New smoke-free hospital guide
No-smoking policies should be developed with pharmacy involvement |
NHS hospital trusts will receive guidance (PDF 170K)
from the Health Protection Agency this week on how to introduce no-smoking
policies,
mentioning
specific roles for pharmacists.
The Government has pledged that the NHS
will be smoke free by the end
of 2006 (PJ, 20 November p739). “Guidance for smokefree hospital
trusts” outlines the steps needed to implement these policies,
describes how to work with local NHS stop smoking services and stresses
the importance of consultation and communication with staff and patients.
The guidance says that working parties set up to draft the policy should
include pharmacy representation. “This is particularly relevant
in mental health institutions where there are some important interactions
between antipsychotic medication and stopping smoking. Pharmacists can
lend specific expertise in this area,” it says.
The guidance also states that the pharmacy budget will need to take into
account greater demand for smoking cessation treatment, but points out
that both nicotine replacement therapy and bupropion are cost effective.
It recommends that these drugs should be made available on the hospital
formulary, and says that pharmacists can assist with securing their supply. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
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