The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7387 p154
11 February 2006

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Chaos in the air more
Pharmaceutical Care Awards more

Chaos in the air

Two weeks ago The Journal ran a News feature about the changes taking place to the supply of oxygen cylinders and we raised concerns that patients might lose out in the process (PJ, 28 January, p101). Despite reassurances by the Department of Health and the suppliers concerned, there have been serious problems (p155). The difficulties may have been compounded by the fact that there are faults with some cylinders produced by BOC, leading to a recall (p163) — but that is an excuse rather than an explanation.

Some of the blame must be laid at the door of GPs who, it seems, have ignored all the plans to make the changes over a six-month period and only to switch patients to direct manufacturer supply when they need a new cylinder. Instead, they have switched all patients to direct manufacturer supply on day one — 1 February. Revealingly, the British Medical Association has made no official comment about the difficulties but when The Journal approached it earlier this week a spokesman rejected the suggestion that GPs are to blame.

Patients, too, seem to be ignorant of the new system and, having received advice from their primary care trusts, many may not have understood what to do (although as many as 500,000 explanatory leaflets were printed and intended for distribution to patients over the past four months).

The fact that, as The Journal went to press, no patient has been found to have suffered as a result of this debacle can be put down to the goodwill of pharmacists, who have continued to provide oxygen under the old system of processing a prescription.

The broader message to anyone trying to change practice in such a huge organisation as the NHS is how difficult it is to communicate with such a diverse group of people. The task should never be underestimated.

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Pharmaceutical Care Awards

This year's Pharmaceutical Care Awards are to be jointly sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline and the Company Chemists' Association. One of the reasons for The Journal deciding to approach the CCA as well as GSK is to reach out as far as it can into the nooks and crannies of pharmacy and search out those people who have been conducting small audits and low-key research projects.

Although these pharmacists and pharmacy teams may not think they are up to the normal standards of the Pharmaceutical Care Awards — now in its 14th year — they could not be more wrong. The judges are looking for any indication of innovation in pharmaceutical care that has made a difference to patients. So, think again if you conducted any research at all in 2005: it is worth submitting an entry to this year’s award — and you have until the end of March to do so.

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