search.noResults

search.searching

note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
ULSTER CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION IN FOCUS


PRESIDENT’S WELCOME W


elcome to the March/april edition of Uca in focus. firstly, congratulations to all our


Pharmacy in focus award finalists and winners. once again I was amazed by the outstanding work and dedication of my fellow pharmacists and everyone working in and for community pharmacy – you are flying the flag for our profession and, on behalf of the Uca, I thank you!


the change of venue this year was also a winner – the titanic centre, food and entertainment were all a great success. hopefully everyone got their selfie with Eamonn holmes – a northern Ireland legend. huge praise goes to the Profile Publishing team for organising such a wonderful event and to our sponsors who help make it all possible, thank you.


I was delighted to be able to hand chEMIs to my colleagues Paul Mcdonagh and Peter Wright for the work they did this


year to highlight the issue of violence in pharmacy. the work goes on and we urge doh/hScB to make progress on security improvements as quickly as possible. I was also honoured to present Sheelin McKeagney with a much-deserved outstanding contribution to Pharmacy award. Well done to all our winners!


Unfortunately, this is contrasted by the fact that community pharmacy continues to be weighed down by financial and workload pressure. In particular, the burden of sourcing medicines that are either short in supply or have seen sharp price rises, and a system of approving concessionary prices that is outmoded and clearly not fit for purpose. We will be working with our colleagues in community Pharmacy nI to ensure that the message gets across that the system does not represent fair and reasonable remuneration and it is taking pharmacists away from where they should be – looking after patients.


PROMOTING AND PROTECTING COMMUNITY & PRIMARY CARE PHARMACY IN NORTHERN IRELAND tel: 028 9065 6576 www.uca.org.uk


on a more positive note, I was delighted to announce at the Ball that our members have given Uca the green light to enter detailed negotiations with community Pharmacy nI to bring about a merger of the two organisations. the news received a very warm response from members and stakeholders and we are looking forward to bringing news of the outcome. Strong support services and a unified voice for the community pharmacy sector being the main objective of the merger.


Uca continues to provide pharmacies with fantastic support for their business, so make sure you give the office a call to ensure you are utilising all the services we offer.


CLIFF MCELHINNEY PRESIDENT


ULSTER CHEMISTS' ASSOCIATION


REPRESENTATION PHARMACIST’S DIARY I


have just attended the health literacy UK conference which was held in Belfast this month. health literacy has grown in


momentum over the last few years, particularly as a public health priority on many levels: for people striving to become and stay healthy, for the health service and for the educational community. as community pharmacists, we are the ‘open door’ to the health service. We have the opportunity to have very meaningful conversations with our patients, which can make a massive difference to their understanding of their condition and the medicines they take.


how do we assess someone’s health literacy? how often do we hand out a bag of medication without checking the patient’s understanding of it? or do we perhaps have a conversation with them, give out the Patient Information leaflet with each medication and feel that this is all we can do? Is that our job done? I’d be fairly sure


there are not too many of our patients who absorb all the relevant information from a PIl.


for me this often comes to light when I conduct a Medicines Management or Medicines Use review. this is our best opportunity to really ensure our patient has a good understanding of exactly how, why and when to take their medications. this is what community pharmacists are really good at and what our patients really appreciate. health literacy should have a bigger platform within our undergraduate courses, otherwise how can we implement something in which we have never had the proper training?


this conference was a great opportunity to see how other health professions approach their patients’ understanding of their medications and how they are trying to improve how they communicate with them in order to improve the health of their patients.


So, on a completely different point then…. how is your running training going for the addiction nI ‘race to recovery’ on 4 March in ormeau Park? there is a 10km option or a more leisurely 3km option for anyone who would like to walk the route. looking forward to seeing you and your pharmacy teams there!


I have been on the road quite a bit over the last couple of months on pharmacy visits and have loved getting the chance to provide you with some practical assistance where I can. I hope to see many more of you soon. My role is shaped by the needs of our members, so if you need me, please do not hesitate to get in contact and I will endeavour to help!


contact the Uca office on 02890656576 or email Mairead@uca.org.uk


MAIREAD CONLON RERESENTATION PHARMACIST


PharMacy In focUS - 23


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