Pharmacies In Scotland Research Articles

Patient Experiences of Community Pharmacy Medication Supply and Medicines Reconciliation at Hospital Discharge: A Pilot Qualitative Study.

(1) Background: As part of the Scottish Government's five-year recovery plan to address the backlog in NHS care following the COVID-19 pandemic, community pharmacies in Scotland are planned to provide a Hospital Discharge Medicines Supply and Medicines Reconciliation Service. We aimed to qualitatively explore patients' experiences with this new service. (2) Method: Adult patients (≥18 years age) who consented to participate in the Community Pharmacy Hospital Discharge and Medicines Reconciliation Service were invited for an interview within 21 days of discharge from hospital. Qualitative, one-to-one, semi-structured patient interviews were conducted by telephone and audio-recorded using Microsoft Teams®. The interview audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and underwent thematic analysis. (3) Results: Twelve patients were interviewed, evenly split by sex and with a median age of 62 years (range 36 to 88 years). Our analysis generated main five themes: patient engagement, stakeholder communication, practical factors, human factors, and comparative experiences. Many of these were interdependent. (4) Conclusions: Patients appreciated that the service ensured a quicker discharge from hospital. Good stakeholder communication, practical factors (including choice, location, and the realities of obtaining their medication from the community pharmacy), and a pre-existing and trusted relationship in their usual community pharmacy were the key factors that regulated the patient experience. Generally, patients were positive about the introduction of this new service. However, the lack of a previous relationship or trust with a community pharmacy, and previous experiences with medication supply problems were factors which had the potential to negatively impact patient experiences.

Characteristics of prescribing activity within primary care in Scotland 2013-2022 of general practitioners, nurse, pharmacist and allied health prescribers: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Independent prescribing by nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals is diversifying into a variety of healthcare settings as pressures mount on existing resources. Primary care was an early adopter of prescribing by non-medical professionals with resulting improvements in accessibility and flexibility of services but also noted barriers. Exploring existing prescribing activity within primary care can support future initiatives that are cognisant of the needs of this specific population and targeted in the use of finite resources. To explore the characteristics of prescribing activity of common drugs dispensed by community pharmacies in Scotland by prescribing groups of general practitioners, nurses, pharmacist and allied health professionals. Specifically, to compare overall drug prescribing frequency by prescriber group and identify emergent prescribing patterns of individual drugs. A cross-sectional study. The data from Public Health Scotland on frequency of the ten most common drugs prescribed and dispensed from community pharmacies between 2013 and 2022 by prescriber group were examined, applying descriptive statistics using secondary data analysis. Prescribing activity in non-medical prescribing groups accounted for 2%-3% of overall prescribing activity in primary care. There is a growing interprofessional approach to prescribing in chronic disease. Proton pump inhibitors were the most commonly prescribed medication overall with a 4-fold increase in nurse prescribing. The decline in prescribing frequency caused by COVID 19 restrictions has since returned to pre-pandemic levels. There is a growing contribution of nurse independent prescriber activity within primary care although still a relatively small proportion compared to medical practitioners. The pattern of increased prescribing of medications for long term and chronic conditions such as proton pump inhibitors by all prescribers is suggestive of multi-disciplinary professionals supporting increased patient demand. This study provides a baseline to evaluate current service provision in further research and enable professional, service and policy development.

Negotiators agree uplift in funding worth £12.3m for pharmacies in Scotland

Negotiators agree uplift in funding worth £12.3m for pharmacies in Scotland

Community pharmacies in Scotland receive £20m cash injection

Community pharmacies in Scotland receive £20m cash injection

Every community pharmacy in Scotland to stock emergency supplies of naloxone from October 2023

Every community pharmacy in Scotland to stock emergency supplies of naloxone from October 2023

Reaching people receiving opioid agonist therapy at community pharmacies with hepatitis C virus: an international randomised controlled trial.

