|
Modernisation
The Society
The Journal
Adrenal insufficiency
The profession
The register
Ramipril
Simvastatin
Letters to the Editor
|
The profession
Care provider or manager?
From Dr K. W. Ridge, MRPharmS, and Mr D. A. M. Thomson, MRPharmS
So what am I: a care provider or a manager? Do I look after patients
or money? Surely I could not do both?
There comes a time in one’s professional career when one thinks “not
long to go now, a few more years and I can forget all about this, even
do the things I want to do”. The issue is that this is an exciting
time for the pharmacy profession, a lot of people think we are a good
thing — patients, Governments, junior doctors, industry, for example.
Even some pharmacists think we might be on to something.
However, are we at yet another pharmacy crossroads? Or even a border
perhaps, between medicines management and pharmaceutical care. In England,
pharmaceutical care is spoken about with great affection, but others
think and write about medicines management. In Scotland, we write about
pharmaceutical care but cannot escape the osmotic effect from Down South
of the English concept of medicines management.
So is this a problem? The answer is probably “yes” in a political
world, particularly when patients are being positioned at the centre
of the National Health Service. Most patients would rather be cared for
than managed and other professions are certainly learning this lesson.
We suspect many patients would want skilled, professional care providers
to help them manage their health or illness in partnership given the
key aspects of knowledge that lie with both parties.
So how do we, as a profession operating in both community and hospital
settings, care for patients and help them manage their health? How can
we share that aim in a system where rewards and incentives across borders
and interfaces are different?
One possible answer, particularly at a time when contracts are being
negotiated, is to introduce a contract within and across the profession,
which builds on the Code of Ethics, and states clearly our common aim:
to provide pharmaceutical care in a patient focused and efficiently managed
way.
Keith Ridge
Chief Pharmacist
North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust
D. A. M. Thomson
Director of Pharmacy
Greater Glasgow Primary Care Trust |
* PDF files on PJ Online require Acrobat
Reader 4 or later.