SCOTTISH HOSPITAL NEWS


HOSPITAL TEAM COMES UP WITH SOLUTION TO SHARPS DISPOSAL


T


he disposal of sharps waste in hospitals has always been a concern so when Margaret


Vass, Lead Pharmacy Technician at NHS Fife Health and Social Care Partnership became aware in 2015 of a lack of availability for disposing of sharps for the many patients using them at home, she decided to develop a plan for a Sharps Disposal Service working in partnership with NHS Fife Estates Department.


The Prescribed Sharps Disposal Service incorporated every GP surgery, local pharmacy and Out-of- Hours location and was introduced to establish a safe prescribed sharps disposal service, which was previously unavailable across Fife.


‘The aim of the service,’ Margaret told SP, ‘was to ensure that patients requiring prescribed sharps could return them in an approved sharps container to any community pharmacy in Fife for safe disposal. It was also aimed at creating a network of all community pharmacies to provide information and advice to patients on the safe disposal of prescribed sharps generated by patients in their own home. Previously many of these used sharps were disposed of with household rubbish putting council workers at risk.


‘The team at Pharmacy Services all have their own individual skills and expertise, and each person brought their own unique viewpoint and proficiency to the project. Within Pharmacy Services we are lucky to have a great mix of specialists, including clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, specialists in substance misuse and learning disabilities, and pharmacy technicians for training of support staff, as well as an excellent administration team. Together we wanted to pioneer this service, while making sure that the daily running of community pharmacy services operated smoothly.’


In order for the service to be established, information and training on managing contaminated sharps


including guidance on needlestick injuries and hepatitis injections were provided at specialised information training events, which were co- ordinated by Susan Menzies, Lead Technician Support Development, alongside Pharmacy Communication Specialists, Natalie Bate and Fiona Forsyth and the administration team.


Margaret then worked with the Transport Department to ensure that every pharmacy and GP surgery were included in this Fife-wide service, and also provided education and training for all transport staff, who would be providing the service.


Collaboration was required between the Pharmacy Services Team and NHS Fife’s Transport Services division in order to:


• Provide a schedule of routine five-weekly uplifts for prescribed


sharps and medicines waste and, in agreement with NHS Pharmacy Services, a four-weekly schedule - where required - for specific pharmacies


• Uplift returned prescribed sharps presented in sealed and signed


approved sharps containers


• Supply the community pharmacy with replacement approved sharps


containers for pharmacy and patient use


Collaboration and communication also occurred between the Pharmacy Services team and the pharmacist/ contractor for a wide variety of reasons. For a start, they had to ensure that an appropriate stock of approved sharps containers for patient use was always available.


In addition, the Pharmacy Services team had to ensure that all pharmacy staff understood and worked within the health and safety requirements and infection control guidance for handling used sharps. They also had to ensure a named pharmacist would take overall responsibility for ensuring that the service was provided to the required standard.


Approximately 190 community pharmacists attended the training events, with the Pharmacy Services team organising all training and


communication. As a result, the Prescribed Sharps Disposal Service has been a major success.


Not only has the service demonstrated totally new ways of working - and improved coordination between GP, transport and community pharmacists, it is ensuring that this collaborative service is now allowing sharps to be safely disposed of across Fife.


Overall, thanks to the Prescribed Sharps Disposal Service, the level of communication between staff and other departments such as transport and GPs meant that Pharmacy Services team members became ambassadors of pharmacy, and helped to raise the profile of pharmacy across NHS Fife.


‘The team continues to work relentlessly to ensure the level of service and expertise they deliver on a daily basis is outstanding,’ Margaret concludes, ‘and continues to show Fife pharmacy as a leader in the innovation and development of pharmacy services in Scotland.’


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