Pharmacy should be represented at senior levels
NHS boards should ensure that pharmacy is represented at senior levels of decision-making, according to a report published by Audit Scotland this week.
The report entitled “A Scottish prescription: managing the use
of medicines in hospitals” (PDF 1.7 MB) is the result of a review
of the 12 mainland NHS boards, including 15 NHS bodies. It says that
in
order
to
plan effectively, and ensure that patients get access to the best medicines
to meet their clinical needs, NHS boards need an up-to-date understanding
and awareness of the wide range of issues that contribute to best practice
in the use of medicines. “Pharmacy managers have that overview
but most are not represented on key decision-making groups, such as senior
management teams at NHS boards and operating divisions,” it states.
The report also recommends that the Scottish Executive Health Department
should improve workforce planning for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. “The
SEHD and NHS boards should ensure that workforce planning includes preregistration
[trainee] posts and that sufficient training posts are available to meet
the future needs of the service,” the report says. It recommends
that meaningful measures of activity for pharmacy staffing are developed
in order to inform workforce planning.
The expanding and valuable role of clinical pharmacists is acknowledged
in the report. However it says that only two-thirds of hospitals have
a clinical pharmacy service and recommends that NHS boards develop plans
to address gaps in this service.
A further recommendation is that a national hospital electronic prescribing
and medicines administration system should be implemented to provide
SEHD and NHS boards with better information on how medicines are used.
Norman Lannigan, chief pharmacist, NHS Lothian University Hospitals Division,
and a member of the review advisory group, told The Journal: “This
report, which will be presented to the Scottish Parliament, raises awareness
of clinical and financial risk associated with the use of medicines in
hospitals. It recognises the unique and leading contribution of pharmacy
in managing these risks and it is particularly welcome that one of the
recommendations is that pharmacy should be represented at the highest
levels in NHS organisations.
“A challenge for the NHS in Scotland will be to address the
variation in availability of clinical pharmacy services. Highlighted
are the developing
roles, such as supplementary prescribing and ward-based pharmacy technicians, which
are seen by the report as being of good value and of benefit to good
patient care as well as the effective management of risks associated
with the use of medicines.” |
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Pharmaceutical Journal
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