Conventional healthcare models struggle to engage those at risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This international study evaluated point-of-care (PoC) HCV RNA diagnostic outreach and direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment for individuals receiving opioid agonist therapy (OAT) in community pharmacies. We assessed the effectiveness of a roving nurse-led pathway offering PoC HCV RNA testing to OAT clients in community pharmacies relative to conventional care. Pharmacies in Scotland, Wales, and Australia were randomised to provide PoC HCV RNA testing or conventional referral. Pharmacists directed OAT clients to on-site nurses (intervention) or local clinics (control). Infected participants were treated with DAAs, alongside OAT. Primary outcome was the number of participants with sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR) and analysed using mixed effects logistic regression in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population. Forty pharmacies were randomised. The ITT population contained 1410 OAT clients. In the conventional arm (n= 648), 62 (10%) agreed to testing, 17 (27%) were tested, 6 (35%) were positive and 5 (83%) initiated treatment. In the intervention arm (n= 762), 148 (19%) agreed to testing, 144 (97%) were tested, 23 (16%) were positive and 22 (96%) initiated treatment. SVR was obtained by 2 (40%; conventional) and 18 (82%; intervention). Intervention arm participants had higher odds of testing, OR 16.95 (7.07-40.64, p< 0.001); treatment, OR 4.29 (1.43-12.92, p= 0.010); and SVR, OR 8.64 (1.82-40.91, p= 0.007). Nurse-led PoC diagnosis in pharmacies made HCV care more accessible for OAT clients relative to conventional care. However, strategies to improve testing uptake are required. NCT03935906.

RPS Scotland sets out vision of pharmacy in 2030

A vision for the future of pharmacy in Scotland in 2030 has been published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). In ‘Pharmacy 2030: a professional vision‘, published on 2 February 2022, RPS Scotland sets out how it sees the future for the profession, where pharmacists will move from checking other professionals’ work “into having a […]

Community pharmacies carry out 3.3 million NHS Pharmacy First consultations since launch

Pharmacies in Scotland have carried out more than 3.3 million consultations under the NHS Pharmacy First service as of the end of March 2022, according to government data. The data, published by Public Health Scotland on 14 June 2022, show that community pharmacies claimed for 3,323,553 consultations since the service launched on 29 July 2020. […]

Community pharmacies to supply antiviral treatments to high-risk COVID-19 patients

Community pharmacies in Scotland will be paid £45 per item to dispense the COVID-19 antiviral molnupiravir to eligible patients, the government has announced. A circular, published by the Scottish government on 13 January 2022, said that this would be supplemented with up to £12 to cover the cost of home delivery where needed. The announcement […]

Measuring the evolution of online pharmacy education in a national CPD programme, in Scotland, pre-pandemic (2013–14 vs 2018–19)

ABSTRACT Continuing professional development (CPD) is a regulatory requirement for pharmacy professions in Great Britain. Formal CPD is available in various formats including face-to-face, webinar, and e-learning. CPD may be clinical or non-clinical and may be aligned to core services or not. Literature highlights varied preferences for CPD formats and topics, and in Scotland there was a move towards online CPD in the pharmacy profession. This study utilised electronic attendance and completion records of CPD activities from a national CPD provider in Scotland. The aim was to measure and describe the nature of CPD provision and uptake within Pharmacy in Scotland, comparing records from 2013–14 and 2018–19. Thus, benchmarking the nature of CPD before the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in social distancing restrictions. This study identified that the CPD workforce (NES staffing), and CPD opportunities provided, had evolved towards e-learning delivery. Face-to-face courses were fewer (63 reduced to 58) as were webinars (14 reduced to 6). There were fewer attendances in both. e-Learning was accessed four times more frequently in 2018–19 than 2013–14 (4040 vs 922 completions). Service focussed education was popular in both years. Asynchronous e-learning had become a popular method of CPD for the pharmacy profession before the COVID-19 pandemic, while face-to-face courses and webinars were less popular than 5 years previous. Asynchronous and service focussed CPD should be prioritised over synchronous and general CPD. Learner access and participation data should be utilised to predict future learner needs and preference.

