Nottingham launches locally focussed pharmacy strategy
Nottingham City Primary Care Trust launched its community pharmacy strategy on 27 April.
Stephen Hayes, project pharmacist at the PCT, said that what makes this
strategy different from others is its focus on local needs. “Although
many PCTs have community pharmacy strategies, they only state what the
national documents are and do not translate them into a local context.
This is what we have done, along with taking into consideration what
is expected to be in the new community pharmacy contract,” he explained.
Development of the pharmacy strategy will help community pharmacists
and PCTs prepare for implementation of the new pharmacy contract, Mr
Hayes said. It will also help the PCT prepare for its greater responsibility
for commissioning services. “The strategy is a three-year action
plan, describing what differences will be made for patients in Nottingham
and how we will utilise the skills of community pharmacists,” he
added.
Some of the strategy outlines how services that local community pharmacists
already provide will be expanded. These include methadone supervision,
smoking cessation services and a minor ailments scheme called Pharmacy
First. Pharmacy First currently covers six ailments and more will be
added. “It has been a huge success, particularly in the most deprived
areas of the city, where it has freed GP time allowing them to focus
on other needs,” Mr Hayes commented.
New services that will be developed through the implementation of the
strategy include medicines management, supplementary prescribing, repeat
dispensing, provision of compliance aids and out-of-hours services. Community
pharmacists within the PCT will be encouraged to adopt NHS corporate
branding. |
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