Children’s NSF sets out a big role for pharmacists
Pharmacists in England will have a significant role to play in delivering the National
Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services, announced by the Department of Health this week.
In particular, they will be responsible for effective communication between
secondary and primary care to make sure that no medication problems arise
when children are
discharged from hospital with complex or specialised drug treatment.
The 11 NSF standards
· Promoting health and well-being, identifying needs and intervening
early
· Supporting parents and carers
· Child, young person and family-centred services
· Growing up into adulthood
· Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young
people
· Children and young people who are ill
· Children and young people in hospital
· Disabled children and young people with complex health needs
· Mental health and psychological well-being of children and young
people
· Medicines management for children
· Maternity services |
The
NSF sets 11 standards that have to be met within 10 years (see panel).
One of the standards specifically addresses medicines management for
children and young people, but the best use of medicines is integral
to them all.
One section of the medicines standard specifically addresses the role
of pharmacists. They, it says, have a central role in the safe and effective
use of medicines. Greater use of community pharmacists as a community
health resource is proposed because 20 per cent of calls to primary care
out-of-hours centres and 8 per cent of accident and emergency department
consultations could be handled by them.
Hospital pharmacists, it says, can have an important role in liaising
with community services when children and young people are discharged
from hospital.
Addressing primary care trusts, the section says that carefully targeted
minor ailments schemes should be considered to meet the needs of patients
who would otherwise visit a GP for a prescription. Use of community pharmacists
to promote healthy lifestyle messages and to help people stop smoking
is also encouraged.
The lack of confidentiality inherent in the design of some community
pharmacies is noted in the context of research which shows that 20 per
cent of young women seeking emergency hormonal contraception from pharmacies
have concerns over privacy.
Elsewhere, the medicines standard addresses the use of medicines that
contain sugar or that have to be crushed or reformulated and the use
of medicines outside their licensed indications.
Better communication between care sectors is noted as being necessary
in many parts of the NSF. In particular, the medicines standard seeks
better communication between hospital consultants and GPs and between
hospital pharmacists and community pharmacists. In both cases, it urges
the use of parent-held health records.
The NSF has been welcomed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. David
Pruce, the Society’s director of practice and
quality improvement, who was a member of the Medicines for Children and
Young People External Working Group, said: “The Society is delighted
to see that medicines management is one of the 11 standards set out in
this NSF. It recognises the role of the pharmacist across all sectors
of the profession in improving the use of medicines for children.”
The children’s NSF will be considered in more detail in next week’s
issue. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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