RPS NEWS
ROYAL PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY SCOTLAND ROUND-UP SCOTTISH PHARMACISTS HAVE VITAL
ROLE IN MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Working for you during COVID-19
RPS in Scotland has called for an exploration of new models of care which enable pharmacists to better support people with their mental health. At a national roundtable event held in its Edinburgh office, policymakers, politicians and practitioners met with leading community pharmacists to discuss how pharmacists could play a greater role in the provision of mental health services.
With England in a second national lockdown and Scotland and Wales implementing their own restrictions, COVID-19 is still a very big factor in all our lives - both at work and at home. RPS is working hard to ensure you're supported and kept safe whilst the pandemic continues. Our COVID-19 hub is regularly updated, our support team is here to respond to your questions, and we continue to campaign on your behalf.
Participants heard from pharmacists across Scotland about their current role and how it could be developed to further benefit patients.
2021 Elections
We’ve launched our manifesto for the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary elections as we look to influence the future of pharmacy.
With the support of RPS members, the manifesto includes eight calls to action for political parties. We are calling on parties to commit to ensuring patients can continue to benefit from safe and effective care by supporting a sustainable, integrated and strong pharmacy profession.
The manifesto includes a call for better harnessing of the skills of
22 - SC8 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST TISH PHARMACIST
We are working on an RPS in Scotland policy which calls for an exploration of new models of care which enable pharmacists working in all settings to better support patients with mental health conditions with their medicines, with early interventions, monitoring
Pharmacists play an important role in their community, providing patients with advice on their medication; spotting the early signs of mental health conditions; and in places form part of a network of interdisciplinary medical teams. However, patients could benefit even more if the role of pharmacists was better recognised and their contributions integrated within primary care.
Your safety at work is a top priority. We continue to lobby on the issues that really matter, based on lessons learned from the first wave and from listening to - and engaging with - members, the pharmacy profession and other professional groups across the NHS. We want to see: • Greater protection of pharmacists and pharmacy teams • Recognition and support for the pharmacy workforce • Adjustments and flexibility in service provision to help the workforce and support the public • Pharmacists and their teams
empowered to use their clinical skills and judgement to support the public
We continue to push for individual workplace risk assessments to be undertaken and acted upon. We have seen the evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic colleagues and risk assessments are an important step to help make the workplace safer.
and referrals to specialist services when necessary. Pharmacists could also provide more formal follow-up care to patients and work as part of multidisciplinary teams.
‘We believe that pharmacists are vital to the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Mental Health Strategy,’ said Jonathan Burton, Chair of the RPS Scottish Pharmacy Board, ‘and could play a leading role in multidisciplinary teams. Working in the community, pharmacists see people more often than any other health professional and provide holistic care. There are great examples across the country from universities and rural communities to areas of deprivation where pharmacists are providing much- needed support.
‘As we face another surge of COVID-19 cases this winter,’ says Robbie Turner, Director of Pharmacy and Member Experience at RPS Scotland, ‘pharmacy teams are facing enormous pressures on the front line. We will support you every step of the way.
‘Please look out for our member communications and posts on social media to keep updated and tell us what the issues are for you, so we can continue to support you.’
Check out our COVID-19 hub on our website (
www.rpharms.com) and get in touch if there are ways you think we could help support pharmacy teams further.
‘As experts in all aspects of medicines, pharmacists are often best placed to review a patient’s overall medication and will take a holistic approach to an individual’s conditions. We can improve the quality of their care by ensuring that they are getting the most benefit from the medicines they are taking and reducing the risk of harm.’
The RPS in Scotland mental health policy will be finalised by the end of the year and will be available on our website:
www.rpharms.com
pharmacists in reducing health inequalities and enhancement in their role in primary care vaccination and immunisation services.
We are also calling for read and write access to an integrated electronic patient record, the development of interoperable IT systems to allow for digital solutions to the sharing of information across all sectors, and guarantees for protected time for learning and development for the entire profession.
RPS Scotland will now be taking steps to ensure pharmacy is recognised and
RPS Scotland has published a new policy on improving pharmaceutical care for people living with mental health conditions. It recommends that the expertise, clinical knowledge and accessibility of pharmacists should be better used to support people with mental health conditions to help them live longer and healthier lives.
FUTURE OF PRIMARY CARE RPS in Scotland gave oral evidence to the Health and Sport Committee’s inquiry into the future of primary care in Scotland on Tuesday 1 October, alongside Community Pharmacy Scotland, the British Dental Association and Optometry Scotland.
