Pharmaceutical care planning for early discharge, the provision by community pharmacists of emergency hormonal contraception under protocols and quality assurance in the use of high-dose antipsychotics were subjects of the winning projects in the 1999 Pharmaceutical Care Awards.
The awards recognise excellence in the development of pharmaceutical services and are divided into three categories: shared care, hospital pharmacy and community pharmacy.
The winning team in the shared care category was led by Mr David Green (community liaison pharmacist, Essex Rivers healthcare trust). His team used pharmaceutical care planning and risk management to facilitate the early discharge from hospital of appropriate patients.
The runner-up entry was presented by Miss Betsie Wilkie (principal pharmacist for community services, Camden and Islington health authority). The project entailed the provision of high quality information on psychotropic medicines for people with learning disabilities.
In the community category, the winning project was a Manchester, Salford and Trafford health action zone project for the provision of emergency hormonal contraception from community pharmacies. The project &Thinking the unthinkable& was presented by Mrs Karen O'Brien (community pharmacy facilitator, Manchester health authority).
The runner-up was a Unichem Pharmacy Alliance project to identify and facilitate action to improve the care of adult asthma patients. The team was led by Mr Michael Gray (service development director, Pharmacy Alliance).
The winning entry in the hospital care category entailed the development of a quality assurance system for managing patients receiving high-dose antipsychotic medication. The project was presented by Ms Joy Nicholson (principal pharmacist, Lothian Primary Care NHS trust.
The runner-up entry was from Walsgrave hospital, Coventry. Mrs Clare Morlidge described the development of a pharmacist-run medication review clinic for renal patients.
Welcoming the prize-winners and guests to the Savoy, Mr Douglas Simpson (editor, The Pharmaceutical Journal) said that, as in previous years, representatives of other health professions were present. This was entirely appropriate, because entries for the Pharmaceutical Care Awards were often interprofessional and this applied to many of this year's submissions.
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Glaxo Wellcome UK's managing director, Douglas Hurt, (left) with the principal guest, Professor Douglas Hepler |
Another key guest was Mr Douglas Hurt (managing director, Glaxo Wellcome UK). Glaxo Wellcome had supported the Pharmaceutical Care Awards since their inception nine years ago, Mr Simpson said. The awards would not have got off the ground without Glaxo's backing and the support of the company had assured their continuation.
"The awards have helped good practice to be brought to the attention of the profession, thereby supporting professional innovation, which is, perhaps, why a company that uses massive resources in the process of seeking innovation in medicines is working with us," Mr Simpson commented.
"We have always had a good level of entries and this year has been no exception," Mr Simpson went on.
Thanking the panel of judges - Mr Marshall Davies (Vice-President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society), Mr Peter Curphey (chairman of the Society's Practice Committee), Mr John D'Arcy (director of the National Pharmaceutical Association), Mr Peter Cooke (past president of the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists), Dr Angela Alexander (a governor of the College of Pharmacy Practice), Dr David Jackson (medical director of Glaxo Wellcome UK), Mrs Beth Taylor (pharmacy manager, Community Health South London NHS trust) and Miss Sheena MacGregor (senior prescribing adviser, Borders primary care trust) - Mr Simpson said: "We were very fortunate to have a panel of such high quality."