NEWS
CPS grateful for Contractors and Associates input into Smoking Cessation Survey
Community Pharmacy Scotland has thanked members for their evaluation of the new smoking cessation tool hosted within the Pharmacy Care Record (PCR). The organisation looked to gather views on the changes made to the service in the summer of 2014.
To support community pharmacy contractors and Health Boards to deliver this service, the PCR software was updated in July last year to include a smoking cessation tool to aid with the capture of Minimum Data Sets (MDS).
A national PGD was also developed for varenicline to allow all community pharmacists to provide the drug when appropriate.
However a recent members’ survey carried out by Community Pharmacy Scotland has found pharmacists have had difficulty using the PCR to effectively deliver the service.
The Scottish Government updated the HEAT target for smoking cessation following successful delivery of the March 2014 target.
The updated objective states: “NHS Scotland to deliver universal smoking cessation services to achieve at least 12,000 successful quits, at 12 weeks post quit, in the 40% most deprived within-board SIMD areas (60% for island health boards) over 1 year ending March 2015.”
Across Scotland, community pharmacy now delivers 75% of NHS smoking cessation attempts. The service provided will be essential in order to meet the 2015 target.
The CPS online survey was carried out between August and September 2014 and sought views on a range of subjects related to the PCR functionality functionality and the varenicline PGD.
The survey shows that members had concerns with the changes to the service.
CPS believes a number of errors were made in the build up to the changes which have exacerbated the early problems likely to be found when significant service specification change occurs. They conclude that improved communication is necessary whilst
changes to the PCR ‘did not have enough community pharmacist input to facilitate development of a user friendly support tool.’
Mark Feeney of CPS commented “The PCR update was not available during the national training events and went live shortly before the service changes were implemented. This led to many pharmacists being unfamiliar with the new tool while delivering the service to patients.
“Added to this limited access to the PCR has been problematic. Smoking Cessation services have traditionally been delivered by a variety of members within the community pharmacy team. Access to the smoking cessation tool for everyone trained to deliver the service is essential to allow contractors to efficiently meet patient’s expectations for smoking cessation treatment.”
As a result of this survey, a number of key recommendations have been made, incorporating pharmacists being allowed to revert to paper data collection until issues around the PCR system are resolved.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
• The Smoking Cessation Assessment Complete tab should be amended to avoid erroneous completion of records before MDS submission
• The PCR should be annotated to recommend quit dates are set at the point of 1st supply of NRT
• Future changes to the PCR must be developed in conjunction with user input from several practising pharmacists. This could been achieved by the formation of an official PCR user group
• At least one full time practising community pharmacist should be appointed to the National Smoking Cessation Advisory Board.
• The National Smoking Cessation Advisory Board should meet at least every 6 months and more frequently in periods where service changes are proposed
• Access to the PCR must be changed to allow all trained members of pharmacy support
staff to deliver the service.
• Changes to the PCR should be available in the system at least 1 month before patients begin to access a live service
CPS has also commented on the Scottish Government’s consultation Electronic Cigarettes and Strengthening Tobacco Control in Scotland. The organisation reiterated its support for the Scottish Government’s Tobacco Strategy and the goal of creating a tobacco free generation. CPS also called for legislation not to be detrimental to the use of e-cigarettes as potential smoking cessation aids once they become licensed.
The Pharmaceutical Society Scottish Pharmacy Board’s response recommended further regulation of advertising and promotion of e-cigarettes in line with what is currently in place for tobacco products, with a minimum age of sale to persons of 18 years, and that accessories necessary to use e-cigarettes, to enhance their appearance, or which promote e-cigarettes (e.g. the use of technology linking e-cigarette users in a local area) should have restrictions applied to them.
Alex MacKinnon, Director for Scotland, said, “Merely issuing a ban within NHS grounds does not address the problem of smoking prevalence but would merely shift it to the hospital gates. The SPB recommends that smoking cessation services should be resourced and prioritised for hospital patients and staff, and incorporated into discharge planning, with formal referrals to community pharmacies or other primary care smoking cessation services to ensure further follow-up treatment and support.
“There are particular issues of interaction between nicotine and some medicines used in mental health , which could leave patients at risk of increased side effects/ toxicity and cause problems in monitoring therapeutic levels when patients move between restricted areas to home or elsewhere where smoking is permitted.” •
NHS Scotland could save £1m with Zeroderma emollients
The Zeroderma emollient range now offers more choice with four creams, one ointment, one gel and two bath additives - providing complete emollient therapy for moisturising, washing and bathing. Zeroderma products are similar in formulation to around 50% of currently prescribed emollients. Offering cost savings of up to 37%, many Health Boards and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have adopted the Zeroderma range onto their formularies and cost savings are being made without compromising on patient care.
By changing from branded emollients to the cost effective Zeroderma emollient range, NHS Scotland could save £1 million a year. A Health Board who recently started using the Zeroderma range commented: ‘Emollient prescribing has been a useful area to address in terms of financial savings. Feedback from GPs has been positive, changes have been simple to implement and patient care has not been compromised.’
All Zeroderma products are sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) free and are available on prescription.
To request samples for patient evaluation, email:
zeroderma@thorntonross.com
www.trderma.co.uk
Thornton & Ross, Linthwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5QH. 01484 842217
SCOTTISH PHARMACIST - 53
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