SCOTTISH HOSPITAL NEWS HOSPITAL PHARMACIST GOES THAT ‘EXTRA MILE’


A Hardgate pharmacist has won a national award after going that ‘extra mile’ for one of his patients.


Iain Rivans, who is a pharmacist at Victoria Hospital in NHS Fife, picked up an Unsung Hero Award for helping a very poorly patient receive her medication at home.


The Unsung Hero Awards recognise non-medical and NHS healthcare staff and volunteers who go above and beyond the call of duty.


The 40-year-old pharmacist had been nominated by the patient, who had been diagnosed with leukaemia and was undergoing chemotherapy. Until Iain’s intervention, she had been close to giving up as she fought the disease but, but as a result of Iain’s kindness, she decided to battle on.


‘Pharmacists usually work behind the scenes and are generally unacknowledged,’ she said, ‘but I would like to acknowledge Iain’s help and kindness.


‘I was going through chemotherapy a few months ago and had been sent home with a bag of drugs to take. Unfortunately I became very ill over the weekend with the worst nausea you could imagine. I couldn’t eat or sleep or drink. NHS 24 gave me a prescription but there wasn’t a pharmacy open on a Saturday night to dispense it. A doctor came to the house on Sunday and injected me but this had little effect. There


LATEST UPDATE FROM SCOTTISH MEDICINES CONSORTIUM The Scottish Medicines Consortium


(SMC) has published its latest advice accepting fi ve medicines: four of which were accepted through SMC’s Patient and Clinician Engagement (PACE) process, which is used to consider medicines used to treat end of life and very rare conditions.


Nusinersen (Spinraza) was accepted for the treatment of infantile onset 5q spinal muscular atrophy (type 1 SMA). SMA is a very rare genetic disease that results in devastating


36 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST


seemed to be very little help available over the weekend.


‘On the Monday morning I phoned the haematology ward again - barely able to speak - and I was passed over to Iain. Through tears I tried to explain my predicament and my inability to get help. He listened patiently and showed great compassion. I’m usually not a crier, so I was embarrassed at being so tearful, but Iain reassured me.


Iain makes his acceptance speech.


‘He arranged for several medications for me, using all his knowledge as an experienced pharmacist, and he seemed to be determined to fi nd something that would give me relief. He sent a prescription to my GP, then phoned to ask them to send it to the local pharmacy. I was too ill to pick it up and was home alone, so Iain again sprang into action and phoned the pharmacist, who brought the medication personally to my house. It gave me great relief.


‘Iain phoned every day for the next few days to see how I was doing and, when I thanked him, he said cheerfully that it was all part of the service. Iain went way beyond the call of duty and his passion and dedication, to the patients he encounters is something rare and worthy of note. I am so grateful to him for his compassion and kindness in a time when I was so ill and vulnerable.’


At the Unsung Hero Award


muscle wasting that can cause patients to lose the ability to move, breathe and swallow. In type 1 SMA, symptoms usually start shortly after birth, and affected children rarely survive beyond two years of age. The committee was unable to recommend nusinersen for the treatment of type 2 and 3 SMA.


Avelumab (Bavencio) was accepted for the treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), an aggressive, rare form of skin cancer. The PACE meeting heard that MCC can cause disfi guring tumours which can be distressing for both patients and their families. Avelumab has the potential to shrink visible tumours and to signifi cantly improve outcomes for patients through longer responses and reduced toxicity compared to chemotherapy.


Iain celebrates with his mum


ceremony, which was held at The Principal Hotel in Manchester, Iain was himself tearful.


‘I was pretty emotional,’ he told SP. ‘In fact, I was crying when I went up on the stage.’ It just brought a bit of recognition about the things I have done.’


Iain attended the ceremony with his mum, whom he credits for making


Regorafenib (Stivarga) was accepted for the treatment of advanced liver cancer in patients who have already undergone previous treatment. PACE participants spoke of how regorafenib can offer increased life expectancy in the context of a limited overall survival time, something which can be very important for both patients and their families. As an oral medicine, it also reduces the burden of hospital visits.


Also accepted through PACE was selexipag (Uptravi). Selexipag can be used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs). Patient groups and clinicians told the PACE meeting that patients are often disabled by breathlessness and fatigue, unable to work and


him the person that he is.


‘They gave me a plaque,’ Iain continued, ‘so, when I got on to the stage and they gave me a microphone, I called to her and she joined me on stage. While my mum was fi ne, I was in tears and she had to calm me down. I was very emotional.’


Well done Iain!


require signifi cant care from their families. Current treatments often involve an inhaled medication (using a nebuliser), which is administered frequently throughout the day and can be diffi cult to use, carry and maintain. Selexipag is an oral treatment taken twice daily, giving patients greater freedom to lead a regular daily routine.


The SMC Committee also accepted brodalumab (Kyntheum) for the treatment of severe plaque psoriasis, an infl ammatory skin condition which causes red scaly patches (known as plaques) on the skin. Brodalumab extends the range of disease modifying treatment options for patients who have failed to respond to standard therapies.


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