Scottish supplementary prescribers get clinic funds
Funds to enable community pharmacists to set up supplementary prescribing
clinics have been announced this week by the Scottish Executive (PDF 210K).
All community pharmacists in Scotland who are registered as supplementary
prescribers with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society are eligible to apply
for funding. It consists of two parts: £500 for initial costs involved
in setting up a service plus £150 per week towards running the
clinics. Community pharmacists can hold clinics either in their pharmacies
or in the associated GP practice.
The Scottish Executive explains the details of the scheme in an NHS circular
published on 8 July. It says that the funding will provide the pharmacist
with protected time to run the clinics, for example, to provide locum
cover or to compensate for any additional workload. In terms of the clinic
set-up fee, the circular notes that it might be appropriate for part
of this fee to be made to the GP practice.
The scheme will run until March 2006. After that, it is expected that
supplementary prescribing will form part of the chronic medication service
within the new pharmacy contract.
Co-ordination of the initiative falls to NHS Education for Scotland (NES).
To apply for funding, a written proposal for a supplementary prescribing
service signed by both the pharmacist and local GP must be submitted
to NES. Ongoing monitoring of the service will also be conducted by NES.
Prescribing initiative welcomed
This week’s announcement on funding for supplementary prescribing
clinics has received a positive response in Scotland. “This
announcement provides community pharmacists with the opportunity
to ultimately establish themselves as core members of the primary
care prescribing team,” said Frank Owens, chairman of the Scottish
Pharmaceutical General Council. He sees the initiative as an important
step towards securing independent prescribing rights for pharmacists. “It
provides Scotland’s community pharmacist supplementary prescribers
with the opportunity not only to use their newly acquired skills
but also to showcase the value of the pharmaceutical contribution
in the overall management of chronic disease,” he commented.
James Semple, chairman of the Scottish Pharmaceutical Federation,
said: “The announcement recognises the cost to contractors
of providing this service and will allow colleagues who have completed
the supplementary prescribing course to put their skills to good
effect.” He added: It is a useful first step towards
the chronic medication service part of the new contract.”
Campbell Shimmins, of Woodside Pharmacy, Doune, Perthshire, who
was the first UK community pharmacist to write a supplementary
prescription,
is equally positive. “This removes the single biggest hurdle
to setting up clinics,” he said. “Before, I was having
to make it work within existing resources. So this is a giant leap
forward.” |
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