committee made its decision after considering a paper from the practice research unit reviewing specific skill-mix issues in the context of the potential for restructuring and developing professional practice.
The committee felt that the development of professional practice might require consideration of fundamental questions about changing working methods and disinvesting from some processes. For this to be translated into practice, benefits would need to be seen for patients, the public and pharmacists, including contractors. Both clinical and business aspects of processes would need to be taken into account, as would the legal requirements for a community pharmacist to remain in the pharmacy.
It was acknowledged that current information on work practices in community pharmacy was largely anecdotal. A mapping exercise could provide a baseline from which models for re-engineering processes could then be developed. Information would also be needed on the factors affecting community pharmacists' willingness to innovate and adopt new practice models.
It was noted that the aim of the research would not be to produce a blueprint for community pharmacy practice but to lead to a toolkit for pharmacists on how to consider the way they organised their practice and make appropriate changes.
The committee also noted that the Community Pharmacy Research Consortium Steering Group had built up experience of and credibility in managing projects of this type and might be able to assist with facilitating the necessary access to community pharmacies.
Mental health The Practice Committee agreed that the conference to launch the practice guidance on mental health produced by the Society's mental health task force (PJ, October 9, p566) should be held in late June or early July, 2000. In addition, the Conference Committee would be asked to include a session on the topic in the programme for the 2000 British Pharmaceutical Conference.
Before the launch conference, a letter on the work of the task force would be sent to those in a position to influence implementation of proposals for the future contribution of the pharmacist in relation to the national service framework for mental health.
The committee also agreed that the mental health guidance, and future practice guidance in the same series, should be published in the same format and disseminated by the same means as the Society's diabetes guidance (PJ, September 4, p346).
Domiciliary oxygen therapy The Practice Committee agreed that the Society should welcome and respond to a Royal College of Physicians report on domiciliary oxygen therapy services, which offered clinical guidelines and advice for prescribers.
Among other things, the Society's response would agree that there could be benefit in a proposed "domiciliary record form" for oxygen patients. The Society would suggest that there should be a community pharmacy input to the development, piloting and evaluation of the form.
The response would also suggest that, because patients receiving oxygen therapy were likely also to be taking other medicines, it was important to involve a pharmacist in their long-term management.
"Fit for the future" The Practice Committee agreed that the Society should respond to medicines-related issues within a consultation document, "Fit for the future", containing draft national standards for residential and nursing homes. The standards were intended to define the standards below which regulated services should not be allowed to fall while retaining their registration.
Degree accreditation The Education Committee resolved that future visiting parties for the accreditation of degrees in pharmacy should normally include only persons who had past direct experience of such an exercise or who had attended a training session organised by the Society or by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. The committee made its decision at the suggestion of participants in the Society's first training session for panel members, held on September 24. It was noted that at least one further training session would be held within the academic year 1999-2000.
The committee also approved the membership of the degree accreditation panel for 1999-2000. It was decided not to seek replacements for two panel members who were no longer available.
Education publications It was reported to the Education Committee that the fifth edition of the education division's catalogue of "Postgraduate taught courses in pharmacy-related subjects" was now available. The division had also arranged distribution to all pharmacy undergraduate students and preregistration trainees of Tomorrow's Pharmacist, the new annual publication produced in the offices of The Pharmaceutical Journal.
Sale of goods by quantity The Law and Ethics Committee agreed that the Society should make a response to a Department of Trade and Industry consultation on modernising the law on the sale of goods by quantity. It was noted that the proposals could affect the sale and supply of non-medicinal chemicals from pharmacies but were otherwise likely to have a limited impact on pharmacy. The Society's response would draw the DTI's attention to the implications for pharmacy in regard to chemicals and would also seek to confirm that the sale of medicines would not be affected.
Human Rights Act 1998 It was reported to the Law and Ethics Committee that the Professional Standards Directorate was examining the significance for the Society of the Human Rights Act 1998, which was due to come into force on October 2, 2000 - "human rights day". The Act created no new rights, but it would give litigants a new way in which to challenge the procedural rules of public bodies such as the Society. The committee noted that the Society's procedural rules, such as its registration requirements and disciplinary processes, had long been subject to the Human Rights Convention. However, there was a need to examine them in detail to ensure that there were no risk areas. The committee was informed that the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons agreed with the Society that procedures needed to be looked at in detail. The Society was working with those bodies with a view to seeking expert counsel's opinion on common problems.
Pharmacy indicative syllabus The Science Committee agreed to ask the Education Committee to consider including five new topics or areas within the Society's indicative syllabus for undergraduate degree courses in pharmacy (PJ, October 9, p589). The topics were: genomics; bio-informatics; an awareness of complementary and alternative medicine; combinatorial chemistry, biochemical and gene technology (as expansions on prospects for new approaches in therapeutics); and an explicit mention of pharmacopoeias and public standards.
FIP board of pharmaceutical sciences It was reported to the Science Committee that the Pharmaceutical Sciences Group had applied for membership of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) as a predominantly scientific ordinary member. As such, it would be represented on the FIP's board of pharmaceutical sciences.
The committee noted that most of the FIP's ordinary members were professional bodies, served by the board of pharmaceutical practice. There were currently only four predominantly scientific members, one from the United States, one from France and two from Japan.
The Society's chief scientist (Professor Tony Moffat) reported to the committee that FIP membership would give excellent opportunities for the Society, through the Pharmaceutical Sciences Group, to have involvement in the pharmaceutical sciences in the world arena.
Commons R&D inquiry The Science Committee agreed that the Society should make a short response to an inquiry by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee into Government expenditure on research and development.
Genetically modified material It was reported to the Science Committee that a draft paper on genetically modified materials in pharmaceuticals had been prepared and was to be considered by the Council at its December meeting. The intention was to use the paper to produce a fact sheet and supporting information for pharmacists.
OST health care panel It was reported to the Science Committee that Professor Tony Moffat had joined an Office of Science and Technology task force on the future use of medicines.
Branch observers The following observers from the Society's branches attended the meetings of Council committees on November 2: Mrs S. A. M. Beaumont (chairman of the Society's Brighton and Hove branch); Mrs P. Burke (secretary of the Society's Leicestershire branch); Mrs D. Dodge (careers officer of the Society's Derby branch); Mrs A. Falconer (representative of the Society's Fife branch); and Mrs M. Millest (secretary of the Society's Macclesfield branch).