NEWS
New education programme for Type 2 diabetes
The Northern Health Trust has introduced a new patient education programme for people with Type 2 diabetes to assist with condition management and prevent avoidable complications.
DESMOND is a structured education programme for patients with type 2 diabetes aiming to provide education and support to 1,000 patients within the Northern Trust area. There are approximately 800 newly diagnosed patients in the Northern Trust area per annum and the programme would aim to educate 500 of these newly diagnosed patients each year and provide the programme to a further 500 patients with established Type 2 diabetes with high risk complications.
The Trust provides a two centre model that delivers DESMOND structured education programmes across 4 localities. The delivery of the programme is by registered health care professionals who have a working knowledge of diabetes and an interest and experience in working with patients with diabetes. The trainers have all attended a formal training course with DESMOND.
Referrals to the programme are received from General Practitioners,
Diabetic Nurse Specialists, Practice Nurses and secondary care professionals. Priority is given to people with a new diagnosis and to people with diabetes management problems that could result in long term complications or hospital admissions.
Angela McErlane, Clinical Services Manager for Specialist Medicine says, “DESMOND is effective as a standalone intervention for patients and having completed 8 hours training, patients’ ongoing routine care is provided from their GP Practice where their action plan forms part of their annual review.
“As the incidence of type 2 diabetes increases there is a corresponding increase in diabetic complications including retinopathy, renal disease, ulceration and amputation. Without patient education, there will in all likelihood be increases in ED attendances, hospital admissions and community ulcer management, therefore this programme is a valuable programme for patients to extend their knowledge of their diabetes and the complications that can occur from poor compliance to recommendations.”
The DESMOND programme was introduced as part of an integrated care partnership initiative.
Changing Face of Pharmacy
We have all been through many changes in our lives, should it be in the work place, home or family life, and it’s true what they say, there is one sure thing in life and that is change. I believe that change is a good thing, but must be for the right reasons, starting with a shared vision for the future.
Who would have anticipated the extent of change in pharmacy over the past decade? You are now expected to run your pharmacy on less money and still provide many more services. I am sure everyone is aware of the £1.9
million lost in MUR revenue in England and how the proposed funding cuts have caused major concerns with our colleagues over the water. Yet many of these contractors aren’t maximising their potential income.
Whether facing cuts or not, we definitely should all be ensuring we are maximising our potential and there are still opportunities there for those who want to make it work. In Northern Ireland we have the opportunity to carry out: 120 x MURs and 60 follow-ups Totals - £3,900 20 x Medicine Management and follow-ups Totals - £2,200
Then there’s Smoking Cessation Service plus The Minor Ailment service. Further opportunities are also available for those who are willing to invest a bit of time, such as a flu service. In England, pharmacies were paid £9.12 per vaccination plus the cost of the vaccine last season. I believe that a flu service will come here and if you are already providing a successful private flu service, I firmly believe you are a step ahead for when it will hopefully be rolled out in Northern Ireland.
Some pharmacies are currently running a very successful flu service
38
pharmacyinfocus.co.uk
and making a healthy addition to their profits as well as providing a useful service to the community. Offering exceptional patient care through this type of service increases patient and customer loyalty.
Of course, success depends on the amount of work the individual pharmacy puts into promoting the service, and also looking at opportunities beyond the boundary of their pharmacy. It’s all about using some imagination and thinking outside the box. It’s now time to search for that business and not wait for it to walk through your door.
The cost of the flu service needs to be broken down over two years as every second year you will be required to undertake face to face training, but it is definitely worth putting the effort in. Some pharmacies have achieved great results, and are building a regular and loyal clientele from 50 to 100 patients vaccinated per year. Results in England have shown that not all of these returning customers who are receiving the vaccination are eligible for the NHS free vaccine, but they choose to get their flu jab from their local community pharmacist for the convenience offered by them, and the effort made by the
Use of NSAIDs in children with chickenpox
Pharmacists are advised to be aware of recommendations made regarding the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in children infected with varicella- zoster virus (chickenpox).
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS) guidance on treating chickenpox recommends that NSAIDs are avoided in children with chickenpox.
This is because of concerns that using NSAIDs in children with chickenpox may increase the risk of necrotizing
soft-tissue infections and secondary infections caused by invasive streptococci.
The Summaries of Product Characteristics and Patient Information Leaflets provided by manufacturers of NSAID products differ in the information that they provide regarding the use of their products in the management of chickenpox. Some do not currently contain any reference to chickenpox.
For further information contact 01727 891 800 or email
pharmacyservices@npa.co.ukpharmacy
services@npa.co.uk
Maud Orr, Numark Pharmacy Development Manager
pharmacy by perhaps going into their place of work.
Many businesses can also see the benefit to them in reducing sick leave and providing a benefit to their staff. And once you have built a relationship with a business, it can open many more doors by perhaps offering additional health checks.
These are the reasons why I feel you should look to be on board with offering this to your Northern Ireland patient base. Not forgetting, we are of course, here to help you make a success of it!
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 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64