Prescribing & Medicines Management
Issue no 2, p1-4
March/April 2003

News summary

Collaborative practices continue their success Practices from the 26 PCTs in the first wave of the national collaborative medicines management services programme have shown significant improvements in each of the prescribing measures being monitored, a report on the first year has found. And for the first time, data from measures collected at PCT level also show that they are improving medicines management through the collaborative process...[more]

Better prescribing could solve PCT drug budget overspends Better prescribing and medicines management in primary care could help to close the growing chasm between prescribing costs and PCT prescribing budgets, the Audit Commission suggests...[more]

Prescribing training funds agreed Funds to train pharmacists to become supplementary prescribers have been agreed and secured in Wales and Scotland in the past month...[more]

Make medicines management case with local GPs, pharmacists told Pharmacists wishing to provide community medicines management services must be prepared to argue the case with their local GP practice in order to secure funding, according to new guidance published last month...[more]

Sunderland best Sunderland Teaching PCT has won a Best Practice award for its multidisciplinary prescribing team, which works across 55 practices to improve access to evidence-based medicines...[more]

P2P scheme Pharmacists at 23 branches of the National Co-operative Chemists in south Wales could soon begin talking to patients with depression about any concerns they may have about their medication...[more]