Medicines Management
Issue no 3, p1-4
May/June 2002

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Scotland making progress on model schemes for pharmaceutical care

Best practice standards in each of the three model schemes for pharmaceutical care in Scotland are close to being finalised, and should be signed off during the summer.

Anna Marie McGregor, project director for the joint venture between the Scottish Executive and Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland, said that a draft of the best practice in palliative care scheme had been written. Best practice standards for the mental health and frail elderly model schemes are due to be agreed with service providers during the next three months.

She added that once the schemes had been agreed, the next stage would be the negotiation of fees with service providers.

Ms McGregor said: "Once we've decided exactly what the schemes will involve then the Scottish Pharmacy General Council will hopefully come forward with suggestions about what the fees should be." But she added that there could still be an element of local negotiation.

Several more model pharmaceutical care schemes are due to start in 2003, looking at coronary heart disease, diabetes and epilepsy. Ms McGregor said that work on the second wave of model schemes was due to begin in September.

"We hope that this work will go much more quickly, as we've already identified training, who the key players are, and why some schemes are more successful than others, so the process should be easier next time around."