MP usiness Media Chemist Druggist )wsweekiy for Phan i PSNC and NPA respond to skill mix paper fif J I J] III {\ Compliance aid payments STRENGTH for Scotland Wholesaler ADVERTISING Kent expands PI portfolio Dr Jim Smith cpo: remember patient safety or backache, rheumatic & muscular pain and pain relief in common arthritic conditions Rickmansworth Road.Watford, 1 4 Herts,WD 8 7Jj, UK. Indications: For the relief of backache, rheumatic and muscular pain, sprains and trains. Ibuleve is also for pain relief in non-serious arthritic conditions. Legal Category; E Further information is available from )DD Ltd, at the address above. 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Always read the label. ; Chemistc The Newsweekly for Pharmacy Acting Editor Guy L'Aimable, BA Assistant Editor Volume 258 No 6362 Charles Gladwin, MRPharmS Business Editor 143rd year of publication Nina Keller-Henman, Dipl Biol Clinical Editor ISSN 0009-3033 Vanessa Sherwood, MRPharmS Contributing Editor Adrienne de Mont. FRPharmS Marketing Editor Sarah Thackray Reporter Cautious welcome for workforce proposals Gary Paragpuri, MRPharmS Pharmacy groups have cautiously welcomed the I )epartment ol I lealth's Production Editor consultation paper Pharmacy Workforce in the New which suggests how Fay Jones, BA NHS Group Production Sub Editor to make best use of pharmacy staff Richard Coombs Editorial secretary Jan Powis "No surprise" if OFT wants to relax controls Editorial (tel): 377487; 01 732 PSNC would not be surprised if the Office of Fair Trading recommends the (fax): 01 732 367065; relaxing of pharmacy contract controls. But such a recommendation would chemdrug® cmpinformation.com unwise, according to chairman Harry Price List be PSNC Andrews Colin Simpson (Controller), Darren Larkin, Maria Locke Price List (tel): 01 732 377407 uf Milburn: pharmacy "first port" (fax): 01 732 377559 j$ Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn, sees Group Sales Manager B pharmacy as a first port of call for patients, he told Quentin Soldan ™ Sales Manager a fringe meeting at the Labour Party Conference Mark Walley Classified Executive Question time 6 Debra Thackeray DoH considers hand held-patient records Advertisement secretary Hand-held patient records could help supplementary prescribers gain Coming Events 1 Elaine Steele access to those records. It is just one option being discussed by the Advertising (tel): 01 732 377621 Department of Health (fax): 01732 377179 Opinion 14 Production Katrina Avery Xrayser 15 Publishing Director Wholesaler Kent targets Pis for expansion 10 Fergus Wilson Ashford-based Kent Pharmaceuticals has acquired 250 parallel import Medical matters Special Projects Manager licences as part of its ambitious expansion plans. The licences will be held by 22 Steve Bremer MRPharmS Kent subsidiary Polyfarm Group Development Manager Marketwatch 23 Patrick Grice, MRPharmS ©CMP Information Ltd Classified 29 Chemist & Druggist incorporating Retail Chemist, Pharmacy Update and Beauty Counter Back issues 34 Published Saturdays by CMP Information Ltd, Sovereign Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1RW Management of opiate dependence Part two of our look at pharmacotherapies used in the treatment of opioid C&D on the internet at: hirp://wvvvv.dotpharmacy.com/ dependence and the important role pharmacists have to play in shared care Subscriptions (Home) £1 50 per annum, (Overseas & Eire) per annum including postage, £2.60 per copy (postage extra) Additional Price List: £11)0 per annum Circulation and subscription. Conferences I MP Information Ltd, Tower House, Sovereign Park, Lathlill St, Market Harborough, Leics. LE169EF Telephone: 01 858 438809 No compromise on patient safety 26 Fax: 01858 4.H958 The need to balance convenience and access with safety have been Refunds on cancelled subscriptions will only be brought into focus by out of hours serv ices, BPC delegates heard from provided at the publisher's discretion, unless specifically guaranteed within the terms of I)r Jim Smith, chief pharmacist for England subscription offer The editorial photos used are courtesy of the supplu i ^ *\ host products the\ featurt Agency scheme will not be copied 28 Alliance UniChem chairman Jeff Harris, told conv ention delegates that he doubts whether other manufacturers will copy GlaxoSmithKline's agency scheme CMP United Business Media Chemist - Druqqist 5 October 2002 3 Thisweek w Cautious welcome for workforce proposals National pharmacy organisations "The paper focuses only on "It is imperative that detailed have cautiously welcomed the better use of support staff, and is discussions on the design of these Department of Health's thin on the services pharmacists protocols [allowing technicians to consultation paper on the will provide if time is released. dispense without pharmacist pharmacy workforce. This may be the key to whether supervision] are made before any Sue Sharpe, PSNC's chief this proposal goes anywhere." decision is taken on their executive, said any progress The NPA, while recognising implementation." towards delegation of dispensing the need to make better use of Also, the NPA believes that any must be made with care to ensure pharmacists' skills and to develop re-negotiation of pay structures the quality of pharmacy services the roles of support staff, is would need to take into account is "not prejudiced", and the cost concerned that the DoH's the extra services pharmacists must be adequately funded. schemes will enable pharmacists may take on as a result of "Proposals to regulate all to absent themselves from pharmacy technicians being support staff will involve costs pharmacies. allowed to dispense unsupervised. additional to those involved in "In doing so they will be Ann Lewis, secretary and training, and we must ensure these Sue Sharpe: quality of services denying patients access to a registrar of the Royal are merited by the gains to the must not be prejudiced pharmacist-led pharmaceutical Pharmaceutical Society, said: NHS, and are funded," she said. assessment," and, "...this will "The Society welcomes the "Unless we can ensure that the economics may simply not add up have serious implications on the publication and is studying it proposals are an integral part of a to enable contractors to implement quality and safety of services to carefully with a view to framing 'joined-up' program. ..the what is envisaged. patients," says the NPA. our response." Update MCQ enclosed DoH invites skill mix This week's issue contains the questionnaire for the paper discussion following Pharmacy Update modules The Department of Health's by small independent pharmacies. carried in September: discussion paper - Pharmacy "The pharmacy supervision Migraine part 2 (1247) Workforce in the New NHS - sets framework is seen as increasingly © Gout (1248) out the changes that are needed to outdated compared with modern 1 ) Unusual sleep disorders (1249) make best use of the pharmacy ways of working being developed Pharmacy Update is a distance workforce to deliver the aims of elsewhere in the NHS and is, learning programme accredited Pharmacy in the Future. more than ever, a major constraint by the College of Pharmacy Consideration needs to be given on development of extended Practice. Previous modules can to pharmacy support staff's roles pharmacy services in primary be accessed on and responsibilities, training care," says the document. rpww.dotpharmacy.com. standards, regulation, the nature With regards to costs, the Further information about and extent of supervision, and document says: "The Government enrolling is available from Mary development and progression of recognises that there will be Prebble on 01732 377269. The staff, including flexibility to David Lammy presents the training and administrative costs Pharmacy Update multiple pursue alternative careers with the discussion paper at the BPC for pharmacy employers. However, choice questionnaire and phone NHS, says the paper. there will also be a considerable marking service are supported The DoH highlights four medicines supply schemes' to incentive for community by Genus Pharmaceuticals. points in particular (C&D, allow accredited technicians to pharmacists to use new staffing September 28, pS): dispense without the personal flexibility to free up time to Z' a continued extension of supervision of a pharmacist. engage with GP practices and pharmacists' roles in supporting The document says the PCTs to deliver new services." Strategy meeting i patients through medicines demarcation of pharmacists and The DoH says the paper does management schemes, pharmacy technicians' roles has not represent settled policy, and is Pharmacists are invited to meeting a supplementary prescribing, been seen as an unnecessary