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

Room For Care

Written by Laure James - Editor Pharmacy in Focus

Monday, 18 May 2009 16:02

Lisburn’s popular Bow Street is not just home to some big brands, it is also where some big developments in community care are being made. Staff at Boots, based at the heart of the city’s main shopping area, recently opened a new area within the pharmacy, dedicated to harmonising pharmaceutical service deliver for the surrounding care homes. The newly extended room has a separate drugs room and each nursing home has its own work station and dedicated staff member working on that home resulting in a smoother, well-organised service.

Jayne McCutcheon, who manages the store, was joined by Marie Smith, regional pharmacy manager, for the occasion. “The Care Home Room enables the team to work in a new way delivering fantastic patient care and an efficient service to our care homes,” Jayne explained. “We receive the information from the nursing home, put the prescription together for each individual patient into a MDS system and deliver it to the care homes. The nurses don’t have to organise medication for individual patients – it is all done for them. Our pharmacy services homes in Lisburn and surrounding areas such as Lurgan and Portadown and this investment to the Care Home Room will enable us to offer an even more comprehensive and valued service.”

Marie said that the Care Home Room in Lisburn is the third to be rolled out in Northern Ireland. “We already have this style of room in Belfast and Bangor and we are looking at further sites in Northern Ireland in the next year. Boots also provides Training Days to nursing home staff which facilitates up-skilling them on medications and other clinical areas. This also builds up great relationships between the staff members of the care homes and staff within Boots.”