One Size FIts All

Among baggage reclaim carousels across the globe, passengers are reuniting themselves with exactly the same luggage in one country as they so trustingly parted from in another.

The Direct Approach

In a bid to raise awareness about the breadth, variety and indeed complexity of services offered throughout community pharmacies in Northern Ireland, pharmacy contractors Lee Dearn and James McKay joined David McCrea in Dundela Pharmacy to welcome the Health Minister.

The Right Formula

First the Albert Clock was treated to a reinvigorating cleanse, then the Merchant Hotel opened one of Belfast's premier jazz bars but the redevelopment of High Street doesnít stop there. Formula Healthís face-lift has turned heads of customers, commercial businesses and the Lord Mayor alike.

News in Brief

Cost Of A Pint

The 'shocking' cost of alcohol misuse in Northern Ireland was highlighted by Health Minister Michael McGimpsey in June after estimates that its cost to society equates to £679.8million with a range of £500million to £884million. "This research shows that the cost to the Health Service alone may be as high as around £160million each year with a further cost of £82million to Social Services,î the Minister said. ìThese figures are particularly pertinent in the context of my Departmentís very challenging financial situation because this is money that could be spent providing key frontline services."

Heart In Hands

The British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland is appealing to fundraisers to help it reach its target of £80,000 by August. The campaign is to recruit more heart nurses to support patients throughout the province and to reduce secondary care admissions.

Haiti Fundraising

Staff at Holly Villa in the Tyrone and Fermanagh Hospital have raised over £320 for a group who are travelling to Haiti in October to build houses following the earthquake. The Tyrone Haiti Build is a project in conjunction with the Haven Partnership to support those affected by the disaster.

Secondary Care Supported

A new hospital in Omaghs fight for funding has been supported by Health Minister Michael McGimpsey. Speaking at a meeting with the Omagh joint liaison group, the Minister said: "I am fully committed to the development of the new Omagh hospital and will continue to press for the essential funding needed to make this a reality."

Commissioning Together

Pharmacists and GPs must work together to define the gaps in commissioning data, review how they can be filled and to determine the correct level of care provision for a particular area, according to Stephen Foster, the head of the new Healthcare Professionals Commissioning Network. The network is open to any health or social care professional who would like to engage in commissioning. tinyurl.com/HCPnetwork

Peak Physique

Written by Laure James - Editor Pharmacy in Focus
Thursday, 09 October 2008 08:34
Remember Earlswood Pharmacy’s Michael Cunningham and his friend Ryan Moore? The fearless pair were in gruelling training for the Three Peaks Challenge during the summer and last month completed the feat in record time. At 4:44pm on 10 September Michael and Ryan returned to the Pen-y-pass car park at the base of Mount Snowdon 23 hours and fourteen minutes after beginning their ascent of Ben Nevis. Climbing into the clouds and tackling dangerous descents may have been the challenge’s natural appeals but the pair’s motivation was the Rapha Medical Centre in Uganda for which they have raised over £2500 to date, with sponsorship still being received. “We turned to go back down Ben Nevis at 7:53pm and the sensation of moving downwards as daylight disappeared behind us was remarkable,” Michael explained. “We had to rely on our head torches to light the way, taking extra care to avoid missing our footing on the rocky path. By the time we’d reached the bottom, we were 46 minutes ahead of schedule.” Aonghus Mayes, curate of St Finnian’s Church and designated driver for the challenge drove the intrepid lads 261 miles south to Scafell Pike in the stunning English Lake District. “This was a really memorable summit,” Michael continued. “We set off from the car park at 3:28am in the pitch black, once again relying on our head torches to identify the path from the surrounding darkness. Having climbed Scafell Pike in 2007, we knew we had to cross the Lingmell Gill river, however the crossing is unmarked and despite having a map and compass, finding the exact crossing point in the darkness delayed us considerably as the misty conditions meant the far bank of the river was just beyond the limit of the beams from our head torches. Several rain showers did little to improve spirits!” Shortly after sunrise they arrived at their second cold and windswept summit (3,209’) at 6:33am. “We once again quickly took a photograph and began the descent whilst replacing lost calories with chocolate and cereal bars. We returned to the car at 7:58am and with Aonghus at the helm began the 218 mile journey to Snowdon in North Wales, driving back along Wastwater, this time in glorious morning sunshine. “We reached the summit (3,560‘) at 2:45pm and after the obligatory photograph and calorie replacement we made our way back down, arriving back at the car park at 4:44pm,” Michael said. “During the 23 hours and 14 minutes it took us to complete the challenge we climbed a total height of 11,175’ and Aonghus drove 479 miles ferrying us between the peaks. “We would like to sincerely thank all those who have supported us.”