Enhanced pharmacy services under way in north west
Services reflect PCT medicines management strategy |
Community pharmacists in the North West of England are now offering services to patients that will have enhanced service status under the new pharmacy contract in an agreement with their primary care trust worth nearly £200,000.
Already 22 of the 38 community pharmacies in St Helen’s Primary
Care Trust are involved in pilot projects testing the services — including
offering a minor ailments service; a needle exchange scheme and smoking
cessation support — which the PCT hopes to roll out across the
district in the next 18 months.
Pharmacists who have signed up to the initiative are paid a fee for their
time, which varies according to the service they are offering.
Phil O’Neil, one of the pharmacists involved, reports that already
the extra income is noticeable.
He estimates offering smoking cessation support can boost income by around £3,000
a month, of which around 25 per cent is profit, and the minor ailments
service is generating around £300 a month.
Mr O’Neil, manager of Knight’s Pharmacy, said: “This
is money that was not there before — it’s noticeable. We
are also getting more and more prescriptions — patients are seeing
the services we provide and feel that we are offering a really professional
service so they decide to bring their prescriptions to us as well.”
The extra services offered by pharmacists reflect the PCT’s medicines
management and community pharmacy strategies as well as meeting the expectations
of the new pharmacy contract.
Devina Halsall, senior primary care pharmacist and community pharmacy
lead pharmacist at the PCT said: “Community pharmacists are university
qualified health professionals who are dedicated to improving the care
and services they offer to patients. “This is all about increasing
our capacity to achieve our targets in order for the people of St Helens
to get the best out of their medicines – the pharmacists have the
skills to help us increase our capacity.”
P&MM, p1, pull-out centre section |
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