The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 271 No 7265 p306-307
6 September 2003

Society summary

Scottish department: What the Society does for its members in Scotland

In our second article examining the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s activities on behalf of its members, the chairman of the Society’s Scottish Executive, David A. M. Thomson, takes a look at what the Society delivers for its members in Scotland. A previous article (PJ, 9 August, p187) considered activities in England and in Britain generally, and a forthcoming article will look at Wales

The Society’s Scottish Department is based in Edinburgh and provides a secretariat for the Society’s Scottish Executive as well as a library and a museum for the use of members. The department plays a key role in implementing the Society’s policies and lobbying to meet the specific needs of a devolved Scotland.

From the outset, it has been evident that since devolution and the introduction of the Scottish Parliament, its governing Executive intended to develop a distinct health care agenda to meet the specific needs and priorities of the Scottish people. It is important that key decision-makers understand the profession’s viewpoint and the Society therefore made it a priority to build close working relationships with Ministers, members of the Scottish Parliament, Government officials and the range of new health organisations formed as a consequence of devolution. To deliver this, the Society has established an active programme of public affairs across all the key decision-making bodies in Scotland.

Much of this work has been directed at realising the opportunities for the profession presented by “The right medicine”, Scotland’s strategy for pharmaceutical care, and the more recently published White Paper, “Partnership for care”. Part of Scotland’s strategy for pharmacy is being implemented through a pharmaceutical care model schemes initiative, with the directorate responsible for this enterprise hosted at the Society’s Edinburgh offices. These schemes aim to provide an enhanced quality of care for patients in three categories — the frail elderly, those with severe and enduring mental illness and people in need of palliative care services. Annamarie McGregor, the scheme’s director, is a member of the implementation team for “The right medicine”, as are Alison Strath, past chairman of the Society’s Scottish Executive, and Rose Marie Parr, director of pharmacy within NHS Education Scotland, who is also a member of the Executive.

Significant progress is being made to maximise the contribution pharmacists can make to improving the health of the people of Scotland, with the Society’s Scottish Department playing a key role in many areas.

Lobbying The Society engages in concerted lobbying on major issues of concern. Most recently, the Society’s voice — including that of its branches in Scotland — was heard on the issue of the Office of Fair Trading report on community pharmacy. Members of the Scottish Parliament, the Health Committee and the Executive were directly pressed to reject the OFT’s recommendations and to focus on developing the important role of pharmacy in the NHS. This position was adopted by the Scottish Parliament ahead of the decision by the Government at Westminster.

Devolution continues to evolve and develop, bringing greater opportunities for the pharmacy profession in Scotland as the Scottish health agenda is implemented. This will require an ongoing lobbying effort. The Society’s Scottish Executive, supported by the Scottish Department, will continue to ensure that the profession plays its full part in these developments and opportunities.

Public health The Society works to promote the contribution pharmacists can make in improving the health of the public in Scotland. Candidates in the May elections were sent copies of “Putting people at the heart of their own health”, a Society publication setting out new and extended roles for pharmacists in prescribing, substance misuse reduction and health promotion. The Society continues to work closely with the Scottish Specialists in Pharmaceutical Public Health, a group constituted by pharmacists with an interest in public health.

The Society’s Scottish Executive was also asked to comment on the report “Pharmacy for health: The way forward for pharmaceutical public health in Scotland”, published in January 2003 by the Public Health Institute of Scotland. This report, which highlighted the main areas where pharmacists have already made a significant contribution to health improvement and identified opportunities for further development of pharmaceutical public health, builds on the key health improvement messages of “The right medicine: a strategy for pharmaceutical care in Scotland".

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS) Formed from a number of related organisations, this body is charged with ensuring that NHS services are developed and delivered to a high quality. The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland, the Clinical Resource and Audit Group, the Health Technology Board for Scotland and others form part of the QIS organisation. The Society in Scotland continues to work with this body to ensure pharmacy is at the forefront of new developments.

Supplementary prescribing Sixty pharmacists have enrolled on the first supplementary prescribing course at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. A similar course is also being developed at the University of Strathclyde.

Repeat dispensing pilot A repeat prescribing and dispensing model has been piloted in the Fife fishing village of Elie and is now being rolled out across North East Fife Local Health Care Co-operative (LHCC).

Direct supply initiatives for minor ailments Community pharmacists in Tayside and Ayrshire & Arran are now prescribing treatments on the NHS for patients diagnosed with common illnesses. Work is ongoing within these areas to develop an implementation framework for rolling this service out across Scotland.

NHSnet Community pharmacies in Ayrshire are connected to the NHSnet and a Scotland-wide implementation programme is under way. In addition, prescriptions and some limited clinical data have been sent electronically in the first stages of an e-pharmacy programme, which is being rolled out across Irvine, Kilwinning and Dundonald LHCC.

Chronic conditions Work is under way to develop model schemes for specific chronic conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy.

Yellow card system An adverse drug reaction reporting centre has been established at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to facilitate the collection of this data on a Scotland-wide basis.

NHS 24 In both the Grampian and Greater Glasgow areas, patients are referred to community pharmacists for support in managing minor ailments, advice on accessing pharmacy services and prescription medicines and resolving queries relating to their medication.

NHS Education Scotland Now formally combined with most of the health care professions, NHS Education Scotland is truly a multidisciplinary operation with the profession now better placed to take advantage of joint working and training opportunities.

SIGN The Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network is responsible for producing a wide range of important health care guidelines. The Society’s Scottish Department endeavours to ensure that pharmacists with the necessary skills and expertise are identified to participate in this important area of work.

Local Health Care Co-operatives Conference This annual event has been hosted by the Scottish Department in the past and provides an opportunity for pharmacists involved in LHCC activities to meet, network and share experiences. This is particularly useful for those pharmacists who work alone in remote parts of Scotland.

Bringing key people together The Association of Scottish Trust Chief Pharmacists, a body formed by pharmacists with responsibility for developing and providing pharmacy services in the acute and primary care sectors, has established close ties with the Executive.

The Scottish Executive also works closely with the chief and deputy chief pharmaceutical officers at the Scottish Executive Health Department who have overall responsibility for pharmacy services within Scotland. The National Pharmaceutical Forum, a body established to work closely with and advise the CPO also has a number of Scottish Executive members among its membership.