NEWS


GREAT NEWS ON MINOR AILMENT SERVICE!


In the last issue, SP looked at the extended Minor Ailment Service in Inverclyde. Now, new NHS figures show that the service is saving the equivalent of 115 full-time GPs each year.


The NHS statistics have revealed that patients using their local pharmacies to deal with minor illnesses are saving Scotland’s hard-pressed GPs an estimated 240,000 working hours per year. In addition, there is scope for the Pharmacy First Minor Ailments Service (MAS) to offer even more relief for front-line NHS doctors, with less than 40 per cent of those eligible to use the scheme currently registered.


NHS figures compiled for the Scottish Government show that in 2014/15 – the most recent available – more than 913,000 patients were registered with their local community pharmacies, leading to more than 1.4 million consultations and over two million items being prescribed. With each consultation likely to have saved ten minutes of GP time, that means MAS has saved the equivalent of 115 full- time GPs in one year.


WELL RAISES AWARENESS OF DEMENTIA THROUGH THE POWER OF SILENCE


‘Every NHS area is struggling in terms of providing primary care for patients,’ said Community Pharmacy Scotland’s Chief Executive, Professor Harry McQuillan, ‘and much of that is simply down to workload. Research has indicated that up to 40 per cent of GP consultations are taken up by non-urgent, or minor conditions – most of which could be dealt with in a community pharmacy.


‘Add this to the fact that we know 93 per cent of GPs believe that the ten-minute consultations they have allow inadequate time with ill patients and it makes complete sense to have patients with minor illnesses interact with their pharmacy to access effective and timely care that has the added benefit of freeing up the scarcest of NHS resources – a doctor’s time.’


Independent pharmacy chain Well has raised awareness of a later stage and lesser known symptom of dementia – losing the ability to speak. The Head of Corporate Communications for the company pledged to only communicate non- verbally for 24 hours to increase understanding of the impact of this devastating disease.


Stephanie Mizon, Head of Corporate Communications at Well, remained silent for 24 hours during Dementia Awareness Week in May.


‘It was exhausting, frustrating and surprising,’ Stephanie said. ‘I didn’t expect it to be so difficult and it has opened my eyes to what people with dementia have to overcome on a daily basis.


‘Other people were the biggest challenge – some colleagues were visibly impatient because communication is obviously slowed down when you have to write everything down or find new ways to get your message across in


Stephanie Mizon


meetings. Some people just stopped connecting with me altogether and I felt very isolated. At home, one of the hardest things to deal with was not being able to say goodnight or I love you to my husband.’


LOCAL PHARMACY PUTS ITS BEST FOOT FORWARD


Ward 3C at University Hospital Crosshouse has received a generous donation from a local pharmacy group.


For the past few years, staff and family members from McConnell’s Pharmacy have held an annual sponsored walk to raise money for different charities or organisations that have helped their patients. On Sunday 4 June, 20 members of staff, their family and friends walked the ten miles from Darvel along the River Irvine to Hurlford. They raised an amazing £4,375 and donated it to


6 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST


Ward 3C to help patients who are going through cancer treatment. The donation was presented to Dr Peter MacLean and Senior Charge Nurse Emma Smith at the Newmilns branch of the pharmacy.


‘I would like to thank the team at McConnell’s Pharmacy for their very impressive fundraising effort,’ said Dr Peter MacLean, Clinical Director for Cancer Services. ‘We will use this fantastic donation to purchase treatment chairs to enhance the comfort of our patients during their treatment.’


Senior Charge Nurse Emma Smith (front middle) and Dr Peter MacLean, Clinical Director for Cancer Service (back row), receive the generous donation from staff at the Newmilns branch of McConnell’s Pharmacy.


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