THE shockwaves created by the announcement in England last week on the new funding arrangements for community did indeed reach farther north than Hadrians’ wall. I often feel rather grateful that I practice as a community pharmacist in Scotland and this week brought this into focus. As the dust settled in England it was a busy week in Scotland.
We kicked the week off with an excellent blog by Dr. Li-Shean Toh, a lecturer in medicines management from the University of Tasmania. One of the aspects of the online world that I take great pleasure in is connecting and learning from professionals across the world as far away in this case as Tasmania. Li-Shean gave an entertaining account of how she made a conscious decision to lift herself out of the hectic dispensing process to make a difference at a strategic level through research.
We published a continuing professional development article next on coeliac disease by Ross Ferguson. It is a concise yet insightful journey through this relatively common disease. One interesting insight I learned about coeliac disease by engaging online was the profound psychological impact of the disease. Readers with coeliac disease that engaged with me, indicated that there can be feelings of loss and sometimes isolation especially in the days/weeks directly after diagnosis. In the coming weeks we will have further patient perspective articles on coeliac disease to hopefully learn more about the human impact of the disease.
https://pharmacyinpractice.uk/2016/10/20/coeliac-disease-cpd/
On Thursday we reported on the NPA’s new MAS service standard operating procedure and frequently asked questions resources for members in Scotland. Earlier this year there was increased scrutiny around the scheme, and NHS Scotland issued guidance around the various aspects of the scheme including registration. The NPA responded to this by producing this SOP and FAQ resource to support members delivering the service.
https://pharmacyinpractice.uk/2016/10/20/npa-develops-new-mas-resources-for-members-in-scotland/
We closed the week with our now ever popular Sunday CPD quiz. The quiz topic continued our theme this week of coeliac disease.
https://pharmacyinpractice.uk/2016/10/22/coeliac-disease-cpd-quiz/
We are great supporters of all sectors of pharmacy in Scotland. We are very keen to hear about projects and activities across Scotland that show off the excellent work pharmacists do on a daily basis. Please get in touch if you have something to share.