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SUMMARY OF MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS
Development of National and Local
Policy
1. The Scottish Executive Health Department and other
relevant agencies should ensure that the profession of
pharmacy is fully engaged in the development and review of
national policies relating to substance misuse.
2.
NHS Boards, in conjunction with their
local Drug & Alcohol Action Teams (
DAATs) should ensure that the profession
of pharmacy is fully engaged in the development of policy
and the planning of services through representation at a
senior level on every
DAAT.
3.
NHS Boards and pharmacy contractors
should have access to specialist pharmacist advice in
relation to formulating and implementing national and local
policy on pharmaceutical services for substance
misusers.
Services to Substance Misusers
4. The concept of a patient-specific "multi-agency
agreement" incorporating a pharmaceutical care plan should
be developed for use in NHSScotland and incorporated into
all integrated pharmaceutical care services for substance
misusers.
5. NHSScotland and other agencies should take advantage
of opportunities offered by pharmacist prescribers and the
new community pharmacy contract to engage pharmacy more
fully in the planning, provision, delivery and extension of
services for substance misusers.
6. Pharmacists should adopt a proactive approach to
health promotion, health education and harm reduction.
Support should be provided to ensure that pharmacists have
access to accurate information which is up to date and
consistent.
7.
NHS Boards should consider building on
the success of supervised self-administration of methadone
by extending the concept to other treatments and areas of
substance misuse.
8.
NHS Boards should ensure equitable
access to pharmacy services for substance misusers,
particularly for the homeless and for ethnic
minorities.
Communication
9. National and local networks of pharmacists providing
services for substance misusers should be established.
These networks should be facilitated by specialist
pharmacists in substance misuse.
10. All members of healthcare teams should ensure a
regular exchange of information both of a clinical and a
"street" nature. This information should reflect local
practice and trends.
11. NHSScotland and the Scottish Prison Service (
SPS) should explore arrangements for the
integrated and consistent pharmaceutical care of substance
misusers.
Education and Training
12. Education and training in substance misuse should be
conducted on a multidisciplinary, multi-agency basis.
Pharmacists should be afforded every opportunity to attend
meetings/seminars in order to develop and promote a team
approach to patient care.
13.
NHS Boards, with the support of Local
Authorities and police services, should organise public
education campaigns advocating the benefits to the
community of providing pharmacy-based services to substance
misusers.
14. Engagement with local communities, especially
schools, should be encouraged and facilitated.
Research and Development
15. Pharmacists should be encouraged to engage in
research to improve the range of treatments available for
substance misuse. They should also be encouraged to engage
in multi-disciplinary practice research aimed at increasing
the effectiveness of service delivery.
Further Work
16. Consideration should be given to exploring the
issues surrounding the misuse of prescribed and purchased
medicines.
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