NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF


GP SHORTAGES DEBATE Following the announcement of the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2015-16, Jim Hume, South of Scotland MSP (LD), led a members’ business debate on GP shortages.


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During the debate the roles of practice-based and community pharmacists were raised on several occasions.


Chic Brodie, South of Scotland MSP (SNP), said, “Practice-based and community pharmacists are uniquely placed to work with GPs to improve patient care and safety and can play an important role in the long-term management of patients who have chronic diseases.”


“A number of initiatives across Scotland already promote collaborative working with community pharmacists, of which the Highland community pharmacy project is one example. There is also the Healthcare improvement Scotland national patient safety programme.” (Pharmacy in Primary Care Collaborative)


Malcolm Chisholm, Edinburgh Northern and Leith MSP (LAB), said, “To some extent, and in general terms, the Government has addressed that issue in the programme for government. It talked about developing clusters so that the skills and expertise of GPs are shared across practices, which is a good thing. However, we also need to embed general practice in the wider primary healthcare team and expand the wider primary care workforce, including practice-based pharmacists.”


4 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST


United front on response to Out of Hours Review


Three pharmacy bodies in Scotland have come together to produce a joint statement urging that improved use of the profession should be among the recommendations of the National Primary Care Out of Hours Review launched by the Scottish Government earlier this year.


support patient care, through further enhancing its role in the context of this review. I would encourage the review to positively consider this joint submission of the pharmacy stakeholder organisations and recommend the pharmacy role be significantly strengthened within the primary care team going forward.”


Gail Caldwell, Chair of the Scottish NHS Director of Pharmacy Group, added, “Pharmacists are already playing an important role in providing support and advice to patients and their families and we welcome opportunities for them to use their knowledge, skills and expertise to support the future development of out-of-hours healthcare across the country.”


For the first time, Community Pharmacy Scotland, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland and the Directors of Pharmacy have come together to ensure that the pharmacy profession was speaking with ‘one voice’ to the review. The review is due to report its findings to the Scottish Government in early October.


Harry McQuillan, Chief Executive Officer, Community Pharmacy Scotland Ailment Service.


Universal community pharmacy access to the emergency care summary.


Exploring pharmacy input into out of hours teams.


The collaborating organisations all strongly believe that pharmacy, alongside our healthcare partners in primary care, has a significant role to play in the care and treatment of patients both in and out of hours. The joint statement recommends solutions for the short, medium and long term to support patient care and outcomes, including:


Greater involvement of the pharmacist in the management of common minor illnesses by utilising PGDs and potentially pharmacist prescribers.


National promotion of the Minor


Harry McQuillan, Chief Executive of Community Pharmacy Scotland, says, “All parties agreed that the community pharmacy network could build on what it currently does to


Director for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland Alex MacKinnon added, “I hope that pharmacy’s input into the review will be embraced by the Scottish Government and that community pharmacists’ well recognised contribution will be maximised further and appropriately resourced to help alleviate some of the pressures in the NHS.”


High Court rules Pfizer’s Lyrica patent claim invalid


High Court rules Pfizer’s Lyrica patent claim invalid


On Thursday 10th September, the high court ruled that Pfizer’s second use patent for Pregabalin/Lyrica was invalid. Following the judgement, pharmacists may now freely dispense generic pregabalin where the prescription is written generically (subject to the usual considerations about licensing).


Where a prescription is written for a particular brand, then the pharmacist must, as usual, provide that brand.


At present there is no entry for pregabalin in part 7 of the drug tariff meaning contractors will be paid for the product they dispense and endorse (electronically and on paper).


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