Pharmacy drug misuse service guidance published
Cordelia Molloy/SPL
Supervised consumption services required to meet needs of drug misusers |
Guidance on commissioning pharmaceutical services for drug misusers in England has been published this week by the National
Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA), the Royal
Pharmaceutical Society and the Pharmaceutical
Services Negotiating Committee.
In 2002, the Audit Commission’s report “Changing habits” identified
pharmacists as an underused point of contact for the drug misusing population.
To meet the needs of drug misusers, the NTA expects that 75 per cent
of community pharmacies will need to be involved in providing supervised
consumption and shared-care schemes and 25 per cent will need to be providing
pharmacy needle exchange services.
The new document, “Best practice guidance for commissioners and
providers of pharmaceutical services to drug users”, aims to assist
commissioners and pharmacists in improving and increasing the level of
provision of needle exchange schemes and dispensing, supervised consumption
and shared-care services for this population.
It includes detailed sample service specifications and explains the new
community pharmacy contract and how it is funded. There is also a section
in the guidance that clarifies current and future roles for pharmacists
in the drug misuse area. It describes different levels of expertise and
roles in the various branches of the profession, including generalists,
pharmacists with a special interest in drug misuse and consultants.
“Pharmacists who have completed part 2 [of the Royal College of
General Practitioner’s certificate in the management of drug misuse
in primary care] are an untapped resource with whom commissioners and
drug
action teams are encouraged to make contact,” the guidance states. “Such
pharmacists are well suited for inclusion on shared care monitoring groups
and strategic discussions with primary care trusts, primary care organisations
and local pharmaceutical committees,” it adds.
David Pruce, director of practice and quality improvement at the Society,
said: “This guidance will help pharmacists to promote their public
health role in the area of drug misuse management. It provides advice
for commissioners on services available from pharmacy and also includes
background information on how pharmacy is funded. The guidance is important
for drug users as it will help to ensure that any services commissioned
are of the highest standard.”
Alastair Buxton, head of NHS services at the PSNC, said: “Community
pharmacies have provided services to drug users for a great many years.
This guidance helps to highlight this important role to service commissioners
and draws together the key issues that need to be considered when a service
is being implemented at a local level.”
The guidance is available to download from www.nta.nhs.uk, www.rpsgb.org and www.psnc.org.uk |
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