Transcript Pharmacy: looking to the future

Pharmacy: looking to
the future
Kevin Ratcliffe
Consultant Pharmacist
Stereotypes…..?
• Traditionally, role
dominated by
dispensing
• SMS: needle
exchanges and
supervised
consumption
• Role is now evolving
• Key benefit: ACCESS
Minor Ailments
•
•
•
•
Already trained
Signposting / referral
Fear
Some minor ailment
schemes available
but no national
standards (and
certainly not national
coverage)
BBV – some scary stuff
• Nationally, 40% IDUs have HCV (marked
variation of prevalence)
• Half of these are unaware of their status
• 20% IDUs infected with HCV within 3
years of starting
• Uptake of Hep B vaccine better, but
completions still low.
• HIV rates rising again (1/3 of IDUs
unaware of their status).
BBV: options
• Pilot studies of Hep B
vaccination
completions via
pharmacies hugely
successful.
• HCV screening (dried
blood spot sampling)
• HIV as well ?
• NX and SC
PGDs: Naloxone
• Overdose
response training
• Supply and use of
naloxone
• Inc. partners /
carers
• Universally
available
PGDs: Sexual Health
• Morning after pill
• Chlamydia
screening and
treatment
• Sexual health
advice (inc. supply
of free condoms
and lube)
PGDs: antibiotics
• A “minor ailments
plus” scheme
• Defined conditions
and defined
circumstances
• Skin infections /
abscesses ?
Smoking Cessation
Alcohol
• Many pharmacists
already skilled at brief
interventions
• Referral pathways in
place
• Harm reduction
measure (esp. as
illicit drug use
decreases)
Non-medical prescribing
• Effective use of skill
mix
• Many benefits
• Already present in
primary care,
specialist teams and
prison service
• But, could we take
this further……….?
The main challenges:
At every crossroads on
the path that leads to the
future, tradition has
placed ten thousand men
to guard the past.
Anon.