NEWS
HEALTHCARE CHARITY FUNDS INNOVATIVE TELEHEALTH PROJECT
RGU PHARMACIST TAKES PRESTIGIOUS EUROPEAN ROLE
An acclaimed pharmacy professor at Robert Gordon University (RGU) has been handed a senior role within the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy.
Professor Derek Stewart, from RGU’s School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, has been appointed as Chair of the ESCP Research Committee and will take the position from January 2017.
ESCP is an international association with over 500 individual members, including clinical pharmacists, researchers and educators from over 50 countries.
The society’s overall mission is to develop and promote the rational and appropriate use of medicines, medical products and devices by the individual and by society.
Clare Morrison
A team from NHS Highland has been awarded almost £75,000 of funding from an independent healthcare char- ity for an innovative telehealth project designed to help improve patients’ access to pharmaceutical care across the region.
The team will receive £74,300 from the London-based Health Foundation for the project that will run for 15 months.
The aim of this programme is to improve healthcare delivery and/or the way people manage their own healthcare by testing and developing innovative ideas and approaches and putting them into practice.
The NHS Highland project, led by the health board’s lead pharmacist (quality improvement) Clare Morrison, will
use the latest telehealth technology to further develop new approaches to pharmaceutical care currently being made by her team.
The project involves pharmacists providing medication reviews and advice on taking medicines to patients of dispensing medical practices. Patients will be able to speak to the pharmacist from their own home, workplace or medical practice via a telehealth link.
A face-to-face version of this service, in which a pharmacist visits dispensing practices, has already been developed by NHS Highland in a pilot involving four practices. It has proved popular with both patients and GP practice teams, and has been shown to improve medicines care for patients.
SCOTTISH HEALTH COSTS RISE AGAIN
The cost of hospital and primary care to patients through territorial NHS Boards, the State Hospital and the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Scotland has increased by 3.9 per cent over the last year to £11.2bn.
Expenditure within the hospital sector was £6.4bn, an increase of 3.9 per cent in cash terms compared to 2014/15. The hospital sector accounts for the largest part of expenditure (56.9 per cent). Within the community
6 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST
sector, £1.9bn was spent, a cash terms increase of 4.9 per cent compared with last year. The community sector contains the smaller hospitals which serve their local communities, as well as community services delivered outside hospitals. Family health sector expenditure, which includes the cost of running local GP practices as well as local pharmacy, dental and ophthalmic services, amounted to £2.5bn in 2015/16 – a cash terms increase of 2.6 per cent.
The Research Committee is central to the ESCP’s ambitions to advance research by:
• Disseminating clinical pharmacy research findings
• Stimulating innovative and high quality research in all areas of clinical pharmacy
• Promoting and enabling multi- centre research in all areas of clinical pharmacy, both within countries and between countries, or different healthcare delivery systems
‘I am honoured to take up this prestigious role in supporting the organisation,’ Professor Stewart told SP. ‘I have been a member of the committee since 2013 and am delighted to be able to play a stronger role in this important work.’
This is the second appointment for Professor Stewart in as many months. Last month, he was elected to the position of Vice Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Conference Practice Research Panel for 2017 and will progress automatically to the position of Chair for 2018.
Professor Derek Stewart, from RGU’s School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences
CPS PARTNERS WITH BREAST CANCER CHARITY
Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) has announced Breast Cancer Care (BCC) as its Charity Partner for 2016/17.
Breast Cancer Care is the only specialist UK-wide charity providing support for women, men, family and friends affected by breast cancer. The charity’s tailored services (such as its Moving Forward courses, Younger Women Together events and Living with Secondary Breast Cancer sessions) across Scotland have given
hundreds of people the opportunity to meet others who understand what they’re going through.
‘We are delighted to be Community Pharmacy Scotland’s Charity Partner of the Year,’ said Nicolas White, Head of Scotland at Breast Cancer Care. ‘The funds raised throughout the year will help us support even more people in Scotland affected by breast cancer.’
For further information visit
www.breastcancercare.org.uk
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