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
 
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It's Showtime PDF Print E-mail
Monday, 21 July 2008 15:37
The health of hundreds of people within Northern Ireland’s agricultural sector was targeted during May’s Balmoral Show by two big players in community pharmacy. Pharmacists and representatives from Co-operative Pharmacy and Gordons Chemists were on hand at the show held in the King’s Hall, Belfast to offer free health checks and various tests.
Diabetes Testing at the Balmoral ShowCommenting on the success of Gordons’ involvement in Balmoral Show, Helena Buchanan, head of health promotions with Gordons described such events as “life changing”.

“We have been over whelmed by the response from our attendance at the Show in previous years and it really can make a fundamental difference to people’s lives,” she explained. “Last year a staggering one in five people tested were referred on to the GP for further testing. When we first visited the show in 2005, we quickly identified the vast numbers of people from the rural and farming communities who never set foot inside their GP’s surgery or visited their local pharmacy.

“We pledged, at that stage as a company to continue to bring our services to them in an environment which they were comfortable in.

“Perhaps surprisingly, this applies to both sexes, but we are targeting men in particular who could be putting themselves at risk and who urgently need treatment. As in previous years our clinics will be testing for blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood glucose. These tests only take a matter of minutes but can literally prove life changing.”

Northern Ireland charity Action Cancer joined Gordons for the event, bringing with them equipment that uses ultra violet light to determine the extent of sun damage on a patient’s skin. “This non-diagnostic test shows how outdoor and unprotected exposure to the sun can cause damage to the skin through an enhancement of the skin’s non-invisible layers,” Helena explained.Diabetes Testing at the Balmoral Show

Meanwhile, John Stevenson from Co-op Pharmacy was joined by staff to offer blood glucose and pressure monitoring, as well as give advice on how to lead a healthier lifestyle for those working in the agricultural industry. “We find that those who live in rural areas and work in farming can be less inclined to worry about their health despite carrying out often strenuous and physically demanding work,” John said. “We attended the show to demonstrate how regularly visiting a local pharmacy can help to keep your health in check. Pharmacies are also often a great deal more accessible than GP surgeries for those in sometimes isolated, rural villages.

“Farming can be a very male dominated arena to work within and while famers will always be concerned for the health and welfare of say their livestock and their families, their own wellbeing is a secondary priority,” John continued. “It is not unheard of for people aged in their fifties or sixties to visit our stand and admit they have never had their blood glucose levels checked but the Balmoral Show is a comfortable, familiar environment for them so they feel more at ease to discuss any health problems or requirements with our pharmacists.”