Primary Care Pharmacy March 2000 Vol 1 No 2 p60
News
Improving quality in primary care: supporting pharmacists working in primary care groups and trusts
A guide to quality assessment and clinical governance for pharmacists working in primary care has been produced jointly by the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre (NPCRDC) and the National Prescribing Centre (NPC). "Improving quality in primary care" is targeted at pharmacists who provide prescribing and pharmaceutical advice at health authority (HA) or primary care group/trust levels, but would also be a useful information source for pharmacists working at general practice level. Funding has restricted free distribution to PCG and HA pharmacists in England only. However copies can be purchased for £10 and Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish health boards may be able to purchase quantities at reduced cost, depending on volume required. It is also anticipated that it will be available on the National Prescribing Centre website (www.npc.co.uk) from April.
The aims of the handbook are to:
- Help pharmacists understand quality assessment
- Identify good professional practice
- Suggest cautious use of quality prescribing indicators and guidelines
- Suggest ways to achieve best practice
- Demonstrate to opinion leaders the pharmacist's contribution to delivery of high quality patient care.
It discusses clinical governance and ways in which the pharmacist can contribute to quality assessment through the use of prescribing indicators. These are applied to PACT data and medical records, management of repeat prescribing, the use of clinical guidelines (from assessment of a national guideline to development and implementation of a local guideline), the development and use of formularies and the management of new drug entry. A useful section looks at continuing professional development which should be helpful for pharmacists that may find themselves working in isolation. It provides focus on a very necessary component of clinical governance.
The difficult concept of change management is addressed and there is some valuable practical advice on how to prioritise changes, overcome barriers and achieve results. Audit, risk management, fraud and information technology are also addressed. Several useful website addresses and references are included.