Eight asks for the future of pharmacy in Scotland

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Scotland manifesto for the Scottish Parliament 2021 elections, The Future of Pharmacy in Scotland, was published in October 2020 — but work to develop our main asks began back in 2019. In that year, we held a number of events and discussions, and listened to our members, the profession and […]

Public perceptions and experiences of the minor ailment service in community pharmacy in Scotland.

Background:The Minor Ailment Service (MAS) in Scottish community pharmacy allows eligible people to gain improved access to care by providing free treatment for self-limiting conditions.Objective:To determine the perceptions and experiences of individuals using MAS and to quantify the potential impact on usage of other healthcare services.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted of patients accessing MAS across Scotland during June and July 2018. Questionnaire items included reasons for choosing treatment through MAS, which other services they may have accessed had MAS not been available, experiences of consultation, overall satisfaction, and perceived effectiveness of treatment. Those accessing MAS were given a study pack including an information sheet, pre-piloted questionnaire, and pre-paid return envelope. Participants had the option to consent to an optional one-week follow up questionnaire that focused on perceived effectiveness of treatment after seven days and any further access to healthcare services such as general practice, emergency departments or repeat pharmacy visits.Results:There were 1,121 respondents to the initial questionnaire. Most reported ‘convenient Location’ as the main reason for their access to community pharmacy (n=748; 67.1%). If MAS had not been available, 59% (n=655) of participants reported that they would have accessed general practice for treatment of their minor ailment. Experience of consultations was also rated highly with all ten outcome measures scoring ‘Excellent’ overall. Satisfaction was reported positively with most participants reporting full satisfaction with the overall experience (n=960; 87.2%). At one-week follow up, 327 participants responded, over 85% (n=281) did not require further access to care to treat their minor ailment and 99.7% (n=326) said they would use MAS again.Conclusions:Positive perceptions and experiences of those using MAS demonstrate a highly regarded service in terms of satisfaction and experience of consultation. The capacity for MAS to impact on the use of higher-cost healthcare services is evidenced through the number of participants who reported these services as a point of access to care should community pharmacy not be available. This national evaluation demonstrates MAS to be a positively experienced service and outlines the factors determining access for treatment of minor ailments.

A mixed-method study of community pharmacy staff's use, perceptions and acceptance of barcode scanning technology: Pharmacy's experience of scanning technology

IntroductionIncreasing technology is a strategic goal within pharmacy to facilitate medicines’ dispensing. Barcode scanning technology (BST) is considered low cost and reliable with potential safety benefits. A barrier to BST implementation within hospital pharmacy includes staff resistance; however, few studies explore BST within community pharmacy. To address this, pharmacy staff's use, perceptions and acceptance of BST within Scottish community pharmacies were examined. MethodsCommunity pharmacies within Scotland using BST to scan medicines were identified using Twitter, eNewsletters and snowball sampling; 57 pharmacies were identified. Between May-Aug 2019, managers/owners participated in semi-structured interviews to explore BST use, and staff operating BST completed an online questionnaire to examine perceptions and acceptance. Interview data underwent content analysis and questionnaire data presented as medians (IQR). ResultsBST was used for various purposes, most commonly for dispensed item verification (n = 43 pharmacies) and to identify falsified medicines (n = 10 pharmacies). Twenty pharmacy managers/owners were interviewed which revealed multiple scanners and BST functionalities. Thirty-five participants from 16 pharmacies participated in the questionnaire. Staff considered BST as easy to use. There were positive perceptions and acceptance of BST for dispensed item verification, and negative perceptions and less acceptance of BST for identifying falsified medicines. DiscussionBST implementation was identified in a minority of Scotland's 1,254 community pharmacies, and greater effort may be needed to increase technology utilisation. The variation of BST use may affect safety due to increased complexity. BST's purpose may underpin staff perceptions and acceptance. Future studies should explore barriers and observe BST use in practice. Public interest summaryBarcode scanning technology (BST) may help pharmacy staff to dispense medicines safely. Hospital pharmacy staff have reported disliking using BST to scan medicines; however, no similar research has been carried out within community pharmacy. This study examined Scottish community pharmacies’ use of BST to scan medicines, and the pharmacy staff's views. Fifty-seven pharmacies were identified. BST was most commonly used to verify that the correct medicine was selected during dispensing (n = 43 pharmacies) and to identify ‘falsified medicines’ which were not safe to dispense (n = 10 pharmacies). Staff considered BST as easy to use, but were more positive and accepting of BST for verifying the correct medicine than for identifying falsified medicines. This suggests BST's purpose may underpin pharmacy staff perceptions and acceptance. A small number of pharmacies in Scotland used BST for this purpose, therefore more efforts may be needed to promote technology use.

