The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7253 p812
14 June 2003

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Rise to the challenge [more]
Keep up the pressure [more]

Rise to the challenge

Hospital pharmacy has been given a fillip this week that will enhance pharmacists' roles further and ensure that they continue to be central to the provision of hospital clinical services. Over the next three years, £12m will be available for hospital pharmacy departments in England to develop clinical services, focusing on antibiotic management and the control of hospital infections (p813).

The announcement, made jointly by the chief medical officer and the chief pharmaceutical officer for England, reflects — on two main fronts — the rising regard in which hospital pharmacists are held.

First, although poor antibiotic management can be avoided and it is the practices of the past that have led to the current problems, the chief officers see that it is an issue of such significance that ring-fenced national funds are required to tackle it .

Secondly, it is to pharmacists that they have turned (and not other clinicians) to lead on hospital initiatives to improve practice.

Hospital pharmacists should rise to the challenge and ensure that the monies are used effectively and economically, and that, over the next few years, instances of poor antibiotic management can be shown to be on the wane. If they are successful, hospital pharmacists can be confident that, in future, all medicines-related initiatives will be theirs for the leading.

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Keep up the pressure

With an interim statement expected on the Westminster response to the Office of Fair Trading report on pharmacy regulations by the end of this month and a full response due by the close of parliamentary play towards the middle of July, the waiting may seem to be nearly over. We have previously reported (PJ, 5 April, p461) that the Treasury will have a say — even the final say — on the shape of the response, and the outcome will be a compromise between the various departments (plus a consideration of the views of the Scottish and Welsh administrations and those from Northern Ireland). The timing of the response is further complicated by the fact that a major Cabinet reshuffle is expected. If there are any changes at the top of these departments, they may further influence the timing of the announcement, if not its content.

So the message for community pharmacists is "keep up the pressure". Those pharmacists who have not yet let their MPs know their views should write soon, and those who have already lobbied effectively should read our News Feature on p822 to see if there are other strategies they can adopt.

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