The chief pharmacists for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have endorsed a newly published strategy for the medicines information service (formerly drug information), which was launched in June.
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Drug information becomes medicines information |
In a letter accompanying the strategy, Mrs Jeanette Howe (acting chief pharmacist, Department of Health), Mr Bill Scott (chief pharmacist, Scottish Executive), Miss Carwen Wynne Howells (chief pharmacist, National Assembly for Wales) and Dr Norman Morrow (chief pharmacist, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for Northern Ireland) say: "The medicines information service has a key part to play in taking forward the Government's modernisation agenda for the NHS. We welcome this strategy document and commend it to policy makers, commissioners, managers, pharmacists and other health care professionals. We would encourage them to work together with medicines information pharmacists towards achieving the vision set out in the strategy."
According to the strategy, as well as its basic inquiry-answering role, the service will aim to be more proactive in the primary care sector and provide users, such as community pharmacists, pharmaceutical advisers, nurses and prescribing committees, with information on new medicines, groups of drugs and major clinical trials.
In secondary care, the service will aim to improve and increase dissemination of information by using hospital "intranets" and by having more input into decision-support mechanisms (eg, electronic prescribing systems). Problems with recruitment and retention of staff will be tackled by the development of structured career progression, according to the strategy.
At a national level, the medicines information service will develop its connections with bodies, such as the National Prescribing Centre (NPC), the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland. In addition, it will make some information available, where appropriate, through the National Electronic Library for Health (NeLH) and will provide training and support to NHS Direct.
Mr Peter Golightly (chairman, UK medicines information pharmacists group) told The Journal: "This should now empower those providing, using and investing in the service to knock on doors and demonstrate the value of medicines information services and the value of investing in them."
He added that a national implementation framework detailing the implementation of the strategy over the next five years would be published by the end of July.
The strategy has been distributed to national organisations, regional offices, chief executive officers in trusts, health authorities and primary care groups/trusts.
Pharmacists wishing to obtain copies of the strategy should contact their regional medicines information centre