Gisela Stuart (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health) visited Birmingham city hospital's pharmacy department on March 14 and gained a favourable impression of hospital pharmacy.
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Gisela Stuart with Peter Cooke at the dispensary counter |
Having explained to the Minister the role of clinical pharmacists in prescribing, cost-effectiveness and drug budgets, Mr Cooke told The Journal that he had tried to get the message across that pharmacists saved money. This was a medicines management issue, he said. Pharmacists reduced wastage and could help reduce the length of time patients spent in hospital. This was significant, because medicines accounted for 20 per cent of the hospital's non-pay budget.
Mr Cooke also explained to the Minister the pharmacist's role in pre-admission clinics, deciding in advance of prescribing the drug treatment that groups of patients would be expected to have.
The Minister was also shown the pharmacy's licensed aseptic suite, which was used to prepare intravenous nutrition solutions.
"I tried to get the message over that pharmacists were almost independent prescribers in this area already," Mr Cooke said. Doctors referred patients to them for intravenous feeding and the pharmacists determined exactly what combination of nutrients and micronutrients was needed on an individual basis.
Lastly, Mr Cooke said, he mentioned the problems that hospitals were having recruiting and retaining pharmacists and made it clear to the Minister that this was a pay-related issue.