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The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7184 p161-167
9 February 2002

Scotland's pharmacy strategy includes money for modernising pharmacies

The Scottish pharmaceutical care strategy was launched at Inch Pharmacy, Edinburgh, where Scottish Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm is seen with pharmacy manager Joanna Hornal (left) and chairman of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland, Alison Strath

Scotland's strategy for pharmaceutical care, "The right medicine", was launched in Edinburgh on 4 February. The strategy sets out how pharmacy services will be modernised in order to achieve better and safer use of medicines. It aims to improve access to pharmacies and make better use of pharmacists' expertise.

One aspect of the pharmacy strategy is improving community pharmacy premises. At the strategy's launch, Malcolm Chisholm, Scottish Health and Community Care Minister, announced funding of £548,000 for 10 community pharmacy projects as part of a Scottish primary care modernisation scheme (see Panel).

The strategy states that pharmacist prescribing will be introduced in Scotland in 2003. This will enable pharmacists to adjust doses on repeat prescriptions. The strategy also aims to roll out repeat prescription dispensing by the end of 2005. The plan will be backed by £4m of funding. It is to be delivered through implementation groups set up by Scotland's chief pharmacist, Bill Scott.

Leading article, p160
News feature, p168
Broad welcome for new strategy from pharmacy (below)

Modernising pharmacy premises through the Scottish strategy:
10 successful pilot projects

The 10 successful community pharmacy projects to be funded as part of the Scottish Executive's primary care modernisation scheme projects are:

• Creation of a clinical services room in a rural community pharmacy to enable the pharmacist to have an enhanced role in chronic disease management and repeat prescribing (Duns Pharmacy, Duns, Borders)

• Introduction of health counselling plus non-health related services on the pharmacy site, including social services, housing, drug counsellors and health council representatives (JB Pharmacy, Drumchapel, Glasgow)

• Adaption of premises to provide medication reviews, pharmaceutical care of frail older people and introduction of non-health advisers such as housing and social services advisers (Dykes Road Pharmacy, Knightswood, Glasgow)

• Extension of premises to enlarge existing drug misuse, nicotine replacement therapy and head lice programmes and introduce new ways of working to support cross sectoral action programmes, and introduce health screening and chronic disease management (Victoria Road Pharmacy, Cathcart, Glasgow)

• Provision of confidential counselling, health monitoring and patient medication record access with health promotion material and IT links. This facility will be available to health professionals, charitable organisations and self-help groups (Mitchell's Chemist, Dornoch, Sutherland)

• Provision of consultation and meeting facilities to support NHS activity, including extended drug misuse services. Developing a "drive through" pharmacy with extended opening hours (Munro Pharmacy, East Kilbride, Lanarkshire)

• Provision of private advice area available also for sessional use by other health agencies, plus the potential for better drug misuse services in two pharmacies with limited space (J Dickson Pharmacy, Viewpark, and JB Pharmacy, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire)

• Provision of a private consultation room, public health advice area, and a dedicated medicines management facility (Colinton Pharmacy, Colinton, Lothian)

• Development of two private areas and a consultation room to provide services such as harm reduction, cardiac risk assessment, diabetes clinics and smoking cessation (Moss Pharmacy, Dundee)

Broad welcome for new strategy from pharmacy

THE Scottish Pharmaceutical Federation has broadly welcomed the Scottish Executive's strategy for pharmaceutical care in Scotland, which is intended to enhance patient care by making better use of pharmacists' skills and knowledge

Ian Johnstone, chairman of the SPF, said: "It is broadly in line with the direction we wish to see pharmacy services take. This is particularly the case for community pharmacy."

Highlighting the role already played by Scotland's network of more than 1,100 pharmacies, Mr Johnstone said that the strategy represented an opportunity for community pharmacists to be in a better position to offer enhanced level of pharmaceutical care to the patients they served.

Welcoming the additional money for providing consultation areas, Mr Johnstone warned that a full assessment of the impact of the strategy could only be made following detailed examination, and extensive discussions with the Scottish Executive over its content and likely funding implications.

He emphasised that an enhanced role for community pharmacists, for example the introduction of more flexible arrangements to allow people access to community pharmacy services after normal hours, would have to be costed.