Local Services
Department of Pharmaceutical Services
Pharmaceutical Services are provided at the SHSSB by a team of staff comprising the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Senior Prescribing Adviser, Locality Prescribing Advisers, Clinical Liason/Probity Pharmacist and Nurse Prescribing Adviser.
Staff working in the Pharmacy department are responsible for the general development of community pharmacy services and planning of pharmaceutical services in hospitals and residential care. In addition they are responsible for developing prescribing support arrangements for medical and non-medical prescribers and providing pharmaceutical advice to prescribers for the purposes of ensuring safe, rational and cost-effective prescribing.
The Strategy for Pharmacy in the Community, Making it Better (DHSSPS Feb 2004) identified pharmacies as being a resource that are well placed to deal with additional healthcare needs. A copy of the Strategy can be accessed here.
- Organisation Chart: Pharmaceutical Services
- Minor Ailments
- Repeat Dispensing
- Managing Your Medicines
- Prescription Charges and Exemptions.
- Pharmacy Service to help the Elderly
- Specialist Medicines
- Palliative Care Service
- Southern Area Prescribing Forum (SAPF)
Minor Ailments 
The Minor Ailments Service was launched throughout Northern Ireland in
November 2005. It enables patients to obtain treatment for a number of
common ailments direct from their local pharmacy without going to their GP to
obtain a prescription. It initially focused on winter ailments such as coughs
and colds and has now been extended to include hay fever symptoms.
Click here for the leaflet and here for further details.
NI Repeat Dispensing Scheme 
Repeat dispensing is the process by which patients can obtain supplies of their repeat medicines over a defined period of time from a pharmacy of their choice, without the need to contact their GP practice on each occasion a new supply is needed. Click here for further details.
Managing Your Medicines
"Managing Your Medicines" is a pharmacy-based medication review service for vulnerable or at risk patients. Implemented by the four Health and Social Services Boards in Northern Ireland in August 2000, it is a structured and comprehensive medication review protocol. All details are on the web site www.managingmedicines.com
Prescription Charges and Exemptions
Details of Prescription Charges and Entitlement to free NHS Prescriptions can be found on the Central Services Agency website, click here
Pharmacy Service to Help the Elderly
The Southern Health Board has recently appointed a new pharmacist to help ensure that elderly people get the most from the medicines they have been prescribed by their doctor. It is important that elderly people who take a number of medicines have their medication checked regularly. This will ensure that the right combination of medicines is being used and that the medicine is being taken as the doctor intended.
Helen Harris has been appointed by the Southern Board to undertake such checks for all elderly patients in nursing and residential care locally. She will also provide advice and training for staff administering medicines.
Specialist Medicines
Patients receive a wide range of specialised care through hospitals in Northern Ireland. Difficulties may arise in the transfer of care of patients from hospitals to the community when the prescribing of highly specialised medicines is involved.
Red Amber Specialist Medicines Website Launched
The Interace Pharmacist Network recently announced the launch of their Specialist Medicines' website - www.ipnsm.n-i.nhs.uk. The website is intended to improve communication with all of those involved with specialist medicines in the Northern Ireland HPSS, and will be a useful resource for accessing the latest versions of the many documents that are published by the Interface Pharmacist Network, including:
- The Red Amber list
- Shared Care Guidelines
- Guidance documents
- Forms
- Current and previous editions of Newsletters and updates
The current contact details of the Interface Pharmacists Specialist Medicines are also available on the site.
Background information:
In March 2003 the Regional Group on Specialist Drugs chaired by Professor Johnston, made recommendations regarding the introduction of Red/Amber lists for specialist medicines. This system provides guidance on where prescribing responsibility should lie in respect to a nymber of specialist medicines. It was developed in order to enhance patient care and promote safety in the prescribing, supply and administration of specialist medicines.
A Red list drug being defined as one where the prescribing should remain with the consultant and the supply should be via the hospital pharmacy.
An Amber list drug being defined as one where the prescribing responsibility may be transferred from secondary care to primary care with the agreement of the GP and when shared care arrangements have been established.
