The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 264 No 7089 p456
March 25, 2000 News

President opens Leicester pharmacy practice research centre

A new pharmacy practice research centre was opened by the President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (Mrs Christine Glover) at the Glenfield hospital, Leicester, on March 17. The new centre, which is jointly operated by the hospital's pharmacy department and the school of pharmacy at De-Montfort university, Leicester, is intended to provide a focus for strategically planned research for pharmacists in Leicestershire and Rutland. The director of the centre is Professor David Upton (pharmacy services manager, Glenfield hospital), who will dedicate four sessions a week to research work. He hopes to be able to recruit full-time PhD students, as well as to be able to support the research interests of local practitioners.

Christine Glover declares the new centre open

Professor Upton is keen for pharmacists to realise that although the centre is hospital-based, it is intended to benefit all pharmacists in the area.
Indeed, a primary care-based study has already been started in collaboration with the Leistershire health authority pharmacy development group. The aim is to find out what percentage of patients do not take prescriptions to pharmacies for dispensing for themselves and to see whether this rate is different for areas targeted by the Leicester health action zone. The long-term aim of the study is to find out whether there is significant benefit to patients from home visits by primary care pharmacists.
Professor Upton intends to see that the centre also carries out multidisciplinary research in areas wherever medicines are involved. Examples would include the impact of nurse prescribing and the implications for medicines of clinical governance.