Prescribing & Medicines Management
Issue no 6, p1-4
November/December 2003

How pharmacists can cash in on medicines management services From next year, community pharmacists may wish to convince their local GP practices that pharmacists are the most appropriate health professional to provide medicines management services...more

“Collaborative” moves into hospitals In England, the national medicines management services collaborative, which for the last two years has focused on primary care, is being extended to hospitals...more

PSNC project continues to progress Details on the background to the national study which is expected to improve medicines management of the chronically ill are now available on the medicines management website of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee...more

Success of medicines management initiative continues with second wave The success of the second wave of the Medicines Management Services Collaborative is described in a new review...more

Postcode prescribing to be cut in Scotland New measures to cut postcode prescribing have been announced in Scotland...more

NEWS IN BRIEF

Fylde Primary Care Trust is developing a referral form for nurses, social services and other care workers to refer patients for medication review. A team of pharmacists working within local general practices will carry out a level two or three medication review. Melanie Greenall, a prescribing support pharmacist at the PCT, would like advice from other people who have developed referral criteria. She can be contacted on 01253 306393 or by e-mail melanie.greenall@fyldepct.nhs.uk).

Money given to PCTs under the new general medical services contract for enhanced services can be used to purchase services anywhere in primary care, not just from GPs, a member of the NHS Confederation told a recent conference organised by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee. A more detailed report has been published in The Pharmaceutical Journal (2003; 271:763).

Speaking about repeat dispensing pathfinder pilots, Claire Jones, the National Pharmaceutical Association’s assistant head of NHS service development, said: “The roll-out of repeat dispensing is a positive move for community pharmacists,” not a “possible" move, as stated in the last issue of Prescribing and Medicines Management (September/October 2003, p4).