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

Uncertainty Threatens NI

Written by Laure James - Editor Pharmacy in Focus

Monday, 28 July 2008 14:16

Concerns among pharmacists in Northern Ireland about the state of the profession are continuing to swell, as Numark’s Mimi Lau, director of professional services and John D’Arcy, retail commercial director at Phoenix discovered on a recent trip to Belfast. The Numark Northern Ireland Pharmacy Advisory Board, which includes a number of Northern Ireland contractors, met to discuss some of the most threatening issues facing community pharmacy.

“There is a lot of dissatisfaction amongst our members that the new contract is yet to be agreed and although there’s been a lot of talking over the last three years, agreement about what it will contain has been extraordinarily slow,” Mimi commented. “The use of Category M - as in England - as a mechanism to take money out of the system but with no budget being redirected to services is unfair. Contractors are working just as hard for less money and this cannot continue.”

Heated discussions about generic tendering being proposed also made an appearance at the meeting. “It is clear that manufacturers and wholesalers are involved in discussions but average contractors – Numark pharmacists – feel completely in the dark and that they are not being consulted on something that will affect them considerably,” Mimi added. “Numark would like to engage with the PCC to see how we can help with the communication process and work with them in any way possible.”