NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF
RGU SCIENTISTS PLAN PATIENT SAFETY CONFERENCE IN QATAR
A team of Robert Gordon University (RGU) scientists are gearing up to host a major health conference in the Middle East later this year. Lecturers from the University’s School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences are organising a patient safety conference which will be held at the Sheraton Hotel, Doha, Qatar on Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23.
More than 300 delegates are expected to attend the two- day event which is aimed at pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy academics and students in Qatar.
The inaugural conference is a joint project between RGU, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Qatar University and, funded by the Academic Health System of HMC.
Professor Derek Stewart from RGU chairs the scientific committee of the conference, which also includes RGU pharmacy lecturers Dr Scott Cunningham and Dr Katie MacLure.
Professor Donald Cairns, Head of RGU’s School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, will give one of the opening addresses to start the conference alongside colleagues from Hamad Medical Corporation and Qatar University.
Other RGU Pharmacy lecturers Dr Vibhu Paudyal, Alyson Brown and Dr Brian Addison have also been involved in organising different sessions of the event.
Professor Stewart said, “We’re proud to work alongside our partners at Hamad Medical Corporation and Qatar University to organise the patient safety conference.
“The event will focus on patient safety and how advances in pharmacy can contribute to it. Dr Moza Sulaiman H Al Hail, the Executive Director of Pharmacy at Hamad Medical Corporation, is a visiting Professor at RGU and has been instrumental in forging links between RGU and our partners in Qatar.
“The underlying message of the conference will be that working in an academic health system, which develops partnerships between academia and healthcare, supports patient safety.”
8 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST Calls for a pharmacist in every care home
Calls have been made for a pharmacist in every care home in Scotland to ensure safe and appropriate use of medicines.
Research has demonstrated that working as part of the multidisciplinary team, pharmacist-led medicine reviews in care homes leads to better health outcomes and an improved quality of life.
RPS in Scotland’s report “Improving pharmaceutical care in care homes” set out a radical change in the pharmacist’s role in care homes, with specific recommendations on how to improve the quality of pharmaceutical care for residents. While many of the recommendations have been taken forward, there is a long way to go to reach the gold standard expected for the rest of the population.
RPS in Scotland’s Head of Practice & Policy, Aileen Bryson, says, “The number of people over 75 years of age will increase by 60% in the next decade with increasingly complex care requirements. We need to act now to prepare for the future, reverse the negativity associated with care in care homes, and ensure the best possible care and quality of life for our frail older population in care homes.”
The Scottish Government action plan
“Prescription for Excellence” has the potential to make substantial changes to current ways of working, which will bring improvements to pharmaceutical care in care homes.
It is known that people are most vulnerable when they move between different parts of the NHS and there are some key areas where patient safety and care must be improved. There still exists a need for a national quality outcomes approach to best practice and efficient working practices in the prescribing, supply and administration of medicines and more effective partnership working between all service providers.
Outstanding recommendations from the report include:
• A dedicated role for pharmacists working in every care home providing pharmaceutical care such as medication reviews to improve pain management, falls and fracture prevention and end of life care.
• One community pharmacy and one GP practice aligned to each care home with service level agreements which ensure continuity of care and cultivate
Isle of Mull pharmacy sale
Christie & Co has announced the recent sale of Tobermory Pharmacy on the Isle of Mull.
New owner, Julie Walker, a regular holiday visitor to Mull, noticed the pharmacy for sale on the Christie & Co website and decided that the time was right for a complete change of lifestyle.
A first-time buyer, Julie jumped at the chance to relocate from South Shields to her favourite leisure spot and purchased the well-established pharmacy from previous owner James Heggie, who was looking to retire.
Whilst on the market, the pharmacy attracted attention from across the UK including potential buyers from Ireland. Both first-time buyers and
existing operators expressed interest in the business, but it was the eventual purchaser Julie who secured the sale. She approached one of the main banks who offered her finance subject to selling her house in South Shields, which happened in February this year.
Karl Clezy, Director at Christie & Co brokered the sale and commented, “This sale proves again that there is a growing appetite for pharmacies
across Scotland including the Highlands and Islands. Undoubtedly there is high demand across the central belt but we are finding more and more buyers are looking for opportunities further afield.”
If you would like to discuss your own pharmacy business needs confidentially, or have a general chat about the current pharmacy market, you can contact Karl Clezy on 0141 352 7302.
the quality therapeutic partnerships required to improve both care and effective team work.
• Better sharing of information between all health and social care professionals involved in patient care including hospital discharge information, allergies and test results.
• A move away from use of monitored dosage systems and towards original pack dispensing to free up pharmacist and pharmacy technician time to spend time on improving care.
Aileen continued, “Some medicines can affect mental alertness, appetite, swallowing ability and ability to self-care so reviewing and reducing inappropriate medicines can improve residents ‘quality of life. Staff also spend less time administering medicines and have more time to provide personal care. We welcome the progress so far within the Scottish Government Dementia Strategy and the prioritisation of care homes residents in the implementation of the national polypharmacy guidelines but more still needs to be done to achieve a high and consistent quality of care. “
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