Clare Morrison: ‘I honestly think this is the most exciting role in pharmacy in Scotland’

Clare Morrison, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s new director for Scotland, talks us through her career Source: Source: Courtesy of Clare Morrison Clare Morrison says that taking on the Scotland brief when she was working at The Pharmaceutical Journal has gone on to shape her entire career Clare Morrison, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s new director for Scotland, talks us through her career Source: Source: Courtesy of Clare Morrison Clare Morrison says that taking on the Scotland brief when she was working at The Pharmaceutical Journal has gone on to shape her entire career Clare Morrison, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s new director for Scotland, explains why being part of leading a professional body is a massive opportunity to achieve her ambitions for pharmacy in her country.

Clare Morrison: ‘I honestly think this is the most exciting role in pharmacy in Scotland’

Clare Morrison: ‘I honestly think this is the most exciting role in pharmacy in Scotland’

Pharmacies in Scotland to receive a further £4.5m for COVID-19 costs

Pharmacies in Scotland to receive a further £4.5m for COVID-19 costs

Pharmacies in Scotland provide 84,000 'advice-only' consultations each week, study finds

Pharmacies in Scotland provide 84,000 'advice-only' consultations each week, study finds

Pharmacies in Scotland to provide NHS flu vaccines for the first time in 2020/2021

Pharmacies in Scotland to provide NHS flu vaccines for the first time in 2020/2021

The Last Apothecary: Eric Knott (1896–1993) and 20Th-Century Pharmacy in Scotland

Eric Knott was the last Apothecary at the Royal Public Dispensary and the last Principal of the Duncan School of Pharmacy. He linked pre-war apothecary practice to post-war chemist dispensing. This paper tracks his career from the Duncan School of Pharmacy, transfer to Heriot-Watt College in 1936, to the close of the Royal Public Dispensary in 1963, when the premises were transferred to the University of Edinburgh. It draws on unpublished archival material and long unseen collections from National Museums Scotland to explore what Knott's career can tell us about the impact of new legislation and the introduction of the NHS on pharmacy in Scotland.

From policy towards pharmacy practice: A review of the intended use of ehealth in pharmacy in Scotland

BackgroundPolicy-driven ehealth underpins the delivery of healthcare in which pharmacy practice plays an increasingly integral role. As health is a devolved matter within the UK, responsibility for policy development and service delivery lies with the parliament of each of the home nations. AimThe aim of this research was to describe the policy-driven intended use of ehealth as the landscape of pharmacy practice evolves in Scotland. MethodsA content analysis of current policy and strategy documents was conducted. A framework approach was applied (transcribing, familiarising, coding, developing/applying analytical framework, mapping data to the framework, interpreting patterns across and within constructs) from which a conceptual model of the intended use of technology in pharmacy was developed along with this explanatory narrative. ResultsFour key documents were identified for inclusion with a subsequent policy refresh incorporated. Key constructs were identified with associated sub-themes inducted from the data: Patient care: safety, partnership, integration, resources; Education and training: fit-for-future needs, multidisciplinary, delivery mode; Information governance: systems, staff; Implementation: accessibility, interoperability, support for role development. ConclusionsThe policy-driven strategy for ehealth in pharmacy practice in Scotland values the pharmacy team and promotes their role in multidisciplinary healthcare delivery. The clearly described intention is to facilitate and develop the patient-facing clinical role of the pharmacist and more integrated role of pharmacy in Scotland. This integrated role for pharmacy practice within the healthcare team, based on a secure, shared EHR, is a 2020 target for Scotland moving policy towards pharmacy practice.