The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7369 p399
1 October 2005

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Wary response to “new kind of health professional”

The Scottish Pharmaceutical Federation has given a cautious response to proposals to employ “a new kind of health professional” in the community to target people most at risk from ill health and then ensure they access the care they need.

The idea, first mooted in the 20-year plan for health services in Scotland, “Building a health service fit for the future” published in May, is being considered by Scottish health ministers with a decision due next month.

Author of the planning blueprint David Kerr discussed his proposal when his report was considered by the Scottish Executive health committee at its meeting last week.
Professor Kerr explained he wanted to see the principle of “anticipatory care” built into the health service to help tackle health inequalities in the present system.

He told the committee: “What is required is what our report calls anticipatory care, which means going out to find cases and bringing people in the system.

“We want to employ a new type of health care professional who case-finds; they will go out and encourage people to come in for health screening — to have their cholesterol level and blood pressure measured.”

He told Scottish MPs it would be “entirely logical” that, if the proposal was given the go-ahead by the Scottish Parliament, “we would load the funding towards the communities that are, to be blunt, designated the poorest”.

His report lacked detail about who this new kind of health professional would be but it did highlight the “unprecedented opportunity” which the new pharmacy contract in Scotland can provide in using “the education and skills of this workforce as part of the solution to modernising NHS services and improving services to patients”.

Bob Cuddihy, public affairs executive for the SPF, said that pharmacists were already engaged in health promotion and preventive medicine in the pharmacy.

His local pharmacy screens patients for diabetes and the new pharmacy contract in Scotland increases the opportunity for more of this kind of work, he said.
He said: “I would be surprised if any pharmacist objected to proactive working with the public.

“Kerr has taken a long hard look at public health and he knows what he is talking about. But I think we have to wait and see what happens with the new contract. At the moment the pharmacist is in the pharmacy and if he or she has to go out of the pharmacy there will be workforce implications.”

Scottish health minister Andy Kerr in a statement backed the idea of “anticipatory” care. He said: “Tackling conditions and potential conditions in advance can pay massive dividends for everyone down the line.”

The minister said he has already asked health boards to “seek out people in deprived areas who are most likely to need care in the future and help them to access it earlier”.

The Scottish Executive confirmed that the minister would give a detailed response to “Building a health service fit for the future” in October.