Entries for the Pharmaceutical Care Awards 1999 had been of the highest quality, Mr Douglas Hurt (managing director, Glaxo Wellcome UK Ltd) said.
They covered a wide range of ways in which pharmacists had been developing innovative approaches to improving patient care, including asthma treatment, pharmacist-led medication reviews, public health matters and the treatment of mental illness. The entries showed how pharmacists, as the health professionals who saw patients more frequently than any other, played a vital role in improving quality of life.
A particular example had been the project which showed pharmacists supporting asthma patients with using their medicines and devices optimally and in ensuring that symptoms were minimised. Glaxo Wellcome saw this work as particularly important in areas of social deprivation where contact with other health professionals was minimal.
"Pharmacists are ideally placed to ensure continuity of care across primary and secondary care sectors," Mr Hurt said. They could see that patients got the ongoing support they needed and got the most from their medicines. Pharmacists drew on their knowledge and expertise in their work with primary care groups and trusts, whether it be in the development of protocols or in assessing the pharmaceutical care needs of local populations.
The company was excited to see the National Health Service paying increasing attention to the view of patients, Mr Hurt went on. This could only lead to improvements in health outcomes and in a better NHS. Who better was there to listen to the views of patients than pharmacists?
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Douglas Hurt: important and innovative approaches to improvising patient care
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