The DHSSPS facilitated the implementationof these lists by funding the Interface Pharmacist Network - Specialist Medicines (IPNSM). This network comprises of six pharmacists (including one network co-ordinator based at the Royal Group of Hospitals) based in six acute hospitals (Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Belfast City Hospital, Craigavon Area Hospital, Royal Group of Hospitals, Ulster Hospital and Antrim Area Hospital) but providing cover for all Northern Ireland.
On May 1 2003 the Red/Amber lists for specialist medicines were introduced. These lists are advisory, and inclusion of a medicine on the list does not imply endorsement of use and does NOT take account of the cost implications of use of a particular medicine. The list services to recommend where prescribing responsibilities should lie, and whether or not the supply of a medicine should be organised via the hospital pharmacy.
Review of Red/Amber lists
The status of the Red/Amber lists will be reviewed regularly by the Regional Group on the Prescribing of Specialist Medicines following preliminary assessment by the Area Prescribing Forums or the Area Drug and Therapeutic Committees. Drug classifications do not imply endorsement of use, but rather a recommendation on prescribing responsibilities, and consequently whether or not the supply of a medicine should be organised through the interface pharmaicst network specialist medicines www.ipnsm.n-i.nhs.uk
Regional Shared Care Guidelines
The Regional Group has recommended that medicines suitable for shared care arrangements be designated on the Amber list. The Group has further recommended that prescribing responsibility may be transferred to primary care when agreed shared care arrangements have been established. Such shared care arrangements will make recommedations on the respective clincial responsibilities of both parties.
In some cases, a regional approach to the development of exemplar shared care arrangements has been proposed. Consequently, healthcare professionals working within the HPSS are facilitating the development of regional guidelines can be adapted for local use with implementation being brought forward at local level. Regional shared care guidelines can be located at www.ipnsm.n-i.nhs.uk. While every care is taken to ensure tha thte guidelines listed are accurate and up-to-date, we cannot accept responsibility for any adverse consequences arising from their use.
A New Palliative Care Service
A new pharmaceutical service designed to help patients deal with the symptoms of cancer is now operating successfully in the Southern Board's area. The service also helps the patient's family and provides assistance to their doctor. The service has been developed to make it easier to obtain the highly specialist medicines needed to relieve difficult cancer-related symptoms, regardless of where the patient lives in the Board's area.
Hospital and community pharmacy staff are now working together more effectively, to provide these important medicines, particularly at key times such as when patients return home after hospital treatment. The scheme also provides information on devices such as syringe drivers, which are used to assist in drug treatment of some patients.
Further information is available from Deirdre Tunney, Director of Pharmaceutical Services on 028 3741 4624 or email: deirdrtu@shssb.n-i.nhs.uk.
Southern Area Prescribing Forum
The Southern Area Prescribing Forum (SAPF) is an advisory body with links to Trust Drug and Therapeutics Committees, General Practitioner & Community Pharmacy bodies and the SHSSB. The membership of the Forum draws from multi-professional sources both from primary and secondary care which includes pharmacists, general practitioners, hospital consultants and nurses.
There are various sub-groups of the SAPF to enable the wide
range of prescribing issues to be properly addressed e.g.
SAPF Interface Group, The Non-medical Prescribing Subgroup.
The remit and composition of the SAPF ensures that it is an effective body to deal with current and future changes and challenges in prescribing. It provides a focal point within the SHSSB area for the discussion of prescribing-related issues affecting both primary and secondary care and a channel for the dissemination of resolved advice to prescribers.
SAPF Publications:
SAPF Policy Development Process & accompanying Proposal Form – June 2007
Outline the process for development of joint prescribing policies across the primary-secondary care interface.
SAPF Newsletter
Produced on a quarterly basis this provides a summary of recent Drugs & Therapeutics Committees product decisions, NICE guidance for implementation in Northern Ireland and recent Scottish Medicines Consortium decisions.
Newsletters
July 2007 Issue 1
November 2007 Issue 2
January 2008 Issue 3