NEWS


HOW MUCH COULD YOU SAVE WITH ZERODERMA EMOLLIENTS?


Tobacco, Nicotine and Care


Bill implications for Pharmacy THE HEALTH AND SPORT COMMITTEE IS CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE FROM INTERESTED PARTIES ON THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT’S BILL HEALTH (TOBACCO, NICOTINE ETC AND CARE) (SCOTLAND) BILL.


By changing from leading branded emollients to the cost effective Zeroderma emollient range, NHS Scotland could save £1 million a year and one Scottish Health Board could save around £200,000 p.a. Zeroderma emollients are similar in formulation to around 50% of currently prescribed emollients and offer 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.


To find out how much your Health Board could save visit our “QIPP and emollients” toolkit at www.qipp.trderma.co.uk


Developed by Medicines Management teams it contains everything needed to implement product changes at practice level, as well as a guide to the savings your Health Board could make.


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


46 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST


The Bill is currently at stage one of evidence in the Scottish Parliament and has three key parts to the Bill which may impact on pharmacists and pharmacy.


Part 1 Nicotine Vapour Products and Smoking in Hospital Grounds The Bill will introduce into Scotland similar restrictions to the sale of nicotine vapour products as those introduced into Wales. These restrictions will include:


• A ban on under 18s purchasing products


• A ban on the sale via vending machines


• All retailers must register on the tobacco retailer register


• Prohibit purchasing on behalf of an under 18


• Introduce an age verification requirement for nicotine vapour products


• Staff aged under 18 will also be banned from selling tobacco and nicotine vapour products


The Bill will also make it an offence to smoke in parts of hospital grounds. This Bill if passed as it stands will have implications on pharmacies selling nicotine vapour products. Consideration will need to be given on registering as a tobacco retailer; staffs having to age verify sales and staff


aged under 18 will no longer be able to sell products.


Alex MacKinnon, Director for Scotland at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: “We welcome these proposed provisions in the Bill. We are concerned about the current lack of regulation of nicotine vapour products and have been monitoring research into their safety, efficacy and uptake amongst young people over the past year and a half. The provisions in this Bill will help address some of our concerns although we still call on the Scottish Government to include e-cigarettes in the smoking in public places ban. We are aware that some pharmacies currently sell un-licensed products and as such they would be required to register on the tobacco retailer register should this Bill become law. We would urge pharmacies to only utilise MHRA licensed vapour products once available.”


Part 2 Duty of Candour Once approved this Bill will create a legal requirement for health and social care organisations to inform people (or their carers/families) when they have been harmed as a result of the care or treatment they have received. Outcomes that will require disclosure will include:


(a) the death of the person


(b) a permanent lessening of bodily, sensory, motor, physiologic


Healthcare associated infections


C. difficile infections in patients aged 65 years and over in Scottish Hospitals have fallen to lowest levels on record, new figures show.


The figures on C. difficile show:


• A decrease across all age groups when compared to the previous quarter. In patients aged 65 and over the report confirms a decrease of 19.4%. For patients aged 15 to 64 the report confirms a decrease of 29.5%


• For cases of MRSA the report confirms an decrease of 35.3% when compared to the previous quarter (Oct-Dec 14, Q4). For MSSA the report confirms an increase of 3.8% when compared to the previous quarter. This means that for total Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream (SAB) infections, there was a decrease of 1.3%. • Cases of MRSA having have reduced by 87% and cases of C. difficile by 86% since the beginning of 2007


or intellectual functions (including removal of the wrong limb or organ or brain damage) (“severe harm”),


(c) harm which is not severe harm but which results in—


(i) an increase in the person’s treatment,


(ii) changes to the structure of the person’s body,


(iii) the shortening of the life expectancy of the person,


(iv) an impairment of the sensory, motor or intellectual functions of the person which has lasted, or is likely to last, for a continuous period of at least 28 days


(v) the person experiencing pain or psychological harm which has been, or is likely to be, experienced by the person for a continuous period of at least 28 days


(d) the person requiring treatment by a registered medical practitioner in order to prevent— (i) the death of the person, or (ii) any injury to the person which, if left untreated, would lead to one or more of the outcomes mentioned in paragraph (c).


Staff will be required to apologise to patients for the “harm” they have done and anonymous records of the number of incidents will require to be published annually.


Part 3 of the Bill will also introduce a new criminal offence of ill-treatment or willful neglect which would apply to individual health and social care workers, managers and supervisors. The offence would also apply to organisations.•


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48