One in three adults in Scotland experience mental health conditions in their lifetime. People with life-long mental health conditions are likely to die fifteen to 20 years prematurely because of poor physical health, much of which is preventable with improved patient care and risk management. RPS Scotland believes that better use of pharmacy teams, better resourcing of existing services and commissioning of new models of care could improve patient care and help to realise the aims and ambitions of the Scottish Government’s Mental Health Strategy 2017- 2027.
• There is potential for community pharmacies to be public health and healthy living hubs, focusing
‘Pharmacists can play a vital role in providing accessible services to support people’s mental health,’ says Jonathan Burton, Chair of RPS Scotland and a community pharmacist in Stirling, ‘not only to help people get the most from their medicines, but also around looking after their general health and
We’re pleased to announce that after months of renovation, weeks of packing and a busy few days of unpacking, the RPS in Scotland has now officially moved to its new home in Edinburgh’s New Town.
This move is not about a building, or about RPS Scotland. It is about being able to provide a focal point for members and the wider profession. The new office is a home for all RPS staff and members and it is hoped that members will see it as
Jonathan Burton, Chair of the Scottish Pharmacy Board, emphasised the need for transformational change in order to achieve real integration between primary care services. He also highlighted the need for full read and write access to the patient health record as well as raising awareness of the workforce pressures faced by pharmacists across Scotland.
RPS in Scotland also submitted written evidence to the inquiry. Key points from our submission include:
Caring for people living with mental health conditions
RPS IN SCOTLAND GIVES EVIDENCE ON THE
wellbeing. Whether it is spotting early signs of mental health conditions, managing long-term conditions, providing expert medicines advice or signposting to other forms of support, pharmacists working across the health service are ideally placed to ensure people get the help they need.
on obesity management, lifestyle changes, social prescribing and vaccinations to increase capacity and uptake
‘There are many great examples of services being provided by pharmacy teams that improve the care of people with mental health conditions. We would like to see more support and increased resource to enable more pharmacy teams to do the same. We are also calling for more mental health specialist pharmacist positions to the meet the gaps in care and to support the development of psychiatric pharmacist liaison roles.
• Community pharmacists, GP practice and secondary care colleagues need to work together more closely as well as with the wider multidisciplinary team
• Timely sharing of information between pharmacists in hospital, GP practice and community is essential and an important element of keeping people safe as they move with their medicines across health and social care systems
NEW HOME FOR RPS IN SCOTLAND
‘It is crucial that the Scottish Government and the NHS make the most of the pharmacy workforce to support patient care.’
The Committee is continuing its evidence gathering throughout November. You can read our written evidence in full on the Scottish Parliament’s website:
www.parliament.scot
‘The policy represents a challenge and an opportunity for the pharmacy profession to further support the mental health and well-being of people across Scotland,’ adds Andrew Walker, Chair of the Mental Health Pharmacy Strategy Group. ‘Pharmacy staff across all sectors can work together to take forward innovative approaches that will enhance the care we provide to people with mental health problems.’
somewhere they can visit and spend time.
The new address for the team in Scotland is: 44 Melville Street, EH3 7HF, Edinburgh.
You can still get in touch with us by email and phone on 0131 556 4386 and
scotinfo@rpharms.com.
We are starting to plan some exciting events to celebrate the opening of the new office. Watch out for more details coming soon.
NEW MENTORING PLATFORM TO SUPPORT YOU prospects and build self-confidence.
In October we launched a new mentoring platform exclusively for members. The scheme connects newer and more experienced pharmacists to benefit each other and the profession.
represented in the manifestos of the main political parties and ultimately in the plans for government for 2021-2026.
‘We've listened to our members, the profession and other pharmacy organisations and have put together a list of asks for political parties that we believe will help deliver a quality
The new mentoring platform unites pharmacists from all sectors and career stages to share experiences and build professionally supportive relationships.
Newer pharmacist? Find a mentor who can offer impartial help
and guidance to accelerate your development, improve your career
pharmacy service,’ says Clare Morrison, RPS Director for Scotland. ‘Pharmacy is at the very forefront of healthcare in Scotland and it is vital that it gets the support it needs to enable pharmacy teams to provide access to expert medicine and health care advice to the people of Scotland where and when they need it.’
More experienced pharmacist? Use the platform as a way of sharing your knowledge and expertise to give back to the profession and give colleagues of the future a helping hand.
Any RPS member can join the platform as a mentor or mentee. The new mentoring platform then takes your details and begins to look for a match. When one is found, both mentor and mentee can review the suggestion.
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