The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7294 p437
10 April 2004

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NPA has positive meeting with minister

Rosie Winterton, health minister responsible for pharmacy services in England, is to be invited to visit a number of innovative community pharmacies so that she can see what pharmacy can offer the health service.

Ms Winterton met the NPA chairman, Hemant Patel, and chief executive, John D’Arcy, last week to discuss current issues facing pharmacy when the visits were suggested. Topics discussed during their meeting included chronic disease management, handling of medicines in care homes and NHS pharmacy contract controls.

The NPA said that Ms Winterton acknowledged the importance of including community pharmacy in the pilots testing the Kaiser Permanente model of chronic disease management (PJ, 20 March, p343). On care homes, she said that the recent National Care Standards Commission report highlighted the need for care home providers to consult pharmacists over medication issues (ibid).